ADSL internet access in Panorama, Parow is severely limited due to the sheer distances between it and the nearest Telkom exchange. Our residence is exactly 5.29KM from the nearest exchange in Parow, causing intermittent connectivity and very low line speeds.
After multiple fault reports to Telkom, a technician revealed that there are plans for the installation of a Mini DSLAM near Hendrik Verwoerd Drive. This would dramatically shorten the transmission distance over copper cable, solving our connectivity issues. Similar systems have already been installed in the suburb of Plattekloof.
However, it has been a year since our first complaints and Telkom have no immediate plans to go ahead with this installation. Meanwhile, our ADSL connectivity is getting worst every month, probably due to an increase in amount if ADSL subscribers in the area.
Please help our cause by signing this digital petition – with enough signatures, I hope that Telkom will finally listen and improve their ageing infrastructure in our area.
Edit: See the comments below for more updates as well as suggestions for alternatives to ADSL.
Edit 2: 2016-02-09 – I spoke to a Telkom technician this morning who was busy working on the new MSAN installed in Sering street – he said he heard the cut-over date to the new system is the second week of March and people in the area can expect speeds of up to 40Mb/s, depending on how close to the new infrastructure they are located.
Hopefully Telkom will do something about our poor data connection. I have been trying for two years, many phone calls etc. with no luck. We need more people that care about bad service….
I feel your pain. I am not sure how long you have been dealing with this but I, as well as a few others, all have the same issues in panorama. I have been fighting for 5 years. There does seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel. One thing I have not tried is giving icasa a call. MSANS are coming, we must need to speed up the process with some motivation via icasa.
Thanks for the comment. Icasa seems like an idea, if you do try it, let us know how it went! MSANS is on the distant horizon, but could be many years before we see it in Panorama.
After going all out with Telkom I have received feedback yesterday. “The new technology will be installed by 15 October 2013. Panorama will be upgraded. !!!! I was asked to inform all interested parties. I have a name and contact number at Telkom!
Wow ok! Still need to see it before I believe it though! But progress!
Any update on the new technology? We’re past the 15 October 2013 and just wondering if anyone has been migrate to new connection?
Something in definitely being done now. Telkom contractors are laying new cables near the oncology clinic and space is being made for a MSAN. My Telkom contact estimates October 2014. Lets hope he’s right.
Thanks for the update!
Thanks for the link which was provided on Mybroadband i wish that the right person will see this and do something about it, i have made several calls now to telkom they just ignore it and keep marking my line as no problem found, where i keep telling them it’s a congestion issue they need to fix it, and still nothing is being done but we need to pay for something which aint working.
I had a fair service for 18 months (download 5 m p s) then it just went bad. (0.8 to 1 m p s). After 3 months nagging, Telkom informed me they cannot fix my problem, I must be patient new tech will be installed by 15 Oct 2013. I will contact the relevant Telkom guys tomorrow. No tech visited my house. I could not wait for 15 Oct 2013 and got up the pole myself and found 2 corroded connections, redid the telkom wiring and since then download 5.28 m p s.
Will report back on new tech which was supposed to be in by 15 Oct 2013.
Well done! I’ve considered many times climbing up that pole! How far from the exchange are you?
Hi
Has there been any news on the installation for our area. Have had truly appalling service for nearly 2 years in the area now. Thought it might be better but even 3G coverage is so crap at times. Wireless ISP seems to be the only way to go but not sure about the capital cost and service I might get.
I switched to Amobia (http://www.amobia.com/) just before finding out about the “imminent” upgrades by Telkom. So far I’m ecstatic about the level of service. I have had 2 outages lasting for a total of 3 hours or so, but uninterrupted service for the remainder of the time. Got the 3mb/s account which gets a solid 2.8 mb/s measured on speedtest. The seems to be symmetrical with high upload speeds (compared to ADSL). Installation was R999 (could be more depending on your location). The tower is located on one of the hills North of Panorama (I think it might be “Kanonberg”), so if you can spot it from your roof, chances are a standard installation of R999 will be sufficient. Prices are very similar to ADSL if you dump the phone line as well (Note the prices on the Amobia site is outdated and are now cheaper!). Only issue we have found is that Skype video conferencing does not work well and have also read from other users having experienced this. However, highly recommended!
A phone call to their tech support and a few port settings and configurations later and no more Skype problems either.
Does anyone have any news with regard to upgrade?I can’t notice anything has changed…same terrible speed and noise on my ADSL line…
I have also booted the ADSL link and installed AMOBIA. So far I am getting good service from them. Every year Telkom informs me that they will upgrade Panorama but then the budget gets allocated to other more important projects. Most areas will be on VDSL then we will still struggle with dial up technology.
MWEB pricing is now very competitive and I cant wait to have a 10Meg link for XMAS. (Didn’t say what year :-))
The latest news (last week) from the technician is that Telkom management has added a Mimi DSLAM for Panorama in their budget for this year, but still no news on when it will be completed or even started. So if they keep to their planning it should be in by at least end of March 2015, but it all seems too familiar.
Thanks for letting us know Pieter! I’m still very happy with Amobia since my last post. They do have some downtime, usually about 10-30 minutes at a time once or twice a week, but good speeds and fantastic technical support.
This problem has been going on for way too long. Telkom needs to commit to a date of installation. It has been more than 4 years since I have been experiencing the problem and I am still paying for my 10Mb/s line… this is a rip-off! http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php/306263-How-to-get-TELKOM-to-fix-exchange-in-Panorama-Cape-Town
I see a Telkom subcontractor is digging up the pavements all the way down Sering street. Anyone know what this is about?
It is coming! Prepare for 40mb.
Same problem in Somerset West. Telkom do not want you to have a fast ADSL line. They are trying to force you to use Telkom mobile LTE. Copper lines are expensive and just get stolen and vandalised. The 20Mbps and 40Mbps is a failure due to the poor uptake and the prohibitive cost. The only thing that will save us now is local loop unbundling or move to a better area.
http://needforspeedsomersetwest.yolasite.com/
Hey all,
Does anyone have any update on this? Has Telkom upgraded to fibre in Panorama as yet?
I would love to know as well. Things have been very quiet.
The internet in panorama is unusable!
I get local ping of 80! then when it works the ping is 12.
Online gaming is a mess! Sometimes it will be nice and stable for a few hours or even days and then boom! pings of 600+ !!!
How can i get more involved? Does anyone have a contact number of someone that works for telkom that can actually sort this out?
Im so sick of this! We are so far from the exchange is ridiculousness, why cant telkom just sort this out?
Some of the ISPs will install fibre to home if there is enough interest. Surely we can get enough people together?
Still nothing? All these years and telkom still dint fix the bloody internet? All these useless people at eskom know how to do is a port reset.
Telkom fix the internet! Make it stable!
I see Telkom are provisioning what looks like 3 MSAN’s in Panorama at the moment 1) Corner of Rachael Bloch & Sering, 2) Cnr Uys Krige & Hennie Winterbach and 3) Cnr Hennie Winterbach and Ceres.
MSAN at 1 positioned today. Anyone with any other info, contacts at Telkom as to whether every line in Panorama will benefit
I spoke to the contractor at Sering street who in simple terms confirmed “they are putting in fibre”, the “fibre is connected to the Parow exchange” and that what they are putting in “is to connect houses in the area”. Not very helpful, but probably a good time to phone Telkom and see what is up.
I see there is a 4th MSAN going in at corner of Uys Krige & Handel street ….Trenching also going ahead in Uys Krige at Pick & Pay from SDC P1 towards Plattekloof Road. To me it looks like all the fibre will come to Uys Krige and then to Parow Exchange from there….I think many households in Panorama will be beneficiaries of this work. Lets see
I did a walk around last night to check on progress, found the 3 you reported last time – the Sering street one seems to be fully built. The other 2 have piping installed and concrete, but still missing the MSAN. I wonder how close do you have to be to the MSAN to be able to connect to it… Was still meaning to give Telkom a call today for a progress check.
Just spoke to a lady in sales, not very helpful saying “Panorama only has wireless available” (LTE). I made sure I am on the SMS notification list for updates in my area, but not too hopeful (this is Telkom after all).
Neil the SDC’s (Street Distribution Cabinets) ie the green and blue boxes will likely be linked to the MSAN’s . All the MSAN’s will have fibre from there to the exchange so the important thing is to establish whether your SDC will be linked to the MSAN. I’m at the top part of Panorama and my line runs to the SDC labelled “P1” which is directly opposite the Pick & Pay in Uys Krige so I’m cautiously optimistic given the trenching to that SDC that I will have fibre from there. Currently I’m exactly 5km on copper to the Parow Exchange (In Parow Post Office building in Voortrekker Street) …Let me know if you get any useful info from Telkom…kind regs Glen
Nice info Glen, thanks. I’m about a km down the road from you on the BP side. I tried tracing the overhead cables from our house, but they seem to just stop, assuming they go underground (storm water system maybe?). How did you figure out which SDC you’re connected to? I can’t find any blue or green boxes this side, the only ones I have spotted are on Uys Krige (P1, N24, N28, N28A1 etc) and at the Ceres St. MSAN.
Hey Neill.. a Telkom Technician was at my house about 2 years ago and I got chatting with him…I asked him the exact routing of my line and he told me…My line goes to a house in Rachael Bloch and then underground to SDC P1. If you are on the BP side ie Elvy street then my guess is that you will likely connect up to the MSAN that will be placed at cnr Hennie Winterbach and Ceres…There must be some SDC’s around you. Ask the technician next time he is out there…he will share…kind regs Glen
So glad to see some progress for a change. There’s more information on MyBroadband. Just my luck that I’m falling under Kaapzicht.
http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php/711238-Panorama-ADSL-infrastructure/page2
Thanks for the update Pieter!
Hi,
Here’s another MyBroadband forum discussion.
http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php/306263-How-to-get-TELKOM-to-fix-exchange-in-Panorama-Cape-Town/page7
Seems we’re finally getting closer.
Awesome stuff! That’s the same message I got when I spoke to a tech 2 weeks ago, so hoping for mid march!!
Got an SMS message this morning to say that Telkom is busy upgrading infrastructure in your area. Maybe unstable for next 48 hours. Can’t wait to see how much of a difference there will be.
Thanks Pieter, I think I’ll give them a call!