Myt 512 – Upgrade / Downgrade / Forget double speed!

On the 1st December 2010, there was lot of frustration and anger among many myT users, including myself because the internet speed was not doubled, as promised by Mauritius Telecom. I phoned the Customer Care of Orange for explanations, but in vain. Following that conversation, I emailed a complaint to Orange, Mauritius Telecom, ICTA and the Competitive Commission of Mauritius.
Our Mauritian blogger on GeekScribes has written a very nice article on this topic. Please read his blog to get all the details related to this chaos among the myT customers. Carrotmadman6 has also written something which might be very interesting for you..

Today, according to an article on a newspaper, Mauritius Telecom says that those having the 512Kbps myT package (at Rs750+vat) can be divided into 2 categories :

  • Those who can’t have the TV services because of a technical constraint (probably distance from the station) and
  • Those who are not interested to benefit from the additioinal tv services.

The proposed alternatives

After a meeting held yesterday, the following options will be proposed to these 2 categories of customers :

  1. Stay on the same package 512Kbps at the same price of Rs750+Vat (=Rs848) for as long as they wish
  2. Upgrade to the myT 1MB +TV package at Rs999
  3. Downgrade to the ADSL 512 Kbps at about Rs759 (VAT Inclusive)

So, logically, the price of internet has not been decreased for a portion of the Internet users in Mauritius, which is totally illegal since the decrease had been announced by the Government. Mauritius Telecom is here practicing a “2 poids, 2 mesures” towards their first myT subscribers who never wanted to upgrade their tv package.

According to me, Mauritius Telecom is not planning to maintain their initial 512Kbps package. So they are canvassing (and forcing) customers to either pay more to get a new service which they probably won’t need or simply forcing them to downgrade to another service.

Putting it in a different way, I feel that Mauritius Telecom will be categorizing its orange myT clients into 2 distinct groups :

  1. Those who pay Rs848 only, unwilling to upgrade/downgrade their connection.
  2. Those who pay Rs1000 (and above)

I am still undecided : I do not feel that I need more speed (and spend about Rs100 more) for my internet surfing at home. I am no mass downloader since I only read blogs and news, and do some social networking including maintaining my blog.

Once again, I repeat that the channels proposed in the myT package are completely useless (most of them), of bad sound quality and unreliable. Unreliable because most often, my Orange decoder decides to stop working for no apparent reasons. And I am not the only one who says so.

Why should I lose my time calling a customer support and being put on hold for 10mins, and finally, they promise that they will call back. No need to say, in most of the time, you never get a response back…

Meeting with Mauritius Telecom representatives

At around noon today, I got a call from a Mauritius Telecom agent. He informed me that they received my complaint regarding this myT issue and they have decided to meet me in order to discuss. From what I understood, some MT representatives will be present.

So, here is a list of questions that I am planning to ask.
Feel free to add your own in the comments section :

Questions :

  • Will MyT users have to pay the Installation Fee and other charges if they want to downgrade to an ADSL?
  • Fair Usage Policy? Is it still valid?
  • Is Bandwidth Throttling applied (or will be applied) in Mauritius for specific sites like rapidshare?

Hope that they don’t cancel the meeting at the last moment and that the outcome of that meeting is something really constructive, instead of an attempt to do some marketing.

62 thoughts on “Myt 512 – Upgrade / Downgrade / Forget double speed!”

Add yours

  4. Please ask them this question and there is also a suggestion.

    from what i’ve heard existing ADSL 1 mbps home users are paying more than the my.T 1MB since there is only a Rs 100 reduction on all adsl package. Why is this so?

    in a way i feel that Orange is forcing using to take its tv package.. if you want to enjoy “high speed” broadband connection.

    Then why not upgrading the existing ADSL home package to ADSL2/2+ package to provide speed like 1-4 mbps for users like me who want an internet connection? Why not, since for all adsl home packages they a providing a ADSl 2+ package.

    Totally unfair.

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  5. I chose to upgrade to get the 1 Mbps :/

    However, it was not a nice step from their part to behave like that. They don’t have any valid reason. Just that they are imposing on their clients to pay Rs. 1000

    Dishonest Business Strategy…

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  9. Thanks for the share, Yashvin! I owe you one!

    I blogged this article because I felt it was an unfair move by Orange. “2 poids, 2 mesures” as you said.

    Why do some users get a speed boost, when other users of the same service, MyT, don’t get it?

    Why must ADSL users be stuck on their slower connection, when another service, MyT is having 4Mbps? Isn’t this slowing down progress?

    A dishonest business strategy, as said by Pramod. Indeed, Orange wants you to pay more to have more speed… Ironically, it was supposed to be a price cut…

    I too don’t feel I don’t really need the speed boost. I wouldn’t mind my Youtube videos to play more smoothly. But I don’t want to have to spend more to have it.

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  10. Please ask them what will happen to users who were not eligible to obtain MyT TV due to attenuation. If these types of users choose to upgrade to 1Mbps and suppose they fix the signal issue, will we have to spend on the additional installations?

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  11. I wonder WTF they keep on talking cyber Island or more pathetically Mauritius as a second Singapore if they can’t even afford decent internet connection at decent prices to its users.. Paying Rs. 750 + Vat for a crappy connection of a fake 512kbps is effing absurb..

    When in the Budget Minister of Finance Pravin said that Internet prices will be reduced and doubled, he meant ALL!

    He generalised and eventually mean all (High Speed) Internet connection in this context – But now, after the budget measures have been proclaimed, why they are talking differently?

    We could have compromised had our Finance Minister in his Budgetary speech demarcate and distinguish from the different Internet packages that exist here. But he said “THE INTERNET (connection)…” which means this should apply for all.

    With all those happening (and life becoming more and more uneconomically in Mauritius), I wonder how could they think about and brand Mauritius as “Mauritius, C’est un plaisir”? I wonder what’s pleasurable here. Gone are those days when Mauritius was a place where indeed it was worth to call it as a second paradise.

    I bet in some developing-countries like Pakistan or whosoever, though it may have never been branded as ‘a pleasurable place’ but at least it is much fairly better than Mauritius.

    EVERYWHERE ELSE INTERNET BROADBAND CONNECTION IS CHEAPER WITH SATISFIABLE QUALITY EXCEPT HERE, IN THIS SO CALLED PLEASURABLE PARADISE!!!

    Seriously, What the frac?

    Best Wishes,
    Anooj Muljee

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  12. Oh wait. So, if some one does not downgrade nor upgrade it means that he did not get neither a price cut or a double speed. Doesn’t that beat everything? Mr Pravin said price cut. Mr Sarat said double speed. And we got. . NOTHING.

    So OrangeMauritius, middle finger to you.

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  15. @ALL
    “To this end, the cost of traditional international bandwidth services – International Private Leased Circuit and Internet Protocol Virtual Private Network will be decreased by an average of 16 percent to 24 percent as from beginning of 2011.”

    Beginning of 2011? Got it?
    The price decrease by MT IS TOTALLY UNRELATED with the budget decrease which is to be applied in 2011.

    Consequently, this means MT applied a price decrease of their own accord… to counter the Open Access Policy on SAFE!

    [Wonders if people will actually read this?]
    Tushal (the only one I can abuse!), read my blog first you idiot!

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  16. Man, good to p loccaze pou ale talk ek bane ‘representative MT’ b nek ask kifer kan last time ti double connection speed li ti cdouble pou bane ceki pay 750+vat normal ek ti increase price pou new subscriber @ 999rs. lerla zot ep ati truv ena discrimination couma aster ki decouvert ki bisin fer nou change nou!! zote ti bisin remain price la same last time sa meme tou!!

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  17. Update:

    1 cam ki ena myT 512 (without no Bollywood TV package) so speed in doublE. Li p still pay for Rs. 750 + VAT = Rs. 848. Li m li pa p ggn comprend kuman li p ggn 1 MB/s. LOL

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  19. Des avocats estiment que MyT est dans l’illégalité avec ces offres, car cela crée deux catégories de Mauriciens. De plus, ils estiment que Mauritius Telecom ( MT) n’a pas de licence pour vendre des chaînes de télévision.
    ADSL MyT rend l’accès à Internet… plus cher
    L’Express du 08/03/2009.

    ————————————————————————

    LOL

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  20. People have chosen to keep the existing/original package. This implies public are interested with internet connection and calling abroad service only! NO TNT!!
    What’s so difficult to understand??

    If we upgrade, we gona pay more.(which is not worth paying for these additional channels)
    If we dwngrade to adsl, we’ll not have wireless(unless we install a router) and calling abroad facility.

    In both cases we are at a loss!

    If MT really care for clients, why imposing such conditions just to increase connection speed?

    “1 lamain pren 1 lamain doner”?- is it? Unfortunately, here its illegal and i believe MT is bound to increase the speed!

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  21. ther’es no way out of it 😀

    rs.999 = [Internet] + [TV, ads, mcb]
    rs 848 = [Internet]

    Budget= “internet access price goes down”

    rs.999 = [Internet x 2] + [TV, ads, mcb]
    rs 848 = [Internet] <– stagnant
    makes no sense :p what has TV got to do with that?

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  23. 1) Many users have myt. But they have noticed that they use the normal adsl standard and not adsl2+ which should have been the case(adsl2+ is more reliable). Why is it so?

    2) Why can’t you propose 512kbps at lower cost?? or even 256kpbs? If I’m not wrong it’s MT who said that he wants every house to be connected to the net.It was at the time MyT was launched

    3) Ok we have TV with myT but why is the image so crap? I have a LCD TV and it’s a sin nowadays to provide such lowly image

    4) Also why is the TNT decoder of bad built n quality?It heats a lot..freezes most of the time.. Point to be noted..It is a SD decoder and not a HD capable one

    Thank you Yashvin

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  24. Ridiculous situation where the almighty MT/Orange is dictating its commercial monopoly on consumers. I have not subscribed to MyT simply because I do not want the TV channels. I want a decent internet connection with real broadband and decent download speed. I do not want to be forced into paying to things I will not use. Mauritius desperately needs more choice in internet providers and infrastructure to get out of this commercial hell.

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  26. mw mo dir bizin force zot tou prend IPTV la coz li 1 package li vine ensam. Seki pa ler IPTV, ale r ADSL 512k. Bizin eradicate sa my.t 512 la.

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  27. Technically speaking, MyT without TV option doesn’t exist!!!

    MyT is a “package” consisting of internet, televison and international call thingy. If you did not want television, then they had to take ADSL. I had read there FAQ and license agreement some time ago. I am quite sure about this.

    How the hell did they sell MyT w/o TV channels. If i knew this was possible, i’ve taken w/o tv. This is a scandal. Really!

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  29. Well, if they are asking the “No TV package My.T users” to upgrade to the TV package in order to benefit from the pseudo price slash/bandwidth upgrade, they should put in some incentives for us to do so. The current livebox (proposed by MT) has only two ethernet ports and if you are going to use one of them dedicated to the tv channels, which you’ll have to do in order to “jouir” from the increase in price that you are going to pay, you’ll be left with only one ethernet port for internet and come on, wifi is totally unreliable on the livebox. So when are they going to propose the new Livebox already available since some months in Europe now; new Livebox which comes with 4 ethernet ports by the way? So, common on they should stop thinking of Mauritius as a dumpster for their “granny-aged*” products.

    *the original Livebox has had babies..

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  33. when will this meeting take place?

    I’m waiting for the outcome of this meeting to make my decision of whether to move to My.T or not!

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  34. there is no choice. Mai vraiment la, MT encr 1 foi faner.. v dir tou saki p servii 512k ek p pay pres 850rs.. zot bizin met encr rs150 pu ggn 1Mb.. dan plce baisse prix, zot p tir largent encr..

    ek li paret impr bete tou la. zis pu rs150.. mai tou sa user ki ena la, 1 ta rs150 ggner sa.. :@ :@

    concernant livebox, saki nou ena la, li zis ban ancien model ki nepli servii labas, zot in send sa morice.

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  36. I pay 750 excluding vat, and am getting all the channels as well. Should i have been paying for more i dont know. But my connection is still 512Kbps

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  37. My Stats 😦

    Etat de la ligne ADSL Opérationelle
    Standard ADSL G992_1_A
    Débit montant 128 Kb/s (Intlv[LP0])
    Débit descendant 2048 Kb/s (Intlv[LP0])
    Atténuation Terminaison locale : 45.0 (dB)
    Terminaison distante : 26.0 (dB)
    Marge SNR Terminaison locale : 23 (dB)
    Terminaison distante : 31 (dB)
    Nombre de HEC 28
    Logiciel 0xe200314
    Compteur 15 min ES 0
    Erreurs de CRC 26
    Compteur 1 jour ES 0

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  38. @ Carrotmadman:
    I’d say to them: my entire fist and arm up where the sun don’t shine!
    these bloody vampires are living off doing the very best sucking every single drop of blood off mauritians!

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  39. eski avek sa connection 1 mb can i set up a gaming server, whereby people outside our Beautiful island can join the server???

    does watching orange TV channels affect internet connection speed??

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  40. 1.just bloody ask them to reduce the fees as said by this stupid budget.

    2.Like most people i dont want more speed as for the same reasons u mentioned above except i dont have a blog.

    3.n this stupid orange decoder has been thrown in a box somewhere around (or outside) the house since most of the time pena signal. how they plan to compensate us for this rotten service?

    4. how they plan to cope being cyber Island if they cant F**** decrease the price??

    5. Good questions: Will MyT users have to pay the Installation Fee and other charges if they want to downgrade to an ADSL?
    Fair Usage Policy? Is it still valid?

    6. And make sure they apply this in DECEMBER 2010 and NOT in December 2012.or at least they provide you a date.

    Many thanks,
    Yours,
    512MB
    p.s am at home these days si to bizin renfort to dir.

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  42. got a question for you – will you sue them to court for being unfair and probably illegal?

    before you ask me same question here is the answer:moi i cant coz cnt understand half (most)the technical blabla.

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  43. Same for CanalSat: quand ou essaye guette Dr House lorla, lécran ress nwar. Quand ou telephone service consommateur, zott dir ou ki sa program-la “sous reserve”, c-a-d, si MBC inn acheter droit retransmission exclusive, capav diffuse li en mem temps. Donc, ou pa fouti zwir de ou programme preferer si MBC ti impé pli rapide ki CanalSat. Mais CanalSat pa pou rembourse ou sa 2 hr par semaine ki so l’ecran ress nwar-la. Bande de vampires!!!

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