Factors that impact network connectivity

Theft and vandalism Illustration

Theft and vandalism

South Africa is experiencing a rapid increase in the criminal act of cable theft. According to South African Police Services, copper theft is impacting major services like electricity, train services, voice and broadband connectivity.

Acts of vandalism damage our connectivity infrastructure and impact your connectivity needs. Openserve urges the public to be vigilant and to report any suspicious acts. If you have any information relating to vandalism, theft, fraud or sabotage please contact our crime hotline on 0800 124 000.

Theft and vandalism Illustration

Power outages and load shedding

Are Fibre lines protected against power surges and other electrical issues?

Because Fibre works with beams of light travelling through an optic cable, power outages and electrical surges don’t usually affect our Fibre networks.

This means that your connection can safely continue during load shedding if the Fibre devices on your premises are powered up.

For more information on staying powered up during load shedding, see the section below.

Staying connected during load shedding

To keep connected during load shedding, all you need is to keep the Fibre router and Optical Network Terminal (Fibre box) on your premises powered up. These devices draw very little power and don’t require large, costly power solutions.

A relatively inexpensive 6000 - 8000 mAh mini-UPS (mini uninterrupted power supply) can keep a basic WiFi router and Fibre box setup powered for 2-4 hours (results will vary based on your exact setup).

For more information on the devices on your premises, visit our hardware guide.

Network congestion can impact your internet experience

Network congestion is often experienced as slow internet access and speed. Understanding why this happens and what you can do about it may just ease your frustration.

A broadband access network can be described as a highway on which all internet activity travels. As internet users, we travel on this network highway, but we don’t all have the same experience. Our experience is determined by the type of internet package we buy from our ISP, and the time of day we choose to travel on the network highway.

A broadband access network can be described as a highway on which all internet activity travels. As internet users, we travel on this network highway, but we don’t all have the same experience. Our experience is determined by the type of internet package we buy from our ISP, and the time of day we choose to travel on the network highway.

Congestion on the information highway

Congestion on the broadband network happens when there are too many users travelling on the highway at the same time which happens mostly during peak hour periods.

During off-peak hours, there are fewer users which means less congestion and an easier flow. During peak hours, there are many more users which means more congestions and a slower flow of internet usage. This can lead to slower speeds and ‘buffering’.

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