Keep ADSL or Fibre line upgrade(power outage effects)- read and decide for yourself
Good day (name left out), hope this email finds you well and healthy, after considering whether or not to continue with TELKOM (thanks for the fibre packages brochure you forwarded to me) I decided to change over to Telkoms fibre package.

OPENSERVE were here in a few days and yesterday on 17/10/2022 (Monday) in the morning installed the fibre line extension and made the link up - they were quick and professional.

However today (Tuesday- a day later) we had our first power outage in the afternoon - once the power had come back on I noticed the new fibre router "Internet link"  light had turned RED - hmmmm, (my old ADSL package never did this), after waiting maybe 10 minutes I realised the internet signal ain't coming back on it's own and phoned the Helkom Tech help center.

Well this is where the non-fun started (again with Telkom) - I had to go through a longish re-setting" procedure(paperclip reset) as it was explained that the D-LINK router, yes !!!, the "new tech" that Telkom had just installed just over 24 hours ago "does not re-link itself automatically to the internet" after a power outage as it was not designed for power outages.

Interestingly, the previous ADSL router("old technology" package) that I had just given up to 'upgrade to TELKOM fibre used to automatically reset itself EVERY time - no problems. and NO phoning the Telkom helpline on any occasion at any time - it was plain n simple to use the ADSL router setup....with NO cellphone "wi-fi" resets needed.

So here I was today on the phone with Telkom tech trying to get my internet link back after 1 day of Telkoms "high tech" installation . After following help-line instructions opening this page and that page on the Router settings /admin settings/instructions and having to follow a RESET and a line check and this and that and.???....I asked the very helpful help assistant if I would have to do this every time we have a power outage, the answer was affirmative, EVERY time I would have to phone in and do the Helkom schlepp thing and reset the fibre router line by phoning into the Telkom help center.
Now the ADSL I had just given up used to automatically RESET itself with NO PROBLEMS - so ?????
In addition I now also had to relink/reset my cellphones "wifi" alongside the reset procedure and sure as hell my cellphone now has problems with it's wifi handshaking(never had this before) - it was after a few attempts that I mentioned to the assistant that I cannot see myself having to phone in and do the reset procedure EVERY TIME with my new fibre router AND my cellphone "wi-fi" every time there is a power outage - I gave up "resetting" my cellphone after having followed instructions a few times unsuccessfully.
oh - and did I mention my wifes' cellphone cannot handshake with the "wi-fi" now either - it was working perfectly yesterday from the ADSL package.
The help assistant also mentioned I can avoid ALL THIS by DISCONNECTING my fibre router just before the power outages occur - to avoid the helpline reset procedure everytime. - huh!!!!
i) sometimes the power outage does not occur according to the schedule supplied by the Municipality and sometimes power outages occur during sleeping hours etcetc.,,,
ii) and sometimes power outages simply just happen - this is South Africa.

In short I am MUCH WORSE off giving up my ADSL line (which automatically resets itself and re-links automatically) after any power outage - what a pleasure the old ADSL line was.
I was informed that the Telkom D-Link fibre router is "not designed" for power outages and power loss circumstances - is Telkom kidding me and the public?

I however wish not to carry on explaining the rest, but I feel TELKOM (as usual) is fooling people BIGTIME and using false marketing tactics only to supply ignorant people like myself with a worse package/worse technology than the old trusted ADSL line used to supply against the backdrop scenario of all the known power outages occurring.

According to TELKOM - I have 7 days "cooldown period" to cancel the Fibre line "new package" which I think I will be utilising - I have phoned the 10213.....ext, 5 number (which rang) and then instructed me to link into my Telkom ??? webpage/app?? to record my cancellation of my order - apparently I have 7 days cooldown period after installation to achieve this.

Nowhere on any occasion was this "tech complexity" ever mentioned or explained to me, if it had been I would have simply chosen to stay with my trusty ADSL package "forever" as Eskom's repair prospects certainly don't look like being successful, well at least not before the second coming of the Messiah , however the constant "harassment" of Telkom marketing - sometimes 3...4 ... phone calls a week sometimes, eventually wore me down to take the "new fibre package".

Telkom surely is aware of the fibre reset problems after power outages, on this I am willing to bet a months pension, however they seem to find it expedient and convenient NOT to mention this "router problem" when selling a "new package" to customers.

Any advice or pointers are welcome from your office.