A MyBroadband reader recently contacted us with a problem – his Internet connection was slow.
The user said he is on a Telkom SmartBroadband Wireless all-hours uncapped fixed-LTE package, and was suffering slow speeds during peak times in the evening.
The Telkom all-hours uncapped fixed-LTE package offers users uncapped usage at various speeds, depending on how much data they have used in the month.
Users received 150GB of data at 10Mbps download speeds. When this is done, it moves to 50GB at 4Mbps. After this, uncapped usage at 2Mbps is provided.
The user, situated in Parklands, Cape Town, however, said he often experienced download speeds of below 2Mbps between 19:00 to 22:00 each day.
The slow speeds have plagued him since he signed up for the package in the middle of 2018.
He added that he is aware of the speed changes which are implemented at the various usage levels, but the slow speeds happen even before he has depleted his first 150GB – including the first days of a new month.
Tower congestion
Following the user contacting Telkom to complain about the slow speeds, he said he was only told that the LTE base station in his area “was unable to cope with traffic during peak times”.
Without receiving a resolution to his problem, he contacted MyBroadband to share his story.
This case is not the first of its kind, and slow speeds on LTE packages due to congestion during peak times is a problem many users face.
In 2016, the matter made headlines after Telkom LTE users complained of high latency during peak times.
The latency issue was nationwide, and was most common during 19:00-21:00. Users on LTE packages have also complained of receiving slow speeds during these times, regardless of their package type.
Take action to avoid congestion
After being contacted about the matter, Telkom told MyBroadband that its regrets the inconvenience caused to the customer – and it will contact him to resolve the issue.
The company added that the customer being told the tower is congested and not receiving any further help is not what should have taken place.
“Telkom actively monitors utilisation at all sites and takes the necessary action to avoid congestion,” it said.
“The time it takes to upgrade sites or to improve the customer’s experience is dependent on many factors. Depending on the solution required, it can take a day or up to three months in instances where, for example, towers are co-located,” it added.
“In co-located sites, approval is required from other operators to perform the necessary upgrades.”
Speed tests
The image below shows several speed tests the user conducted on his LTE connection, and how his downloads dropped below 2Mbps.
