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Google ditches its free WiFi service in South Africa, three months after launch

businessinsider.co.za

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Re: Google ditches its free WiFi service in South Africa, three months after launch

#111

Post by bogomipz »

chilldsgn wrote: post #73

I suspect they're withdrawing due to infrastructure issues. We also have frequent power cuts (in my area it's up to 4 hours a day with no electricity) and loads of cable theft. Some of the cell towers even get shut down because people steal the hardware, the batteries that keep them operational. Heck, we've even had cases of people stealing fibre cables, because they thought they were worth more than copper. *I am a…

Whereabout in SA are you? Are the issues you describe more common in rural areas or is it in the larger cities as well?

Re: Google ditches its free WiFi service in South Africa, three months after launch

#112

Post by bogomipz »

pixelpoet wrote: post #85
chilldsgn wrote: post #73

I suspect they're withdrawing due to infrastructure issues. We also have frequent power cuts (in my area it's up to 4 hours a day with no electricity) and loads of cable theft. Some of the cell towers even get shut down because people steal the hardware, the batteries that keep them operational. Heck, we've even had cases of people stealing fibre cables, because they thought they were worth more than copper. *I am a…

Eish, that's still going on? I'm half South African and grew up in SA but left in 2007, mainly because of the crime, but also the Telkom monopoly and rolling blackouts ("load shedding") were not so conducive to starting an internet business. It's kinda amazing to me that any techies stay there. Cape Town is beautiful yes, but so is New Zealand (where many Saffers such as my family emigrated to).

>"Cape Town is beautiful yes, but so is New Zealand (where many Saffers such as my family emigrated to"

I found this interesting. I did not know that was a common migration. Is there any reason for that? I know they are similar latitudes but I'm guessing there's some other connection?

Re: Google ditches its free WiFi service in South Africa, three months after launch

#113

Post by dntbnmpls »

reaperducer wrote: post #56

I still remember when Google promised to bring free wifi to all of the poor neighborhoods in Chicago. Amid a big frenzy of local media and politician hoopla it said was going to put access points on every streetlight. Then Google found out that when the street lights turn off, there's no power to run the access points. So it just walked away.

I remember when Google Fiber was going to put verizon, comcast, time warner, etc out of business. I remember everyone being so hyped for Google Fiber to come to their neighborhood. Haven't heard anything from them in years.

Re: Google ditches its free WiFi service in South Africa, three months after launch

#114

Post by aktau »

_-___________-_ wrote: post #103
zapzupnz wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are they still having the rolling brown-outs in Cape Town? My hubby's family were getting a bit gatvol of those a while back, telling everybody here in New Zealand all about it.

gatvol?

Others have explained, but I found it funny to read this word. My native language is Dutch (flemish variety) and I would also read this word as expressing a negative emotion (fed up sounds right). "gat" = dialect/slang for ass, "vol" = full.

Re: Google ditches its free WiFi service in South Africa, three months after launch

#115

Post by animal531 »

Aeolun wrote: post #108
jonathanlydall wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Speaking as a South African, still living here. gatvol = "fed up" It disappoints me that so many fellow South Africans are seemingly oblivious to the audience they are interacting with and casually use local slang regardless.

Reading South African as a Dutch person is always great. I understand most of the words, but it’s still clearly a completely different language/context. Gatvol = hole is full

More specifically, in this word gat would mean ass.

Re: Google ditches its free WiFi service in South Africa, three months after launch

#116

Post by SOLAR_FIELDS »

dntbnmpls wrote: post #113
reaperducer wrote: post #56

I still remember when Google promised to bring free wifi to all of the poor neighborhoods in Chicago. Amid a big frenzy of local media and politician hoopla it said was going to put access points on every streetlight. Then Google found out that when the street lights turn off, there's no power to run the access points. So it just walked away.

I remember when Google Fiber was going to put verizon, comcast, time warner, etc out of business. I remember everyone being so hyped for Google Fiber to come to their neighborhood. Haven't heard anything from them in years.

They’ve stopped the rollout to new cities - however in cities they currently exist in they continue to roll out new fiber, just at a rate slower than molasses. Austin TX seems to get a new neighborhood once every 2-3 months or so.

Re: Google ditches its free WiFi service in South Africa, three months after launch

#117

Post by alexmingoia »

I’m surprised none of the comments mention widespread increases in 4G coverage and decreased cellular broadband costs as a factor in shutting down the program worldwide.

At least here in Myanmar free WiFi is no longer needed at cafes and the like as most people now have access to affordable cellular broadband at 4G speeds. I know it’s a similar situation in India where Google was operating the program.

Re: Google ditches its free WiFi service in South Africa, three months after launch

#118

Post by sitkack »

AnthonyMouse wrote: post #81
pnako wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think Google is an insecure advertising company. It's as if Phillip Morris International was trying to develop solar panels and vegan food products to make everyone forget that most of their revenue comes from tobacco.

> Phillip Morris International You mean Altria. They changed their name, for some strange reason.

Funny how it is almost like Altruism.

Re: Google ditches its free WiFi service in South Africa, three months after launch

#119

Post by dade_ »

Aeolun wrote: post #109
chilldsgn wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's worse than ever. I am having a lot of trouble keeping to my deadlines for work and have to work around all the blackouts which frustratingly disrupts my life and thousands of other businesses. Just a couple more years until my degree is done, then I am GTFO of here.

Can’t you get a UPS? Or do they last too long to make that an option?

Load shedding lasts for hours. Generators are a big business, but they are expensive to buy and run. Keeping a good battery in your laptop is great, but the power to the wired internet infrastructure, the cell towers, etc are also cut. You could drive to the office, but the traffic lights have no power either.

So it is nightmare.

The real reason you can't operate in ZA is Empowerment, and what Google probably ran into. They can only own 49% of the business the start. They must find an empowerment partner (which means some black people, but they have no money so you have to give them their controlling 51% share) that happens to be a friend of the ANC (not a documented requirement, but I did mention corruption). So they will siphon funds out of the company, but if you have the right ones, you can win big government contracts such with the bailout money they keep getting.

The place is a banana republic - Live there, enjoy you cheap labour, great food, amazing geography, the wildlife, your personal security guards and inexpensive servants, but don't reside there and keep everything in another currency.

Re: Google ditches its free WiFi service in South Africa, three months after launch

#120

Post by dade_ »

wyxuan wrote: post #5

I don't really know why Google, a company, is doing what should be done by the government with no clear benefit to the bottom line. This is not to say they shouldn’t do this, but if you look at it that way, it shouldn't be surprising at all. If they really wanted to help they probably should have teamed up with the government to ensure that there is government buy in to the program.

Government is a corrupt single party system in practice. Can't even keep the power on and the water system is in trouble. They would need a World Bank bailout for the Internet in a few years.
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