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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

#121

Post by woofie11 »

ignoramous wrote: post #110
krasin wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google operated city-wide public WiFi in Mountain View for many years. So, it's not like they didn't have any experience. I would also like to point out that most cities have a utility electrical grid to power traffic lights and the like. While I imaging some south cities could get away with solar-powered traffic lights, it's unlikely that Chicago is one. I don't know anything about this Google+Chicago experience (ev…

> Google operated city-wide public WiFi in Mountain View for many years. So, it's not like they didn't have any experience. Google has been operating free WiFi in India at 400+ locations since 2016 and claim they've got a 8 million userbase [0]. > ...but I would bet the issue was not as simple as "they found out that street lights turn off". I'd be very surprised if this was true. It seems more plausible to me that n…

Nope. News.yc individuals have biases, often quite strong. Some are very pro-Google, and some anti-Google. It depends on the time, the article, etc. Definitely goes both ways.

And how much bias you see depends on where you are on the spectrum. You naturally tend to see the unbiased opinion as closer to your own POV.

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

#122

Post by krageon »

ignoramous wrote: post #110
krasin wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google operated city-wide public WiFi in Mountain View for many years. So, it's not like they didn't have any experience. I would also like to point out that most cities have a utility electrical grid to power traffic lights and the like. While I imaging some south cities could get away with solar-powered traffic lights, it's unlikely that Chicago is one. I don't know anything about this Google+Chicago experience (ev…

> Google operated city-wide public WiFi in Mountain View for many years. So, it's not like they didn't have any experience. Google has been operating free WiFi in India at 400+ locations since 2016 and claim they've got a 8 million userbase [0]. > ...but I would bet the issue was not as simple as "they found out that street lights turn off". I'd be very surprised if this was true. It seems more plausible to me that n…

> It seems more plausible to me that news.yc has anti-Google bias.

It's surprising that you first speak about claims with very little proof and then continue to blatantly make one yourself.

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

#123

Post by shard972 »

buro9 wrote: post #84
WrtCdEvrydy wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unfortunately, this is the downward spiral of having bad actors. I kinda wish we lived in a world where communities could self-regulate and expel bad actors to let the ones who want to work together to achieve something can thrive.

It's more the downward spiral created by inequality and poverty. Address that and you can have nice things safely.

I mean are we to believe the inequality is worse now than under apartite?

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

#124

Post by happypants23 »

dade_ wrote: post #119
Aeolun wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 int…

> 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.

There's no evidence that Google ran into empowerment (BBBEE) roadblocks here. And that assertion about 49% ownership is quite incorrect. BBBEE doesn't actually work like that (1). A lot of factors go into scoring a company's empowerment rating.

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broad-Based_Black_Economic_Emp...

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

#125

Post by skc »

dade_ wrote: post #119
Aeolun wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 int…

Empowerment you say?

This service was to be provided for free, so not sure what you're on about.

This sort of comment is all the rage for a certain mindset though, not surprising.

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

#126

Post by cat199 »

bogomipz wrote: post #112
pixelpoet wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

not from either, but they are both english speaking commonwealth countries with warm climates of similar size

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

#127

Post by dade_ »

happypants23 wrote: post #124
dade_ wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 int…

> 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. There's no evidence that Google ran into empowerment (BBBEE) roadblocks here. And that assertion about 49% ownership is quite incorrect. BBBEE doesn't actually work like that (1). A lot of factors go into scoring a company's empowerment rating. 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/…

'Companies in South Africa that deal with the government or parastatals must be empowered as required by the Preferential Procurement Act.'

$3M USD / year turnover is a low bar these days and must apply all seven pillars of BBBEE to calculate their score as per the Generic Scorecard. - Black Ownership - 25 points - Black Management control - 15 points - Black Skills development – 20 points - Black Enterprise & Supplier development – 40 points - Black Socio-economic (SED) development 5 pts

So yeah, I need 51% Black ownership to get full points and again for management control points.

This is so racist my brain is bleeding, but it could be republished as a book on how to make a corrupt government.

From the Wikipedia article, "A general criticism can be made that wealthy and politically connected black individuals have been the real beneficiaries of BEE and not those still living in poverty. In fact, unemployment and inequality have both increased since the introduction of BBBEE policies.

In 2018 a surfacing argument is that BBBEE should be changed from a race-based policy to a policy that favours poverty regardless of skin colour. Apartheid was criticised exactly because of race-based legislation that favoured a minority based on skin colour and BBBEE once again has introduced race-based policies diverting South Africa's problems from endemic poverty to race. "

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

#128

Post by dade_ »

skc wrote: post #125
dade_ wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 int…

Empowerment you say? This service was to be provided for free, so not sure what you're on about. This sort of comment is all the rage for a certain mindset though, not surprising.

'Companies in South Africa that deal with the government or parastatals must be empowered as required by the Preferential Procurement Act.'

Business is measured by revenue, not the price of a service. I assumed it is obvious to everyone here that everything these companies do is for a profit, regardless of the price tag to the consumer.

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

#129

Post by skc »

dade_ wrote: post #128
skc wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Empowerment you say? This service was to be provided for free, so not sure what you're on about. This sort of comment is all the rage for a certain mindset though, not surprising.

'Companies in South Africa that deal with the government or parastatals must be empowered as required by the Preferential Procurement Act.' Business is measured by revenue, not the price of a service. I assumed it is obvious to everyone here that everything these companies do is for a profit, regardless of the price tag to the consumer.

Still doesn't pass the smell test since Google, Amazon and Microsoft among others continue to increase their presence in South Africa.

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

#130

Post by rezeroed »

jonathanlydall wrote: post #106
_-___________-_ wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

gatvol?

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.

Jislaaik. Don't skrik bokkie.
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