MWEB has introduced new throttled uncapped 2Mbps and 4Mbps ADSL products, saying that gaming traffic still receives the highest priority on these services. However, a rolling 30-day usage threshold policy will be applied, potentially affecting gaming performance.
Derek Hershaw: MWEB ISP CEO
Derek Hershaw, CEO of MWEB ISP, said they will maintain a fair service for all their subscribers, by implementing throttling on high usage users where applicable (throttled speeds: 2Mbps down to 192Kbps; 4Mbps down to 256Kbps).
“We will monitor usage across these products and reserve the right to throttle the connection speeds of the top percentage of subscribers on these products that generate usage above the average,” said Hershaw.
Hershaw added that their new uncapped ADSL products are also shaped, meaning that certain internet activities, like e-mail and web browsing, will be prioritized over bandwidth intensive services, like P2P and torrents during peak network conditions.
This raises the question of how these new shaped products will impact users’ intent on gaming over the MWEB service.
MWEB Uncapped gaming performance
Desmond Kurz, MWEB Online Gaming Manager, explained that gaming traffic service levels will get the same priority as MWEB’s current Premium Uncapped products. “Importantly for our gaming customers, it means that gaming traffic will continue to receive the highest priority on the network,” said Kurz.
Desmond Kurz: MWEB Online Gaming Manager
As such, gaming traffic will not be classed as bandwidth intensive during peak network usage periods, and will not be shaped during these periods.
Kurz said that if a user has been throttled due to exceeding high-usage thresholds, then their connection speed will be throttled in accordance with MWEB’s rolling 30-day threshold network management policies. This may affect gaming experiences that demand high bandwidth throughput.
Large files pulled from MWEB’s content servers (such as Steam and GamersGate) will count toward the overall usage assessment for the user, Kurz confirmed. “Using our rolling 30-day threshold model, once-off large downloads like this should not really cause a problem,” said Kurz.
Below is an outline of the pricing on MWEB’s new throttled uncapped products.
| Product | Data Only Price | Data plus ADSL line price |
| Up to 1Mbps Premium Uncapped ADSL (unthrottled) | R199 p/m | R339 p/m |
| Up to 2Mbps Uncapped ADSL (throttled) | R239 p/m | R449 p/m |
| Up to 4Mbps Uncapped ADSL (throttled) | R359 p/m | R689 p/m |
More ISP gaming news:
Cybersmart plans game servers, improved ADSL for gaming
Gamers deserve special ADSL treatment
MWEB’s new, cheaper uncapped ADSL packages
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why not just switch the p2p off for the high usage clients then at least they should not be able to download but at least still be able to enjoy the online gaming. Or put a restriction on the p2p only allowing between 4 or 8 hour usage on p2p per day.