Soccer on DStv, don't miss out
As the European season approaches its end, fans can still look forward to catching a few more games on DStv! Jose Mourinho's Roma will take on Sevilla in the UEFA Europa League final on Wednesday, while Pep Guardiola's dream to win the treble this season will be tested when Manchester City go up against Manchester United in the FA Cup final on Saturday afternoon. Make sure you don't miss it!
As well as offering Africa’s best entertainment, news and sports content, DStv has moved into the world of internet connectivity. DStv Internet now offers uncapped, unshaped fibre internet connectivity options that guarantee fast, smooth, and more stable internet access that will help more people get online to access vital services; this opens up a world of access to streaming, gaming, social media, and browsing. Conveniently, users can also do their shopping, banking, work, or study from home.
What is Fibre?
Fibre cables comprise hair-thin tubes of glass that are bunched together. Light travels inside the tubes, carrying data at incredible speeds across massive distances. The technology was first used by doctors in the 1950s for medical purposes, adapted by engineers in the 1960s to transmit phone calls and, a decade later, the cables were being used to connect computers to early networks. Now, the world is connected by fibre cables that run hundreds of thousands of kilometres over land and under the sea, across the planet.
Why is Fibre best?
Fibre offers the fastest-possible connection speed when downloading and uploading large quantities of data. Fibre is also the most stable type of internet connection, since it is not affected by the weather and its ability to handle unlimited speeds means that your connection won’t slow down over peak periods, when you need it most. That combination of speed and stability is essential if you enjoy watching movies or series online, or if you work from home and spend plenty of time on online calls.
How is fibre installed in my home?
A fibre connection in your home requires a physical cable to be run from nearby street infrastructure, into your home. The DStv Internet installation team will plot the best, least obtrusive route for the cable and will likely drill a small hole in the wall to lead the cable inside, to a point of your choice.
The fibre cable is connected to a palm-sized Optical Network Termination (ONT) box, which is mounted unobtrusively on a wall. Since it requires power, must be installed close to a plug point. Next, you’ll need a router – which the DStv Internet team will deliver to you and set up – which is connected to the ONT by a simple, supplied network cable. Your router is your access point to the internet and creates a network that you can connect the devices in your home, to. You can connect devices to the router via WiFi, or with network cables, if the devices are close by. To get the best speed and connectivity on devices like Smart TVs and streaming boxes, you should ideally connect those to your router with network cables.
Your WiFi network can be named whatever you like and protected by a password, so that only you people you share the password with, can access it. Setting up your WiFi network is a one-off process – then, for every new device you want to connect, you simply need to select the name of your network from the settings list on the device and enter the password, to connect it.
So your WiFi router connects to your ONT, which connects to your area’s fibre infrastructure, which connects to local servers, connecting you to the world!
How do I get a DStv Fibre connection?
The first step is to check if there are fibre cables running in your street. You can check your coverage by entering your address in the box at DStv Fibre. If you are covered, you will be able to select your DStv Internet fibre deal and complete your order online. If there is no fibre connectivity in your area yet, you can check coverage for a DStv Fixed LTE connection, which uses the same cellular technology that your phone does, to connect you to the internet.
Once you have completed your fibre order online, the DStv Internet team will be in touch to deliver your hardware and book a date for your installation.
Which DStv Internet package do I need – and how fast is fast enough?
DStv Internet’s fibre package connectivity is uncapped, unshaped and offers peak download speed of 25 megabits per second (Mbps) and upload speed of 10Mbps.
As a rule of thumb, streaming High Definition videos require download speeds of 2.5 to 4Mbps in order to avoid annoying buffering and ensure pixel-free, quality picture. Streaming 4K video requires a maximum connection speed of around 15Mbps – so DStv Internet’s 25Mbps/10Mbps speed gives you plenty of leeway to stream, work and play without worrying.
An uncapped fibre connection is one without a limit on the amount of data you can download (like streaming video) or upload (like sending mail or WhatsApp messages). Every service provider applies a ‘fair usage’ policy to connections, though, where users who abuse the system by uploading or downloading exponentially more data than other users have their connection speed slowed to ensure that everyone else on the network is able to enjoy fast and efficient connectivity.
‘Shaping’ of a connection refers to certain services being prioritised over others, on your connection. So, for example, if you’re on a video call and someone on your network is trying to watch a YouTube video, their access to the video will be slowed slightly to ensure that you have enough bandwidth to run the audio and video on your call, properly. An ‘unshaped’ connection doesn’t prioritise access to one service over another, so everyone gets an equal slice of your connectivity pie.
What next?
While DStv Internet offers a stand-alone connectivity package to allow you and your family to connect to the online world, you can maximise value by signing up for the uncapped, unshaped fibre launch offer from DStv Internet which bundles the costs of a DStv Internet connection and hardware, a DStv Streama device and the 121-channel DStv Compact package at R699 per month on a 24-month contract.
The DStv Streama is the company’s first streaming service box which it also allows people to access all their favourite DStv entertainment, news and sport, alongside Showmax, Netflix, Prime Video, YouTube, YouTube Kids, SuperSport, News24 and People’s Weather by connecting to a fast, stable fibre internet connection to stream all the best content. That means no more satellite dish and cabling installation to enjoy the best of DStv – and more.
The subscription costs for additional services like Netflix, Showmax and Prime Video – all available as pre-loaded applications on the DStv Streama - can also be added to your monthly DStv bill – meaning that all the content, device and connection costs are covered with a single payment.
Get connected to the world of streaming video, now, with DStv Internet.
Mention Streaming, gaming social media first(as we are an entertainment company), then the others like online shopping, banking…..
