• local download speed is the fastest you can download from the internet inside of zimbabwe. downloads will happen as fast as the slowest connection between you and the computer you are downloading from. eg: as fast as your last mile connection. if you are connecting from outside harare, your speed or usage may be limited by city to city connection providers. eg: powertel.
• international download speed is the fastest you can download from the internet outside of zimbabwe.
• how many times faster than dial up is the amount of times quicker your broadband international download speed speed is compared to a dial up connection

• international bandwidth outside peak hours means usage of your international bandwidth (downloads from outside zimbabwe) outside the hours of 7am - 7pm, monday to friday.
• local bandwidth in all hours is free, which means we do not charge you for your local bandwidth (inside zimbabwe) use. if you are connecting from outside harare, your speed or usage may be limited by city to city connection providers. eg: powertel
• international bandwidth in peak hours (mon - fri 7am - 7pm including public holidays) means we record your international bandwidth usage in peak hours. you get the international download and upload speeds depending on the package you have chosen, until you reach your international usage limit in peak hours. once this limit is reached you will be notified by email and automatically moved into a group of users that have also exceeded their shaping limit for the rest of the month. as a result your download and upload speeds will typically drop significantly. at worst you will receive local internet access and email only, and at best dial up speeds. customers who routinely exceed their data allowance in any given month during business hours will be asked to upgrade to a tier of service with a higher usage limit.

• the last mile is the final leg of delivering connectivity from a communications provider to a customer. from yoafrica to your physical address. yoafrica uses 3rd party providers to do this including telone, transmedia, africom, telco & powertel. check last mile availability | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/last_mile
• adsl - cable means we may be able to offer you a broadband connection using this last mile solution depending on your physical address. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/adsl
• uhf - wireless means we may be able to offer you a broadband connection using this last mile solution depending on your physical address. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ultra_high_frequency
• wimax - wireless means we may be able to offer you a broadband connection using this last mile solution depending on your physical address. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/wimax
• fibre - cable means we may be able to offer you a broadband connection using this last mile solution depending on your physical address. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/optical_fiber

• max light users (500 international mb/mth per user in peak hours) means that the maximum number of light users recommended in total. light users are assumed to use 500mb or less of international bandwidth in business hours in a month. a light user would typically use email and infrequent web browsing.
• max medium users (1000 international mb/mth per user in peak hours) means that the maximum number of medium users recommended in total. medium users are assumed to use 1000mb or less of international bandwidth in business hours in a month. a medium user would typically use email and web browsing.
• max heavy users (2000 international mb/mth per user in peak hours) means that the maximum number of heavy users recommended in total. heavy users are assumed to use 2000mb or less of international bandwidth in business hours in a month. a heavy user would typically use email, frequent web browsing and/or file downloads and uploads.
• max international concurrent users at 128k/second (broadband entry level speed) means the maximum amount of users downloading websites or files at the same time from international internet sites at a minimum speed of 128k/second each (broadband entry level speed).

• mailboxes provided if customer is not using internal mail server means if you do not have a mail server on your lan you can use to yoafrica mail server.
• webmail means being able to access your yoafrica based email from anywhere using a web browser, similar to yahoo or hotmail.
• advanced anti virus & anti spam means any mail going through the yoafrica network from your, or our mail servers will be checked for spam or viruses, and the ability to customise advanced settings for anti virus and anti spam.
• static ip address means you can setup a mail server on your lan because your ip address always remains the same.

• free business hours phone, live chat, email support means we will give support in via the phone, live internet chat and/or email during business hours (mon-fri 7am - 6pm)
• onsite support (charge per hour) means we will come and visit you at your premises to provide support. this will be charged at our hourly rate.

• billing (view past invoices/statements) means you can login and view any of your past statements, invoices and receipts
• usage graphs and stats means you can login and view your bandwidth and usage info.
• mail usage and stats means you can login and view your mail usage and statistics.
• mail forwarding and autoresponders means you can login and set the email address you want your address to forward to, or set an auto response for when you are away. eg: on holiday.

q. when should we move from dial-up to permanent internet access?
a. if you or your organisation spends more than 1 hour a day connected to the internet, it may well be less expensive to go with permanent internet access, where you do not pay / minute to telone. in addition, if fast reliable internet access is critical to your business, the time saved using fast internet access pays for itself, and a permanent connection should be used.

q. do we need our own mail and proxy server with permanent internet access?
a. no, you can use the yoafrica mail and proxy server, but we do recommend you use your own mail and proxy server if you are on a lan with more than 5 users. advantages of an internal mail and proxy server include firewall internet proxy, e-mail anti-virus system, e-mail transport, internet content filtering, web-based administration module, web-based e-mail system, remote dial in access, internet & e-mail traffic logging, e-mail content filtering.

q. we have a linux mail and proxy server installed by yoafrica. how do we change settings?
a. check out this simple linux guide from enet.

q. what permanent internet access last mile options are available from yo!africa?
a. yoafrica provides permanent internet access last mile connectivity via adsl, uhf, wimax, and fibre. yoafrica has high-speed connection into all the licensed copper, fibre and wireless networks as well as connections to all zimbabwean isps via direct connections or zinx (zimbabwe internet network exchange).

q. what are the pros and cons of adsl broadband?
a. adsl operates over a leased copper line (standard telephone line) from telone. adsl, provides digital data transmission over the wires of a local telephone network.
pros;
* lowest hardware and setup cost
* lowest monthly rental option
* fast local speeds
cons;
* slow installation time. (1-3 months)
* not available everywhere

q. what are the pros and cons of uhf/wimax broadband?
a. uhf/wimax uses wireless low-powered radio waves to transmit data between devices.
pros;
* quick installation time. (2 weeks)
* available in 95% of greater harare
cons;
* relatively expensive hardware and setup cost

q. what are the pros and cons of fibre broadband?
a. an optical fibre is a thin, transparent fiber, usually made of glass or plastic, for transmitting light.
pros;
* fastest local speeds
* long distance
cons;
* most expensive hardware and setup cost option
* most expensive monthy rental option

q. how much local and international bandwidth can yoafrica supply at what price?
a. as much as you want. the more you want, the less you pay per mb.