DSL no REAL Competition

[k4lem]

I was amazed to learn in order to have DSL I needed also to have a land line telephone number. As if it was dial UP? Fact is it adds 30 dollars a month to my DSL bill.
And as much as I enjoy DSL its not worth 70 dollars a month!

Cable companies raise their rates for just DSL and inflate further if you take their video packages.

In fact, is there anyway to get real DSL for just $30 a month, which is ALL ITS WORTH.

I have an InterNET phone which is very reasonably priced and gives eight hours a month of call anywhere in USA for about 16 dollars.


http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/cool.gif

[W8EFA]

You said Cable companies raise their rates for DSL? Usually cable companies don't use DSL as DSL is technology to get high speed over regular twisted copper telephone lines. Sounds like you may be confused to what is available?

Try this link. Put in your phone number to see what is available in DSl and Cable etc.

SC web access (http://www.buytelco.net/buytelcodsl.asp?gtse=GOOG&kw=South%20Carolina%20Web)

[N6WK]

Hmmm,
I get 3.0 MPS DSL for only $21 bucks a month here in the REAL World !!

[al2i]

Quote[/b] (k4lem @ Mar. 14 2006,20:24)]I was amazed to learn in order to have DSL I needed also to have a land line telephone number. As if it was dial UP? Fact is it adds 30 dollars a month to my DSL bill.
And as much as I enjoy DSL its not worth 70 dollars a month!

Cable companies raise their rates for just DSL and inflate further if you take their video packages.

In fact, is there anyway to get real DSL for just $30 a month, which is ALL ITS WORTH.

I have an InterNET phone which is very reasonably priced and gives eight hours a month of call anywhere in USA for about 16 dollars.


http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/cool.gif
I get my TV package, phone line, and DSL all combined for less than that. Of course, I gave up my cell phone almost 10 years ago. I had a cell phone until they became popular. I hate to do the popular thing. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[AC0H]

I get 5.0Mbps internet access, TV, and phone from the cable company. All three services billed seperately from different suppliers would add up to more than I pay now and there's no way to get 5Mbps Inet from the phone company without goint to something like a DS2 connection (2 - T1's). Current pricing on comparatively slow T1(1.544Mbps) connections range from $300 - $1200 per month.

[WA3KYY]

Quote[/b] (AC0H @ Mar. 15 2006,08:32)]I get 5.0Mbps internet access, TV, and phone from the cable company. All three services billed seperately from different suppliers would add up to more than I pay now and there's no way to get 5Mbps Inet from the phone company without goint to something like a DS2 connection (2 - T1's). Current pricing on comparatively slow T1(1.544Mbps) connections range from $300 - $1200 per month.
Hmm, I have 5Mbps access from Verizon via fiber for $30/month. #Can go as high as 30Mbps if I want to pay for it at $149/month.

73,
Mike WA3KYY

[W0LPQ]

Agree with WK. DSL is via the phone line, cable is different. My speeds are about what WK has said.

My DSL is via SBC/Yahoo but do not use either. The DSL is access to my MSN network. I like it. Yes it is a little higher rate wise, but given dial up ... nope.

Bill, W0LPQ

[K9STH]

DSL in my neighborhood is via fiber optics and SBC is installing a whole new fiber network that should be operational in a few days. They are taking even the telephones to fiber.

AT&T/SBC is advertising 5 Mbps DSL for $12.95 per month guaranteed for a year. If the performance is that high I will definitely consider changing from Comcast Cable to DSL. The savings would be around 70 percent per month.

Glen, K9STH

[al2i]

Quote[/b] (K9STH @ Mar. 15 2006,13:08)]AT&T/SBC is advertising 5 Mbps DSL for $12.95 per month guaranteed for a year.
Now that is a great offer. My DSL, though cheap, is very slow for DSL.

[W8EFA]

Just to clarify - #you can't just take advertised speeds and compare different technologies as they are not apple to apple comparisons. #

For example AC0H is erroneously comparing a dedicated T1 circuit cost to his shared advertised Broadband connection. #Those are completely different types of service, one being shared and one being a guaranteed dedicated service mostly for business. #T1's are a whole different animal with PRI signaling capabilities etc.

There are all diffferent types of ADSL, DSL, Shared Cable, etc. # Most DSL is dedicated while most cable is a shared. #Which means your cable speed could go down if they keep adding subscribers etc. without increasing the bandwidth at the end points. #Keep in mind that with cable you also can have security issue as you are basically on a LAN with your neighbors. Of course all access can be impacted to the Head end of the networks access to the Internet.

Here is a good site to check your advertyised speed vs. your real speed

MSN Speed test (http://tech.msn.com/products/speedtest.aspx?HTTP_HOST=tech.msn.com&url=/products/speedtest.armx)

[W0LPQ]

EFA, I have used the MSN test as well as several others. Mine typically runs 1.5M ... and even during the rain seems to hold quite steady.

Bill, W0LPQ

[N6WK]

Quote[/b] (K9STH @ Mar. 15 2006,21:08)]DSL in my neighborhood is via fiber optics and SBC is installing a whole new fiber network that should be operational in a few days. They are taking even the telephones to fiber.

AT&T/SBC is advertising 5 Mbps DSL for $12.95 per month guaranteed for a year. If the performance is that high I will definitely consider changing from Comcast Cable to DSL. The savings would be around 70 percent per month.

Glen, K9STH
Glen,
You sure about that ? I have been seeing the AT&T/SBC ads for 1.5MBPS for $12.95 from them.
I'd like a link to this 5.0MBPS that you are talking about !
Are your sure you didn't miss the 1

Gordon
N6WK

[K9STH]

Don't know! It may have been 1.5 Mbps although they were advertising that it was faster than cable and we have had 3 Mbps on cable for quite a while.

SBC has been advertising 3 Mbps for $17.95 for quite a while in this area. The Internet competition is very fierce in the Richardson, Plano, Allen, north Dallas area.

Glen, K9STH

[AC0H]

Quote[/b] ]You sure about that ? I have been seeing the AT&T/SBC ads for 1.5MBPS for $12.95 from them.
I'd like a link to this 5.0MBPS that you are talking about !
I your sure you didn't miss the 1
If it's fiber it could be. I'd be willing to bet that the $12.95 goes up drastically after the first year, but maybe not.


Quote[/b] ]For example AC0H is erroneously comparing a dedicated T1 circuit cost to his shared advertised Broadband connection.
Yes the T1 is a dedicated circuit and you get 1.544Mbps up and down. Yes, my cable connection is shared bandwidth in that all of the people in my neighborhood are on the same node and we share the bandwidth. Mediacom has been real good about bumping up the bit rates when subscriber load demands it. The T1 comparison was a bad one but I was trying to emphasize the symetric nature of cable and T1 connections. I did a bad job.

Most DSL connections are Asynchronous DSL.

ADSL: ADSL is the most commonly deployed type of DSL in North America. Short for asymmetric digital subscriber line ADSL supports data rates of from 1.5 to 9 Mbps when receiving data (known as the downstream rate) and from 16 to 640 Kbps when sending data (known as the upstream rate). ADSL requires a special ADSL modem.

SDSL: SDSL is still more common in Europe. Short for symmetric digital subscriber line, a technology that allows more data to be sent over existing copper telephone lines (POTS). SDSL supports data rates up to 3 Mbps. SDSL works by sending digital pulses in the high-frequency area of telephone wires and can not operate simultaneously with voice connections over the same wires. SDSL requires a special SDSL modem. SDSL is called symmetric because it supports the same data rates for upstream and downstream traffic.

All DSL and cable connections are "always on". If you're on broadband of any type you need a good personal firewall and A/V software installed.

[w8wlc]

Here I get DSL for $18 a month, speeds vary from 1.5mb to 4mb, the company is saying soon speeds will be up to 8mb but I need to see it to believe it. I also get local phone and unlimited long distance service for a additional $49 dollars a month. The wife loves the unlimited long distance and I simply use the DSL. Cable I-net is much more expensive and subject to more down time.

[N6WK]

Quote[/b] (K9STH @ Mar. 16 2006,00:38)]Don't know! It may have been 1.5 Mbps although they were advertising that it was faster than cable and we have had 3 Mbps on cable for quite a while.

SBC has been advertising 3 Mbps for $17.95 for quite a while in this area. The Internet competition is very fierce in the Richardson, Plano, Allen, north Dallas area.

Glen, K9STH
Ok, So if they are Advertising 3.0 for $17.95. think about it....Would they be offering 5.0 for $ 12.95 ??

Common sense says, Something is NOT right with these numbers!

Gordon
N6WK

[K9STH]

They are no longer advertising 3 Mbps for $17.95. This was a while back. The only advertising is now the $12.95.

The cable company is now offering 6 Mbps for $17.95 if you "dump" DSL. That would make the $12.95 for 5 Mbps logical. This area is VERY heavy into high speed Internet.

Everyone with the cable Internet will eventually get 6 Mbps. Comcast has supposedly increased the speed from 1.5 to 3 and now to 6 Mbps. However, I am not sure that we are actually getting that fast. It is really more like 3 Mbps, at least from the fastest downloads that I have seen (and most are MUCH slower). Somewhere I have written down the test site that the Comcast technicians use to check the system (got it one time when they were out here verifying what they already know, the system problems are not at my end).

I can hear the television in the den right now and Comcast is running an advertisement for cable Internet. They are promising all sorts of things!

Comcast has had all sorts of problems with the cable Internet. It has been "OK" for the past several weeks, but hot weather is coming and every summer all sorts of problems start happening. That is when they start giving me free service because of the problems (and I definitely file my complaints). With brand new fiber (replacing the old lightly used fiber) I believe that SBC may be able to outperform Comcast. Time will tell!

Glen, K9STH

[KD8COO]

DSL is around $19.95 here, assuming you can actually get it. Most people I've talked to can't. Cable is about the only way to go and it's quite pricy, especially if you want a static IP (they DO give a lot of bandwidth, but I don't WANT a lot of bandwidth! I don't need 768k/8mbps + static for $105. I'd rather have 512k/512k + static for $40!!!). No more local wireless providers (seems they all went out of business). DS1's are insanely priced (quoted $10,000-40,000 for an install...). ISDN is available, but in my particular case, I'm too far out for it to be reliable (not to mention that it runs about $120 a month WITHOUT a static IP!).

[W8EFA]

I have cable and get the actual advertised 3MB bandwidth. It is $40.00 for the access and the ISP.

For normal Internet use like browsing etc. I dont think anything above 3MB would make much of a difference. You will be limited by your graphics card painting the screen etc unless you are downloading etc.

[VA2FCS]

COO

Just curious, why do you need a static IP address ?

73

Sylvain

[W8EFA]

Quote[/b] (VA2FCS @ Mar. 15 2006,23:08)]COO

Just curious, why do you need a static IP address ?

73

Sylvain
You may require a static IP address, (i.e. the same one every time you connect) if you play certain online games or if you wish to work remotely from a central office. In order to VPN into the head office they have to know your IP adress for security reasons I believe. If you're not sure whether you need a static IP address or not, you probably don't need one!

Also you can host a website with DHCP (You get an IP adress from your ISP every time you log in) but I think there are issues with Google and other search engines parsing your IP as the ISP's IP adress.

[KD8COO]

Quote[/b] (VA2FCS @ Mar. 15 2006,20:08)]COO

Just curious, why do you need a static IP address ?

73

Sylvain
I have an IPSec VPN to work from my home network, plus I host my own e-mail and web in the basement for fun http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[VA2FCS]

COO, EFA

I know about all this, my point is that you can do all that (Maybe not with the game) with a dynamic address. Of course you have to register with a dynamic DNS service like DynDns or DNS2GO but it works very well. I use it at home for VPN access, Terminal server, web and mail.

I don't know how it is in the States, but over here it's a lot cheaper to get a dynamic IP from the ISP than a dynamic one.

73

Sylvain

[w2ass]

if you want dsl service you need to have a phoneline. which turns into two or three service's because then you have to pick a long distance service, here in nc bell south charges 25.00 per month for local 25.00 for long distance, then 29.95 per month for dsl, so for over 75.00 per month you can have dsl service,

now cable lets you get just internet service but it cost you 49.95 per month for just cable internet service.

now being on a fixed income and a small trust fund i dont like to waste money...

so heres what i did...

if you go to clearwire you can get a modem and wireless access to the internet for 19.95 plus 4.95 rental on modem. so i pay 24.95 and thats it for internet access.. check it out for your self and see if you have wireless service in your area...
clearwire (http://www.clearwire.com/)

[k4lem]

if you want dsl service you need to have a phoneline. which turns into two or three service's because then you have to pick a long distance service, here in nc bell south charges 25.00 per month for local 25.00 for long distance, then 29.95 per month for dsl, so for over 75.00 per month you can have dsl service,


Exactly. I have that here. ALLTEL makes you keep their phone line. Well, guess what? They say its 15 dollars a month, but they tack on this sur charge and that. Its nearly 40 dollars per month for a phone I rarely use, do-not need and really at this time, cannot afford!