International Connectivity 504
Steve Suppe writes "As an American who is going to be living overseas for a few years (Germany, to be more exact), I'm curious as to what advice/information Slashdot could provide people like me. How much can I expect to pay for dial-up/broadband, and from who? I'd be interested to hear how it differs around the world. Any good reference sites? Thanks!"
How about.. (Score:5, Interesting)
- Does anyone know about the connectivity in Jamaica?
I understand you can get ADSL - but is it available everywhere or just in a few areas. Any alternatives to ADSL (I hate using modems)..?
Re:How about.. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:How about.. (Score:4, Informative)
I don't see rates published online, but contact information for internet is here.
Customers can access information about local dial up numbers by
Dialling 1-888-225-5295 (CALL-CWJ)
Visiting the Cable & Wireless website (www.cwjamaica.com)
Visiting any of their 24 Commercial offices
Re:How about.. (Score:2)
http://home.cwjamaica.com/content/products_serv
German DSL (Score:5, Informative)
They also sell time-based access cards on post, and on the economy, if you don't want always-on access.
Good luck!
Re:German DSL (Score:3, Informative)
Re:German DSL (Score:2, Informative)
Get The roaring penguin ppoe, that is what I use.
Username is a bit complex.
Basically, on your t-online password info sheet, you need to look for two things:
- Anschlußkennung
- T-Online Nummer
Both are nowerdays 12 digit numbers.
The username is these numbers written together plus the following string (Mitbenutzer Nummer)
#0001@t-online.de
so the whole string example is
123456789012123456789012#0001@t-online.de
That would be the username
The password is just the password.
Not many hassles really to get it to work.
Re:German DSL (Score:3, Insightful)
I would expect SuSE to have pre-rolled install wizards for every German ISP, being a German distro.
Re:German DSL (Score:5, Informative)
sounds like you got ISDN too (?). It took me a long time to convince them that I didn't really need T-ISDN in order to get T-DSL; It seems as though a lot of their sales staff don't understand this either, and may not believe you for a while - keep at it - you really don't want ISDN
That 55euro tarrif rings a bell r.e. ISDN too; I'm reasonably sure I pay around 49euro, and I don't have ISDN (or the 3 extra boxes you see in most houses - my DSL plugs in the phone socket, as you'd expect).
Note that you buy DSL from your telco, and then an account (which needs to be a DSL account if you want DSL) from your ISP; this is different to the UK, no idea how it compares to USA.
They have a confusing list of available taffifs - you can easily end up paying per minute if you're not careful; flat rate is almost certainly the best option, IMO, unless you have very low useage.
I also think the service is very reliable, and have been happy with them so far (I'm a brit, been here about 7 months now).
Either T-Online or T-DSL drop the line every 24 hours as well, if this is a problem you'll need to check other suppliers.
T-Online is anoying in that it won't let you use a "From" address other than your t-online one (it will replace whatever you put with a long string of numbers at t-online.de; I presume these numbers are my account number or something) - it doesn't strip "reply to", but it's damn anoying. Might be worth checking out other ISPs if this would anoy you too, unless someone here knows a way around this.
Re:German DSL (Score:4, Informative)
Check out this web page for prices:
http://www1.t-versand.de/intershoproot/eCS/TVer
Hope this link works, otherwise try www.t-dsl.de, click on "DSL Preisübersicht".
Cheapest T-Net+DSL rate = 33.71
Cheapest T-ISDN+DSL rate = 36.98
For 3 Euros more that means that you get all the coolness of having 2 phone lines instead of one.
Re:German DSL (Score:3, Interesting)
Having just left Germany (was there for 3 years) the one thing you need to make sure of is that you set up ALL your phone options at the time you become a customer, otherwise they (Telekom) charge you this bullshit 100 Marks (50 euros) every time you make a change to your service.
For example, I paid 50 euros top get my analog line. Then I moved 3 months later (another 50 Euros). Then I upgraded to ISDN (another 50 Euros) because DSL wasn't available at that time and is was faster than analog. Then, finally, another 50 euros to updgrade to DSL. This 50 euro fee is a super scam, especially considering all they have to do is flip a switch.
In related news, get ready to get reamed on any retail-related transaction. In Germany, the customer is always wrong.
Re:German DSL (Score:2, Interesting)
web.de and gmx.de both offer pop3 (web.de even IMAP in the free version), at least 10MB, filtering, and and and...
They are a LOT better than hotmail, but my favorite email service is an Australian one (fastmail.fm)
Re:German DSL (Score:2, Informative)
Servers in NY, Norway and Texas.
connectivity seems good (Score:5, Informative)
Re:connectivity seems good (Score:2)
It WAS true. In the past seven years, however, the US has caught up. In some ways it has actually surpassed Europe.
For $55/month, you can get a plan with 500 peak minutes, unlimited off peak minutes (nights/weekends), no roaming charges, unlimited calls to other Sprint users, unlimited national long distance, and unlimited data. The data runs at 150kbps (well, under real conditions it's only about 65kbps). It runs on a 100% digital CDMA network which covers most of the country (it sucked 7 years ago when Sprint started offering PCS, but it's improved considerably since then).
Coverage is good. Voice quality is good. Rates are low. Data is available and cheap.
So why is Europe in such better shape? I checked around and found Vodafone's website. Their pricing system was much more complex and not nearly as cheap (400 inclusive minutes for £40.00; since Sprint's plan includes unlimited off peak and 500 peak I don't see how Vodafone's plan could be any cheaper). Now, if you have a much cheaper offer, I'd be happy to hear it (I haven't exactly shopped around).
My point is that the US is not as bad off as many would like to think. The idea that Europe kicks our ass is bullshit. It was true seven years ago when there was no digital service in the US. It is not true today. There are now five major nationwide digital providers in the US (Sprint, Verizon, AT&T Wireless, T-Mobile, and Cingular). There is GSM service and CDMA service, GPRS service, and other 2.5G data services.
UK (Score:5, Informative)
Re:UK (Score:5, Informative)
ADSL-For-Ipswich [adsl-for-ipswich.co.uk] | Barnt Green, Birmingham [broadbandb...reen.co.uk] | Edenbridge, Kent [getedenbridgeadsl.co.uk] | Brinscall, Lancashire [broadband4...call.co.uk] | Chafford Hundred, Grays [ch100broadband.info] | Broxburn/Uphall, Scotland [broadbandbroxburn.co.uk] | New Mills, Stockport [broadband4newmills.co.uk] | Bradford-on-Avon [bradford-on-avon.info] | Antrim, Northern Ireland [adsl4antrim.co.uk] | Paddock Wood, Kent [broadband4paddockwood.tk] | Mossley, Greater Manchester [broadband4mossley.co.uk] | Maltby, Rotherham [broadband4maltby.co.uk] | Cudworth, South Yorkshire [geocities.com] | Pembury, Kent [demon.co.uk] | Telford, Shropshire [broadbandupdate.co.uk] | Totnes, Devon [totnesbroadband.com] | Caister on Sea, Great Yarmouth [cjb.net] | Broadband in the East of England [broadbandbrokerage.com] | Wargrave, Berkshire [wargrave.net] | Alton, Hampshire #1 [alton.org.uk] | Alton, Hampshire #2 [broadbandalton.co.uk] | Frodsham, Cheshire [connect.to] | Atherstone, Warwickshire [broadband4...one.org.uk] | Sleaford, Lincolnshire [adsl4sleaford.co.uk] | Neston, South Wirral [broadband4neston.co.uk] | Blackpool/Fleetwood, Lancashire [broadband4...ool.org.uk] | Colwyn Bay, Wales [broadband4...nbay.co.uk] | Whitby, Yorkshire [btopenworld.com] | Saltcoats/Ardossan/Stevenston, Strathclyde [visitsaltcoats.com] | Thornbury, South Gloucestershire [uk.com] | Dinnington, Sheffield [broadband4...gton.co.uk] | Irby, Wirral [broadband4irby.co.uk] | Colwyn Bay/Old Colwyn/Rhos-On-Sea, North Wales [broadband4...nbay.co.uk] | Hednesford, Staffs [tga4.co.uk] | Connahs Quay/Flint/Mold/Sealand/Queensferry, North Wales [broadband4flintshire.com] | Eastham/Wirrall, Cheshire [broadband4eastham.co.uk] | Worle, North Somerset [broadbandworle.co.uk] | Dereham, Norfolk [broadbanddereham.info] | Leicester Kirby Muxloe, Leicestershire [fsworld.co.uk] | Bolton Westhoughton, Lancashire [westhoughton-adsl.tk] | Leek, Staffordshire [broadband4leek.co.uk] | Ivybridge, Devon [dmsserve.com] | Attleborough, Norfolk [adsl4attleborough.co.uk] | Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire [broadband4...idge.co.uk] | Montrose, Angus, Scotland [ruralstar.com] | Hurstpierpoint, West Sussex [adsl4hurstpierpoint.com] | Worcester/St Johns/Fernhill Heath, Worcester [worcesterb...and.org.uk] | Allerton, Liverpool (and surrounding exchanges) [liverpoolbroadband.com] | Buntingford, North Hertfordshire [www.surf.to] | Glastonbury, Somerset [broadband4...bury.co.uk] | St Budeaux, Devon [dpm.me.uk] | Fenland towns of Ramsey, Yaxley, Whittlesey, Chatteris, Ely and Soham [fenlandbroadband.co.uk] | Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire [broadband4grimsby.co.uk] | Pershore, Worcs [pershore.info] | Yarmouth, Norfolk [broadbandf...outh.co.uk] | Great Oakley, Corby, Northants [adsl4greatoakley.com] | South Woodham Ferrers, Essex [yi.org] | Goring & South Stoke, South Oxfordshire and Streatley & Lower Basildon, West Berkshire [broadband4goring.co.uk] | Kinross & Milnathort, Perthshire [get-adsl-f...oss.org.uk] | Bolsover, Derbyshire [adsl4bolsover.co.uk] | Elton, Ince and Helsby in Cheshire [broadband4helsby.co.uk] | Hanwell/Horley/Wroxton/Balscote/North Newington/Drayton, Oxfordshire [broadband4wroxton.org.uk] | Tonyrefail/Gilfach Goch and surrounding area, Mid Glamorgan [tonyrefail.net] | Rotherfield Greys/Rotherfield Peppard/Shepherds Green, Oxfordshire [broadband4...eld.org.uk] | Heath Hayes, Staffordshire [heathhayes.net] | Hednesford, Staffordshire [adsl4hednesford.co.uk] | Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire [broadbandchippy.net] | Adderbury (Nr. Banbury), Oxfordshire [adderbury.net] | Lydney, Gloucestershire [broadband4lydney.co.uk] | Knaresborough, North Yorkshire [broadband4...ough.co.uk] | Saltburn-By-The-Sea, Cleveland [btinternet.com] | Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire [hebdenbridge.co.uk] | Churchdown, Gloucestershire [broadband4...down.co.uk]
Re:UK (Score:2)
Re:UK (Score:2)
Deutsche Telekom (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Deutsche Telekom (Score:5, Informative)
I left Germany from the States in November and cancelled my phone and DSL service before I left. Yesterday in the mail I get a bill from them for February. Ah, Telekom.
You have to deal with them to get the DSL line, but you should look into getting a different ISP. Depending on where you live, there are other broadband ISPs. Since your e-mail address is af.mil, I'm betting that you're off to Ramstein. That's not so good, as the only other choice is AOL.de. You have to live in the bigger cities to have a choice.
I second igotmybfg's recommendation on cell phones - I had Vodafone D2 and was pleased with them. In fact, I like them better than my current US carrier, Verizon.
Sorry to say, but you'll be pining for your Cox.net cable broadband in no time.
Re:Deutsche Telekom Stopping Billing (Score:2, Informative)
My experience is that German companies don't understand customer service in the same sense we expect it here in North America.
If you need to terminate an account, or contract or insurance or anything else doing it by phone despite them having customer phone service, generally doesn't work.
The billing departments generally aren't up to speed and it can take a few months (if ever) for things to trickle from phone services to them.
>>>> Cancel all contracts etc... in writing with a letter by mail (keep a copy).
All that being said, I've had some nightmare companies here in Canada too... in particular
ISPs. A friend of mine fought for months to cancel a particular ISP account...
Re:Deutsche Telekom Stopping Billing (Score:2, Interesting)
It is also a legal issue. In general, German law doesn't allow for oral contracts. If you stay in Germany for a while you will notice that almost every significant transaction is covered by written contract including all leases and matters of employment.
As a result, entering into or cancelling contracts over the phone are discouraged and you will find that most companies will ask you to either fax or mail a contract or cancellation request. Make sure you sign it too or you just wasted at lesat $.50 in postage or whatever you just paid for faxing it.
This is "Coorection billing" (Score:2)
Re:Deutsche Telekom (Score:2, Funny)
Sure, as in "Torture feels better without all the acid."
My advice (Score:2, Redundant)
My advice is this: don't go.
I have a close friend who got fed up with the constant state of (declining) flux here in the American technology job market. He'd had enough and figured to jump ship (no pun intended) and head over to Germany because everyone always said how nice Europe, especially Germany, was to work and live.
Unfortunately, he soon found out that meager pay (relative to the cost of living) was very common, and bad benefits were even more common. He was pulling in barely $32,000 USD per year and was living week to week trying to get by paying bills and taking care of his wife and baby girl.
I would advise you to please consider staying home. "The grass is always greener on the other side" as the popular saying goes. In this case, it firmly holds true.
Re:My advice (Score:3, Interesting)
I got the hell out as soon as I could after the Chimp was installed and I haven't looked back. Well, sometimes I miss Oreos and Reese's Peanut Buttercups. Mmmm.
It sounds like Steve Suppe already has some sort of stable plan waiting for him when he gets there. But in the case of $$$exy's friend, it doesn't sound like it. Somebody with a wife and kid shouldn't even make the move without either having a job lined up, or enough money in the bank to take intense (4 hours a day, 5 days a week) German lessons for the first 4 months. You have to first learn German to such the extent that you can communicate and even schedule a job interview. What also helps is a German friend who understands the bureaucracy and knows how to deal with it. I had to apply in order to apply for a drivers license. How whack is that?
The job market is bad (where is it not?) but if you have skills in IT and are good at what you do, and speak English, you should be alright. At the job your gonna have to speak German but if you can read the online manuals in English before the German ones are published, you will have an advantage. It might sound somewhat elitist to say that but in IT a fluent grasp of English goes a long way.
The average salary is less than in the states and about 40% percent of my check is taxed, but I have 35 paid vacation days every year, and better health benefits than I will ever have in the US. Plus a 38 hour work week. That's just with public health insurance.
Its a big change in your life to make but if you prepare ahead and do your research, the transition can be much smoother.
Oh yeah and when you get there and need DSL, I recommend looking up Telkom or Arcor.
Re:My advice (Score:2, Insightful)
I've lived and worked in Sweden and I just cant see how they can reach number 4. Sweden is a socialist hole where you get to keep a miniscule part of your salary after the state has been there to rob you (they call it tax). I would *never* want to live in Sweden again. The same goes for Norway where they seem to love taxes. They have no public debt but still consider it reasonable to end up with less than half of your wage after paying tax (still its not as bad as Sweden). Switzerland should be way higher on the list - I'm currently living in Switzerland and the standard of living, net income, economic freedom, efficiency of public institutions etc. is vastly superiour to that of most countries in the EU.
Most likely, this list is created with an over-emphasis on the benefits of public consumption. It probably does not correct for the inherent inefficiencies of public administration, equating it to consumption within the private sector.
But then again, a lot of these fluffy people working within the UN *adore* big government and the *magic* of public spending..
Re:My advice (Score:2, Insightful)
The problem with these lists is that "best place to live" is a highly subjective thing, depending greatly on your personal goals and circumstances. If you are a druggy and want to sit around smoking weed all day I'm sure a place where MJ is decriminalized would rate higher. If you want to start a small business, a country favorable to small businesses would be ideal. Etc.
Re:My advice (Score:3, Funny)
I'll put it this way:
If you:
- dont want to have good spending power
- dont want to have access to good schools
- dont want to live in a country with financial stability (the swedish currency has gone from 1-1 SEK/CHF to 6.4 - 1 SEK/CHF since the fifties).
- want to live in a country where there is a tangible risk that the money that you've saved for your old age will be confiscated by the government (when I was living there - this was actually discussed in parliament).
- dont want to live in a country with agreable climate
- dont want to live in a country where summer exceeds 2 months / year.
THEN - maybe Sweden is the place for you!
Re:My advice (Score:3, Funny)
- hot blond chicks
And if the weather is what you say it is (can't go outsite alot) and you're money is worthless (can't go out for entertainment)
- lots of indoor activities with hot blond chicks
The pros slightly outwiegh the cons.
Re:My advice (Score:2, Funny)
Why did you mention the president twice?
Re:My advice (Score:3, Informative)
for example, the cost of living in, say, afghanistan may be lower than that in the US when you compare the exchangable currency, but the income you would earn there for doing the same job would probably also be lower.
good internet in germany (Score:5, Informative)
check out T-DSL [t-dsl.de], the service offered by the German Telekom, which is the phone company and also the biggest ISP. We got our cable modem thrown in for free when we signed up, don't know if they'll still give you that and they gave us a good price on a router/ISDN system/hub/ISDN modem/USB NIC wonderbox bursting with flashing lights too.
The german might be a problem when filling out the forms but most of the support people on the phone will be able to speak english
You'll want to be running SuSE (Score:5, Informative)
Re:You'll want to be running SuSE (Score:2)
Broadband in UK (Score:4, Informative)
There are two major cable operators in the uk, ntl: [askntl.com] and Telewest [telewest.co.uk]. Both offer cable modem in almost all areas of their networks for about GBP 25.00 / month for 512 and 40.00 / month for 1M.
ntl couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery [nthellworld.com].
Italy: 10Mbit optical fiber for $70/mo (Score:5, Informative)
Milan and province, Rome, Turin, Bologna, Naples and Genoa, thanks to FastWeb [fastweb.it] you can get 10Mbit optical fiber Internet access for about $70/mo (67 euros/mo).
Quite cheap and works like a charm
Re:Italy: 10Mbit optical fiber for $70/mo (Score:2)
In my city, we have a wireless coop that has a 5mbps connection. For $70/month, you get 8 GB of transfer per month (billed at 95 percentile).
Re:Italy: 10Mbit optical fiber for $70/mo (Score:2)
Re:Italy: 10Mbit optical fiber for $70/mo (Score:2)
Germany: (Score:5, Informative)
Wired:
- Analoge and Digital (ISDN) lines, while ISDN is much more popular nowadays. Deutsche Telekom provides most of the normal telephone connections. Visit http://www.telekom.de . Prices for a regular ISDN line are about 25/$ a month for 2 phone lines with a total of 3 phone numbers. Setup is around 50/$.
- ADSL is a widely available option for either analoge or digital phonelines. Deutsche Telekom provides an ADSL-line for about 10 a month on top of your phonebill.
- Flatrates for ADSL are around 20-30 on top of the phonebill which already includes the charge for your ADSL-line.
Wireless:
-WLAN hotspots are coming up everywhere in big and small cities since some months. It's quite amazing how many nodes you can find within a day of WarDriving around Frankfurt, i.e.
-CellServices provide almost a complete coverage of the whole country. GPRS is widely available but still a little on the pricy side: 5cent for 10kb with my cell-provider "O2". Cell rates are usually 10-20 a month, calling-costs not included (average bill around 50 , if you don't hug the phone 24/7)
Hope this helps.
To get into much more detail visit:
http://www.billiger-surfen.de (cheaper-surfing)
http://www.onlinekosten.de (onlinecost)
http://www.mobileaccess.de
http://
http://www.heise.de
or go
http://www.google.de
and help yourself.
enjoy germany!
-benny
Pretty good. (Score:2)
Some Info (Score:5, Informative)
When you get a phone, get at from the Deutsche Telekom and not from any other local carrier.
Why? Their rates might suck, but only if you use Deutsche Telekom can you use ALL call by call carriers which are billed by the normal telephone bill. The majority you can use without registering at the other phone company, so basically you check out which operator is the cheapest for a call, pick up the phone, and dial.
Calls to the US start at 4 cents per minute using Call by Call.
To check the cheapest rate and which call by caller operator to use, checkout www.teltarif.de
ISDN phone lines are very popular over here, you can get a special rate that calls on Sunday are free within Germany. These can also be used to call up an internet provider with "normal" telephone number. www.teltarif.de also has a list of these which you can use together with usernames/password.
Local phone calls are NOT free.
Internet dialup you also usually use call by call ones. Check out www.billiger-surfen.de to find out which operator is cheapest. Cheap ones start like 1 cent per minute. That's about the best rate you can get.
Flatrates for internet dialups do not exist.
Broadband:
DSL is the way to go, you need to get the DSL line from the Deutsche Telekom. And in addition to that, you must subscribe to an Online service, either the Deutsche Telekom's own (T-Online) where a 768kbit down/128kbit up costs 29.99 Euros per month with no limit regarding time or bandwidth. Note that this flatrate is not available if you use the 1500up/192kdown service. 1und1 (www.1und1.de) has better deals if you have less traffic.
Basically, for an ISDN telephone with the calls free on Sunday plus DSL 768Kbit, you would pay 41.27 Euros a month. Add to that the online rate (29,99 for t-online dsl flat)
If you sign up at 1und1.de you get a free USB DSL Modem, for 9.95 you get an ISDN telephone switch to which you can connect analogue phones to, and they pass on your request to the Deutsche Telekom. You also have to pay a setup fee, which is charged by the Deutsche Telekom, but doing it with 1und1 currently offers the best deal.
Hope this helps.
Re:Some Info (Score:2)
Depends. In case you're in the south west, you might use the carrier Tesion [tesion.de]. They offer a so-called "Phone&Surf" package in some regions, allowing for free local calls -- not including data connections though (despite the name). Of course you'd have to check the prices for yourself to see whether it is a viable option for you.
As someone who's done this recently ... (Score:2, Informative)
The transition has been totally smooth. German Deutsche-Telekom sell flat-rate DSL, and it's pretty good in my region - at least as good as what I was used to in LA.
There is less after-market competition - i.e. small regional ISP's, but some parts of Germany have good regional nets. Not really here in the Ruhr, my understanding is that its mostly DT.
Serious Answer (Score:5, Informative)
This thread is really getting on me ninnies...
Anyways, I live as an expat in Germany. DSL is trivial to get, try Deutsche Telekom although I do not not know if they are exactly the cheapest.
There is a website that contains a list of all the
German DSL providers (there are loads) but it is in German. Google for it (try DSL Deutschland). 768/128 DSL is available almost anywhere, and some providers (yahoo) does 1500 as well.
As far a cellphones are concerned the service is very good, but do yourself a favour and get a contract from Viag Interkom (now O2). They are the best, especially with their Genion at Home thingie. That is quite cheap.
It is possible to dial fairly cheap. www.billigtelefonieren.de should give you all the details you want on that, again, in German. You usually dial with a prefix code to get the different providers.
If you do not want to go DSL, ISDN is very much more wide-spread and cheap than in the US and pay-per call may be mucho cheaper than a DSL, depending on how much you are online. Now that DSL is getting very popular you can get cheapo ISDN cards second hand. ISDN is pretty OK for most things anywa, and with it you can call for free on Sundays for a few Euros per month extra.
Telekom does take a few weeks to install DSL due to a serious demand-driven backlog (and the !"!"ers do NOT tell you that they have done it, you have to try to see if it works!) but ISDN install is fairly quick (2 days in my case)
Telekom has been banned as of last year to give away DSL modems for free (it was stifling competition) so now you have to pay, a small DSL box with a router with 4 ports that can do masquerading and set with a web box is available for about 70 Euros, and one with a wireless port as well for about 200 (At media markt). I picked up an old Pentium 100 for 25 euros and Linux it and put up a ethernet card and a hub to use as a DSL router behind Deutsche Telekom DSL, works fine but at that time the routers were still expensive so a crouter is probably the cheapets way to go.
You can also get a hosted server (a complete Linux box with full root control) for 39 Euros per month.
Computers are generally more expensive than in the states but not too much. You can pretty much find everything you need, try www.arlt.com to get a feel for prices. (I buy there, do not work for them).
If you wish to know more, drop my a line on my home page.
(Another) Same Question... Different Country... (Score:2)
Try looking here (Score:3, Informative)
It is a subsite of http://www.whirlpool.net.au/
Whirlpool was originally a user bitch forum for Telstra Bigpond, but expanded to cover most of Australia's broadbnad ISP's. The forums at whirlpool are a good measure of customer satisfaction.
Stay away from Telstra - they prefer to use a sandpaper condom on their phallus.
Re:(Another) Same Question... Different Country... (Score:2)
check out www.whirlpool.net.au
then just go to www.iinet.net.au and signup
iinet have the best value plans at the moment
Re:(Another) Same Question... Different Country... (Score:2)
Re:(Another) Same Question... Different Country... (Score:3, Informative)
1. TransACT - A local high speed broadband fibre network. You have to pay TransACT for the connection, then an ISP for internet (the cable from TransACT also provides TV and Phone).
Unfortunately they bandwidth is currently capped at 512kb, and all the ISPs are braindead when it comes to Broadband, and think that a 500meg limit will work.
2. Satelite via telstra. Not sure how much it costs....but it's Satelite, and so you probably don't want it anyway.
3. ADSL
There's two main providers - Telstra and Netspace.
Telstra offer 512kb for about $100 a month with a 3GB limit before they start charging extra (I'm currently on this plan, since they were the only option at the time).
Netspace will give you 512kb for around $100 a month with 4Gig peak, and 7 gig offpeak, and they throw in a dialup account too. They also offer 1.5Mb for $150.
If you're looking for broadband in Canberra, and cant get or don't want TransACT, then Netspace ADSL is definitely the way to go.
Damn you Aussi's! You guys are so great! (Score:2)
Thanks for all of your input! I really appricate it! I have done some research previous to the posting. In a perfect world I would have included this info in the first post (stupid non-perfect world).
The best bet I've seen pricing and server host-ability wise (I've got a FTP/DNS/Web/etc server to throw on the line) is FunnelWeb [funnelwebinternet.com.au]. Anyone have any experience with them? I kinda fancy their 512/128 @ $67 AUD/month (although with that damned 500meg download limit), but it does include a static IP.
So... Canberra, least 128 downstream, least 500meg download/month, static IP? Anyone? I'll be checking out these providers in the next day or 2. Thanks again for all the help!
The whole of Sydney a DSL disaster area? (Score:2)
Broadband or Autobahn (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Broadband or Autobahn (Score:2)
More general advice (Score:2, Insightful)
Think this post is stupid? I've seen it happen too often. While wandering through the streets of Paris, I heard an American traveller comment to her husband about how "these people can't even get a Big Mac right!" Other countries have the same problem with their citizens abroad (England is a close second, Germany third in my opinion) but the US has a reputation for it and people will NOT give you a second chance if you make an arrogant comment.
Aside from that, have fun and soak up the culture.
Italy to Japan (Score:4, Interesting)
Around '96, the ISP upgraded to 56k modems. In late '97 Telecom Italia offered ISDN. the line to the house was 2B+D (128kbps), but in traditional Italian fassion, they fucked it all up. You still had to pay connections per minute, and each channel was charged seperately. A 128k connection to my local ISP was about 2 or 3 cents per minute.
Telecom Italia upgraded, once agian, to ADSL in 2000. And, once agian, they fucked it up. They implemented ADSL using PPPoE. If you have not used PPPoE, your modem establishes a connection using a username/password. ISPs do this so they can monitor how much bandwidth you use. I paid $50 per month for the line, and another $50 per gigabyte of traffic.
I figured all my problems were over when I moved to Japan. Unfortunately, I live in an area (in Tokyo) that is not covered by DSL. I pay $30/month for 90 hours of 56k dialup. My only other real option is to use a cell phone to get wireless service at a cost of $100/month for 128k access. I have tried this, but the actual bandwidth is about 70kbps and the packet loss and delay is way too high to make it useful.
A new ISP is talking about wiring our neghborhood for 128kbps SDSL. They have mentioned a 1GB per month cap with no way to go over that ammount. They also want $50 per month with a $150 install cost. What really makes it hurt is that they guy down the street from me (150 feet away, but no LOS for a 2.4ghz link) pays $35/month for 100mbps fiber. Yep, he actually has fiber running into a modem sitting on his desk.
Sometimes, I wonder who I pissed off to get so screwed on internet access...
Re:Italy to Japan (Score:2)
ISPs like PPPoE because it acts as an additional layer, allowing you to treat a broadband network like a dialup network. There is less investment in infrastructure. It allows for easier dynamic reallocation of IP addresses. With PPPoE you are not 'online all the time' and you have to install a fscking client on your machine (typically win32 or mac only) to use it, although now most broadband routers support it as well.
" Sometimes, I wonder who I pissed off to get so screwed on internet access..."
I mentioned this earlier, but I'll say it here: You are not screwed for internet access. I am, because the best I can get is 28.8K which happens to be shared across a 6 machine LAN at home.
Re:Italy to Japan (Score:2)
Waveguide?
All depends on your situation (Score:3, Interesting)
Also, a caveat to travelers in Slovenia. Internet cafes are kinda non-existant in Ljubljana. You can get online at the Mobitel office across from Mladinska Knjigarna and in the Mueller department store just down the street from the Posta bus stop. That's about it for regularly available spots. If anybody knows of any place that isn't closed or half-open or generally flaky, let me know.
Other advice about Germany (Score:5, Interesting)
I'm in Germany, and was going to write about IDSN and DSL, but given that everybody and their dog has already done that, here's some other advice:
Beaurocracy!
Lots of it. You need the right piece of paper with the right stamp on it, or things don't happen. Probably the worst thing about Germany, this.
Learn German!
Yes, lots of them do speak English, but that's no reason for being lazy. As soon as you have to do anything important, you'll probably find yourself needing to communicate with someone who doesn't speak English. A little German will go a long way, especially in terms of the impression you make.
Get your lane discipline sorted.
Cruise on the right, overtake on the left, and then move back to the right. If there's a BMW behind you flashing his lights, don't worry too much - BMW drivers are like that. If it's some other make of car, you're going to slow - get out of that lane! They make nice cars in Stuttgart, by the way.
Watch out for speed cameras
They take your photo from the front, so there's no "it wasn't me" excuses. There are both stationary cameras on posts and mobile units (hidden in hedges or wherever). More than 30km/h over the limit can result in a 1 month driving ban.
Watch your speed on the Autobahn
Not all of the Autobahn has no speed limit. Where there is one, it's clearly marked. Where there isn't one, enjoy yourself! Be aware that having no speed limit doesn't often help, due to the volume of traffic (and the guy three cars ahead, going way too slow in the overtaking lane).
Most bottles have a deposit on them
So take them back to the supermarket. Germans like to buy drinks by the crate. Look for a "Getränkemarkt" if you're thirsty.
German beer is stronger than US beer
Purity laws and all that. The lack of nasty chemicals means you can get hammered and not have a major hangover next morning. Make sure you get to the world's biggest Fest - the Oktoberfest in München (not called Munich on Germany!), or the second biggest - the Volksfest in Stuttgart. If you want an English-speaking pub, look for an "Irish Pub". It's a chain (I think). There are quite a lot now; they stock Guiness too.
There are no Reeses Pieces
If you find somewhere that sells them, post it on Slashdot :-)
Not as many really fat people
This one will only hit you when you go back to the US...
Re:Other advice about Germany (Score:2)
Amazing. Here in San Antonio, I bitch because its nearly impossible to find good german candy. And you're over there in Germany and you're bitching because you can't buy the crappy, proletariat-grade U.S. vending machine stuff.
Would you like to set up a trade?
china (Score:2, Interesting)
General advice (Score:5, Funny)
Re:General advice (Score:2)
At least that's what I read on some other site talking about Americans travelling overseas.
Re:General advice (Score:2)
What's more, what USian would bring themselves to deny their own country of origin? There have been times when I've had to say, "I'm Australian
Re:General advice (Score:2)
The Bible (that is the Word of God) would beg to differ. Matthew 5:45 "He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."
A few sites (Score:2, Informative)
When I first moved to Germany in 1994, there was little information available for expatriots. It was all pretty much learning by doing. I recently spent about a year and a half in LA and returned to Germany at the end of last year with my girlfriend, who does not speak German. While looking for orientation materials for her (actually an experienced expat), I discovered that the amount of information has expanded greatly.
One really useful site is How To Germany [howtogermany.com], which includes a brief overview and a nice link to an online comparison chart [focus.msn.de]. The best computer magazin in the world [heise.de] had an entire section devoted to the best and cheapest DSL/cable internet service at the end of last year. Unfortunately, you will have to learn German to read the article (The issue's TOC is here [heise.de], if you want it---and this is reason enough to want to learn German.)
VOIP--Get DSL, US Phone number, but no voice line. (Score:2)
Through companies like Vonage, IConnectHere or Packet8 you can get a US phone number for about $20/month including plenty of minutes for US calls. You also get very low rates to the US (since it thinks you have a US line) and reasonable rates to germany. The quality with a Cisco ATA186 is as good as a landline or with a softphone (headset) is cell-phone like supercheap. And you can just use your mobile phone for calls to germany.
Internet in Sweden (Score:2, Informative)
* Dial-up
Dial-up is mostly dead. You never see any ads for it anymore. Usually charged at the same per-minute rate as phone-calls (2c/min). No distinction is made between local calls and long-distance anymore, they cost the same (most of the cost is in the local loop anyway).
* Cable
There are a number of different cable operators. They all have different prices and plans, but it's very common to pay between $20 and $30 for the basic connection (which usually is between 512/128 and 1024/512, all depending on local operator). Available in most cities.
* DSL
One major operator (Telia) has had what can only be described as a monopoly on DSL service. It is getting better, and local DSLAMs from other operators are being set up in the markets with the biggest customer base (large cities). Telia offers a 512/512 plan for about $35 with no UL/DL restrictions. Other operators are now offering DSL up to 2.5M/512, but at a premium and usually only in large cities. Availability is pretty good, and service has been very reliable for all of my friends.
* Ethernet
Several municipalities have set up local fiber or Ethernet networks in the cities. I happen to live in Gavle, the city with perhaps the best local network of them all. Unfortunately I don't live in a house connected to the network. We also have a few other operators that install Ethernet, the biggest being BBB (Bredbandsbolaget). Prices range from $20 to $50. Personally I have a 2M/2M connection that costs $22 (100Mbit Ethernet in my apartment, router in basement that does bandwidth limiting, 155Mbit fiber to local POP for the backbone, VERY nice RTT to most places around the globe).
* Wireless
Don't really know how the market looks like for wireless access points. Haven't seen much about it.
Another Similar Question (Score:2)
I have friends in Potsdam, so that leg of the trip isn't a problem. And I do speak quite a bit of German, so throw those links this way!
What about Holland? (Score:2)
Just remember (Score:2)
Dynamic IP addressing (Score:3, Informative)
Re:An American in Germany? (Score:5, Funny)
A truly Canadian Apology to the USA...
Courtesy of Rick Mercer from This Hour Has 22 Minutes CBC Television
On behalf of Canadians everywhere I'd like to offer an apology to
the United States of America.
We haven't been getting along very well recently and for that, I am truly sorry.
I'm sorry we called George Bush a moron.
He is a moron but, it wasn't nice of us to point it out.
If it's any consolation, the fact that he's a moron shouldn't reflect poorly on the people of America.
After all it's not like you actually elected him.
I'm sorry about our softwood lumber.
Just because we have more trees than you doesn't give us the right to sell you lumber that's cheaper
and better than your own.
I'm sorry we beat you in Olympic hockey.
In our defense I guess our excuse would be that our team was much, much, much, much better than yours.
I'm sorry we burnt down your white house during the war of 1812.
I notice you've rebuilt it! It's Very Nice.
I'm sorry about your beer.
I know we had nothing to do with your beer but, we Feel your Pain.
I'm sorry about our waffling on Iraq.
I mean, when you're going
up against a crazed dictator, you wanna have your friends by your side.
I realize it took more than two years before you guys pitched in against Hitler, but that was different.
Everyone knew he had weapons.
And finally on behalf of all Canadians, I'm sorry that we're constantly apologizing for things in a passive-aggressive way which is really a thinly veiled criticism.
I sincerely hope that you're not upset over this.
We've seen what you do to countries you get upset with.
Thank you.
"Damn Americans, I hate those bastards." (Score:2, Informative)
From Slate:
On Wednesday, at the end of a "media scrum" about Iraq, Canadian Liberal MP Carolyn Parrish was captured by TV cameras saying, "Damn Americans. I hate those bastards." When Daniel Leblanc, a reporter from Toronto's Globe and Mail asked her to explain the remark, she threatened to restrict journalists' parliamentary access if it was reported, telling him, "If you guys want to keep the privilege of working in that area without being held back, I would be very careful with this one." The press ignored her attempted intimidation and publicized the remarks.
Re:An American in Germany? (Score:2, Insightful)
The parent is half right. The apology is funny on its own. The apology as delivered by Rick Mercer is downright hilarious.
Was that really worth calling someone an asswad for?
Re:An American in Germany? (Score:2)
BTW Canadian troops did invade Europe [vac-acc.gc.ca] just a few months after America joined the war. The battle was a failure but the Allies learned from it and it helped the planning for D-Day. Canada was there on D-Day too [vac-acc.gc.ca]. We were largely responsible for the liberation of the Netherlands. Canadian-made bombers helped bombed the hell out of Germany and Canadian ships cleared the north Atlantic of U-boats.
But most of that gets lost in Hollywood hype and its rewriting of history. Remember the time Americans recovered an Enigma machine? [imdb.com] Well you didn't.
Re:An American in Germany? (Score:2)
Oh baloney. Nobody ever said that U-571 was supposed to be a documentary. It was clearly labelled as fictional.
My Dad served in the Navy in WWII and he was laughing at some of the stuff that occurred in the movie. Totally unrealistic.
If you are interested, here is the actual history:
http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq97-1.htm
Re:An American in Germany? (Score:2)
So, to feed the troll's troll:
We "dragged our heels" on WWI and WWII because they weren't our wars. Canada is a commonwealth country. We aren't.
If we helped out a bit in WWII, big deal,
Your impudence is loathsome. Thirty-thousand Americans are buried in Normandy alone. To minimize that enormous sacrifice is to insult the memory of the soldiers who died to liberate Europe.
Re:An American in Germany? (Score:2)
Maybe because we keep insulting them?
"We "dragged our heels" on WWI and WWII because they weren't our wars."
Is Iraq our war? They didn't attack us, they attacked Iran, and Kuwait and so forth. Shouldn't we just let those countries fight their own battles?
The point being such arguments have little value.
"Your impudence is loathsome. Thirty-thousand Americans are buried in Normandy alone. To minimize that enormous sacrifice is to insult the memory of the soldiers who died to liberate Europe."
The memory of our soldiers was tarnished when their sacrifice was rubbed in the noses of the Europeans.
It's amazing how quickly you can lose allies when you start treating them arrogantly.
Re:An American in Germany? (Score:2)
They weren't your wars. Hmmm... So the extinction of th international law making body (League of Nations) had nothing to do with the fact that there was a war. OK.
You "dragged your heels" until you made sure that everyone else would pay your dollar costs. I think Britain will finish paying its bill about five years from now.
Your impudence is loathsome. Thirty-thousand Americans are buried in Normandy alone. To minimize that enormous sacrifice is to insult the memory of the soldiers who died to liberate Europe.
Your ignorance is loathsome. Cologne, Dresden, those war crimes mean anything to you? Probably not, they were just Europeans.
Your country has a helluva history of making incredible messes and bailing out. If you don't believe that then look at Afghanistan.
Re:An American in Germany? (Score:2)
Not particularly. The German side of my family contained everything from Waffen SS Officers to Marxists. Jewish mostly. I've heard (and judged) their stories. I won't repeat them because I'll just get labelled a revisionist. Some how, in this argument, any search for truth is considerd a perversion - by both sides.
Maybe I will be better understood if I quote a friend of mine... I haven't asked, so no attribution...
"I came out of Auschwitz feeling that there COULD be a just war -- I left Dresden wondering how I had been so wrong."
Apply that to Iraq...
Americans seem to be able to afford so much destruction and so little construction. Please consider how countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq can be helped. Not with swords but with ploughshares.
None of this would hve happened if Hussein had not started selling oil for Euros instead of dollars to get back at the US for betraying him a decade ago.
This is a war to protect the American dollar and American interests. No more and no less.
Re:An American in Germany? (Score:2)
Actually, Americans have had a chip on their shoulder regarding the European attitude towards the "Colonies" since the 18th century. It's quite instructive to read the writings of various authors from that period and later. If you want to talk about arrogance, do a little research and you will find the history of it in Europe is awesome indeed.
I am sure that the rest of the world is justified in their current feelings towards American attitudes, but don't harbor any illusions that this is a uniquely American phenomena.
Re:An American in Germany? (Score:2)
This is of course a terrible loss of life, but compared to other countries, the US suffered very little in WWII
Most of the numbers I've seen put the total at slightly over 400,000 KIA.
The US did get off lightly compared to Russia and Germany, however its loss of life is comparable to many of the European countries, and in many cases greater, even if you include civilians.
Here are some numbers for KIA in the various militaries.
USSR 12 million
Poland 597,000
Germany 3.25 million
Yugoslavia 305,000
Romania 450,000
Hungary 200,000
France 245,000
Italy 380,000
Great Britain 403,000
United States 407,000
Czechoslovakia 7,000
Holland 13,700
Greece 19,000
Belgium 76,000
Re:An American in Germany? (Score:2)
I was just enfuriated that the grandparent poster called US participation in the Second World War "helping out a little bit."
Thanks for a thoughtful post.
Imagine the look on my face? (Score:2)
Europe unwilling to defend civilization? Well, the look on my face certainly wouldn't be surprise...
ASA
Re:An American in Germany? (Score:2)
As a Canadian, I'd like to add that I'm proud that my Grandfather and his generation of Canadians fought to help liberate France, and fight alongside our friends in Europe. Canadians fought because it was the right thing to do, not because we wanted you to 'owe' us for the favour.
Never mind the Americans; we've learned the secret to dealing with them: even though they have long memories, and they think everyone owes them something, they have very short attention spans. Give them 3 months and the average American will again forget how to spell Europe. They don't even remember why their Whitehouse is painted white!
Re:Are you welcome there? (Score:2, Insightful)
(I assume with Americans you mean US-Americans?)
People over here can (and for the most part do) differentiate between the American people and their government.
However, be prepared for a few heated political discussions...
Re:Are you welcome there? (Score:5, Insightful)
I do live here (Score:5, Informative)
Good luck.
I do live there too - there being France (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Talk to people that live there (Score:2, Insightful)
Number one are rural areas.
Number two are "too modern" areas, like freshly build suburbs with fiber, but no copper in the ground. In the 90's, they didn't know DSL only works on copper lines. AFAIK this is not too rare in eastern Germany, where they buried a lot of fiber after the german unification.
Besides that, coverage is pretty good, especially wireless. Cell phones really work here, I mean almost everywhere, and pretty reliably.
Germany just isn't as vast as the US.
Re:Use the web (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Here's an idea, stay off the Internet! (Score:2)
Re:Here's an idea, stay off the Internet! (Score:2)
all the places you mention are nice, but you can't live in them. sheesh.
Re:Here's an idea, stay off the Internet! (Score:5, Insightful)
so give up one of the easiest ways to get cheap airfares, learn about holiday destinations, get bus/rail/s-bahn/u-bahn schedules? since this person is planning on returning to the usa, they should give up their online access to their financial info and instead use more expensive and less convenient phone/fax/mail? more importantly they have friends and family back in the usa. they should give up on an inexpensive way to keep in touch with their friends and family? give up email, pictures of newborn relatives, holiday snaps, etc?
get real.
Re:Prices (Score:3, Informative)
But downloads are pretty speedy. Mostly you do get to download at 80K/second which I think is quite nice.
Ping time to a cable modem in PA in the US from my German DSL connection is about 140ms.
Re:Waht about Japan? (Score:2)
English support is rare. However, DSL is DSL and if you have some experience with it, you really shouldn't need to much support. The DSL-modem itself probably has an HTML based browser. My suggestion - wget the modem, burn a copy of the HTML to CD, take it to an internet cafe (they are everywhere) and translate it with babelfish if you are having problems.
I have no clue about wireless coverage. Like any other big city, I'm sure you can jump on