Keeping in Contact With Family, From Afghanistan? 176
LiNKz writes "Within a short while I will be heading to Afghanistan and in the interest of keeping in communication with my wife and family I've been looking at different means of it, from VoIP to cellular services. I'm not sure how well connected or how stable of a connection the base I'm deploying to has, which means VoIP might simply not be an option. I have, however, noticed in my searches that Afghanistan has recently boomed with cellular coverage though that too seems to be difficult to ascertain. I'm curious if the Slashdot community has any information or experience regarding international cellular services offered in this country and the means of obtaining it."
Not an issue anymore (Score:2, Informative)
Internet access and calling centers are plentiful, at least on the US bases. This is really the *last* thing you need to be worried about.
Re:Not an issue anymore (Score:5, Interesting)
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Yeah, you can't just hook up a VOIP device to niprnet and expect it to work - the firewalls are far too restrictive. Not to mention that it violates regs.
Morale phones are generally provided. A cell phone is a possibility, but remember foreign call charges.
In my experience, about all you can count on is snail mail, email, and rationed phone access.
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A friend of mine is currently serving in Iraq, he is a Marine. His friends all think My Space is a proper "email" service and he is forced to wait upward of ten minutes for a single page to load.
For the author of the article, if you plan to do personal internet stuff go with what ever is indigenous like cell phones.
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I am a system administrator that has a handful of remote sites in South Texas. I would not consider the internet and call centers plentiful. We are often forced to use satellite or cellular networks to get any connection at all. When there is a cable provided connection it is usually at sub-dialup speeds. Use of VoIP on these networks is usually filtered. We do have good luck with Skype and even Vonage when there is an internet c
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I would really recommend you to move to somewhere else. Not too hot, not to cold, not too catastrophy, not too backwards. It can only get better. :)
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Re:Not an issue anymore (Score:4, Informative)
I spent 6 months in a coalition log base that had zero internet, phones, pay, tv, or mail services. The only americans were my platoon, an ODA team, some rogue infantry major (a US liaison to another country), and a few commo guys. My platoon chipped in and bought a Satellite and a monthly plan from a local.. we had to pay in cash, however. Each plt member paid $100 the first month and $30 after that. We drove 2 hrs to the nearest FOB a few times a month. It had all the normal services so we could pickup mail for the logbase and get our monthly allowance from finance. I think the service plan we had gave us 12 unique IPs to play with. The service was good too(when there wasn't asshats leaving P2P stuff running all out). However, i recommend you stick to non-live communications as much as possible. Phonecalls make people cry and you just won't be as focused on the job with that kind of stuff to worry about (imo, of course. To each their own).
It's a good idea that a senior NCO has control of the satellite so he can pull it down if he feels there is a good reason (sudden visit by a VIP, for example). The NCO can ensure everyone is running AV and NOT doing anything mission critical with the computer (watch Officers! anything official even memo's should be done on a non-network'd machine). Using a cheap (220v!) Router with assigned MACs is a good control mechanism. This is really only feasible with a small unit. You are responsible for lives and millions in equipment.. i feel there is no reason why you could not run a small network without oversight.
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I was looking at SatPhones for a future camping trip (out in the boonies, no signal), and you can rent them from $25-$35 a week. A bit expensive, but it's easy to tell if you have signal. Can you see the sky? Yes? Then you have signal.
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Judging by their coverage maps, Thuraya use geostationary satellites. That means latency will suck, hard. Iridium uses satellites in LEO, so the latency isn't quite as bad (though since they cut down on the number of ground stations the signal still goes a long way, so it's not as good as it used to be).
Try something new: "voicebeep" (Score:5, Interesting)
It's a cross between instant messaging and asynchronous voip.
http://voicebeep.com/sayit [voicebeep.com]
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Yo, I'm sure he could talk to Jon Katz.
I'm sure there are a few Commodore 64s lying around that he could use.
MWR provided internet and Voip (Score:5, Informative)
I'm currently deployed in Afghanistan at FOB Blessing and the broadband phones and internet that the MWR give us for free is actually really quite good considering where we're at. It's free and works perfectly, the only problem is the small amount of computers (8) and phones (3) available for this base with our numbers. Most of the other outposts have a MWR room with similar things in them, maybe less or more comps or phones..
Not many people use the afghani cell phones or their blackberrys (apparently depending on the plan they work here albeit very expensive).
hope this helps or reassures you!
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Can you bring/use laptops? Is there a wireless access point or is that considered to much of a security threat?
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On a lot of the medium to large bases, guys will throw in money to purchase their own satellite systems, and they will sell access to people. It's generally expensive, but in many cases it is a great option for getting net access in your room. The "hadji" net access really blows. If you have net access in your room, then of course you can use your laptop, set up wireless access points, or do whatever. If you are using the MWR system (the free internet access, i.e. a computer lab) then you generally aren't a
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For more details on the net access situation, see my other posts.
Or you could tell us?
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Can you bring/use laptops? Is there a wireless access point or is that considered to much of a security threat?
You can buy laptops from the PX shop on at least some US bases. My last laptop came from a PX in Kabul. If you can buy them on the base, i'd assume they'll let you use them there too.
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I currently have a crappy (and expensive) 3G connection that keeps on disconnecting. So what you are basically saying is that Americans in a war zone have better access than me (living in a stable country)?
Amazing.
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For all our sakes, stop reading Slashdot at work!
..I kid, I kid
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what's wrong with skype or ichat?
Re:MWR provided internet and Voip (Score:5, Informative)
Yo dude, hello from Camp Phoenix, Kabul! Never been to Blessing, but I've heard of it. IIRC, you fuckers are always getting lit up, or at least you used to when I went through the area a couple years back.
To the OP, most larger bases have a SPAWAR system. That's a very good satellite system with a bunch of phones and computers available. You purchase minutes off the SPAWAR web site and make calls back to the states for $.04/min. You can also use Skype, as VOIP bandwidth is guaranteed. Laptops are generally not allowed on the system, but the network actually has very few (if any) restrictions. I download torrents all the time, for example, by running uTorrent off a thumb drive. The system is really slow during peak hours but in the middle of the night you can get some fantastic download speeds. I've hit 400k+ a sec before on torrents.
Smaller bases (small FOBs) may only have DSN phone access. In that case, you just call back to a base in the states, have them transfer you to an outside line, and use your calling card to complete the call. Just as cheap as SPAWAR, though more hassle.
At any rate, what it comes down to is, you will have no problems keeping in touch with family, even if you are stationed on the smallest, shittiest FOB in Afghanistan. So don't worry about it!
P.S. be sure to bring a big external drive. You'll need it to hold the thousands of movies people will let you copy off their drives.
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Probably, since there wasn't anything in my post that could even remotely be considered classified or sensitive information.
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"P.S. be sure to bring a big external drive. You'll need it to hold the thousands of movies people will let you copy off their drives."
Yes, yes, bringing a HUGE drive is a great idea. Several of them even... however, since I work in IA for you folks, could I possibly suggest that you have a virus scanner program on that drive? Honestly, viruses are a major problem as many of you in Afghanistan should know (FRAGO 11 ring a bell?).
In summary, bring hard drives and bring anti virus software.
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Space, the easy way out (Score:1)
There's an RFC for this (Score:5, Funny)
RFC1149 is the obvious approach one would take. Though there is some packet loss, the packets can be sufficiently large to transmit entire messages without fragmentation.
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but with this protocol any user should be aware of sniffing with machine guns...
http://www.faqs.org/qa/rfcc-361.html [faqs.org]
Deprecated (Score:2)
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"Though there is some packet loss, the packets can be sufficiently large to transmit entire messages without fragmentation."
High latency over Kandahar may be a concern, as avian carrier efficiency deteriorates when in defensive ("CYA") mode.
http://www.javno.com/en/world/clanak.php?id=130563 [javno.com]
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Why do people always overlook the latency issues with this RFC?
Regulations (Score:5, Informative)
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Good to know, I've been concerned about that as well. I'm not entire sure of the regulations related to communication devices. In all, regardless of what I might want I won't set myself up for trouble, but I am interested in the possibilities.
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Hey, it's you! (Score:5, Funny)
Osama, is that you?
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Be sure not to do any phone sex (Score:2, Insightful)
Unless you like giving NSA employees jollies, don't be doing any phone sex from Afghanistan.
Video Skype (Score:5, Informative)
VSAT and VoIP will work fine (Score:2, Informative)
My company provides VSAT service in the Middle East and Africa, including as far east as Afghanistan.
VSAT latency is 600-1000 ms, and many VSAT Internet service providers prioritise voice-over-IP. We certainly do, although to a limited number of providers due to technical limitations.
Given sufficient bandwidth, VoIP will do fine. Be sure to use a service that supports good audio compression, and turn it on. Use G.729 or G.723, and never G.711.
On an iDirect VSAT network with cRTP enabled (RTP header compr
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I have a colleague working in Internet in Afghanistan. He tells me there are others investing directly in building out VSAT access there as well. See o3b Networks [o3bnetworks.com] for details.
His personal observation? It's interesting work and very very challenging in a place like Afghanistan, fighting your way through the red tape alone is a major achievement, then there are all the service delivery problems without any in
T-Mobile International is the Ticket (Score:4, Informative)
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http://www.militel.net/default2.asp?ag=undefined
Militel is a great method for keeping in contact. It's relatively low cost and you can use just about any Afgan phone. They even give you an 800 number so that people can call you from the states. My father just got back from a 13 month tour at FOB Lindsey and it worked out great for our whole family
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Who in their right mind would pay $5/minute when drastically cheaper alternatives are so readily available, unless they were only in town on a 48-hour flyby? Just pop into your local chicken-and-tire shop and pick up a SIM card.
A Little Info (Score:5, Informative)
I'm currently in Afghanistan as well.
SPAWAR provided phones at the MWR are cheap. Take a look at the link: http://oif.spawareurope.net/
Also, Bently-Walker provides good satellite Internet out here. That's what I'm using right now.
Iridium (Score:5, Informative)
If not, you can buy an iridium phone for around $1400. Plans are around $30/mo, and $1.45 a minute, Or you can do prepaid. They work everywhere, and are pretty portable. You can call the phone from the US for regular long distance charges using a pass-through number.
Re:Iridium (Score:4, Informative)
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inmarsat [wikipedia.org]
We sell second hand units for ~US$400 where I work. The call plans are also usually pre-paid - about $20 per month.
Keeping in touch downrange (Score:4, Informative)
If you're at an established base, net connectivity isn't an issue. The same connection that provides net connectivity does phones and other comm. This will be kept up as a matter of necessity.
Bandwidth is crap, however. You won't be streaming music or movies. When I was at a rather small, forward base, what I did was telnet/ssh to a pre-setup stateside linux box with an ncurses (read, text based) AIM client installed on it. It's low bandwidth, and generally not filtered. Worst case, setup your stateside box to sit on port 80, which is NEVER entirely blocked.
How useful this all is of course depends on how often you can get a laptop on the network. I was a comm guy, in fact, the comm guy responsible for local infrastructure, so, a drop to my tent was a given, and I brought my own laptop. Depending on your job, you'll get more or less time at a computer, I know most shops had at least one computer in their tent/structure. Since telnet is a standard tool, you don't have to install anything.
Best of Luck!
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Worst case, setup your stateside box to sit on port 80, which is NEVER entirely blocked.
May not be blocked from the far side but if you happen to have Verizon as your ISP, they have been blocking port 80 from getting to your stateside box for years, purportedly as an anti-spam mechanism. 443 goes through ok as does 8080. Good luck and stay safe.
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Re:Keeping in touch downrange (Score:4, Informative)
If you're at an established base, net connectivity isn't an issue. The same connection that provides net connectivity does phones and other comm. This will be kept up as a matter of necessity.
Bandwidth is crap, however. You won't be streaming music or movies.
I bet to differ. Most of the larger bases have a SPAWAR system, which is great. It's slow as shit during peak hours, but if you can get on in the early morning it flies. I have hit 400k+ sec on movie torrents. It is 6 AM right now and I am currently downloading three torrents at 120k/sec total.
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Guess what:
Its slow as ass BECAUSE somebody else in the network is hitting 400KB in a movie torrent at the same time...
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Really? I can. It's very simple, actually. Putty is non-standard software, and isn't generally included on computer builds. While pulling down Putty isn't difficult, it's also a violation of the rules to put it on there without authorization.
Connecting with Telnet, using the standard client included with windows (which, admittedly, sucks), doesn't actually violate any rules. And violating military rules carries some rather different penalties than just ignoring your employer's computer use policy.
Comment removed (Score:3, Interesting)
There's internet... but (Score:1)
I have a friend in Kabul, Afghanistan ... civil stuff, but works in military base. They have internet there, but 70mb daily, then they shut you down .. until tomorrow.
At least you can use messangers... if the latency sucks, sorry.. don't know the details.
Piece of cake (Score:1)
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There are virtually no landlines in Afghanistan - and i think hooking a C64 up to use a GSM data connection could be tricky!
A few options. (Score:2, Insightful)
I was deployed to Afghanistan last year and was able to call back home a few ways. Also it helped that I was signals intelligence.
Skype-on Bagram or Kandajar this was very popular since you can get your own internet (crappy Indian internet at least) in your B-Hut. A USB skype is great for MWR computers, but you will have spyware and/or a virus on it after you use it. Also if you use this option bring a copy of limewire or some flavour of it and tell it to not connect to the internet. Both areas are gian
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Army 98? Good on you.
98C are the smartest monkey-wrenches in MI.
Is it safe (Score:2, Insightful)
To use a Cell Phone network in a country that is very likely infiltrated by your adversary and using it to place phone calls to your loved ones at home.
You loose anonimity for you and your family and it can be used against you.
my friend (Score:2, Interesting)
iraq is iraq, and afghanistan is afghanistan, i can't really speak to what differences there may be from base to base let alone country to country, but i'd have to assume that there would be some similarities in infrastructure, availability, etc. expect your latency to be pretty high. my buddy's wow ping is usually around
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In Kabul, it's dust that's the problem. Everything fills up with it very quickly.
Junis (Score:1)
Find Junis. Use his Commodore 64...
Military or Civilian? (Score:3, Insightful)
Unfortunately, the OP forgot to include one bit of important information: are they being deployed as part of military service, or as part of a civilian effort?
While there are a few people on Slashdot who are or have been in the military (and I hope they speak up), I daresay the general Slashdot opinion will be worth about what the OP paid for it: squat. I haven't been in the service, but can imagine that there are a raft of security issues around communications back home and that they need to be done through approved channels.
For civilian deployments, however, the story is entirely different. For this, there is lots of worthwhile advice. Here's my bit ...
1. I've yet to be in a town, even in remote parts of eastern Europe and the eastern Mediterranean, where there isn't some sort of internet cafe. Connectivity is available. Some intenet cafes even have headsets for Skype.
2. Cellular phone service is nearly ubiquitous. Seriously. You have to get very remote to not have some kind of mobile phone service. The US has terrible coverage compared to Europe and the Middle East. I've been on small, remote islands in the Aegean with 5 bars. And I've yet to find a country (including in the former Soviet bloc) where you can't get pay-as-you-go service that's heaploads cheaper than any US phone company's international roaming. Just make sure that your phone is (a) unlocked and (b) quad band GSM. Or buy one there.
3. Everything in the Middle East is negotiable. Everything. Negotiation and bartering is part of the culture.
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As a civilian, I am always amused by the military people who are convinced that I am putting myself in mortal danger every time I stroll out without body armor and 4 guys carrying giant guns.
There's two ways to move around:
You can take serious and overt physical security measures, attracting attention but dissuading casual aggressors.
Or, you can blend in, get to k
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There are shitloads of Americans in Kabul who use internet cafes. Quite a few restaurants/cafes have free wireless internet.
MagicJack (Score:2, Troll)
I don't know the feasibility of using this over there, but if you have access to a computer you could look into a Magicjack. [magicjack.com]
Basically, you plug the Magicjack into a USB jack and it acts like a Voip gateway for a phone. You can use a regular phone or a computer Speaker/Microphone to call. Since you can use a local number for your jack, if you family calls you it will not be long distance. It also supports Caller-ID and voicemail. combine with this phone [overstock.com], and you got a lightweight solution. Although that hand
Defense Switched Network (Score:2, Insightful)
I was deployed to Iraq in '06/'07. When I was there, cell phones were a big no-no, and for good reason. Allowing unsecured communications is a BIG security risk. VOIP was also not an option because there was no way to connect my computer to the Internet and one cannot simply install unauthorized software on government computers.
Your best bet is to use provided channels. We had phones though MWR (very cheap but limited to 30 min calls and with long waits), and the AT&T phone center (less wait time, no
Been There, Done That (Score:3, Informative)
Facebook! (Score:2, Interesting)
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That should have read - I'm *NOT* trying to be a troll...
Wait and see.. (Score:3, Insightful)
Probably best to wait and see when you get there. It's been over a year since I was there and NIPR was horrible and limited but enough to provide the basic connection. Then our camp had a satellite connected that about a hundred of us shared. It was slower than dialup and expensive with a high monthly rate and initial equipment charge of a 2-3k, if memory serves. Hopefully things have changed and you have fiber to the hubble by then. lol. Good luck and keep your head down!
Make Friends! (Score:1)
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Make friends with your commo guys!!
Some things apparently never change. My grandfather was in the Navy after WWII and he said if you wanted to make life better for yourself, make good friends with the mailman and the cook.
When I was, myself, in the Army, a good friend of mine got detailed to a Navy ship and making friends with the cook scored him all kinds of pastries and such.
Roshan (Score:2)
Roshan [roshan.af] is around 5 years old. Why not ask them?
Check the map [roshan.af].
Forget your family - you're a solder (Score:2)
If you are going to Afghanistan and you are a Slashdot reader then it is quite likely that you are going to Afghanistan as a solder.
If that is the case then you should say good by to your family or don't go at all. It is your choice. Your country doesn't depend on the status of Afghanistan for its freedom or economic security. Your family depends on you for its freedom or economic security. If you go to the other side of the world for some vague and undefined reason like duty or honor, then you are bet
Wow! (Score:2)
Solders are awesome in USia, if soldiers are as good those Taliban are lost...
My experiences from Afghanistan (Score:3, Informative)
In Kabul our house had a 512kbs down 128kbs up satellite link that we split between 18 odd people... It only cost $30,000 a year and was about the cheapest satellite connection available. With that little bandwidth and that many people, VoIP worked decently during non-peak use hours, but not so well when everybody was on. Ping times and packet loss really sucked.
About the time I was leaving a group of friends got a wireless connection, 802.11 something or WiMax I think from one of the cell phone companies. It was about as expensive per person & shared bandwidth as our satellite connection. Being terrestrial based rather than satellite, it had much better ping times.
Most of the bigger military bases have some local ISP on the base providing service for reasonable ($10-60 or so a month) rates. Service is usually way over subscribed and supported by cat5 strung over the ground or what not.
The military is pretty good about supporting the troops. If you have a DSN (Defense Switched Network) phone, which is most of the phones the military has over there, you can call a U.S. military base stateside and have them patch you through to a local number near the base, or a 1-800 number for a calling card.
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However, it's not clear that the Afghani government is ready to issue a reciprocal license to just anyone dropping in unexpectedly, since it doesn't appear that there's much activity from their own citizens these days.
And, even if you were able to get over that hurdle, then there's the issue of who you'd be talking to - if your family members are also licensed hams (with a General class or higher license), fine. BUT, if they don't, you're probably out of lucky as I don't think there is a third-party agreeme
Re:Ham radio (Score:5, Interesting)
I worked at a MARS (Military Affiliate Radio Station) station in Vietnam back in the 70s, and have been a ham since then, and I can tell you you're gonna have major difficulty doing any kind of HF phone patches from that part of the world.. HF propagation from there to the US is pretty spotty at the best of times. I've lost contact with the MARS program, and would guess that with all the better communications options today for deployed military morale traffic, that old-style HF phone patches have gone the way of the dodo bird...
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Not to mention, hanging even a 10mtr wip not to mention a g5rv is like .. Target time?
Re:Ham radio (Score:4, Interesting)
I recently acquired my (now deceased) grandparents home. He was a WWII veteran, radio man, who taught at the Coast Guard Academy and served in the Navy in communications. Until he died when I was 17, he had a 100' tower in his yard (many kid accidents caused by guy wires) and was a dedicated HAM, he hosted the repeater for the region. Among the many dusty certs on the wall of his small shop/office is a MARS cert. What a fantastic program and comradery. From what I can tell, that and like-minded groups of guys would hear the poster's question and move hell or high water to make it happen, that was their cause. Do we have such geeks today? I suspect we do and if so, we need to celebrate them with crusty-edged paper that bears their name and shows up on Slashdot decades later. If not....
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MARS was around when I was in Japan in 1988 in Iwakuni. Made life a lot better, since phone calls back then long distance could cost you your whole paycheck in the span of an hour or two.
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"but I imagine the mil hasn't given up on that stuff entirely."
It hasn't, and it's worth noting that amateur radio offers communication when more complex systems are disrupted such as during natural disasters.
"The combined three service MARS programs (Army, Air Force, and Navy-Marine Corps) volunteer force of over 5,000 dedicated and skilled amateur radio operators is the backbone of the MARS program."
http://www.netcom.army.mil/mars/ [army.mil]
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If the guy wants to go sightseeing; who are you to suggest that he shouldn't? You're acting as though he's gonna go there and kill ppl ffs!
Re:Ham radio (Score:4, Insightful)
I forgot those dessert dwelling peasants attacked our freedom right? Give me a break.
Yeah, what could they possibly do. It's not like they could fly planes into buildings packed with people or anything.
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No they can't, in fact half of them don't even speak English.
Perhaps we should jail the entire United States over the Virginia tech massacre while we are at it.
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No they can't, in fact half of them don't even speak English.
Yeah, you're right, they can't. Except for the fact they did, but who cares about facts.
Perhaps we should jail the entire United States over the Virginia tech massacre while we are at it.
If that attack was a military/terrorist attack with political goals sponsored by an organisation as part of an ongoing campaign it would be appropriate to attack and destroy that organisation. If they were being sponsored and protected by a government it would be appropriate to take action against that government including, if necessary, military action. Neither Afghanistan nor any other country has had its entire popula
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Your level of ignorance astounds me, you really believe that an entire nation is at fault for the actions of a few?
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The towel head nation did not attack you, a few of it's citizens did. Should innocent people in the United States be killed in an invasion by another country if a bunch of rednecks jump the boarder and kill a few people.
"It is cowardice, even if you make some bleating excuse."
and bombing some poor desert peasants who have no chance of fighting back isn't cowardly? These people hardly know who you are they often refer to western forces as "The Americas" to many of them you are just a militia that brings deat
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That's just stupid. Countries don't just tolerate other countries attacking them simply because not every single citizen was involved in the attack.
of course not, but usually, you know, the government has to support the attacks generally? as opposed to having the group who purported the attacks simply being from that country
I'm sorry, but I find the virginia tech massacre comparison of grandparent valid. If the government ordered for the military to hijack the planes and crash them, that would be a completely different story.
Just because a country has a few nut jobs is not justification to go to 'war' with that country. Mind you, I completely suppor
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They're not innocent. They're liars and thieves and exploiters of decent hard working human beings, and they should have suffered more before they died. They should have been waterboarded first.
If they were innocent, free peoples around the world wouldn't have been staging mass prot
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And yes, that IS what you're saying, and yes, saying it DOES prove you to be the craven idiot you so rightly fear yourself to be. Because that's the only possible reason you would retreat into that kind of circular reasoning.
Nice try. Except I wasn't using public opinion to justify the truth of my statement. I was demonstrating that there is CONSENSUS that my statement is true. And there is such consensus, an
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Yeah... Let's harass every country that could potentially do that.
Not a great idea, how about just the groups who actually have done it. Like the 9/11 attacks were done by Al-Qaeda for example. You know, those guys hiding in Afghanistan.
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Al-Qaeda did that? How on Earth did a database file named Al-Qaeda, that contained the names of all the horrible people the CIA gave money/weapons to in the 80s in Afghanistan, fly 2 planes into 2 buildings?
I think some people may have done it, personally
As I said "You know, those guys hiding in Afghanistan." The "guys hiding in Afghanistan" being the "people" you mention, you idiot. Whether you think Al-Qaeda is the correct name to use to describe their organisation is irrelevant.
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Definitely helps, I wasn't sure how I would get one if I was over there already, now I know :)