i kicked dialup today and got broadband (DSL) at home for the first time ever.

now here are some details that will make you realize how lucky you guys are:

speed: 256 kbps

cost: $80/month

yes, that's right.

and if you want to know prices of other speeds:

128 Kbps: $61/mo
256 Kbps: $80/mo
512 Kbps: $124/mo
1 Mbps: $208/mo (highest speed available; just introduced last week)

of course, if you subscribe for 3, 6, or 12 months, it gets a bit cheaper, but not much. here is the cheapest it gets (if you get 12 months):

128 Kbps: $53/mo
256 Kbps: $69/mo
512 Kbps: $104/mo
1 Mbps: $180/mo

and btw, i applied to get a DSL line 8 months ago, and i just got it.

i envy you guys for having 5-10 Mbps for like $30-40/mo, i.e. a speed/$ ratio of 40:1 for you guys to what i have

ok.

i want to see if this really is 256 Kbps as it should be. some of you know webistes for testing speed off the top of your head... thanks.

p.s. i wonder about prices in other countries... and also about why it is so expensive in the middle east...? is it plain profits, or is there really a hurdle here that makes it more expensive. also, all ISPs have the same prices... so why can't one of them like halve their prices? others will have no choice but to follow suit. i hate this!

[Edited on February 13, 2007 at 8:29 PM. Reason : ]

2/13/2007 8:26:18 PM

Quote :

"i want to see if this really is 256 Kbps as it should be. some of you know webistes for testing speed off the top of your head... thanks."

have they banned http://www.google.com too?

2/13/2007 8:27:46 PM

haha no.

running tests now.

2/13/2007 8:33:44 PM

now you can still not download porn 4 times faster

2/13/2007 8:36:34 PM

jeez...where the hell do you live?

2/13/2007 8:39:56 PM

http://www.speedtest.net is really good

tried tests on different continents; got different results:

upload 173-255
download 31-49

higher speeds were obtained when using tests hosted in any highly developed nation.

^^ i can imagine it

^ middle east (saudi arabia to be exact)

[Edited on February 13, 2007 at 8:55 PM. Reason : upload --> download and download --> upload ]

2/13/2007 8:54:34 PM

I didn't know they could get 256K out of two tin cans and some string.

Learn something new every day, I guess.

2/13/2007 9:02:40 PM

i've said it before, i'll say it again

USA NUMBER ONE

2/13/2007 9:04:54 PM

are you there for business or what?

2/13/2007 9:06:50 PM

^^^ oh, it is you.

the hateful racist one.

you still didn't tell me who you used to be on tww.

i didn't know they could get a somewhat educated "person" out of a trailer-park.

yes, i am being a hypocrite and a racist myself.


^^ when it comes to internet speed? sure. even i admit it.


^ no, i live there (i am not 'merican, but studied in 'merica; SUNY and NCSU)

[Edited on February 13, 2007 at 9:07 PM. Reason : ]

2/13/2007 9:06:55 PM

I guess it's no Dubai

2/13/2007 9:08:20 PM

Show me where I've ever said one racist comment on TWW. Go ahead. I'll wait.

2/13/2007 9:15:26 PM

^^ you can say that again!

^ i remember me and you having some argument in which you were bashing arabs/muslims/etc. i looked but couldn't find it in SB or lounge.

so, either it is in chit chat, or it was someone else. if so, i am sorry. however, if i remember correctly, and if you remember it too, please feel free to find it and link to it.

[Edited on February 13, 2007 at 9:25 PM. Reason : ]

2/13/2007 9:15:43 PM

Quote :

"i remember me and you having some argument in which you were bashing arabs/muslims/etc"

Simply put, that didn't happen.

I strongly dislike you. But I promise it has nothing to do with your race. To continue this off topic discussion, see my thread I just started in Chit Chat.

2/13/2007 9:27:32 PM

I have very good memory, and I want to take your word that it didn't happen, but I can't manage to. Maybe I will look in chit chat when I have some time to see if it happened in the past 2-3 months.

However, how can you dislike me if you don't even who I am? For my beliefs? For my anti-war stance? For my anti-US foreign policy stance? For my anti-Zionism stance?

And you "strongly" dislike me... so obviously it has to do with who or what I am or my beliefs. What is it?

And BTW, who did you used to be? Still dodging that question?

[Edited on February 13, 2007 at 9:41 PM. Reason : anyway, if you want to continue this personal fued we seem to have, PM me.]

2/13/2007 9:36:13 PM

I've answered that question so many times it's not even funny. This is my first name on TWW.

You do know it's possible to read the forums without being registered, right?

As far as why I dislike you, it has nothing to do with any of the things you listed. I never even poke my head in the Soap Box. The people in there are worse than Chit Chatters. At least the people in Chit Chat know they're retarded.

Again, if you want to continue this discussion, there are much better places than Tech Talk.

2/13/2007 9:42:30 PM

^

Quote :

"[Edited on February 13, 2007 at 9:41 PM. Reason : anyway, if you want to continue this personal fued we seem to have, PM me.]"

2/13/2007 9:46:17 PM

oh on that speed test i got about 6 Mb/s down and 2.5 Mb/s up

2/13/2007 9:59:24 PM

i just learned something new about myself

i enjoy watchin eDrama.

plz carry on and slit your wrists when you're done. i want to know why he doesn't like you.

2/13/2007 10:32:36 PM

this must be why they hate us

2/13/2007 10:35:45 PM

they aren't allowed to watch porn anyways. masturbation is against their religion. broadband without porn has no other real benefits.

2/13/2007 10:37:41 PM

we get cheap broadband

they get cheap gas

we get the porn

they get... sand, or something i dunno, what else do they get that's good?

2/13/2007 10:45:38 PM

goat and sheep meat

(if you ever have it, you will never go back to beef)

2/13/2007 10:59:57 PM

^ i prefer ostrich, really...if only it weren't so expensive

2/13/2007 11:06:01 PM

goat and lamb is good... very good,

but I still love beef

and bison, and venison, and most of the other game i've had.

EDIT:

i had ostrich for the first time on sunday... very good

2/13/2007 11:07:33 PM

i had ostrich for the first time just a few months back.

excellent.

i also had camel for the first time a couple of weeks back.

also very good.

haven't had venison yet. supposedly very good. so is rabbit supposed to be.

[Edited on February 13, 2007 at 11:11 PM. Reason : ]

2/13/2007 11:10:20 PM

i like this site. the new flash based test is really cool.

http://www.dslreports.com/stest

but all the servers are in america, so i dont know how realistic it will be to gauge your local access speeds.

2/14/2007 1:38:24 AM

Quote :

"middle east (saudi arabia to be exact)"

government monopoly.

plus how is the economy there? if there are a lot of middle class people, it shouldn't be a problem, unless there is an external source prohibiting expansion.

i'm sure the king would punish anyone who tried to compete with them.

2/14/2007 2:45:24 AM

government monopoly is on phone land lines.

there are several ISPs however (dialup and DSL), but they all charge the same rate.

nope, not a big middle class [among the local saudis; most get by, some are super rich, and a few truly middle class]

2/14/2007 2:56:50 AM

2/14/2007 9:07:44 AM

speedtest: 523 down, 2869 up
dslreports: 1351 down, 99 up

bit of a discrepancy, eh?

2/14/2007 10:57:14 AM

well I know where I'm not moving to....

2/14/2007 11:40:59 AM

my ADSL modem (thomson speedtouch 546 v6) gets very hot with continuous use.

after 2-3 hours of use, the connection becomes slow or stalls.

after i cool the modem off, and reconnect, it is fine, until it heats up again.

is this a common problem?

if i have the AC on in the room, then it is fine, but i can't have the AC on all the time.

are there coolers available for DSL modems? like a laptop cooler?

2/16/2007 6:23:51 PM

Quote :

"I didn't know they could get 256K out of two tin cans and some string. Learn something new every day, I guess."

POTS isnt much different, in all honesty.

2/16/2007 6:55:40 PM

wow...so glad Egypt can at least some what keep up with the times. I've had high speed DSL there since about 2000 at our house. 300LE/Month which current exchange rate puts it at around 5-6LE to the $1

2/17/2007 4:16:54 AM