Νέα για DSL

vasiliss · 21 Σεπτεμβρίου 2003

Hello to every body.

This is Vasilis from the US and I am writing regardless to explain something about the Internet Access According my personal experience in the internet connections.

First I want to explain my self why I chose the English language to write. It is because I want every one to understand around the internet what Ote is trying to do in Greece. I want to be as much I can more reliable I can so you will not start ague with me.

I am one of the thousands Greek internet users that started to connect on the internet since 1995. It was the year that bought my first modem and I got register as dial-up user with one of the Athenian internet Internet providers for 4 years. Soon I contact with OTE managers and I Upgraded my telephone line to ISDN. This was my biggest mistake of my life. Every time I was trying to get connect with my ISP, the telephone charges were so high that I started to get crazy. Even the EPAK wasn't good enough to decrees the hundreds of Drachmas per month.

I went back to OTE to complain about the charges. They couldn't give a good clue or explanation about it. You know how it works. They are not capable to print out a shied. And I request to get me back my original line. They told me that was impossible. Ones they Upgrade the line, that was not possible to change it back again. What a nightmare.

Finally I disconnect my phone for 6 months, because I couldn't pay the bill. Later they send me another bill to pay for maintains the line that I didn't have any more. it was 25.000Dr that time.

I got freaked out and I said to my self. Bill this is the time to get out of this Hell for good.

So I found with in one month the way to move permanently to US.

Here thinks are totally different from the Greek chaotic bureaucracy. Everything is organized and perfect to me. All my bills are paid direct with credit card or money order, with out waiting for infinity hours on the line at OTE's cahiers desk. All my bills have analytic reports via the internet.

This is heaven to me.

My first connection here in the Internet was in the year 2000 with ADSL. The cost is so low that I could connect in the Internet for 24hours every, and pay only $20 per month. No connection fee, not extra charges, and with speed up to 1mbit. The installation was so easy on the existing line , that I didn't have to change nothing at my existing line. They send me the modem with 6-free of charges splitters for every room at the house I had to use the computer.

How much would you pay for this service in Greece? I paid only $100 for the Alcatel modem that time with a year contract with BellSouth. Cool.

My next step was Cable-digital TV. Cooler. You don't know what this is. This is a coaxial cable that comes at the house from the ground. This little RG-59 wire has 150 television channels, Plus internet. Yes Internet. Faster that ADSL or DSL.

With in a month I switched to Cable Internet Access with COX-Cable witch is 3 times faster that ADSL. Yes it is 3.0Mbit/s. I have now a Toshiba cable modem and I paid $50. There is not any extra charges in this service at all, and I have my computer all-day-ON. It doesn't have to dial-up any more.

Now in Greece, how much will you pay for this service in the Future? A million? A Billion ?

You cannot pay it because it doesn't exist. Even thou will be in the Future, it will take 100 years to cable all over the country. This project started in the US late 60's, and now every little house all over the US has cable-TV and Internet.

OTE has the monopoly of the communications in the country, and it doesn't allowed any one individual to create new business in any field. It tries to sell old technology as new to all of those have the money to buy. The buy the technology very cheap and they sell very expensive.

When this will stop? The answer is never.

What about Satellite Internet Access? Can any Greek have Satellite Internet? Or is prohibit?

I am planning with in the next year to get it. Because is gets cheaper. I want to have 10Mbit down stream, and pay some extra money if this worths it.

What do you think?

Thanks for the reading and Get Safe Internet Surfing.

Vasilis.

vasiliss · 21 Σεπτεμβρίου 2003