After nearly 2 months of effort, our success in getting the Internet bandwidth that we need is so infinitesimal that I can hardly restrain myself from doing my imitation of a sailor who just hit his finger with a hammer. When compared to the improvements in our Internet, snails race across the garden wall, and satellite photos of glaciers in Antarctica show them racing towards the sea. I can’t even bring myself to use the simile about “molasses in January” because that conjures up visions of far too much movement.
Two ADSL lines that are 1024 down/256 up have improved to be insufficient for our needs even when aggregated together using a special high priced router. We either have no bandwidth at all for 5 or 10 minutes at a time, or the bandwidth does not exceed the 54kbps needed to make a clear Skype call. Yesterday for more than two hours, when people called in I could hear them but they could hear nothing. This means we had less than 30 kbps upload.
256 + 256 = 512.
and
30 / 512 = 5.85%.
Hence, I am not even getting 5.85% of the bandwidth upload for which I am paying.
When Jimbo called Anteldata to complain, he was told that they did indeed have been with problems, had had them for some time and expected to have them for some time longer. What a wonderful way to run a service company. And if there were any real service companies competing with them, they might end up out of business.
However, the highly touted Dedicado seems to have no more idea of customer service and then the aforementioned glacier has a steam. After six failed attempts at installing their more expensive service, we tore up that contract. Since we needed an alternative to Anteldata, we chose the most expensive option: Tel Mex.
Their contract guarantees the bandwidth, they actually sent out surveyors to pre-plan installations of the receiving antenna and seemed to be very professional. Bah humbug! Yesterday, they were supposed to show up and install the service. Of course, it didn’t happen, and of course they had a tear jerking excuse–the problem for me is that I am a jerk and I rarely shed tears, although the situation is bringing me close to them.
Right now I have no choice but to “suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” and wait until they are good and ready to install the service, but I’ve already begun planning for satellite service at the end of my contract with Tel Mex.
I am told that the situation is improving, but right now from where I sit, I am more concerned that my house will be washed away when Uruguay floods due to all of those glaciers racing into the Southern Ocean and melting.
Thinking of moving to BA? Any better over there?
>>NO! The taxes, regulation, danger and corruption there make Montevideo an easy choice, even with technological warts.
Left by suomiamerican on February 9th, 2007
The data connection situation sounds horrible. I hope that it is resolved soon. It really is a shame that there are not any additional competitors in UY. What data service providers do the larger corporations there use? I wonder what backbone they connect to? Surely the Microsoft office in MVD next to the IBIS doesn’t put up with any of those outages or limitations, so surely there must be the bandwidth and data connection into the country, maybe it is just the government that is restricting access to these services through the state run Antel. Does global crossing or another thrid party infrastructure company have connection/access points in MVD/UY? I wonder if there is room for a fiber optic network provider?
Left by Enzo on February 9th, 2007
I believe there is a satellite service available but this is not advertised by that company (not even sure what the name of the co is).
I believe the installation cost is much higher than Anteldata´s ADSL but the service is much better.
Stay away of DEDICADO. They are crooks!
Left by Javier on August 8th, 2007
Had good luck 2 years ago with Antel´s service via the phone line to my apartment, no problems at all connecting to an ordinary laptop with a card inserted. Skype was fine. The bill was not cheap (about 35 dollars/month and I think at that time there was no cheaper level of service).
Now have Dedicado. After quite a few visits by their techs to remedy interruptions, it finally seems to be OK.
Am thinking of switching back to Antel for the cheaper lowest level pay by quantity because I am just reading pages on the web and making occasional phone calls.
The locutorio across the street uses Antel and it seems OK for them.
Left by sammyl on September 17th, 2007