[Gllug] Internet connection through mobile phone

[Christopher Hunter]

On Sat, 2009-12-12 at 18:54 +0000, general_email at technicalbloke.com
wrote:

> Well Jason the op said he wanted something fairly cheap for a bit of web
> surfing, specifically not streaming (so dropouts aren't a huge issue to
> him) and not downloading ISO's (so bandwidth isn't top priority either).
> Given his requirements, 3G may actually be a 'better' solution than
> 'fixed line broadband'. I wouldn't suggest it is an appropriate
> 'replacement' for most use cases but he was quite clear about what he
> wants and 3G would seem to fit that.

No!!!  3G is largely unavailable (in 80% of the country, it's a figment
of the "service" provider's imagination).  Where it does actually exist,
it's flaky as hell - it's not reliable enough for even the most casual
use.  It's also seriously expensive, when you compare data rates and
download allowances with other media.  Don't go there - it'll just lead
to tears!
  
> Advertising "up to" 20Meg! and delivering a fraction of that most of the
> day is dishonest in my book. 

It's fraudulent.  Virgin-on-the-ridiculous do that - they advertise "up
to 40 Mb" and a "fibre network", both of which are almost entirely
untrue.  Their top-speed service (if you're VERY lucky) is 20 Mb bursts
with an average of around 4 Mb.  They have virtually no actual fibre on
their network at all - most of it is rotting coax and rented capacity
from the ever-failing BT.  They have no FTTH whatsoever, and no plans
for it as "it's too expensive".

Under their bizarre and draconian usage rules, a top-rate Virgin
customer downloading a Linux ISO would have his connection capped at 10%
of his normal rate for almost 24 hours, which renders their "unlimited"
boast entirely specious too. 

Many other ISPs are much the same - advertising services that they
simply can never supply, and often charging for them.  That's fraud.  

I have a lawyer examining a number of ISP contracts at the moment (VM,
BT, talk,talk, and a couple of others), to locate the errors,
obfuscations, and downright lies.  It's time that some of these thieves
were taken on!

C.



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