Ayanna Kirton, Staff Reporter
BESIDES BEING an excellent source of information and as a facilitator of instantaneous communication, the Internet has become a necessity for most households.
The Internet is also very useful tool for any business since it allows companies to establish a presence on-line through the creation of a company Web site in addition to giving its customers an alternative way to contact the company usually via e-mail.
A good Internet Service Provider (ISP) should enhance your Internet browsing experience without putting a strain on your pocket. Anthony Ryan, from the Technology Resource Group, says when choosing an ISP, it must be realised that both good and bad choices are available.
According to Mr. Ryan, larger telecommunication providers are likely to have much less personal customer service than a locally owned ISP. If the consumer is a novice that expects to need a good amount of personal help from their access provider, it would be best to choose an ISP that has been in business for at least a year and has a good reputation. On the other hand, if the user is experienced and expects stability to be far more important than personal customer service, one of the telecommunications companies is probably the best choice.
LOCAL PHONE NUMBER
He says one of the most important things to check before buying Internet access from an ISP is to make sure that a local phone number for dial-in access is available. If the company does not have a Point of Presence (POP) within the local call distance, a different ISP should be chosen unless the consumer is willing to pay long distance phone charges. Of course if the potential Web user lives in a rural community, long distance charges might not yet be avoidable.
According to Mr. Ryan, two indicators of a good ISP is a twenty-four hour a day customer service phone number and a low customer to modem ratio. 24-hour a day customer service guarantees that the consumer can get assistance whenever he/she needs it. Most Internet exploring does not happen during the business day. Actually the peak hours of Internet use are often between 8:00 and 10:00 in the evening. Therefore, assistance from the ISP should be available even outside of office hours. The other indicator reflects the frequency that a user can expect to get a busy signal while dialling in. If an ISP has many customers and few modems, its dial-in number is likely to often be busy and therefore unusable. Conversely, a low customer to modem ratio greatly reduces the odds of all the modems being busy and increases the chances that an Internet connection will be available when it is needed. Most experts recommend that a customer to modem ratio be no higher than ten to one.
For most customers, the cost of the service is extremely important and often determines whether Internet access is essential. No one wants to pay exorbitantly high prices for an Internet connection, but the lowest price available should often be avoided as well. According to Mr. Ryan, this is because the ISP that advertises the lowest price is often the one that has the worst service record, has the worst network topology, and has the highest customer to modem ratio.
SHOPPING AROUND
After you have reviewed the suggestions above, you may be able to determine what you need from your ISP. You can also consult a friend or even a neighbour to find out if their ISP meets your demands or whether their particular service is not up to standard before you decide to sign up. Shopping around is also a good bet and the "Yellow Pages" is a good resource for finding Internet service providers across the island.
The following list provides the names, services, and rates of leading local ISPs you can choose from. Newer services such as high speed Internet or (ADSL) as well as wireless modems are also available from local ISPs and are great ways to accelerate the speed of your Internet connection.
Here is a list of service providers and their rates. (Unltd. means unlimited hours per month):
ANBELL DIAL-UP ACCESS $994.75 per month (Unltd.)
ANNGEL DIAL-UP $1,159/ month (Unltd.)
$560/month Night Light ( for use between the hours of 12 a.m.- 7 a.m.) Hourly packages of 5, 10, 20, 40 hours
5 hour package $515.20
10 $1030.30
20 $2080
40 $3606.40
CABLE & WIRELESS DIAL-UP US$ 34.95/month (Unltd.)
VOYAGER5 (5 HOURS) US$10 (if you exceed 5 hours you pay US$1.90 for each additional hour)
VOYAGER15 (15 hours) $26.50
(pay $1.65 for each additional hour)
HIGH SPEED $55.95 (Ultra)
$93 (Select)
$129 (Premium)
CYBERVALE DIAL-UP $1,000/month+ one time
registration fee of $750.
10 hours access for 30 days: $350
20 hours for 30 days: $650
EMOQUAD DIAL-UP $920/month
INFOCHANNEL DIAL-UP $2,460 (Unltd.)
$2550 (40 hours that roll over to the following month if you don't use them all)
KASNET ON-LINE DIAL-UP $2,374.93 (Unltd.)
$838.21 (Economy 10=10
hours/month)
$1,257.31("15= 15
hours/month)
$1,676.42(" 20=20
hours/month)
High SpeedUS$75,
$100, $200
WIRELESS $250/month for USB connection
$350/month for Ethernet
Add US$50 installation
fee plus US$100 for antenna
N5 DIAL-UP $1,633
High Speed US$300 +
US$55 for equipment and set-up
Add J$2,000 deposit at sign up for all Internet services. All other Internet service rates quoted in US dollars.
Rates vary based on download and upload speeds. Modem required: prices range from US$135 to US$515. Add US$50 for installation
Provides downloadable software to speed up your dial-up connections
If you are looking for portabilility, you should consider a wireless modem. These can be carried with you wherever you travel. And a wireless modem might even be a viable option for home or office desktop computers, if dial-up or high speed Internet access is unavailable.
