[plug] broadband with linux

[Kev]

Coral and Ben wrote:


>>   Unfortunately not, the 3 network is limited to perth and the larger 
>> towns like bunbury and albany - although I do check their coverage 
>> fairly regularly to see how far it goes. I think out here (15km south 
>> of narrogin) we can get 'roaming' access to the 3 data network, but 
>> that is charged at a much higher rate and isn't high speed, I might 
>> be wrong - i've looked at a lot of alternatives, none of which were 
>> feasable, in fact we officially don't even get nextG coverage, I have 
>> a car antenna bolted to my tin roof and a long cable that goes from 
>> that to the modem, and even then I only get about 30% signal.
>
> Rural WA is abysmally supplied with real options, both satellite and 
> telstra wireless are more expensive than regular broadband, but are 
> our only options, and here's the real kick in the butt:
>
> the broadband guarantee only applies to satellite equipment, not 
> wireless - they say its because wireless is a 'mobile' type of 
> internet - but actually there is two kinds of wireless, the expensive 
> pay through the nose kind that can go on the road with you, or the 
> slightly cheaper, needs AC power kind - not really very mobile, but a 
> whole lot faster than satellite, and entirely excluded from the 
> government subsidy program.
>
> It really frustrates me because most people out here don't have a 
> clue, they think that 'broadband' means fast internet full stop. But 
> satellite 'broadband' only goes up to around 500kbit and costs more 
> than regular land-line based broadband which is up to, what - 2Mbit in 
> the cities, if the government weren't so stupid they would stop paying 
> for people to get sub-standard satellite service and use the millions 
> to lay some better cabling out here and break the telstra monopoly. 

Can't you get BroadBandNet there?  Check out bbnet.com.au.  Also there's 
a relatively new player offering wireless in the regional areas - Ocean 
Broadband.  I'm in Albany on BBNet and I was under the impression that 
they covered most of the wheatbelt.

That'll be 2d please :-)

Kev

-- 
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Kev Downes
kdownes at bbnet.com.au  ph 0404 7 0808 2
We used to use and recommend Xandros but they went to the dark side
So we'll soon be using and recommending Debian Etch
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