Is a "standard" internet connection really 28.8?

[datalink7]

I was browsing the qwest webpage looking at DSL prices and it says "up to 22.2 times faster than a standard 28.8 modem."

Now, I've moved onto DSL some years ago, but is the rest of the country really this far behind? 56.6 should at least be the standard now I would think.

Or has qwest just pulled it out of their ass/not updated their webpage with the latest statistics

 

[tweakmm]

11.1 times faster doesn't look nearly as impressive

 

[0roo0roo]

i live in silicon valley and was 28.8 until just two weeks ago. it happens a lot. the phone companies don't care if they can fix your line to do 56k, they only garrantee 2400baud which is like 2.4k? whatever. its sad.

 

[Viper GTS]

90%+ of the internet community is still on dial-up.

Viper GTS

 

[bmacd]

lol @ dial up. I'll sell my second car before i resort back to dial up

-=bmacd=-

 

[tweakmm]

Originally posted by: Viper GTS
90%+ of the internet community is still on dial-up.

*shudder*

 

[Viper GTS]

Originally posted by: bmacd
lol @ dial up. I'll sell my second car before i resort back to dial up

-=bmacd=-

It's not the cost for most people, it's the availability.

Viper GTS

 

[AdamDuritz99]

Originally posted by: Viper GTS
90%+ of the internet community is still on dial-up.

Viper GTS

I rather be kicked in the balls once than to be part of the 90% right there. :Q

peace
sean

 

[0roo0roo]

its sad, compared to other countries like south korea we are way behind. i forgot the stats, but they have atleast twice the % of broad band households we do. it is sad.

those battlenet crazy koreans hehe

 

[anxi80]

Originally posted by: bmacd
lol @ dial up. I'll sell my second car before i resort back to dial up

-=bmacd=-

i dont know what you guys are talking about, dial-up is good...






















[triumph insult comic dog] FOR ME TO POOP ON!!!!!!~!~!!!~~!~!!~~~! [/triumph insult comic dog]

ok, that was in bad taste... but i work for a isp that does dial up, and its $40/year (and no, its only available to teachers), so if i didnt have cable availabity in my area, id prolly be dialing in with the 90% of ya...

 

[ProviaFan]

Unfortunately, I'm still stuck on dialup. I think cable internet is available (the neighbor says that he has cablevision - only the TV service, no internet - but cablevision has optimumonline, which would be cool ), but the big problem is convincing my parents that we "need" it.

For some reason, they can't see paying $25 more per month than what they currently pay for the dialup connection, and I don't have a job right now so I couldn't pay for it. Life sucks. ;-)

 

[Lucky]

Originally posted by: Viper GTS

Originally posted by: bmacd
lol @ dial up. I'll sell my second car before i resort back to dial up

-=bmacd=-

It's not the cost for most people, it's the availability.

Viper GTS

No, cost does have something to do with it. 70% of households have access to cable modem service, 55% to DSL, and 45% to wireless. Nearly everyone can get satellite broadband. This study suggests that income level definitely affects adoption of broadband.


i think the other factor is that many people just dont see the need for it. My stepmom spends all day on a computer at work, when she comes home she doesnt even touch hers.

 

[Viper GTS]

Originally posted by: Lucky

Originally posted by: Viper GTS

Originally posted by: bmacd
lol @ dial up. I'll sell my second car before i resort back to dial up

-=bmacd=-

It's not the cost for most people, it's the availability.

Viper GTS

No, cost does have something to do with it. 70% of households have access to cable modem service, 55% to DSL, and 45% to wireless. Nearly everyone can get satellite broadband. This study suggests that income level definitely affects adoption of broadband.


i think the other factor is that many people just dont see the need for it. My stepmom spends all day on a computer at work, when she comes home she doesnt even touch hers.

Are you naive enough to believe that the "internet community" does not extend beyond the borders of the United States?

Viper GTS

 

[LuNoTiCK]

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
its sad, compared to other countries like south korea we are way behind. i forgot the stats, but they have atleast twice the % of broad band households we do. it is sad.

those battlenet crazy koreans hehe

Thats because other countries governments help the companies. Also, I think the numbers are way higher than twice the %. I think just about everyone there uses broadband, and no one uses dial-up. Their broadband is also faster than America's broadband. Sad that America has such horrible internet.

 

[kranky]

Originally posted by: LuNoTiCK
Sad that America has such horrible internet.

Hello? "Horrible internet"? C'mon back to reality!

 

[ProviaFan]

Originally posted by: kranky

Originally posted by: LuNoTiCK
Sad that America has such horrible internet.

Hello? "Horrible internet"? C'mon back to reality!

I'd rather have some of America's "horrible internet" at 56K than some of China's "filtered" internet at OC-48 speeds. For that matter, one might as well move to .eu and be even better off, since their governments don't seem to be in bed with their record companies as much as America's government is.

 

[manly]

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
i live in silicon valley and was 28.8 until just two weeks ago. it happens a lot. the phone companies don't care if they can fix your line to do 56k, they only garrantee 2400baud which is like 2.4k? whatever. its sad.

The reason is that 56K technology only works for downstream if you are within a short distance (couple miles or so) from the central office (or whatever it's called) and there can be no digital switching stations in between. That's my paraphrase of a vague recollection of the technical limitations. Remember that originally 33.6K *was* the theoretical limit, so 56K is really some form of ingenious hack.

So 33.6K really is the standard speed, and since that's under optimal line conditions, less than 33.6K is still quite common.

As far as why broadband adoption is slow, the essential reason is the large telco monopolies aren't interested in boosting the adoption rate by competing on cost. Neither is AOL because their dialup business has much better margins than the broadband division. I think this is a crucial mistake on AOL's part though, as it will further stunt their growth and lead to defections to MSN. After telecom deregulation in 1996, the past two FCC chiefs have been ineffective retards as well.

 

[0roo0roo]

Originally posted by: LuNoTiCK

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
its sad, compared to other countries like south korea we are way behind. i forgot the stats, but they have atleast twice the % of broad band households we do. it is sad.

those battlenet crazy koreans hehe

Thats because other countries governments help the companies. Also, I think the numbers are way higher than twice the %. I think just about everyone there uses broadband, and no one uses dial-up. Their broadband is also faster than America's broadband. Sad that America has such horrible internet.

yea i was being conservative since i don't remember clearly their access is cheap and it helped that they upgraded all their stuff to fiber a while ago so they now have tons of excess bandwidth

 

[Paulson]

I don't know if 28.8 is the standard, but I remember using my 33.6 & then 56k modems and those were so damn slow...

broadband is something I don't ever want to lose!

 

[JC]

Well if 28.8 is 'standard', I'm happy to be 'above standard' at 31.2

JC

edit: Oh, and it's a matter of cost and availability. Where I'm at there's no digital cable, too far for DSL, ISDN. Wireless may be available, but it's 48.95/mo and 200-350 for the equipment. But it's 500k up/down, I'm on it as soon as I can justify it

 

[Cyberian]

Originally posted by: jliechty
Unfortunately, I'm still stuck on dialup. I think cable internet is available (the neighbor says that he has cablevision - only the TV service, no internet - but cablevision has optimumonline, which would be cool ), but the big problem is convincing my parents that we "need" it.

For some reason, they can't see paying $25 more per month than what they currently pay for the dialup connection, and I don't have a job right now so I couldn't pay for it. Life sucks. ;-)

Are you in the NY Metropolitan area?
If you have a second phone line for the Internet, you could cancel that if you got OptimumOnLine.

 

[Lucky]

Are you naive enough to believe that the "internet community" does not extend beyond the borders of the United States?

Yeah, Im sure you were REALLY talking about how hard it is to get high-speed access in nigeria.

No matter what satellite is available anywhere where they are not banned by the country you live in.

 

[klah]

Here are some figures: www.nielsen-netratings.com/pr/pr_020815.pdf.

-The US is behind most "modern" nations having only 17% of residential internet connections being broadband.
-HongKong is number 1 with 66%.
-South Korea is at 53%.

It is also suprising to learn that only 60% of people in the US have ANY internet access.

 

[ProviaFan]

Originally posted by: Cyberian

Originally posted by: jliechty
Unfortunately, I'm still stuck on dialup. I think cable internet is available (the neighbor says that he has cablevision - only the TV service, no internet - but cablevision has optimumonline, which would be cool ), but the big problem is convincing my parents that we "need" it.

For some reason, they can't see paying $25 more per month than what they currently pay for the dialup connection, and I don't have a job right now so I couldn't pay for it. Life sucks. ;-)

Are you in the NY Metropolitan area?
If you have a second phone line for the Internet, you could cancel that if you got OptimumOnLine.

Nah, there's no second phone line. Funny thing is, when I talked to my mom about getting a 2nd line (before I knew that OOL was available), she seemed much more open to that idea than when I brought up OOL. And, FYI, I'm in a rural area of Indiana. :frown:

 

[murphy55d]

Originally posted by: jliechty

Originally posted by: Cyberian

Originally posted by: jliechty
Unfortunately, I'm still stuck on dialup. I think cable internet is available (the neighbor says that he has cablevision - only the TV service, no internet - but cablevision has optimumonline, which would be cool ), but the big problem is convincing my parents that we "need" it.

For some reason, they can't see paying $25 more per month than what they currently pay for the dialup connection, and I don't have a job right now so I couldn't pay for it. Life sucks. ;-)

Are you in the NY Metropolitan area?
If you have a second phone line for the Internet, you could cancel that if you got OptimumOnLine.

Nah, there's no second phone line. Funny thing is, when I talked to my mom about getting a 2nd line (before I knew that OOL was available), she seemed much more open to that idea than when I brought up OOL. And, FYI, I'm in a rural area of Indiana. :frown:

Before I was employed, the 2nd phone line argument was what won my mom over. Now I pay for it myself so it doesn't matter, but before, that's the only way I could convince her.