$10.00/month DSL service

[Blitzer]

Kind of, maybe sort of, maybe read this:

http://www.gearlog.com/2007/06/att_quietly_launches_10_dsl.php#more%20target=

A number of outlets are citing this AP report, which notes that AT&T has launched a $10 DSL service, as required by the FCC as a condition of AT&T's $86 billion acquisition of BellSouth last December.

Since the offer competes with AT&T's more expensive DSL services, the offer is hidden; this BellSouth DSL comparison page doesn't list the service, and a similar page doesn't either. Only when you click through to the "Term contract plans available" link halfway down is the secret plan revealed via a Javascript popup.

EDIT: The link to the $10 deal is here (http://www.bellsouth.com/consumer/inetsrvcs/inetsrvcs_agreement_plans_pop.html). Thanks to ExtremeTech reader "cyberstrategist" for the link.

The service provides download speeds of up to 768 kilobits per second and upload speeds of up to 128 kbps, which is equivalent to the cheapest advertised AT&T plan, which costs $19.95 per month in the nine-state former BellSouth area and $14.99 in the 13 states covered by AT&T before the acquisition, the AP reported.

Are there catches? Of course there are.



The service is only open to new customers, according to AT&T. If you're an existing customer and want a cheaper option, it might be wise to call customer service and start protesting. While the modem is free, the term period lasts a year, and early termination will cost the full price of the modem ($75) if done so during the first six months, or $37.50 if done after that.

(Note: the story was allegedly broken by the The Tennessean, according to the AP; however, we can't find a link. This probably means that someone at the paper better learn how to improve their search functionality.)

[denfoote]

It's a good deal.
To bad I can't get in on it!!
ATT does not serve Arizona!!
We're stuck with Qwest!!

[jeanjvr]

One more reason I hate reading international forums.

The first : Reading about USA gun freedoms, while strugling to get my damned guns reregistered;

The second : Just reading about the cheapest dsl I've ever heard of!

What do you guys think of this great most affordable Telkom deal!

384kbps download, 64kbps upload, 2GB shaped data for the month,

$60US (R470) a month, two year contract minimum.

I'd even take the $20 deal in an instant if I lived in the USA..

Sorry bout the rant

Click here to instantly feel better about telecoms in your country
www.hellkom.co.za

[NetNinja]

jeanjvr

It's very hard to tell what is a good deal in Sotuh Africa if there is nothing to compare it to.

Unfortuantly the rest of the world has a pay as you go system when it comes to Internet connectivity.

That upload speed is simply horrible.

[Washington,D.C.]

That upload speed is twice dial up upload and many people with satellite internet have the upload side with dial up. Most home users aren't uploading large files or running servers from their homes. Downloading is more important to most home users. DSL or ADSL as I think it's called in South Africa is dependent on the quality of the telephone lines and distance. South Africa is fairly big and keeping phone lines everywhere can be a big job. I remember monkey's hanging on phone lines and messing up a few connections. I know some people in South Africa have an internet plan where they pay for each time they connect to the internet but only pay for time on the internet before 7pm during the weekdays and get nights and weekends free except for each time they connect so many South Africans on the weekends log on and stay connected the whole weekend as long the connection doesn't drop.

[jeanjvr]

NetNinja\Washington,D.C.,

One of the main issues with telkom in SA is that it is monopolised by one big partly state owned company. In general the service is not good. You have to live here a while to understand that. We feel like the rest of he world is just advancing and we are being left behind while this monopoly milks us dry, and the telecoms regulator does nothing. This is 2007, not 1990!I really dont mind that a company makes big profits IF there is some kind of competition to give the consumers a chance ;p

The service on which you can stay connected the whole weekend is\was? called R7 a call aka 1$ a call. Of course this service incurs a monthly fee, I think it is\was? about $10. Unfortunately the line kept droppping and I dont think its used much anymore. I agree, upload speed is not really that imporant, I mentioned it for sake of completeness.

Monkeys are not that widespread :P

I'm a recent computer science graduate working on a post graduate degree - I need internet connectivity, I need to research stuff, read online guides, download stuff etc.

I'm using GPRS at the moment. Its extremely expensive($1 buys me 4.5MB of data), but I cant complain about it that much; the reason being is that its completely pre paid and I'm not caught up in a contract. With telkom you have to sign a contract, you have to rent a voice line at $15, you have to pay the adsl rental fee and then pay for your data.

I think telkom has some good voice bundles, I cant complain about that aspect of their business.

How much do you pay for your internet connections? What speeds do you get?How much data?

jvr

[Washington,D.C.]

Yes we have a lot of choices and the companies compete for price. DSL still requires high quality phone lines for maximum speed. Cell phone service is much more expensive in America than in most countries. We are one of the few countries that pays to receive calls. In Europe cable TV and satellite internet became popular before DSL was largely available and there many people use the cell phone as their home phone and get internet through the TV cable. My DSL was very expensive when I first got it but I didn't want to tie up my phone with diial up and I considered getting a second phone line just for the internet but the phone company offered DSL with no contract. I'm not used to having a contract for utilities so I went with DSL instead of a second phone line or another service. Since then the speed has increased and the price has decreased.

[Cali-Glock]

I want broadband.

I live in California, I have had online service continuously since the 1980s, and yet I don't have access to broadband where I live. This sucks. Even dial-up is only 14.4 and that is an improvement.