Internet service providers (ISP's)

[WebRam]

Man, am I pissing in the wind or what ??

I have tried BT ....... can nerver get online after 4pm

I have tried Tiscali ...... can get online but can not FTP ??

I have tried Freeserve ........ slower than paint drying

I am now thinking of trying Force 9

Anyone point me in a better direction ?

(I am using a ISDN connection)

[Brian_UK]

I haven't used them for some time but Nildram used to be a good ISP, they kept a good modem/customer ratio at all times.

Brian

[herefishy]

I don't know what availability is in Scotland, but I have been using Earthlink / Sprint for four years and have Never, never had a problem. I don't know what a busy signal sounds like on a modem!

[Abe]

You cannot compare the UK to the USA. The USA in terms of internet is light years ahead
I know what Im talking about
I worked in telecommunications in Canada for a year
In Canada there have fibre optic "everything
You download at speeds approaching 240 kbs per sec
Here in UK Im lucky if I achieve 4kbs.........thats on a standard line mind you
In States they are bringing the number of connections per node to around 300
In the UK I guess its around 20000 per node!!
With Digital multiplexing and whathave you.........I dunno.........all I know is we need to sort our telecomms out here in the UK
In the USA they take it for granted that they have the best internet infrastructure

[Gary]

I wonder why this is so? Equipment availability? Seems doubtful. Lack of entrepenuers? Overregulation? Why is there such demand without supply? What is the holdup?

[Prof Sporlan]

The Prof has had a dial-up connection service with the same ISP since 1994, a local St. Louis firm that has been purchased perhaps three times over..... But he can't remember the last time he encountered a busy signal with them. Maybe in 1996????

[Abe]

The problem with the UK is this:

For years we had only one telecomms providor, this was British Telecom. Now in the Americas you have always had a deregulated structure. Some years back the government here decided that competition was healthy, so they offered licenses to companies to compete with BT. So the country was carved up into regions and one licence was granted for each territory. Those who won the licenses then dug up the roads and installed their networks.
Other operators were allowed to compete but by using the BT network. which incidentally is copper wires. The exchanges are digital.

So BT always got a cut.

The new operators here are up to the necks in debt, they have the technology but not the maturity. Its not their fault. If, the UK had deregualted say twenty or thirty years ago we would be on par with the States or Canada. We have a lot of catching up to do, and I cant see this happening in the short term.

[Gary]

So BT always got a cut.

After we broke up the Standard Oil monopoly in the early 1900's, Rockefeller tripled his wealth. Go figure.

The new operators here are up to the necks in debt, they have the technology but not the maturity.

And they are no doubt heavily regulated. Can't have anyone making windfall profits, right?

[frank]

Go try UK2.net

Free e-mail, free internet access, all it costs is a 1p a minute local access call charge. No problems connecting or accessing.

[zolar1]

Boy am I ever thankful I have internet access here in the USA. At one time I was getting 8165kbps (not a typo either) on my cable access...till I goofed and told one of the cable tech's about it and they PROMPTLY removed 3 modems from my node...sheesh! That'll teach me to keep my foot out of it! LOL

Now, I can usually download about 250kbps to 3000kbps