I'm not actually in New Zealand, but have been looking round for a friend who lives just outside New Plymouth. They can't get aDSL where they are, close to the exchange, Telecom claim they have the wrong cables and have no plans to replace them. If you ask me Telecom need a severe kicking, but as I said, I'm not there so I can't.
Anyway is there any chance of wireless in the New Plymouth area at all? Anyone thinking of starting one up?
Originally posted by GastonJ@Mar 21 2005, 12:54 AM I'm not actually in New Zealand, but have been looking round for a friend who lives just outside New Plymouth. They can't get aDSL where they are, close to the exchange, Telecom claim they have the wrong cables and have no plans to replace them. If you ask me Telecom need a severe kicking, but as I said, I'm not there so I can't.
Anyway is there any chance of wireless in the New Plymouth area at all? Anyone thinking of starting one up?
Cheers,
GastonJ
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Telecom are cutting back on maintenance of the copper network while they focus on fibre to the curb, which will decentralise a lot of their legacy exchanges, increase redundancy, increase consistency, increase capacity... the list goes on. Telecom needs to do this because they want to corner the VoIP market, and provide TVoDSL to compete with Telstra's CableTV offerings, that and the copper network is costing more than it's worth to maintain.
ANYWAY, your friend has options: BCL (expensive) or to setup a wireless link to someone nearby who can get DSL, then they can share the cost of the internet connection.
No-one is listed here for NP: http://nodedb.com/newzealand/ni/ but I do recall some rumblings about it once upon a time... a google might reveal something...
Thanks for replying. In my city, in the UK if no-one guessed, I'm also subject to a similar monopoly where my telco is the only ISP with little hope of any others bering able to use their copper at a rate where they can make a profit. So I know what it's like being trapped in a monopoly not of your choosing.
Although I am on aDSL we pay more than other people across the UK. My telco only gives us the services they feel like, when and how they feel like it, at a price they feel like because they know they can get away with it. We aren't even allowed to use VoIP because it breaks their AUP. I've had my account suspended once and they wouldn't even tell me why!
Currently there is a wireless network being put round the city with the feed coming from a town about 3 miles across the river. It looks promising to say the least.
Another thing I find odd about NZ is the way you guys have limited bandwidth. I had read up that this was a throwback to when the only Internet connection was through the university. At that time everything went through their connection and was charged at how much international bandwdith was used. I find it odd that this has carried on now. As far as I'm aware only NZ and Chile charge in such a way.
I wish you all luck in ousting Telecom by setting up the wireless.
Originally posted by Noodles@Mar 20 2005, 10:58 PM I think Australia does some charging similar to NZ, but yea, we're at the arse end of the internet world
I'm looking forward to moving to the UK in 3 weeks and getting flatrate 8Mbit DSL for 40 quid a month
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Be careful where you move to. Some places don't have decent broadband, and you ain't going to get it for £40. Avoid Kingston upon Hull like the plague. Find an ISP like Bulldog or Thus. SDSL is making inroads in the UK, except in my city of course. BTW £40 a month is what i pay for my 1.5mb/256k, which is around 100 nz dollars a month.
Originally posted by GastonJ@Mar 21 2005, 07:14 AM Another thing I find odd about NZ is the way you guys have limited bandwidth. I had read up that this was a throwback to when the only Internet connection was through the university. At that time everything went through their connection and was charged at how much international bandwdith was used. I find it odd that this has carried on now. As far as I'm aware only NZ and Chile charge in such a way.
The domestic infrastructure here is at present a very nasty patchwork, Telecom wont make up its mind and stick with one infrastructure vendor, so there's alcatel gear working beside nokia gear working beside NEC gear working beside juniper gear working beside cisco gear... The inconsistencies bring about problems, and our recent spate of issues with DSL suckage were due to misconfiguration of some Juniper ERX's
So I'm hoping fibre to the curb will help bring consistency back up...
However due to depeering from the major IX's, Telecom and Telstra are effectively stubbing the demand for growth of the domestic infrastructure to meet the demands of a blossoming domestic content market. Essentially, instead of other large content providers springing up, we might be stuck with the big two: trademe and stuff for some time, which could result in broadband penetration slowing a bit, ultimately putting the two T's in a position where they've shot themselves in the feet.
I cant wait until WiMax hits our shores, wireless is faster to setup and cheaper to setup than wired solutions. Being good at the black art of RF engineering is what makes or breaks you.
My experience of telcos is that they won't move fast, unless kicked very hard. The monopoly has been in force in my city now since 1997 so I've been waiting 8 years. No ISP will come to the city because my telco keeps prices high to use their copper. I should also point out that a huge chunk of my telco is owned by my city council. Therefore anyone wishing to dig up the roads to lay their own copper or fibre would have to apply to the council to dig up roads, that would be the same council that own part of a telco that makes them a large profit. See any conflict in that?
Now the wireless has come to the city, it changes things, but it has been 8 years and has had to come from a town 3 miles across the river. I'm waiting for the ISP to contact me. I do know one of the partners in the company, since I've ben active in attempting to remove the monopoly for so long.
From what I've learnt of NZ you more or less only have Telecom who own the cables, be they copper or fibre. Telecom used to be state owned, like the major telco in the UK, who incidently is not allowed, or interested in supplying my city. I should also point out that my city isn't small, it's the 10th largest in England with a catchment of around a million.
After looking round the forum I do have to applaud the work that's happening with the setting up of wireless around NZ. Sadly I doubt the UK will get round to this in the near future, which is a shame.
The thing that has *always* bothered me about privatised telcos is that they are in it for the profit. Totally driven by profit and nothing else matters. This means my friend will never be able to have anything above 56k dialup because the telephone lines that Telecom used aren't up to standard (not sure what they mean, but they won't explain) even though the exchange is. My view on this is that if the cables aren't up to standard then they shoudl replace them, but they won't because it won't be cost effective.
A much simpler solution would have been to split the telco from the network. Privatised the network and telco as different companies and let telco's who want to provide services tender for use of the lines from the network provider, that way they wouldn't control everything like they have. That should have been the case in the UK as well, sadly an opportunity missed. Then it would have been a free for all with the user gaining choice. It's choice that is lacking in he privatisations. The network provider would then have been able to upgrade and replace the network with the money gained from the voice and data operators who paid to use the network.
Oh well. That's life. Sadly my friend, until wireless becomes viable, will be unable to have anything more than 56k. Hence my original question with regards wireles sin New Plymouth. At this time it doesn't matter who can proovide aDSL because they cables won't be replaced by anyone unless of course some careless farmer runs a plough through them.... (that'd be one way to force Telecom to replace).
Anyhow cheers. I'll try look back in a couple of days. I work away so I stay off the net. My rant over
Sorry for the plug for WISPCON-PAC, but the concept of giving the Telecoms a run for their money in broadband is at the very core of us U.S. based WISPs.
Anything I can do to make broadband available and take money out of the Telecoms pocket and put it into mine is well worth all my efforts.
Now here is the shamefull plug for WISPCON-PAC. The first days events are designed to teach people all the basics of wireless connectivity. RF fundamentals, antenna selection and RF propagation. Basic backoffice accounting and billing, controlling bandwidth (don't want one user eating up everything and leaving nothing for the rest of the network). On day 2, I've got you government coming in to explain the NZ rules for the General License use and also OSH is coming to help us all understand the NZ safety issues with climbing roofs and towers.
Lots of manufacturers and resellers are signing up.
Also, and the most important of all - I joined this forum for many reasons.
#1 is to see if I could be of any assistance through my experiences here in the U.S. I'm a WISP in the U.S. I've grown from a one user WLAN to well over 900 paying subscribers and cover almost 1,000 sq miles of Northern Illinois.
#2 is to see how I can help get the NZ government (and financial institutions) to recognize the NZ WISPs in the same light as the FCC did for us here. More spectrum, more power (EIRP), funding for rural wireless broadband, and the many other issues we all face.
#3 is to see what you NZ WISPs needs are. I've received a lot of requests to host our U.S. Based WISPCON (www.wispcon.info) in NZ. And now it's going to happen. May 22-24, 2005 at the AUT in Penrose. (www.wispcon.info/pac/center.htm). FOr those who don't know what WISPCON is; WISPCONs are conferences that actually teach you how to effectively use wireless as a business. We do not allow "marketing hype" in the training rooms (That's reserved for the exhibit hall).
Anyway, I really don't want this message to sound like a commercial, so if you have any other questions, I'll let you guys/gals initiate the thread. And I am sorry for the WISPCON plug. I ONLY thought it appropriate because it's something new that many of you may not have previously heard about.
I'm ready for the flames if you feel I need them.
Thanks
Michael
Me and my friend have a wireless network set up just around highlands school going to each others house about 1KM apart. If any one in new plymouth lives around there they are welcome to join in.
Me and my friend have been thinking of setting up a WISP but the cost would be too much because you have to pay the councl money for some stupid reason and the distance its aloud to reach is too restrictive.
So the only way we could really do it is if every one runs like a sort of node but the only problem in that is if some one turns there computer off then the spread would cut some people out.
Linear Mode
