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ZS6TMV > TECH 26.08.06 19:59l 43 Lines 1960 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : FC0074ZS6TMV
Read: GUEST DL1RX DL1LCA OE7FMI
Subj: Re: Internet/packet ZR6DHC
Path: DB0FHN<DB0RGB<DB0MRW<DK0WUE<DB0RES<LZ4NY<IK3GET<ZS0MEE
Sent: 060826/1748Z @:ZS0MEE.SRJ.GAU.ZAF.AF #:15018 [Johannesburg] $:FC0074ZS6TM
From: ZS6TMV@ZS0MEE.SRJ.GAU.ZAF.AF
To : TECH@WW
G4EBT wrote:-
>>We here in South Africa still do not have a truly affordable broadband,
>>or even always on, internet. We are mostly stuck with dial up
> I didn't realise that SA was so lagging behind in that respect. It
> sounds like the UK was maybe five or so years ago. I think most UK
> internet users are now on broadband.
I'd rather not start too long a thread on this subject (and discussing the
South African Internet situation would do exactly that). Just let me say
this: the situation in South Africa is much worse than the one in the UK 5
years ago, as deployment of technology is not the problem. The problem is
that SA's telecom infrastructure is being monopolized (in name not
entirely, but de facto sufficiently) by a single operator. The likeliness
of that changing in the foreseeable future is somewhat less of the
probability that Microsoft will withdraw Vista and start shipping free
Linux distro's instead. What SA needs is a truly open market and true
competition, but I estimate that it will be at least two years before
anything will change and as long as five years before any changes will
make a difference.
The reason I say this is the following: to me, packet radio is an
alternative means of communication, if not a full-fledged alternative then
at least a good supplement to a monopolized Internet feed. Apart from the
high cost and intermittent performance of the South African internet, I'm
not too happy at being at the whim of a single commercial party who can
decide to pass or block routes or services at will (and frequently has
done so).
Granted, right now the local PBBS relies heavily on an Internet feed to
get packet mail into and out of the country... but should something really
go wrong for extended periods of time, there's always HF to get SP's
across.
73 - Frank, ZS6TMV @ ZS0MEE
Message timed: 19:34 on 2006-Aug-26
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