the world is indeed an imperfect place

Mark I am not switching yet as I have some time to run out on my Sunrise contract. It's good to know that I have the option with cablecom. If and when i do switch then I will reccomend you.

Thanks for the info on the faster upload speed packages.
Is there any reason why ADSL cannot match cable download speeds? What is that maximum theoretic download speed possible on ADSL?

Answer to my last question-

Ah Japan... Totally different infrastructure and totally different mentality. I'd have a gigabit if I lived there...

In answer to your question - the standard vanilla ADSL technology can do 8000/1000 depending on the distance to the exchange. Subsequent flavours of ADSL have improved on this with different modulation techniques. These speeds are still way ahead of what they'll actually let you have since the limit your bandwidth anyway. Swisscom will have to think about upgrading all their ADSL gear (called a DSLAM) at some point if speeds are to move much beyond 5000/500 for the general consumer. This may be a few years off, and not sure of the current state of play.

By the way - who were you quoting in that last message, just a bunch of different text - with no idea where it came from.

Sorry for not posting the link. They were nuggets I took from these BBC articles (bit old)-

Article 1
Article 2

Ummm, thanks. In future just edit your previous message with the info rather than posting another strange message - takes up less space.

Forgot to add something on the last post. If my memory serves me correctly the max bandwidth (in both directions at the same time) is around 30Mbits on cable segments, but these segments are shared, whereas ADSL connections are (theoretically) not shared until their reach the ISP (in practical terms they do become shared inside the carrier's (Swisscom) ATM network before they are delivered to the ISP.

Main point - the underlying technology (cable or ADSL) isn't the limiting factor at the moment - it's the amount of bandwidth that the service providers buy for THEIR peering arrangements. That's why your bandwidth is limited according to the package you buy.

I must say that I am quite impressed with the fact that despite the service being "best effort" people in Switzerland almost always get what they pay for. In South Africa you pay for broadband (costs a fortune) and you often don't get more than dial-up speeds. That's just the way it is. We should be very thankful for the fact that our P2P downloads are blazing fast!

But one point you must not forget all is the Node you connect to.
Node is a point where the local users connect to, to connect to the backbone of the Internet.
Cablecom on average per node has alot of bandwidth for everyone who connects.
Just becuase a provider gives more bandwidth which is the connection from you to the Node it does not mean they have increased the bandwidth from the Node to the back bone!

So Bluewin gives more bandwidth great but did the increase there node bandwidth as well!


Just a thought...


Sauron

Contention ratios and of course overheads due to the type of connection you're making are also factors to consider .... but in the real world, I get excellent throughput in both directions from my Cablecom 5000/500 connection. Certainly to Swiss sites for downloading files, I am seeing 5000kbps or thereabouts - and this is in the evening when I'd expect contention issues to be more visible

Just a small point, it isn't really a backbone as such, the providers here "peer" to each other, and some providers have peers in other countries, so it's not a simple path the a "backbone" as such.

But your point is essentially correct - your access speed is meaningless if the provider doesn't have enough upstream bandwidth. Providers tend to keep very quiet about their contention ratios, but I must say that in the 4-5 years since I've had broadband the providers seem to be quite well behaved in this regard, adding bandwidth and additional peering as required.

Another aspect to consider is not just your bandwidth and that of the larger "pipes" (for example to the US) but that of the servers and companies you connect to. Often if downloading a large file from somewhere it is not likely that you'll get your full 600Kbyte/sec for the simple reason that the other end's upstream connection just isn't that fast! After all if you send a file to your friend and you both have 5000/500, the effective download speed for him will only be 500!

We are moving (hopefully) to Zug in April 2007 and I need to start to look at internet/ telephone/ cable providers. Have just read this stuff, does anyone have any uptodate comments/ thoughts? The internet will be primarily used for business, so I would like (?) to get things done as smoothly and simply as possible.
Any infor would be great.
Thanks

Well it's really not hard. Visit the providers websites, decide what you'd like. You don't need to organise it too far in advance, it all gets installed quite quickly.
I'm not really sure what you are after here. There's lots of information on this thread - and the information is also provided, in English, by the providers on their websites. I'm afraid you are going to have to do your own legwork on this one.

If you have a specific question, which hasn't already been answered here or elsewhere we'd be happy to hear it.

Ok, I have an issue with a major, major online provider here (not sure if I can name them but it is not Bluewin and not Cablecom). I cancelled our one year contract that started in Feb 2006, and today our internet access has been cut-off, it still being mid January.

So basically, they have cut our internet off three weeks before our internet access actually started one year ago. The problem being that we signed up mid January but they did not send the modem or the login details until three weeks later.

I called and complained but the guy said there is nothing he can do.

Legally, however, how can a client expect the contract to be fulfilled when access is not actually possible? Does anyone know what rights we have and what we should do?

Could we send a letter and claim our last month back?

Hi,

I'm looking for an ISP right now and I've seen many different options.. however, I don't know if they all serve the area I will live in. Is there any way to check? I'm about to move to Lausanne and I have looked on the Lausanne web page but I know it doesn't include all the possible ISPs...

Also, I see offers that include 'preselection' but what does this mean??



'elp!

Hayley

preselection would be where you are routed from Swisscom PSTN to another provider without dialling an access code.

Typically ADSL should be available in most places.
Cable internet should also be available in most places; depends on the company you'll get your TV from.

Quick question.
Just checking with cablecom about internet, on the site it tells me I can get digital TV but not internet..do they not come down the same cable?

yep, TV signal comes out of one socket, cable internet out another .... magic or not .. I had a load of hassle with an installation engineer .. not a Cablecom employee, just an Alf Garnett type that wheezed & maoned his way around my apartment poking things with his scredriver ....

Confusingly, no. Cablecom TV is actualy digital terrestial, the box just decodes the signal

Bugger that answers that question, guess I will be going down the ADSL route.
Thanks

I was given some options from various ADSL providers.


The list goes this way.


1. Sunrise ADSL 3500 offer (49 CHF / month)
sunrise ADSL - Angebote und Preise
(I don't know if there are any separate costs for swisscom line)
One time Fee : Keine einmaligen Kosten


2. Private provider (Magnet.ch)
ADSL 3500 (49 CHF / month)
ADSL

One time fee : 149 CHF
Set-up Fee : 190 CHF

3. Swisscom
ADSL 3500 9 CHF / month)

Swisscom Online-Shop


Why do I see lot of fee variations ?? Am I getting wrong somewhere ??


Someone already having/availing one of these ADSL connection could help !

buzz