# Whats internet like in the USA?



## MiST91 (Apr 1, 2008)

hi, i'm just feeling a little curius.

In the UK internet is about £18 a month (aprox $35) and no matter what ISP your with there is some kind of usage limit (like 2GB a month) even "unlimited" broadband has a "fair usage policy" i.e. if your downloading torrents all day and night, they will either dissconnect you, or seriously kill your bandwidth (i'm talking less than dial up)

i'm lucky though , when Orange was Wanadoo, we signed up to 512KBps broadband (fast at the time, and we got 576kbps) and we got 1 months unlimited downloads, and 4 years later, we still got "real" unlimited downloads. 


Whats the internet like in the US, and even the rest of the world, is there any usage limits and how much does it cost?


----------



## ShadowFold (Apr 1, 2008)

Im pretty sure I dont have any usage limits. Theres always something being downloaded on my computer and im sure my dad and brother dl stuff too.

Sorry I dont pay for it so idk how much it is but I can get 2mb/s+ if its a server thats close to me.


----------



## OrbitzXT (Apr 1, 2008)

I pay about $40 for 10 MBPS downstream and 2 up, no limits or restrictions at all though I think there are a few cable companies that do take action against torrent users, Road Runner isn't one of them.


----------



## DaedalusHelios (Apr 1, 2008)

Mine is $35 a month and unlimited bandwidth usage.

Most I have ever pulled off a stream is 867kbs and 300kbs upload. Nothing great. 

Road runner says it gives 8mb down but nobody gets that kind of speed because of line latency.


----------



## kwchang007 (Apr 1, 2008)

I have no usage limits.  Bandwidth is 768 kbp/s down, and 128 kbp/s up.  I think it's like $15 a month DSL.


----------



## das müffin mann (Apr 1, 2008)

yup no restrictions on usage over here, i think i pay 45 for 2mb up and 10down


----------



## MiST91 (Apr 1, 2008)

another problem with UK internet is, on top of what you are payin (£18.ect) you also have to pay British Telecom line rental, which is an extra £15 a month  :shadedshu 

(hopefully thats all going to change this month)


----------



## Duffman (Apr 1, 2008)

yowsa.   I'm with the rest of the US users.  $40 a month, i think the spec is 10 down and 1 up.


----------



## MiST91 (Apr 1, 2008)

cable in the UK is unlimited, but only problem is, hardly anywear in the UK has it  


(i am really pissed off that my grandad can have cable were he lives, but i can't, and he doesn't even have a computer)


----------



## jbunch07 (Apr 1, 2008)

we have comcast where i live not sure how much we pay but its really cheap cuz my brother in law wrks for GE and gets a huge discount!
he said when our neighborhood gets F.O. we will switch to that.
but no usage limit and great bandwidth!


----------



## OrbitzXT (Apr 1, 2008)

DaedalusHelios said:


> Road runner says it gives 8mb down but nobody gets that kind of speed because of line latency.



Everyone I know who has RR, which is a lot of people in New York City, gets their advertised speed or very close to it. Like mine is 10 downstream, but when I run a speed test I get about 9500 kbps, so close enough for me.


----------



## Triprift (Apr 1, 2008)

I got adsl 2+ with $60 a month for 20 gig and i get about 1.3 meg a sec dl and 700 odd k ul if i go over my dl limit i get skittled to 128k dl.


----------



## Duffman (Apr 1, 2008)

wow, adsl...


----------



## Easy Rhino (Apr 1, 2008)

comcast costs about $45 for 6Mbs down and 1Mbs up. no limitation on how much bandwidth i can use which i think is typical in the US.


----------



## MiST91 (Apr 1, 2008)

i am soooooo jealous of you yanks  lol


you get super fast unlimited internet and over here we get a maximum of 8mbps ADSL (very rare to actually get that) or 10MBps (might be 20mbps) cable (not many residential areas have cable) and costs almost double of your internet and we have to pay bloody phone line rental


----------



## jbunch07 (Apr 1, 2008)

this is what i get on my laptop using wireless not great but it works, its allot better on my main computer its hard wired


----------



## imperialreign (Apr 1, 2008)

yeah, depends on the region

we pay $45/mo for Verizon DSL.  Max DL rates at 3mbps

If I felt like paying $110, Verizon has their FiOS capped at 13mbps


----------



## Easy Rhino (Apr 1, 2008)

MiST91 said:


> i am soooooo jealous of you yanks  lol
> 
> 
> you get super fast unlimited internet and over here we get a maximum of 8mbps ADSL (very rare to actually get that) or 10MBps (might be 20mbps) cable (not many residential areas have cable) and costs almost double of your internet and we have to pay bloody phone line rental



why dont the telecoms in the UK upgrade their hardware?


----------



## Triprift (Apr 1, 2008)

And generally about oz we suck when it comes to broadband thanks to Tel$tra who own the infrastructure and try everything to kill of competition.


----------



## MiST91 (Apr 1, 2008)

so, cable in the UK is cheaper than the US, (20mbps downstream for £20/$40 a month) only problem is, hardly anywear in the UK has cable.

yet ADSL in the UK is a lot more expencive.


----------



## MiST91 (Apr 1, 2008)

Easy Rhino said:


> why dont the telecoms in the UK upgrade their hardware?


its because, BT own the british phone lines, and know they dont have to upgrade the hardware because people are going to pay for telephone and internet regardless of speed and quality, they are getting better and once BT loose the right to own the phone lines then things will change a lot


----------



## Triprift (Apr 1, 2008)

that sounds about the same as adsl2+ here im lucky i can get it were i am yet amate who lives 10 minute drive from me can only get adsl1 it sucks.


----------



## Duffman (Apr 1, 2008)

Easy Rhino said:


> comcast costs about $45 for 6Mbs down and 1Mbs up. no limitation on how much bandwidth i can use which i think is typical in the US.



Yah, i think that's what I actually have.  It's rated for speeds up to 12Mbs

'course my bill doesn't say what level of service it is.  It's $42.92 for it tho.  I know they offer a 16Mbs for $52.92 but i'm quite happy with my package.


----------



## Easy Rhino (Apr 1, 2008)

MiST91 said:


> its because, BT own the british phone lines, and know they dont have to upgrade the hardware because people are going to pay for telephone and internet regardless of speed and quality, they are getting better and once BT loose the right to own the phone lines then things will change a lot



one company owns all the phone lines? cant some company come in and start laying fiber???


----------



## MiST91 (Apr 1, 2008)

ADSL2?

we dont have that at all over here


----------



## exodusprime1337 (Apr 1, 2008)

yeah i'd say i've got it pretty good, just getting fios hooked up in a couple days 50Mbit down/20Mbit up for about 70 or so.  Price really doesn't matter when it comes to fast internet. plus the television is top notch and the service from verizon iso ut of this world


----------



## MiST91 (Apr 1, 2008)

Easy Rhino said:


> one company owns all the phone lines? cant some company come in and start laying fiber???


That is slowly happening, i think its Virgin Media who are starting to lay fibre, but its only in areas with high demand, and the problem is, most people would rather get ripped off with over priced ADSL than do everything in there power to get faster, cheaper cable in there area.


----------



## Triprift (Apr 1, 2008)

adsl2 is new here were suppose to be going to fttn soon but thanks to Tel$tra will most likely be in 10 years or more id say.


----------



## MiST91 (Apr 1, 2008)

50mbps????? is that for just you, or do you own a business or somthing?? i dont even think my colleges cable will be anywear near that fast, and 2 colleges share the band width.


----------



## Easy Rhino (Apr 1, 2008)

MiST91 said:


> That is slowly happening, i think its Virgin Media who are starting to lay fibre, but its only in areas with high demand, and the problem is, most people would rather get ripped off with over priced ADSL than do everything in there power to get faster, cheaper cable in there area.



so it sounds to me like a mindset you UK'ers have. change it!


----------



## MiST91 (Apr 1, 2008)

fttn??

whats that?


----------



## Easy Rhino (Apr 1, 2008)

exodusprime1337 said:


> yeah i'd say i've got it pretty good, just getting fios hooked up in a couple days 50Mbit down/20Mbit up for about 70 or so.  Price really doesn't matter when it comes to fast internet. plus the television is top notch and the service from verizon iso ut of this world



uhm, are you sure its 50 down and 20 up .... ? more like 5 down and 2 up i think.


----------



## Duffman (Apr 1, 2008)

fios is direct fiber into your house


----------



## Triprift (Apr 1, 2008)

its the same here with Telstra Rhino they own all the infrastrucure and try every trick to stop competition the government needs to step in with them.Its also similar in that they are a complete ripoff yet have the most broadband customers.


----------



## jbunch07 (Apr 1, 2008)

Duffman said:


> fios is direct fiber into your house



getting that as soon as its available i cant wait!


----------



## Triprift (Apr 1, 2008)

fibre to the node man i would of thought fibre to the home would of been better but thats what there going with oh well.


----------



## MiST91 (Apr 1, 2008)

Easy Rhino said:


> so it sounds to me like a mindset you UK'ers have. change it!



thats right. And its not as easy as it sounds, there are 20+ ADSL companies (no matter wich one you go with, you still pay BT line rental) in the UK and.... wait for it.... 2 cable companies so unless all the ADSL companies start also using cable, were stuck with ADSL


----------



## MiST91 (Apr 1, 2008)

Easy Rhino said:


> uhm, are you sure its 50 down and 20 up .... ? more like 5 down and 2 up i think.



that sounds about right to me


----------



## Duffman (Apr 1, 2008)

yah, it's up to 50 down and 20 up.

From Verizon's website:


> Verizon FiOS Internet Service is the fastest and most powerful connection we've ever offered. With FiOS, you have the choice of several packages to meet your needs. We offer downstream connection speeds (the speed that data is transmitted to your computer) ranging from up to 5 Mbps all the way up to 50 Mbps. We offer upstream speeds up to 20 Mbps in some locations.
> 
> Connection speeds are between your location and the Verizon central office serving your location. Actual download and upload speeds will vary based on numerous factors, such as the condition of wiring at your location, computer configuration, Internet and network congestion, and the speed of website servers you access, among other factors. Speed and uninterrupted use of the service are not guaranteed. Where higher upstream speeds are available, a hard wired connection is required to achieve maximum upstream speeds.


----------



## Ehstii (Apr 1, 2008)

no usage limit here...

30-down && 5-up

$29.95USD a month


----------



## imperialreign (Apr 1, 2008)

exodusprime1337 said:


> yeah i'd say i've got it pretty good, just getting fios hooked up in a couple days 50Mbit down/20Mbit up for about 70 or so.  Price really doesn't matter when it comes to fast internet. plus the television is top notch and the service from verizon iso ut of this world



IDK, it all comes down to the region, IMO.

here, we only have two companies duking it out for broadband access: Cox and Verizon.  Although their prices are similar, they gouge like crap for the beefcake high speed, and you've got to have a Swiss bank account if you want the speeds they offer to businesses (up to 50Mbps).


----------



## Bundy (Apr 1, 2008)

Im like triprift except I use and pay dearly for tel$tra ADSL2+. Just tested and got 16309 down and 852kbs up. Have got as high as 34000 down but that was obviously when Tel$tra wasn't watching the max speeds. It costs me AUD70 month.

For those that enquired, ADSL2+ is ADSL with better exchange gear, allowing higher speeds. At least thats what we were told lol. Prolly just normal for everyone else!


----------



## Bundy (Apr 1, 2008)

oh and FTTN is fibre to the node as triprift said. Means your DSL is closer to the "exchange" thus theoretically improving sync speeds considerably. Since I'm almost at max speed for ADSL 2+, I doubt there is much in it for me but peeps far away (more than 3km) from exchanges will be pleased.


----------



## xu^ (Apr 1, 2008)

im uk and we "do" have adsl2 afaik ,try bethere.co.uk  which is 24mb down 1.3 mb up  for about £18 a mnth ,altho of course it does depend on how far away you are from nearest exchange.

unfortunatly im on the very limit for dsl so the fastest stable conn i can get is 1mb down 256k up lol.

as for cable MiST91 i woudnt be 2 bothered tbh ,as u may not know but virgin media (who own wat was NTL cable and maybe telewest?)  are shortly implementing a 3 strikes and your out policy for illegal downloaders.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2008/03/30/cnvirgin130.xml

ive had cable about 2 yrs ago in the uk and tbh it wasnt any better than adsl ,and from wat ive seen a lot of ppl are very unhappy with the quality of service with cable currently.


----------



## Grings (Apr 1, 2008)

We have 'local loop unbundling' too, which basically means your isp (or another) supplies your phone line instead of bt, i think sky (tv) are going into this in a big way and seem to be offering 16mb in areas that cant get adsl2/+ , i havent a clue how they do this, but my mother gets 16mb (i tested it with speedtest and got 13-14mb speeds), and according to a bt database i checked out, her nearest exchange dosent get adsl2 till 2009???)


----------



## Darknova (Apr 1, 2008)

MiST91 said:


> thats right. And its not as easy as it sounds, there are 20+ ADSL companies (no matter wich one you go with, you still pay BT line rental) in the UK and.... wait for it.... 2 cable companies so unless all the ADSL companies start also using cable, were stuck with ADSL



2 cable companies? Nope, only Virgin now.

Also, if you want to be really really pedantic, there are no cable companies either, but there is a fibre one 

The reason they won't change it is because the government won't subsidise the ISPs to lay down better infrastructure despite them wanting all ISPs to deliver a MINIMUM of 10mb/s by next year.

The ISPs just won't change their ways without a kick up the ass from the government, which isn't forthcoming


----------



## oily_17 (Apr 1, 2008)

Will have to check out bethere.co.uk and see what they are offering.Currently on 8meg line for about £18 month,with these results -





Not bad at this time of the morning,usually get raped later on but.

I am supposed to have unlimited usage but have had two emails off them in the past for being a _heavy user_ and they cut my bandwidth.Hell what do we pay for then.

Thinking of switching because I have been on with them twice recently when during the day my downward speed dropped to 300-600kbps


----------



## Silverel (Apr 1, 2008)

normally I get around 3mbps down, but comcast is being fast tonite for some reason...




Fastest I've ever seen it. I think I pay 40$. Service ain't great though. If I game for a couple hours I tend to get dropped for no reason.


----------



## Triprift (Apr 1, 2008)

Is your connection stable Bundy? i ended up having to go a stability profile cus i kept dropping out lost abit of dl spped but at least stable now.


----------



## Bundy (Apr 1, 2008)

Triprift said:


> Is your connection stable Bundy? i ended up having to go a stability profile cus i kept dropping out lost abit of dl spped but at least stable now.



It's good. I haven't noticed any problems. I know some Dodo users though and their story is quite different. I'm only using the Tel$tra/bigpond/2wire modem too.


----------



## InnocentCriminal (Apr 1, 2008)

The current state of the UK's Broadband is really down to our Government and BT. Both of which a complete assholes. They (both) won't invest in the renewing of our current exchanges as it'll cost in excess of £15 Billion (apparently) but are quite happy to moan at the fact we're lacking behind the rest of Europe and that things will have to change. 

However, a new company called H20 Networks are planning on using our sewage works to roll out 100Mbit broadband. Which I think is fantastic, if not smelly idea! ^^

For more information click 'ere.


----------



## Triprift (Apr 1, 2008)

You lucky bugger ya no a user on Internode now who had problems me lol.


----------



## Pinchy (Apr 1, 2008)

Im in Aus and with Telstra. 10mb up/128k down (1.2mb/s  down, 15kb/s up )

I got 12GB of usage and when I am capped go down to 64k/64k.

I couldnt get ADSL2+ or ADSL in my area, only dial up, wireless and cable (but not optus cable, just telstra).


----------



## Triprift (Apr 1, 2008)

dang down is good but ul are shocking


----------



## Pinchy (Apr 1, 2008)

Triprift said:


> dang down is good but ul are shocking



Yeah it sucks when im downloading those many......linux distributions .....off torrents @ 3.8GB (downloaded in like 2 hours) then it takes weeks to upload it back.


----------



## beyond_amusia (Apr 1, 2008)

I don't think there are many ISPs with usage limits in place here, but the RIAA is pulling strings to get it done. The fastest connection I've used is 10 megabits at home, and the fastest I've used in school 5 years ago was T1.


----------



## Silverel (Apr 1, 2008)

@ work




I'd kill for those ping times, but 2up/2down is shetty. I'm pretty sure this is limited to the insane network of connections lining the building though. There's hubs and switches around here that are older than me I'd imagine...


----------



## InnocentCriminal (Apr 1, 2008)

My crummy work places net...


----------



## jbunch07 (Apr 1, 2008)

here is my main computer


----------



## Easy Rhino (Apr 1, 2008)

Duffman said:


> yah, it's up to 50 down and 20 up.
> 
> From Verizon's website:



damn. duffman you are probably less than 200 miles from me and you get wicked fast interents. fios is still installing their hardware in my area and have only mentioned 5Mbs down and 2 Mbs up for more money than comcasts 6 down and 1 up plan...


----------



## 3991vhtes (Apr 1, 2008)

Right now where I live, Verizon DSL is around $30 a month. I'm on the 3Mbps connection:


----------



## erocker (Apr 1, 2008)

This is from the signal I'm "borrowing" from next door.  I believe it's Att DSL business class:





My 15mbs line is being installed Thursday.


----------



## jbunch07 (Apr 1, 2008)

erocker said:


> This is from the signal I'm "borrowing" from next door.  I believe it's Att DSL business class:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



haha i love "borrowing" with my laptop


----------



## erocker (Apr 1, 2008)

jbunch07 said:


> here is my main computer



I hope to God I get your upload speed!  I think I'm getting the same package as you, though my ping times should be better.


----------



## thoughtdisorder (Apr 1, 2008)

RR in Tampa. $30 monthly. Not the best......


----------



## 3991vhtes (Apr 1, 2008)

jbunch07 said:


> haha i love "borrowing" with my laptop



so do I


----------



## Scrizz (Apr 1, 2008)

FiOS ftw
I have 20/5 in Brandon, FL
currently
soon to be 20/20 

it's $59


----------



## jbunch07 (Apr 1, 2008)

erocker said:


> I hope to God I get your upload speed!  I think I'm getting the same package as you, though my ping times should be better.



well thats prob due to it being wireless 
i know i said it was hardwired, haha i lied, i for got i got a wireless card for it now 



> so do I


its great huh?


----------



## oily_17 (Apr 1, 2008)

Yeah ...told you I was getting crappy speeds during peak times.






This is with a supposed 8meg line... Damned Tiscali...


----------



## jbunch07 (Apr 1, 2008)

oily_17 said:


> Yeah ...told you I was getting crappy speeds during peak times.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



:shadedshu ouch


----------



## oily_17 (Apr 1, 2008)

jbunch07 said:


> :shadedshu ouch



Yeah,email has been sent.They have until next months payment date and then I am switching supplier.


----------



## Gam'ster (Apr 1, 2008)

Easy Rhino said:


> one company owns all the phone lines? cant some company come in and start laying fiber???



One company has, but only in one city and i cant remember who or were it is, cable is a good option here but as previously mentioned it few and far between and as far as BT goes ( who own all phone lines and exchanges apart from the few which are privately owned ) they are king rip off, i had to pay £150/$300 connection fee to have my line connected at the exchange  it used to be £50 :shadedshu, i wish some of the US companys would come on over to offer good phone/internet service.

Cheers
Gam


----------



## Gam'ster (Apr 1, 2008)

InnocentCriminal said:


> The current state of the UK's Broadband is really down to our Government and BT. Both of which a complete assholes. They (both) won't invest in the renewing of our current exchanges as it'll cost in excess of £15 Billion (apparently) but are quite happy to moan at the fact we're lacking behind the rest of Europe and that things will have to change.
> 
> However, a new company called H20 Networks are planning on using our sewage works to roll out 100Mbit broadband. Which I think is fantastic, if not smelly idea! ^^
> 
> For more information click 'ere.



Thank god for that  i hope they do it quick too.


----------



## jbunch07 (Apr 1, 2008)

oily_17 said:


> Yeah,email has been sent.They have until next months payment date and then I am switching supplier.



ha good call


----------



## erocker (Apr 1, 2008)

New internet all ready!!


----------



## 3991vhtes (Apr 1, 2008)

Roadrunner's pretty good... my friends use it in Rochester, NY..

too bad it's not available in my area :shadedshu


----------

