Higher prices for slower service

THE EDITOR: The TSTT unlimited “dial-up” account with one login per month is TT$345 at access speeds well under 33.6k.  A comparable unlimited dial-up package offered in the US charges under TT$140 per month (see www.earthlink.com) at speeds of up to 56k. In other words, TSTT charges over 232 percent more than an ISP in the US, with local access speeds that are substandard for today’s Internet.

Even cheaper dial-up rates can be found through companies such as Juno,  Netzero and GTC Internet.

TSTT’s new ADSL service offers 128k (down) and 64K (up) at TT$747.50 per month for the residential user. There is also a one-time equipment charge of TT$552, not forgetting a set-up fee of TT$350 that will be added  if TSTT has to visit a client’s home and install the modem. For not-so savvy “home technicians” who are tired of not connecting, or having an internet dial-up that is so slow that it makes the dial-up investment worthless, they are faced with a start up cost of TT$902 that may never pay itself off. The first-month customer in this scenario has to write a cheque to TSTT for TT$1,649.50.

Verizon in the US charges on their standard package at 768k (down) and 128K (up), a whopping TT $251.65, inclusive of equipment. Forgetting TSTT’s start up costs, our local ISP therefore charges over 297 percent more than Verizon. Verizon can also optionally add on additional equipment for another DSL user in the same house, for only TT$629.99.

Qwest DSL’s speeds are considerably less at 256K (down), 256k (up), but so too are their prices. TSTT charges 283 percent more for their slower service, as Qwest’s monthly fee is only TT$263.93. This 256k DSL amount is even TT$81.07 less than the sub-33.6K TSTT dial-up costs.

Can we continue with the grand ideas to be part of the internet superhighway at these low speeds and outlandish costs? Will Trinidad and Tobago remain on the back-roads, with only a select few having access to streaming media, information and “always-on” connectivity to the rest of the world? On these thoughts, I leave you to ponder.

RAVI ROOPCHANDSINGH
Port-of-Spain