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Think Your Broadband Stinks?
Try getting a decent connection in Lebanon

Broadband was only made available in Lebanon around 2004, and one company has been awarded exclusive rights to licensed data lines. The company is owned by a relative of the country's President, and if you don't like it, too bad. So far, your only choices have been 128 ($45), 256 ($100) and 512kbps cable ($175), and you're lucky if your real speeds challenge dial-up, notes Ya Libnan. VoIP services have been banned, and to enforce it, the government has implemented a 32kbps maximum upload speed for residential broadband service.

For these reasons, as many as one-third of Lebanon's approximately 300,000 residential Internet customers connect to the web via an illegal ISP, notes the Lebanon Daily Star. The paper reports that DSL service is going to be made available from the nation's Telecom Ministry for the first time next March. "Cable is the best," says one illegal provider from Kaslik.
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jgkolt
Premium Member
join:2004-02-21
Avon, OH

jgkolt

Premium Member

skype

Isn't 32kbps maximum up plenty for skype's voip?

MxxCon
join:1999-11-19
Brooklyn, NY

MxxCon

Member

Re: skype

said by jgkolt:

Isn't 32kbps maximum up plenty for skype's voip?
is slower than dialup.

Stevie Nicks
@ameritech.net

Stevie Nicks

Anon

Re: skype

32 kbps is the "56k" upload rate on a good day.
stufried
Premium Member
join:2003-10-13

stufried to jgkolt

Premium Member

to jgkolt
How are they getting it illegally? Satelite?
ossito16
join:2004-07-31
Whiting, IN

ossito16

Member

Re: skype

said by stufried:

How are they getting it illegally? Satelite?
We are thinking alike, I would also like to know how it is illegally done. Of course, not that I would do such a thing. LOL

click_310
Eat my shorts
join:2002-12-06
Savannah, GA

click_310 to stufried

Member

to stufried

Illegal tubes ?
By illegally tapping chicks like these ?
MonkeyPox4
join:2004-12-21
Lafayette, LA

MonkeyPox4

Member

Re: skype

I do love me some hot Middle Eastern chickies... the Christian and Druze Lebanese women especially - and I'm from Louisiana, of all places. Went to Israel a while back, must be all the hormones in all the chicken they eat. Very nice young ladies

Subaru
1-3-2-4
Premium Member
join:2001-05-31
Greenwich, CT

Subaru

Premium Member

Re: skype

said by MonkeyPox4:

I do love me some hot Middle Eastern chickies...
Middle Eastern women have very pretty eyes.

FFH5
Premium Member
join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

FFH5 to stufried

Premium Member

to stufried
said by stufried:

How are they getting it illegally? Satelite?
YES. And then a feed into the local cable infrastructure.

ninjatutle
Premium
join:2006-01-02
San Ramon, CA

ninjatutle to stufried

Member

to stufried
I'm guessing the folks near the boarder gets wifi signals from neighboring countries.

Maybe businesses gets faster access and people surf at work or they set up hotspots.
stufried
Premium Member
join:2003-10-13

stufried

Premium Member

Re: skype

After posting my original post, I remember being in Tyre Lebanon and seeing all the illegal power hookups. Hezbollah apparently had a cottage industry illegal hooking businesses up for electricity. The picture of the horribly spliced phone hookup that I saw on this thread is actually what triggered my memory.

I wouldn't at all be surprised to hear that Hezbollah was the illegal isp with 300,000 subscribers. I wonder whether they block voip and access to "*.il" websites.
Expand your moderator at work

MxxCon
join:1999-11-19
Brooklyn, NY
ARRIS TM822
Actiontec MI424WR Rev. I

MxxCon

Member

I don't understand...

one-third of Lebanon's approximately 300,000 residential Internet customers connect to the Web illegally
i don't understand what they mean here...secretly splice cable and hook up their modem? or any connection with upload above 32kbit is considered illegal?

Mike
Mod
join:2000-09-17
Pittsburgh, PA

Mike

Mod

if I click that link

I'll have about 65 people from homeland security outside.

Cop
Premium Member
join:2001-09-05
Auburn, AL

Cop

Premium Member

Re: if I click that link

said by Mike:

I'll have about 65 people from homeland security outside.
lol careful!

RayW
Premium Member
join:2001-09-01
Layton, UT

RayW to Mike

Premium Member

to Mike
said by Mike:

I'll have about 65 people from homeland security outside.
No, they are too busy searching old folks in the airport and letting middle eastern looking people walk through.

guitarzan
Premium Member
join:2004-05-04
Skytop, PA

1 edit

guitarzan

Premium Member

Re: if I click that link

said by RayW:
said by Mike:

I'll have about 65 people from homeland security outside.
No, they are too busy searching old folks in the airport and letting middle eastern looking people walk through.
Sad state of affairs:(
That appears to be par for the course, when the Shit Hits The Fan or SHTF.
»www.wnd.com/news/article ··· ID=52915

After reading this article, all I can say is WOW, WTF is wrong with the voting public, can they really be that possessed by demonic hatred? Sure appears to be so.

»www.libertypost.org/cgi- ··· &Disp=72
Title: 'ISLAMerica: HEZBOLLAH JUDGE ELECTED in MICHIGAN!'
Source: Detroit Free Press

Open Hezbollah supporter and extremist Muslim, David Turfe, was unfortunately elected Michigan District Court Judge in Dearborn Heights' 20th District. (Dearborn Heights is home to North America's second largest mosque, headed by the former spiritual leader of Ayatollah Khomeini's Iranian Navy, Imam Mohammed Elahi--a domestic agent of Iran & Hezbollah.)

»www.debbieschlussel.com/ ··· dge.html

click_310
Eat my shorts
join:2002-12-06
Savannah, GA

click_310 to Mike

Member

to Mike
said by Mike:

I'll have about 65 people from homeland security outside.
Nope. This one would »alqaeda.net/

treetop1000
join:2003-11-07
Lexington, KY

1 edit

treetop1000

Member

Want to see what the outside plant looks like?

Well, at least it's not really confusing.
Until you find out that Jason Alexander is the outside tech....
mooty
join:2001-01-28
Riverdale, GA

mooty

Member

Re: Want to see what the outside plant looks like?

LMAO!...Ok, who ordered the linguini?

ninjatutle
Premium
join:2006-01-02
San Ramon, CA

ninjatutle to treetop1000

Member

to treetop1000
Maybe they setup their own telephone poles.

onebadmofo
gat gnitsoP
Premium Member
join:2002-03-30
Pennsylvania

onebadmofo to treetop1000

Premium Member

to treetop1000
said by treetop1000:

Well, at least it's not really confusing.
Until you find out that Jason Alexander is the outside tech....
So THAT'S Vandale Industries.
Cyber2lz
join:2001-11-15
Odessa, FL

Cyber2lz

Member

Reason,

This is the reason that we have nothing to fear IN THE LONG TERM from these bass ackwards middle eastern sh!tholes. Once their people learn what is really happening in the rest of the world, they will play hell trying to keep the populace happy!!

Just a thought,

ninjatutle
Premium
join:2006-01-02
San Ramon, CA

ninjatutle

Member

I don't think my broadband sucks

Yep. I have ATT 6mb at home and Sprint EVDO for the road. Both are great.

Could be faster and cheaper but nothing to cry over.
kingroach
join:2004-12-09
Astoria, NY

kingroach

Member

Re: I don't think my broadband sucks

if BBR was based on S. Korea or Japan then they would post .. " think your broadband stinks.. look at USA where the most 768 kbps as broadband".. I dont understand why are we looking at low when our goal should be high.. I guess its makes us feel good for few seconds..
sgnese
join:2006-02-12
San Jose, CA

sgnese

Member

Re: I don't think my broadband sucks

I agree, why are we comparing to Lebanon? US broadband should be comparing to the top like S.Korea and Japan.

ninjatutle
Premium
join:2006-01-02
San Ramon, CA

ninjatutle

Member

Re: I don't think my broadband sucks

We don't need to be compared to S. Korea or Japan. They are both beneath us.

Outside of the electronics, Japan doesnt have much. Look up: "No gaijin" Racism is openly accepted there.

Megadeth5150
Big in Japan
Premium Member
join:2004-12-31
Japan Inc.

Megadeth5150

Premium Member

Re: I don't think my broadband sucks

Heck, it's waaaaaay better than your "positive discrimination"...

Edrick
I aspire to tell the story of a lifetime
Premium Member
join:2004-09-11
San Diego, CA

Edrick to ninjatutle

Premium Member

to ninjatutle
said by ninjatutle:

Yep. I have ATT 6mb at home and Sprint EVDO for the road. Both are great.

Could be faster and cheaper but nothing to cry over.
Don't you have just Sprint EVDO for home and the road?

ninjatutle
Premium
join:2006-01-02
San Ramon, CA

ninjatutle

Member

Re: I don't think my broadband sucks

Are you the same Ricky Smith from American Idol or do you just idolize him?

Edrick
I aspire to tell the story of a lifetime
Premium Member
join:2004-09-11
San Diego, CA

Edrick

Premium Member

Re: I don't think my broadband sucks

Would you grow up and cut it with the crap I asked a serious question. Why the hell do they allow adults on here that act like kids.
wtansill
Ncc1701
join:2000-10-10
Falls Church, VA

wtansill

Member

Obligatory sarcasm

<sarcasm on>

If they don't like it, why don;t they just move to a place with better service?

</sarcasm off>
tired_runner
Premium Member
join:2000-08-25
CT

tired_runner

Premium Member

Who cares

If Lebanese gov't is as much of a communism as N. Korea and I happened to live there, broadband access would be the least of my immediate worries.

RJSQ
@ResNet.QueensU.CA

RJSQ

Anon

Re: Who cares

That's b.s. and you know it. You clearly never lived in Lebanon.
RJSQ

RJSQ

Anon

wtf?

Wow, never seen such a crowd of narrow minded people. I'm sure your country would have great internet after being ravaged by a 15 year civil war. Grow up.
dogbawls
join:2005-03-15

dogbawls

Member

Won't be long...

Wait till Hezbollah takes over the government then it's bye, bye Internet and hello 12th century.
FightingBlue1
join:2006-04-08
Warsaw, NY

FightingBlue1

Member

Exclusive rights to lines? Political connections?

That sounds suspiciously like our current system of broadband.
Raficoo
join:2006-11-14

Raficoo

Member

Broadband sucks, hope DSL comes

hi every1, this my first post here, and i know alot info about dial-up, broadd..(well almost realy broadband connection), and the illegal way, a ehernitic device connected to ur that the host's computer gets the internet from the isp which get from other countries, or in other words(Cable), or how they say it there (local cable guy).

DSL is delayed almost 4 a year now in lebanon, Lebanon is technologically worldwide known 4 1 of the weakest internet, countryies in the middle east, the telecommunation company, named Ogero said thet they r 99% sure that DSL will arrive in Lebanon, for more forum information go to this website www.the-lebanon.com, and there is the information that comes from the telecom:

Telecoms insiders expect high-speed Internet to arrive - at last - in March

By Michael Bluhm
Daily Star staff
Wednesday, November 08, 2006

BEIRUT: Consumers should expect high-speed DSL Internet service in March 2007, the director of a local Internet service provider (ISP) said on Tuesday, although details of the rollout such as the price of installation and monthly rates have yet to be settled. The Telecommunications Ministry, the state-owned telecom firm OGERO and providers have had two meetings in the past week to push forward the oft-postponed DSL service.

The delay in offering DSL is indicative of how Lebanon, some 10 years ago the first Arab country in the Levant to offer the Internet, now lags most of the Arab world in high-speed Internet access. The foot-dragging has cost Lebanon economic growth and foreign investment, experts say.

The March deadline was set Friday at a meeting at the ministry, according to Maroun Chammas, executive director of service provider IDM.

A meeting of the DSL Commercial Committee on Tuesday focused on the price ISPs will pay OGERO for the right to provide the new service, said attendee Carole Hage, sales manager at Terranet. The ministry has final say on the price.

The ministry has to overcome two key technical hurdles in delivering the new service: upgrading telephone switchboards in areas where DSL will be available and improving international phone lines to handle 1.5 gigabytes per second of data transfer.

Chammas told The Daily Star he was "99 percent" sure the March deadline will be met.

"It really looks much better than before," he said, referring to earlier delays.

ISPs are pushing the ministry to set prices because they expect keen interest in DSL and will be able to offer new products, Chammas said.

"Once DSL is available, people are going to get much better service," Chammas said.

Sam Masri, an employee in the corporate sales division of the ISP Fiberlink, said he expected prices to go down for users. The major ISPs in Lebanon offer broadband service for a $75 installation fee and $45 per month for a 128 kilobyte-per-second (kbps) connection, $100 for 256 kbps and $175 for 512 kbps.
»www.dailystar.com.lb

The ministry has floated a initial proposal for DSL user fees.

Under the proposed prices, DSL set-up would cost LL55,000 (about $37), while 128-kbps service would cost LL35,000 for home users and LL45,000 for businesses; 256 kbps would cost LL50,000 for homes, LL65,000 for businesses; and 512 kbps LL70,000 for home users and LL85,000 for businesses. Monthly downloads would be capped.

Problems with the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority could also affect the DSL rollout. The board governing the authority remains incomplete after President Emile Lahoud objected to certain nominees, whose names were subsequently withdrawn by Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamdeh.

Because of the conflict regarding pricing structures, the ISPs need the regulatory body to set and enforce prices, Hage said.

"Without the proper regulatory authority, the services that we intend to provide are just frozen," Chammas said.

DSL also raises the issue of Internet telephony. Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP) remains banned in Lebanon, where telecommunications revenues account for 38 percent of the state budget.

DSL will allow bandwidth to improve enough to enable VoIP, although Hage said she thinks the government will maintain the ban on VoIP.

The budget dangers raised by VoIP have resonated throughout the region. The United Arab Emirates, for example, has recently banned Skype, the Swedish Internet telephony service that allows free calls between Internet users.

The lack of high-speed Internet in Lebanon has deterred foreign investors from setting up offices here, Chammas said.

"If they don't have access to large pipes and large bandwidth, big companies will not locate here," he said.

Hage said that multinationals were "surprised" by the weak and expensive IT infrastructure, which hurt Lebanon's image abroad.

DSL might also shut down illegal pirate guys, local cable guys..

for now, dial-up ah, the broadban.d and still illegal cable r the used internet in lebanon,
.
OGero did have the technology for DSL, but the problem mostly is political

AND

State can't stop illegal ISPs - but DSL might

By Michael Bluhm
Daily Star staff
Tuesday, November 14, 2006

BEIRUT: As many as one-third of Lebanon's approximately 300,000 residential Internet customers connect to the Web illegally, according to estimates from legal and illegal Internet service providers (ISPs). The Telecommunications Ministry takes steps to fight piracy, but the easiest way to eliminate the Internet black market might be for the ministry to purchase more bandwidth abroad and make it available here, experts told The Daily Star this week.

High-speed DSL Internet service, scheduled to hit the market next March, could put the pirates out of business, or all sides could agree to allow pirate providers to enter the DSL business legitimately, experts said.

Estimates of the number of illegal residential connections vary, but Carole Hage, sales manager at Terranet, said a figure of about 100,000 was the industry's best guess. Pirate providers usually purchase their bandwidth legally - using a satellite to buy download bandwidth from abroad - but violate the law when they distribute the Internet by cable into people's homes.

Licensed ISPs said pirates had the advantage of being able to offer Internet access 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with no dial-up and no cap on downloads.

"Cable is the best," said an illegal provider from Kaslik.

Patrick Farajian, chairman and CEO of ISP Sodetel, said he was losing business to pirate ISPs because he faces higher costs for doing business legally, such as fulfilling public-information requirements and paying income taxes.

"We are at a competitive disadvantage," he said. "It's a very big issue."

The ministry is fighting the problem by reducing telephone costs for dial-up users and preparing the DSL rollout, Farajian told The Daily Star. In September, the ministry lowered monthly fees for connecting to the Internet. Users now pay LL750 ($.50 ) per hour if they connect for one hour to 15 hours per month, or LL500 per hour if they connect for 16 hours to 300 hours. Users had paid a flat fee of LL19,000 for connecting one hour to 25 hours per month or LL38,000 for 26 hours to 55 hours per month, he said.
»www.dailystar.com.lb

Lower prices - which should accompany the DSL rollout - make using an illegal connection less attractive for users, he said.

"The incentive for what they are doing will decline ... The best way to fight is policy."

Until now, however, the ministry has tried but failed to reduce the number of pirates, said Terranet's Hage.

"The ministry is trying hard, [but] it has not done its job," she said. The ministry did not respond to several interview requests from The Daily Star.

ISPs want the ministry to make more bandwidth available, Hage said. More bandwidth could also push prices down for end-users and cut into the pirates' business.

"Why should we fight them if we don't have enough bandwidth?" she asked. "All ISPs have this problem. The answer to all this is more bandwidth."

Hage said she does not know why the ministry is not buying more bandwidth abroad.

High-speed DSL service would make much more bandwidth available to Lebanese Internet users - and it also could kill the pirates' business, legal and illegal ISPs agreed.

"I will lose all my customers to Cyberia or Terranet," said an illegal provider from Beirut.

Still, two pirate providers told The Daily Star they want to do business legitimately, if only the ministry would make bandwidth available to them and let them compete in the market.

Hage said she is willing to work with today's pirates, and expressed admiration for the number of users the pirates had connected to the Internet, adding: "I don't blame these people ... They saw an opportunity and they took advantage

illegal cable's function is easy, the guy gets it from the isp, the isp gets it from another country, and the isp puts a speed limit for each customer though a cable connected from his machines to ur PC, and u sharing the bandwidth 2!

cllb
@satnet.net

cllb

Anon

In Ecuador...

We have the worst broadband in latin america
It has been available since 10 years ago, but a serious lack of competition and government interest (in the purchase of bandwidth in a submarine cable), has the prices of the cheapest residential broadband in 39.90+taxes (12% taxes) for 200 Kbps down/150 up. This same plan cost 49.90 in other cities here, including mine

See »www.satnet.net/frame.php ··· s/cm.php
(page in spanish but the prices r there clearly shown)

At least there is private competition (like 10 isp's) but the country don't have it's own fiber link to the underwater cables that pass near our coast. So all prices r high cause we have to link with an ISP in a neigboring country....

delt4
Congrats BUCCOS
Premium Member
join:2000-07-13
Pittsburgh, PA

delt4

Premium Member

Interesting.

So I guess Mr. Relative of the country's President gets the fastest speed for free?
The Gizmo
join:2002-03-12
Pearland, TX

The Gizmo

Member

Upload stinks...

But the download speed isn't a bad deal. I can only get 128k internet for about 90 a month in the USA, without any other choices. And I don't live out in the boonies either.
short09
join:2006-07-21

short09

Member

imagine tryin to upload porn

lmao.....a single porn would take forever

guyfromleb
@visp.net.lb

guyfromleb

Anon

Re: imagine tryin to upload porn

I have to disable all upload sharing in p2p.
I hate doing that but when you have 256x32 kbits please allow me to keep my meager upload bandwidth for the bare necessities.

A guy from lebanon.
Raficoo
join:2006-11-14

Raficoo

Member

How dial-up, fake cable, work and how DSL wil wrk

everytype of internet connection in lebanon is still in the stone-age,untill March 2007, well dial-up in lebanon, people mostly use a 33.6kbps caz the 56k is a bit pricy, for the account and the monthy phone bills, now more people use it caz the gov made special prices in september, so to let people use the 56k and they're tryin to get rid of fake cable to let people use broadband(may be better than the fake cable), now dial-up works the old fashion way, connection to the phone as how dial-up works, illegal cable works every easily, the reseller gains it from the isp, the isp gets it from the telecom company, the telecom company gets it from outside countries, the connection from the isp from one city to the other is by sattilite dish from 1 city to the other, and the reseller connects one reciever from this shop to his dish, which sents info from his machines to your dish on the roof or somethere, and the cable from your dish goes to your pc and that's how it works, the reseller puts a speed limit to the cable connection from the machine to your pc and that how the fake cable works,

it is said they THIS time, they are 99% sure that DSL will come, the preices will be like 38$ for the set up, 23$ for 128k download, 45$ for 512k, and somthin like 35$ for 256k, these beggining prices are kinda low for lebanon caz the telcom company is sure that MANY people in lebanon will buy it,

So HOPEFULLY LEBANON WILL HAVE A GOOD CONNECTION WHEN REAL HIGH-SPEED CABLE, ADSL,ADSL+2,XDSL,SDSL,T1,T3, come Eventually

IN CENTURIES
bohn
join:2006-05-30
Scarborough, ON

bohn

Member

Tittle

Could never be as bad as AEI internet in canada.

spiaz
@swbell.net

spiaz

Anon

Re: Tittle

Dude, Lebanon is 1/4th Christian. The president is even Christian. If anything, you should be talking about the South of Lebanon. That is where Hezbollah is located. And even there, some Christians who oppose them live closeby. The Sunnis in Lebanon are more open minded and oppose Hezbollah. If anything Israel wanted an excuse to attack Lebanon and take out Hezbollah. LEBANON DID NOT ATTACK ISRAEL. Hezbollah attacked Israel. There is a HUGE difference. Now Israel attacked Lebanon. So who did more damage? Israel. Who killed more innocent people? Israel. Who failed at disarming Hezbollah and threw away 20 years of rebuilding within a month while doing so? Israel. I oppose Hezbollah and Israel within this recent war. I don't think it's smart to side with either. No side actually cares about Lebanon. Both want their own interests.

Now about people trashtalking Lebanon. 1/4, and I'm not exaggerating when I say this, of Lebanese people are doctors. So many, that they have to travel outside of the country to France, America, Australia, and other countries just to find work. Every Lebanese person knows at least 3 languages. This applies even to most of the South of Lebanon. My relatives know French, English, Lebanese Arabic, General Arabic (very different), and Egyptian. This isn't something odd either. They speak english more than I do and study their classes in English. They take college-level courses in highschool and come to college more ready than most Americans could be. They dress up in designer clothes and like to brag about the new style and won't buy it unless it's pretty expensive. In fact, clothes there cost double the price of here. Lebanese people are like Greeks in that they like to brag. This is to the degree where some will starve themselves to get a new Mercedes. The night life in Lebanon is compared to the night life in Miami and Cali. This isn't just made up stuff, ask anyone who's been to Beirut, including Anthony Bourdain host of No Reservations on the travel channel , or 50 cent who was there last summer before the attacks. Lebanon was a hotspot for tourists before their civil war. Afterwords, when they finally finished rebuilding and when we had hopes of Lebanon coming back to it's glory, this war happened. The only reason they don't have dsl is the political situation. The phone bills in Lebanon are outrageous but they still manage to have better phones than the average American. Lebanon's going to catch up soon.
Raficoo
join:2006-11-14

Raficoo

Member

Re: Tittle

hmmm. ok. i just thought it that way because u were saying it speceficutly Generaly, o well, no worry ; ,

still wonder if Lebanon will have DSL in jan or march or the year 5554003 , i heard of 1 isp in Lebanon who are called Fastnetonline and they provide speeds up to 4MBPS(MB))))), and u can download at speeds of 200KB KB KB /SSSS, but the prob is they are only availble at high lands of lebanon and not low(as Saida).