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Thread ID: 57691 2005-05-10 00:12:00 Phones without Telecom ecurb (3669) PC World Chat
Post ID Timestamp Content User
353788 2005-05-10 00:12:00 I'm just building a new house and Telecom originally told me it would cost $300 to connect. Then this changed to about $1000. Latest is a definite quote of $2500. This is my "less than third" share to put a cable in for 500m from the nearest pillar box! All this and they can't guarantee the broadbard service!

Question - Is there an alternative? I'm 30 mins north of Dunedin so no wireless systems that I know of. Satellite dish? I need phones and of course access to the internet. Can it all be be done by mobile at a reasonable cost?
ecurb (3669)
353789 2005-05-10 01:25:00 It cannot be done at "reasonable cost" unfortunately.

A terrestrial satellite link would likely be around $10k to install, and the monthly data costs would be very high compared to a phone line.

Mobile data costs are incredibly high, starting at $10 per megabyte and reducing depending on the plan. Even $1 per megabyte would see a huge monthly bill if you need internet access.

While the $2,500 is indeed a pain, it still makes the alternatives cheap. It probably includes the "share" of resources needed in the network and exchanges as well, so its not just the cable cost.
godfather (25)
353790 2005-05-10 03:18:00 Well, you can always try X-Terrestrial satelite broadband powered by Ipstar... Iconz offers that for $99 per mth for 1gb, or $120 for 5gb... 256kbps

The latency is quite good (according to a friend), so you'll be able to use skype (with skypeout), so you can call local NZ for ~$0.03/min for calls, PLUS you'll have broadband.

Problem is, it will cost $2000+ for installation charges. Yeah, so it's not really practical for now, but if it costs something like $5000 for a telecom line, then it'll be quite worth considering that...
jesseycy (1046)
353791 2005-05-10 03:28:00 Once upon a time you would have been allowed to run the wires yourslef. I have (somewhere) a Post & Telegraph Guide from the 1930s which has instructions for building and overhead telephone line, using galvanised steel wire (with "Britannia" soldered joints). I think this was meant for farmers.

More recently when the P&T was a public service (remember those things?) , there would have been no charge. The idea was that there was a social aspect, and the few expensive installations were outweighed by the vast majority of cheap ones.
Graham L (2)
353792 2005-05-10 04:34:00 My old man is currently putting phone and electrical cable in his subdivision. Telecom are charging about $12k for the cable and connection and that's with him putting it all in on his own. The cable needs to run about 1km down a private lane. The electricity is even worse, about $40k plus $7k for a transformer....that is on backorder for three months!! Plus he has to pay for a pole and street light for this little driveway and there isn't even one on the main road!!!

It's rude, these infrastructure companies charge you to supply services to a property when they are the ones getting the revenue from the connection.

Unfortunately though, they've got you by the short and curly's.
Sb0h (3744)
1