i-Cable Tops TechBuddha ISP Ranking
Our search for a broadband access provider has ended. Cheap and functional i-Cable (ICAB US) is in our good books.
Our findings, based on an informal survey of five broadband options, identify i-Cable as the “good enough” option for Hong Kong surfers.
The Good Enough Option: Convenience Pays off for i-Cable
i-Cable has hit upon a formula that seems to work. It may not provide the fastest access, but it will be the quickest to install your service, is the cheapest in the market (dial-up providers included), and has the least complicated setup of any broadband alternative. As the service personnel would say, “even your grandmother could get it to work.”
In a previous article, we identified recipes for success in the ISP business: be quick, be plug ‘n play, and provide unlimited access at a flat rate. i-Cable met these requirements. 1) I-Cable fees come to a flat rate of $35 per month. 2) These guys are pretty quick on the draw: surly though they may be, the technicians installed the cable (installation fee US$ 39) within three days of our first phone call. 3) After installation, all that remained was one quick call to technical support and our Ethernet card (buy your own, US$15) drivers were lined up and ready to surf.
The end product is not mind-blowingly fast, but does give reliable access at between 128 and 256 kbps. This may vary depending on the number of users tapping the cable riser in your building.
But let’s get down to the nitty gritty of Hong Kong’s residential broadband world. In order of worst to best, we have 1) the LMDS operators, 2) the DSL operators, and 3) THE cable operator.
Judging the Contestants
LMDS: stands for “Local Multipoint Distribution System” or “fibre by air.” Think big microwave transponders on rooftops, broiled pigeons dropping from the skies, very little geographical coverage, and reputedly unreliable Internet connections and you have a pretty good picture of this option. Smartone Broadband, HKNet Broadband (part-owned by CCT Telecom), and Hong Kong Broadband (owned by City Telecom) employ this technology, so far not that successfully.
DSL: Sometimes called ADSL for “asymmetric digital subscriber line,” this is the fastest of the three broadband technologies, yielding average access speeds in the neighborhood of 512 kpbs. There are drawbacks on the pricing and customer service side, however. For example, you may have heard that DSL requires only a normal residential phone line. Alas, not always the case, as some residences are in need of upgrades.
This is where the delays come in. Since Hong Kong Tel (aka, PCCW) is in charge of installing all DSL lines, you may have to wait as long as 3 weeks to activate your account. As an added disincentive, there are no unlimited access plans. Most plans, in fact, require you to pay US$ 35 for the first 40 hours, and US$ 0.25/hr subsequently. For heavy users, DSL is comparable in price to dial-up plans, due to the hourly charges incurred.
DSL Providers surveyed were PCCW [008 HK] and Pacific Supernet (a subsidiary of Pacific Internet [PCNTF US]). Both are comparable on pricing, but Pacific Supernet had better customer service/technical support and a “night surfing” package that gives you free surfing from 8pm to 8am. The Verdict? Slow to install, more software intensive than cable, and expensive for heavy users. There are currently about 240,000 DSL subscribers in Hong Kong, most accessing through PCCW.
Cable Providers: It is well-known that, as a “shared medium,” cable has a tendency to slow down when many users are accessing the service simultaneously. For residential users, the biggest bottlenecks occurs somewhere between one’s computer and the nearest optical trunk node, where the main fibre optic trunks split off into neighborhood networks.
On this measure, i-Cable, which has installed a brand new, state-of-the art hybrid fibre coaxial network in 60% of its households, scores high marks for performance. At last count, the service had about 50,000 broadband subscribers. As a point of reference, i-Cable’s pay-TV subscribers numbered 500,000 in December 2000.
Depending on which neighborhood you live in, you may have to wait for your very own cable access. Unlike Singapore, Hong Kong does not legally require the wiring of each and every public housing flat. As a result, i-Cable still hasn’t reached all corners of the island. If, on the other hand, you do have access to cable, our recommendation is to hook it up and surf on!
Courtesy: Erlangshen
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