India broadband

Good internet connection is still considered a luxury in India. The Indian government wants to change the perception. Last year, in April, the government of India announced that all Indian citizens will enjoy free broadband service by 2009. The Indian government’s offer comes from its confidence in its service providers, Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL broadband) and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL broadband).

The Indian government is set out to offer 2-Mbps broadband internet connectivity to the citizens of India. The government proposes to fund this scheme by using the money generated in the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF). This fund collects 5% revenue from all telecom companies operating in the country.

State-transmitted broadband scheme is already available in several municipal areas in the United States. India will need to set up the requisite infrastructure for the success of this ambitious project in the country. The Department of Telecom (DoT) will be building an optical cable network across the country. The internet service providers operating in the country will be required to connect to the National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI).

It will be a great boost to the Indian economic dream if this plan of the Indian government materializes. Let’s hope it does.

8meg speed is precisely the right kind of speed for most users. It is becoming the most favoured option by many, as its features and price are suitable for a vast majority of users. 8MB broadband supports high speed browsing, audio and video streaming, online shopping, VoIP, viewing standard and high-definition TV channels, etc. It is almost 160 times faster than a dial up Internet connection.

In the UK, 8MB super fast broadband was first launched by Bulldog. Now there are many providers offering this speed. AOL, BT, BE, Demon, Eclipse, Sky, Pipex, PlusNet, TalkTalk, Tiscali, Orange are some of them. Even with 8Mb speed, the usage allowance varies. Some of the packages of Eclipse, Pipex and PlusNet allow only 2GB download limit, while some others allow up to 100GB. There are a few other providers that allow unlimited downloads but users have to comply with the fair usage policy.
Though the speed is claimed to be 8MB, the distance between your home and the telephone exchange plays a crucial role in achieving good speed. 8MB broadband is available in major cities and few rural areas alone. There are plans to upgrade about 5300 exchanges in UK; this means that 8MB will soon reach more homes and businesses.

AOL is the world’s leading interactive services provider. AOL (UK) Limited is the division that markets AOL’s products in the UK. Carphone Warehouse bought the ISP division of AOL UK in October 2006. It was voted No.1 for overall customer support in May 2007 by u Switch.com.

The wireless broadband connectivity services of AOL are AOL Broadband Wireless and AOL Broadband Wireless Plus. The latter option comes with optional AOL Talk, which allows either free evenings and weekend talk or unlimited talk. Speeds reach up to 8MB and download limits are 10 and 40 GB correspondingly. Connections are provided on contract for a period of 18 and 24 months and when you order online one month’s services are provided free of cost. No connection fees apply. The package includes a wireless router. A 24 hour online support is provided for all customers.

With the help of the wireless router it is possible to set up a home network and avoid cluttered wires. Up to 6 computers can be connected together and all can access the internet at the same time. AOL Broadband also offers ANYTIME – the dial-up product used to connect to the internet with a download speed of 56kbps. This provides unlimited online time with seven email addresses, anti-virus email scanning, pop-up blocker, spam filters and parental controls too. AOL anytime alone is offered as a one month free trial version.

What has invited rave reviews from consumers for AOL is the fact that they offer a  free phone number for customer service.
Special offers and free stuff are given away from time to time. They also have their own customised browser and provide a great variety of information ranging from news, sports, finance entertainment etc.