Broadband in Dubai? Any better now? Options?

[sunnfun]

Originally Posted by hanzo

Ah...it never even occurred to me that it was using PPP for authentication...

I am curious if it improves any with the higher value..if it does, but you still experience occasional stalls, you might try running a low bandwidth (something) in the background to "keep alive" with fresh responses. Maybe like a simple script that pings a random address once every minute..

Keep us posted.

Unfortunately it did not help... Also setting the MTU to different values did not change things, it just disconnects after 15 minutes and re-dials in. I can't keep it alive either since the modem physically loses connection with the network. It appears that the unit/sim card/firmware is defective. I have now spent a fortune on Dubai Taxi and been to 4 different etisalat locations and just don't have the time to deal with this right now... I was just getting the runaround and these people at 101 and at etisalat are beyond incompetent. I asked one of the CSR's at the etisalat building for a replacement unit and he told me that "nowhere in the world you just get a unit replaced without having it checked out first". Yeah, right...

Anyhow, I'm just living with the fact that I can't be online for than 15 minutes for now and hope that I can move in my appartment soon....

Thanks everybody for the kind advice!

Jens

[fangpyre]

Originally Posted by sunnfun

and these people at 101 and at etisalat are beyond incompetent.

LOL.
I don't mean this in a bad way (but I can't think of a good way to put it)
Get used to it, and welcome to Dubai.
You will have to get used to this sub-standard level of service.
Its hard enough coming anywhere, but from the US its really hard.
We expect a level of service that isn't offered anywhere else in the world.

Originally Posted by sunnfun

and he told me that "nowhere in the world you just get a unit replaced without having it checked out first". Yeah, right...

That is partially true.
Most companies, at least here, require checking the device.
Have they offered a solution?
Will they see it?

Have you considered connecting via your mobile phone?
What phone do you carry?

[sunnfun]

Originally Posted by fangpyre

LOL.
I don't mean this in a bad way (but I can't think of a good way to put it)
Get used to it, and welcome to Dubai.

Thanks...

You will have to get used to this sub-standard level of service.
Its hard enough coming anywhere, but from the US its really hard.
We expect a level of service that isn't offered anywhere else in the world.

I have been to quite a lot of countries but this has taken the cake so far.

That is partially true.
Most companies, at least here, require checking the device.

I'm used to having a replacement unit fedexed to me and I send the defective unit back.

Have they offered a solution?
Will they see it?

No and no. I have been to four different locations now and every time I have been told that they can't do anything about it and I have to go to someone else. I now have just literally run out of time. I just cannot leave work anymore. Oh, and nobody has so far actually looked at the modem or tried to diagnose it.

Have you considered connecting via your mobile phone?
What phone do you carry?

I have an iPhone and the sim card works fine in it. Of course it's only using GPRS/EDGE and not UMTS in it. A coworker of mine has the 3.5G USB Modem and is experiencing the same issues as me. So I do think it's a bigger problem they're having...

But if they don't want to trouble shoot it...

Again, thanks a bunch for your help!

Ciao,
Jens

[sunnfun]

Just one more thing to add:

At the same time, I was waiting for AT&T to show up and install U-Verse internet service. They did, and it was impressive.

They told me the tech would be at my house any time from noon to 2pm on a Sunday. The tech showed up at noon on the dot.

It took him about an hour to set up the service. When he left, he gave me a card with his direct cell phone number. If I had any problem in the next ten days, I called him directly and he would come fix it.

An hour after he left, the service went out. I called him, and he was back at my house within 30 minutes. It turns out there was something wrong with the line from the street to my house, and he had to get another tech out to fix it. That guy showed up, fixed the problem, and was on his way. The two of them were at my place until 8pm on a Sunday until the job was done right.

I've been using the service for almost a week now and it's great.

Great job, AT&T, you actually care about the people paying your salaries.

And 6Mb/512Kb is DH160 a month...

If AT&T, which used to be synonymous with despising their customer, can come this far, then there is hope for etisalat! When is this fibre optic network coming?

Ciao,
Jens

[Xemnarth]

FTTH infrastructure is underway. Expect the service in the major cities (e.g. Abu Dhabi, Dubai) by the end of this year. When FTTH is publically available for home users, we will get speeds up to 60Mbps and might even reach 100Mbps depending on the market demand. Finally the day has come lets just keep our finger crossed and hope that they will charge affordable prices.

[sunnfun]

Originally Posted by Xemnarth

FTTH infrastructure is underway. Expect the service in the major cities (e.g. Abu Dhabi, Dubai) by the end of this year. When FTTH is publically available for home users, we will get speeds up to 60Mbps and might even reach 100Mbps depending on the market demand. Finally the day has come lets just keep our finger crossed and hope that they will charge affordable prices.

I just hope it does not mean that we get 60 Mbs to etisalats proxy and only ISDN speeds beyond like it is now with ADSL.