On Sun, 2004-06-13 at 12:09, Kathy Quinlan wrote: > If all you want to do is check your email and chat on IM, but are not > worried about downloading large files, you may be better of using the > QRPS network through a mobile phone and laptop. QRPS is not time charged > (last time I looked) but is charged per KB so doing low volume stuff > maybe cheaper.
If you mean GPRS, then it is indeed charged per kilobyte. http://www.telstra.com.au/mobile/networks/info/gprs.htm Kilobyte, not megabyte, some 2.2c/KB in fact. That comes out to about $22.53/MB or around $23,000/GB. There are fixed monthly usage plans that can take that down as "low" as 0.8c/MB ($85 for 10MB). Maybe other providers have saner pricing. Despite being apalled by those prices, I'm still considering getting GPRS service for my new work phone, which is with Telstra (I have no choice). After all, IM and email won't be _too_ bad (10 - 15c/message for email if I'm careful, and I use IMAP so I can be selective), and the main purpose would be to have ssh access to work's servers anyway. Prices like those offend me, but ... the service is mighty attractive, and I guess "what the market will bear" is the order of the day. > I have not looked to see if there is any download limit on the WIFI > system Depends on what you're using. WiFi is just the technology used to connect, and unlike GPRS you're not "connected" to only one provider. You can use a friend's WiFi network when you're at their place, then pop off to a paid hotspot at a cafe, then a different one from a different provider, etc. If you mean Telstra's WiFi hotspot service, it looks like it's just time charged. Probably because billing for usage would be quite tricky in that sort of environment. > as a 54Mbit link could down load 13.5Gb in two hours Indeed. Of course, that'd require the service provider to have a 54Mbit link upstream, which is very unlikely. I wouldn't be surprised if some had 512k or 1.5MBit ADSL. Also, as you point out, 802.11G doesn't actually perform at 54Mbit. Craig Ringer
