Speeding it up?

[Torsten]

The first time I went online was shortly before Christmas in 1995 -- which was almost 13 years ago! I bought a Vobis computer that had a Pentium75 processor and 4MB RAM. It ran on Windows95 and when I wanted to go online I had to open a dial-up connection through 14.4kbit/s modem by US Robotics. Back then your Internet connection speed often was measured in bauds rather than kilobits per second. So, my 14.4 Modem could operate on a maximum speed of 2400 bauds.

A couple of months later a friend of mine gave me his 28.8kbit/s modem because he had just purchased a 56kbit/s modem. 56 kilobits per second was an incredible speed back in the old days -- after all it was more than twice the speed at which most Internet users in Germany (and probably in many other countries) would surf. And then there came the 'revolution' in the form of ISDN. This was 'state of the art technology' -- a digital phone line that allowed you to connect to the Internet at the amazing rate of 64kbit/s! Some companies could even afford to use the 'broadband' version of ISDN which offered data transmission rates of up to 128kbit/s.

When ISDN was introduced that I thought that this was probably the standard that would stay for decades. Little did I know about DSL and other broadband connections that were just around the corner.

And where are we today in terms of Internet connection speeds? Well, right now I'm using a mobile connection which doesn't require any physical cables. The current speed of my UMTS connection is more than 2700kbit/s. You might want to test the speed of your connection by using this KabelDeutschland Speed Test.

Just scroll down the page and click on 'Test starten'.

Let's see who's got the fasted connection ;-).
Thanks,
Torsten
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[SkiIucK]

The old days remind me of colossal telephone bills. :(

4355 kbit/s.

[Alan]

Hi Torsten,

Download 1974 Upload 190

How does that rate?

Alan
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[Torsten]

Hi Alan,

1974 kbit/s is quite good for a download connection. This basically means that you can download a one MB file within a minute. For example, if you want to watch a YouTube movie or listen to a song, your connection is fast enough to 'stream' the file so you can enjoy it without any delay or interruption.

By the way, how much do you pay for your Internet connection? We might compare prices and you can negotiate a better rate.
Let me know what you think.
Thanks,
Torsten
PS: The connection in our office is more than 9000kbit/s down and about 1000kbit/s up.
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[Alan]

Hi Torsten,

At current rates it would be just above 11 Euros a month.

Alan
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[Torsten]

Does this fee include your phone connection or is just for your broadband Internet?
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[Alan]

Hi,

Just the broadband connection.

A
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[Coconut2004]

Hi Mr Torsten,

Download 573 Upload 98

[Torsten]

Hi Coconut,

Many thanks for sharing your details with us. Can you please tell me what kind of Internet connection you use (DSL, TV cable, satellite, other?)
Regards,
Torsten
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[Coconut2004]

Hi Mr Toresten,

I used DSL.

Regards,
Coconut.

[NinaZara]

Mine is 3249kbit/s down and 392kbit/s up (Broadband with optical fiber). Roughly 7000yen (71 US dollar) per month. Sounds expensive but I think it's normal here.

[Torsten]

Hi Nina,

So you use an optical fiber connection. I thought everyone in Japan is on a mobile connection ;-). Seriously though, I've read that Japan is amongst the nations with the highest mobile phone/Internet penetration. Is that true? I mean, how many people in Japan use mobile Internet devices such as an iPhone, a Blackberry or a netbook?
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[NinaZara]

Hi Torsten,

I think everyone here is connected to the Internet through their mobile phones, so yes, that's true. I don't know how many people use iPhone or Blackberry. I don't think they are that popular here (except among people in Tokyo maybe).

Plus, the sole provider of iPhone in Japan is Softbank (previously known as Vodafone) so if I were a DoCoMo user (another mobile phone company) and I wanted to switch to iPhone, I need to quit DoCoMo and subscribe to Softbank.

[Torsten]

Hi Nina,

So what about so called 'G3 mobile connections' in Japan? For example, how popular is it to surf the web using a laptop/notebook and a UMTS connection?
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[NinaZara]

Well, most mobile phone companies here offer 3G phones, it is quite common here but the one I'm using only allows me to roam within Japan. And there is also wi-fi Hotspots available at fast food restaurants and cafes for people who surf the web with their laptops. In Japan I think it's only popular among certain people with jobs that need them to move around a lot.