Reliable Internet Access

I'm going to be visiting the D.R. for the first time this Friday. However, I'll be "retiring" at the end of this year and the D.R. may be my destination.

I require reliable internet services on the order of 8-10 hours per day monday through friday. However in the book Living in Santo Domingo it says that there are frequent power outages. Assuming the house has backup power does the internet go down when the power goes down?

During Hurrican Georges, one of the regular board members was able to stay online without power. He had to be a bit cautious about his online time due to power conservation, but you will have Internet access as long as a phone line does not go down.

I assume Codetel and Tricom are well equipped with generators

Tom

No. The reason why access is not the best is because the providers have taken on more clients than what their systems can handle. But Codetel is now offering ISDN connection (Codetel Flash) and Tricom should follow soon with a similar service. I know of a company that is on 24 hours a day using routers with fast access.

The power situation is much better. You should though have access to a power plant and install an inverter in your home to guarantee you have 24 hour power.

To answer your question... if the house has back up power, the internet will not go down when the power goes down.

Thanks for the info. The last time I asked I was told that full time access was around 400-450 per month.

What does full time ISDN access cost?

Who is the most reliable provider at 56k (or faster)?

What is the phone rate. Here in the US local calls (like the one to the isp) are free.

Can I get good service outside of Santo Domingo (like in Boca Chica)?

If you are planning to live in BC, you may have the best choice. The local TV cable company has said it will offer cable modems by the end of this year. Usually that is a false promise and everyone ignores such claims. But, this company has delivered on everything to date and most people I speak to in BC love their NEW ability to have cable TV. The installation is very good and the realability and service excellent and it's cheap. Let's see...

Rob.

The $400 rate for unlimited Internet use is no longer being offered by Codetel. Codetel now offers $250 charge for those that have signed up to their VIP residential plan that permits unlimited mileage of talking at a RD$400 rate. The ISDN line (Flash) is available for RD$6,000 installation fee, plus RD$5,500 for businesses and RD$1,000 a month for residences. Tricom has similar advantageous residential plans. You can verify all these rates by checking their web sites at www.codetel.net.do and www.tricom.net We are based in Santo Domingo. We use Codetel and the experience is that the 56K connection is good off peak hours, up to 9 am and after 10 pm are the best connection times. Other hours one has to be reconnecting several times a day and it is sometimes difficult to even connect. The ISDN line promises to be an improvement.