Take Sleep and Mark ...C & W

[webb]

As we approach Deregulation in Jamaica, let's take a look at what our Caribbean neighbours that are further ahead on this path have been experiencing with the big, bad wolf - http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/efg/regional1.html

This article details C & W's dirty parlor tricks in St. Lucia which are frustrating implementation of competition on the island. >:(

Everyone here thinks that come March 1st. 2003, the flowers will start blooming and the birds signing and all will be well with the world as "Deregulation" dawns. This article sounds a word of caution. If we aren't careful we'll end up like St. Lucia.. Or worse!! Deregulated in name but not in reality. The Jamaican government and the OUR are far too chummy with C & W for us to be confident in a NEW telecoms regime come March 1st.

Unless we force the issue it'll be different day same song.

[Chris]

Hmm... I suspected the grand possibilities come March 1st were too good to go thru smoothly :-[. It's left to be seen if in Jamaica's situation it will be a case of "deregulated in name only" ??? I also wonder what effect a possible Govt. change on Oct 16th will have for the March 1st, 2003 C&W monopoly deadline :-X

[Collin]

In fairness the article in referrence speaks to "newly deregulated" St Lucia... the issues mentioned there have been settled in Jamaica already.... both Centennial and Digicel are up and running!!

Jamaica is the pioneer in this area thus... we are ahead of the rest of the region on this matter or in the least ahead of St. Lucia.

In light of every things else I do not forsee any "major" issues with settlement rates for any new comers in the industry .. remember that prior to Digicel's launch in april 01 there was a bit of noise over that (pretty much what is happening in St. Lucia now).

Change of Govt. is not going to have any impact on the scheduled monoploy end!! the gate has been "fly-ed" too long now!!

[sandor]

C&WJ offering in-room Internet service to hotels

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/html/20021120T190000-0500_35478_OBS_C_WJ_OFFERING_IN_ROOM_INTERNET_SERV ICE_TO_HOTELS.asp

[jdl1975]

As far as I am concerned that in-room-internet service is trouble waiting to happen. I think they are moving a little ahead of themselves on that one.

[Collin]

As far as I am concerned that in-room-internet service is trouble waiting to happen. I think they are moving a little ahead of themselves on that one.


I am interested in knwoing why you think that this matter is "trouble waiting to happen" and why "they are moving ahead of themselves".

Personally I think that such facilities such have been widely available a long time ago!!

Have you ever been to one of these hotels and needed to check your mail urgently? how do you cope?

[jdl1975]

Please don't get me wrong I think it is a fabulous idea and I have seen it before elsewhere. I use my laptop.
My ,ajor concern is the price. $5 US per hour. wow. :o

[Collin]

Now if its a price issue you are referring to them thats a totally different matter...

Bearing in mind that CWJ style is to TAX the market as much as possible to increase revenue until there are viable alternatives that will undercut their prices signaficantly ;D

Remember the early days of cell phone..... you paying to receive a call whislt the person calling you is also paying to call you ? eh? ;D

[jdl1975]

I know it is terrible. Do you think the deregulation is going to open alot of doors for other hosting companies like mine in JA. I am in Florida now and I am wondering if it is worth me taking atrip down to JA to check out the possibilities.

What do you think? ???

Here in Canada, us mobile folks, pay to recieve a call. Lucky landline people, unlimited all the time, except long distance of course.

So whend did C&W change over the system, to allow mobile customers to accept calls for free?

[Collin]

I know it is terrible. Do you think the deregulation is going to open alot of doors for other hosting companies like mine in JA. I am in Florida now and I am wondering if it is worth me taking atrip down to JA to check out the possibilities.

What do you think? ???


Would you beleive it that many people in Jamaica actually host their sites out of Jamaica?

The US and Canada has comapnies that providing hosting to local business a whole lot of them too.

[Collin]

Here in Canada, us mobile folks, pay to recieve a call. Lucky landline people, unlimited all the time, except long distance of course.

So whend did C&W change over the system, to allow mobile customers to accept calls for free?


That happened a few years back... probably around 97/98 or somewhere close to there. They actually changed a while before the deregulation stuff got started.

[jdl1975]

Isn't it expensive hosting out of JA? What are the bandwidth charges like? :o

[Collin]

It is cheaper in some instances... ;D

It all depends on what each person/company needs are.

I just checked your site and I have seen lower rates been offered by various comapnies..

[jdl1975]

Keep in mind that the prices you see on the front page of the site include a web site. Our smallest package includes a 3 page site, hosting, domain name, for $20 per month. Is that competetive there? ??? ;D

[Collin]

Sure it sounds great.. but let me not be definitive on the issue at this time since I have not checked around in a bit, ;) but the difference you will come across involves storage space, extensions available, bandwith, # of emails etc. Each provider will package there offerings differently.

[Chris]

Please don't get me wrong I think it is a fabulous idea and I have seen it before elsewhere. I use my laptop.
My ,ajor concern is the price. $5 US per hour. wow. :o


I must also admit that when I read their expected rates I was shocked.

I knew Hilton was putting in a wireless system using another company, not C&W. I guess the deal with the other company fell apart.

I for one actually think the deregulation will go smoothly in Jamaica, it's not like anything is really new, Digicel and Centennial have been around for a while, only new addition is Gotel, and I don't think they will be having any problems..I hope. I think Jamaica will actually benefit, and not just be put down on paper as "deregulated", but actually have been deregulated.

[sandor]

regarding the issue of hosting, i have always encountered expensive hosting options in jamaica .. hence my sites have always been hosted overseas ... www.readyhosting.com ($99 p/a) and www.myhosting.com ($10 p/m) have been the main two spots that i have used.

i've even used a company all the way over in australia - www.webstrikesolutions.com - that has a cool $30 p/a package (catch is that it goes up after the first year ... but big deal, you can switch to someone else at that point)

[sandor]

http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20021127/cleisure/cleisure2.html

more bout the whole CWJ / telephone / internet cost business

[Collin]

LONG DISTANCE CALL!!

I tried calling GoTel's customer service number 699-9999 as is and got from CWJ.... you have dialed a number to which long distance charges apply please redial using the digit 1 .....

So guess what ? even in Kingston itself you have LONG DISTANCE !!! ;D

well that's a rip off...so what about gotel? what would the charge?

[Collin]

The thing is no one knows what the actual charge from CWJ network to GoTel's network will be yet... CWJ is not releasing that info as yet !


But from Gotel to CWJ the rate would be 50c full 40c reduced and 30c weekend

Gotel's rates are actually pretty reasonable..it's not even considered long distance is it? its inter parish? (if you are in the same parish right?)..unlike C&W..collin said if you are in Kingston and calling a gotel number in kingston, they said it's long distance.

[Collin]

Gotel's rates are actually pretty reasonable..it's not even considered long distance is it? its inter parish? (if you are in the same parish right?)..


Intra-parish is within the same parish

Inter-parish is from one parish to the other.

Wow, my bad.