3 ms·

For a definition of "it" that corresponds to the prices American telecoms feel their monopoly/oligopoly position entitles them to charge, the title is right, th

For a definition of "it" that corresponds to the prices American telecoms feel their monopoly/oligopoly position entitles them to charge, the title is right, the extra bandwidth isn't worth "it." On a recent trip to Sweden, I saw multiples of the bandwidth I'm used to advertised for a fraction of the price. For that definition of "it," I'd pay "it" in a heartbeat.

stapled_socks 7y ago
If you live in an apartment in Sweden it's now often treated as a utility. I have the following things included in my rent: water, (central) heating and 1Gb/1Gb internet. I don't even know which provider it is.
WhoBeI 7y ago
In my case 500/500 fiber @ ~$40-45/month, somewhere around $20-25/month for 100/50 4G and something like $60-65 for 1000/1000 fiber. Semi-rural areas are usually not far behind. With neighborhood deals you can push those prices a bit. Most (major) train lines have fiber buried next to them that is leased by the various telecoms which helped the expansion. [Edit] Looked it up and a rural town in the southern parts where I used to live offers 1000/1000 from 5 different ISP's who are apparently fighting. They've all lowered prices recently, cheapest is at ~$30/month.
- PhantomGremlin 7y ago
  Most (major) train lines have fiber buried next to them that is leased by the various telecoms which helped the expansion. Yes indeed. Most people don't know that. Here's a little piece of related trivia: Long before wireless was a thing, people wanted to bypass the AT&T long distance voice telecom monopoly. Actually, long before voice communications were a thing, people wanted to send telegrams. Hmmm ... as you note, there are train lines all over. Perfect for right of way to run telegraph wires, and eventually to run long distance fiber. A relatively modern name arising from that: Southern Pacific Railroad Internal Network Telecommunications Sprint for short. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprint_Corporation#Southern_Pacific_Communications_and_introduction_of_Sprint https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprint_Corporation#Southern_Pa...

stapled_socks 7y ago

If you live in an apartment in Sweden it's now often treated as a utility. I have the following things included in my rent: water, (central) heating and 1Gb/1Gb internet. I don't even know which provider it is.

WhoBeI 7y ago

In my case 500/500 fiber @ ~$40-45/month, somewhere around $20-25/month for 100/50 4G and something like $60-65 for 1000/1000 fiber. Semi-rural areas are usually not far behind. With neighborhood deals you can push those prices a bit. Most (major) train lines have fiber buried next to them that is leased by the various telecoms which helped the expansion. [Edit] Looked it up and a rural town in the southern parts where I used to live offers 1000/1000 from 5 different ISP's who are apparently fighting. They've all lowered prices recently, cheapest is at ~$30/month.

PhantomGremlin 7y ago
Most (major) train lines have fiber buried next to them that is leased by the various telecoms which helped the expansion. Yes indeed. Most people don't know that. Here's a little piece of related trivia: Long before wireless was a thing, people wanted to bypass the AT&T long distance voice telecom monopoly. Actually, long before voice communications were a thing, people wanted to send telegrams. Hmmm ... as you note, there are train lines all over. Perfect for right of way to run telegraph wires, and eventually to run long distance fiber. A relatively modern name arising from that: Southern Pacific Railroad Internal Network Telecommunications Sprint for short. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprint_Corporation#Southern_Pacific_Communications_and_introduction_of_Sprint https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprint_Corporation#Southern_Pa...