Getting online in Bali has always has its challenges, ranging from slow connections to power outages. Things have gotten better though and the range of solutions has increased. Currently I’m using a service with an antenna on my roof, which connects my laptop to the receiver on AJ Hackett’s bungy tower by microwave transmission. The service is good but the prices are a bit high, around $120 every 6 weeks.
Telkom the phone provider has introduced DSL to replace its aging dial-up connection. By all accounts this is fast and cheap. I don’t have a phone line in my house so was excited when someone told me about XL, another modern ISP with a fast connection and low prices. Before going to Singapore I took my laptop down to their office, the 2 story bright and shiny corporate place on the Sunset Rd. The helpful staff told me getting online was easy, with monthly packages of 299,000rp and 499,000rp, for a good speed connection. My only problem was I needed a 3G phone to connect. This last trip to Singapore I bought a nice phone for $550 and returned this afternoon all set to get online and do wonderful things. The hour it took the staff to connect my machine wasn’t really a problem, neither was a request for my credit card and passport. It was when she asked if I had a phone line, that I started to go ‘oh no, here we go again’. Turns out I need a phone line (they told me I did not 2 weeks ago, that’s why I bought the phone) and cannot get online with XL.
So that’s my afternoon’s adventure, a lot of screwing round for nothing. Anyway the staff at XL are sweet and do their best to be helpful. I’m sure their service is good but they could save themselves a ton of time by simply asking the customer what they want and if they have the required components.
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The phone line they ask, because they want to send you a bill to a residential address. Just bring a \’listrik bill\’ or \’Indosat/Indovision Bill\’ with your name/address on it and it should be okay. Or bring the phone bill of your neighbour to prove, but fill in your billing details.
It\’s really sometime a royal pains with those XL guys. Although the signal strength improved over the last 3 weeks, I have now constantly 4-5 bar out of 5 in my area (before 2-3).
so is it possible or not to use this service with just a hand phone / no phone line?
Hey Nick, its like Chris said, its kind a prove for them!!! Its the same if you like to have ASTRO or Indovision.. they always will ask for a “home” phone line as prove your address its not a “fake”!
The staff got my laptop online via my cell phone at the XL center, after a lot of trying. Seems reasonable to think the same could happen back at my house.
If I had a phone line, I’d sign up for Telkom’s DSL. The whole thing is a self defeating exercise.
Nick have you looked at the Centrin Online unlimited wireless internet? I know someone using it through a 3G phone and he is happy with it. Their number is 228228.
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