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Hi-Tek Peru
Your technology connection in Lima
Internet access Part II
By F.P. Nagle

Welcome to the first in what will hopefully be a long series of articles on technology in Peru - specifically in Lima. Other areas of the country may be addressed as time and change warrant and as topics may be suggested by “you” - the reader.

Welcome back! Last month we covered two ways to obtain Internet access in Peru (Internet Cafés and Wi-Fi), and we'll continue this month with additional ways to connect.

DIAL-UP Service (semi-free - no contract BUT phone connection charges): There are a few dial-up services that I'm aware of in Lima, and you may also have a list of others as well. To connect using such a service you need a computer, laptop or PDA with a modem and of course a phone line.

Two companies that I know offering this service are El Comercio (local newspaper) and Banco de Crédito Peru (BCP) to bank customers. Both also provide limited e-mail capabilities.

With El Comercio you need to access their site (http://www.ec-red.com) and sign-up to use the service. They provide you with a technical assistance number you can use in Lima as well as one that can be called from the “provinces” outside Lima. The rates for El Comercio - based on Telefónica's “linea clasica” - are Mon-Fri 8:01 AM - 7:59 PM and Sat 8:01 AM - 3:59 PM S/.0.093 per-minute. All other times and Holidays the rate is S/.0.056 per-minute. (Detailed information, in Spanish, is available on their web site).

For BCP, you first need to be a bank customer, and once an account is opened you can request Internet access. They will ask you for a name to be used for your email account and in a matter of minutes you should have a CD-Rom containing their software and a printed sheet with your specific Internet account information.

BCP has the same “charges” as El Comercio - which are the telephone line rates.

Advantages: No legal or long term contracts necessary for service. Pay only for what you use. Accessible throughout Peru. Not limited to one phone line, one location.

Disadvantages: Need initial Internet access to sign-up. Limited access speed (fastest you can expect is 56Kb a minute). For use other than e-mail can become costly to use based on a per-minute charge. Poor phone lines can cause dropped calls and interruptions in service. The phone line cannot be used for calls while you are connected to the Internet.

DIAL-UP Service (pay for service): The major provider of this service in Peru is Telefónica (Terra Plus). Terra has two types of dial-up service - “Terra Plus Anual” (yearly) and “Terra Plus Mensual” (monthly). A yearly contract costs US$90 and is payable in advance. The monthly contract is $10 a month with a $10 fee to initiate service (Afiliación). With this service you have access to the Internet by dialing 140100 and accessing your account. Detailed contract information can be found at http://www.telefonica.com.pe/terra/terraplus.html. Once again this is in Spanish.

Advantages: Accessible throughout Peru. Personalized e-mail account (with expanded on-line storage). Space to create your own web page. Anti-virus services and additional PC utility programs available through Telefónica. Monthly contract. Can be used with a pre-paid phone card (Tarjeta 147) for phone call costs.

Disadvantages: Same as “semi-free”, although phone line costs may be less based on the type of phone service you have installed. (Limited calling, open line, etc.)

DIAL-UP Cell Phone: Service provided by mobile phone providers, not only in Peru, but usually world-wide. In order to use this type of service you need to have the service enabled by your provider. I use TIM (http://www.tim.com.pe - click on Internet Móvil for details on TIMdata or GPRS), and have found it to be useful at times when no other Internet access is available. In reality, your cell phone operates as a phone AND a modem. For the computer/laptop/PDA connection you need one of the following connections: a) a cable or b) infrared or c) Bluetooth. You typically also need to install some type of software on your computer/laptop/PDA to enable the use of your cellular modem. Once installed, the cell phone now looks like another modem/connection to your computer, and data calls can be made just like a normal telephone call. Since there are different ways to use this service, I'll reserve the details for a future column.

Advantages: Accessible wherever you have cellular coverage. Normally no additional “contract” costs for cell phone usage. Truly portable internet access. In some phone models you may be able to “surf the web” and read e-mail directly from your phone.

Disadvantage: Very slow connection speeds - typically 9.6 to 14.4 Kb. This type of service is more for “immediate need” use versus long-term connections. Can become expensive based on your particular contract per-minute costs.

Next month we'll complete this topic by looking at dedicated Internet service from Telefónica and Cable Mágico. Don't forget to post your comments or questions on the Hi-Tek forum.

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