Some living costs cheap -others off the planet

[parispete]

Since my first European trip back in '68, coming back to live here has been a cherished dream - now a reality. But an equal reality are some costing mysteries that defy explanation.
Would you, for example, pay ten dollars for a Big Mac? Probably not, and you'd be right, when $2.50 is the going rate.
So how come Spanish Internet costs so much? In Australia you can get broadband DSL on an existing landline for around AUD15 a month, yet from Telefonica its AUD42. You can find cheaper (I tried Orange), but nothing worked, they didn't answer phones, and anyway nobody spoke any Gringo.
Cut to the banks.
You might be impressed by large returns for overseas funds brought into Spanish banks, but wait - there are the steak-knives as well - and all six in your back. I refer, should you not have discovered for yourself, to the 'charges' Spanish banks can suddenly dream up.
I was unaware of this until my Brit mate who owns a bar in Torremolinos, went through his bank statements with me. My jaw dropped so fast, it left a mark - on his floor. A quick comparison showed close to a FOURFOLD increase in bank charges compared to any of the three banks I use in Sydney.
How many good folk know about either of these two items?

[chris(madrid)]

Well - I get free banking here so I'm a bit surprised. Your Brit mate needs to have a LONG chat with his bank - and look elsewhere.

DSL - yup I hear you. But on the whole I seem to have less hassles with my DSL that friends in the UK have with theirs. But live here - speak Spanish - don't blame Orange for that.

[Stravinsky]

I get almost free banking also with SOL Bank
ADSL and phone is around €70 a month, but of course call costs can be reduced / eliminated with SKYPE and such like

[parispete]

Thanks for the comments. Actually my Spanish is okay, but being close to Torremolinos, the general opinion around here is that it's the old 'honey pot' sindrome, with foreigners being generally got at to a greater degree perhaps than elsewhere.
But, Spain? Love it to bits.
On the DSL issue, a mate claims to have a small indoor antenna that once purchased, then works for nothing. Can such miracles exist??

[chris(madrid)]

€70 is HIGH strav - a lot of foreign calls?

DSL antennae. THIS could happen IF the ayuntamiento has provided free urban meshing - ar a neighbour has an unprotected WiFi router.

But basically it's a shared WiFi circuit. We're doing it in the town I work in with a grant - I'm dreading it. I believe it'll work at max 70% and coverage will be flaky at best - even the company doing the work says 30% of the town lives in shadow areas - Canyons (Real or Urban) reflected signals - no line of sight. These all bugger Wifi.

[rjnpenang]

For ADSL have a look at Ya.com, they are rolling out a service for 40 Euros a month, 20gb, free landline calls in Spain, cheap calls overseas, line rental included (so no more bills from Telefonica). and there is somebody in customer relations called Javier who speaks perfect English.

[chris(madrid)]

Originally Posted by rjnpenang

For ADSL have a look at Ya.com, they are rolling out a service for 40 Euros a month, 20gb, free landline calls in Spain, cheap calls overseas, line rental included (so no more bills from Telefonica). and there is somebody in customer relations called Javier who speaks perfect English.

READ THIS though Yacom
remember that they USE Telefonicas lines - the bits about support etc are WORTH digesting! ASK for confirmation of bandwidth BEFORE signing! Where I work that cant even deliver 3Mb/s The important word is HASTA - UPTO.

En caso de incidencia técnica durante los 3 primeros meses, tienes a tu disposición un número 900 de asistencia telefónica.

And after?

[rjnpenang]

I Agree Chris, I asked Javier in customer relations about the 20gb & he admitted its normaly about 14gb.,even that I am doubtful about, however the attraction for me is having only one bill, at the moment I have 2, one from Telefonica & one from Ya, so I´m paying 2 lots of IVA.
I believe from a friend that Ya is putting new cables into the exchanges and that would explain why they are rolling it out slowly, hopefully it may also increase the speed. Regards Rob

[chris(madrid)]

Originally Posted by rjnpenang

I believe from a friend that Ya is putting new cables into the exchanges and that would explain why they are rolling it out slowly, hopefully it may also increase the speed. Regards Rob

The issue ALWAYS is - how far you are from the exchange as the wire lays (as opposed to how the crow flies).

If you're in a BIG urban sprawl then you can get faster bandwidths. If (like me) you're living with Bears, Wolves and savage man eating rabbits then you take what you can get.

There are an increasing number of private DARKFIBRE backbones getting used too - but not all is as rosy as it seems. I've a cousin in UK with his own Telco, he has one that runs Stockholm->Morocco. Sadly not via Madrid <sniff>

Sometimes the routing on these circuits is VERY dodgy. Had one applied to the town hall that was taking Spain->Spain enquiries/pings etc via UK and New-Dehli routers/servers - was VERY sluggish.

[Stravinsky]

Originally Posted by chris(madrid)

READ THIS though Yacom
remember that they USE Telefonicas lines - the bits about support etc are WORTH digesting! ASK for confirmation of bandwidth BEFORE signing! Where I work that cant even deliver 3Mb/s The important word is HASTA - UPTO.

And after?

Just a note of caution about Ya.com ... I have heard several people say that they have been promised speedier connections by Ya to tempt them away from TF, but when it actually came down to it they were unable to deliver

They tried to tempt me away, I am on rural adsl, and it became clear after a while, speaking to various poeple that they were unable to deliver what they were claiming they could do ........ they harrassed me to death for days with telephone calls.

So, if you are in rural areas check it out very carefully