Sky Telecom unlimited internet

[Bremholm]

Does anybody have experience with this company. They offer internet without the need of a line, which I have tried to get fo five years. It sounds good on their homepage skytelecom.gr but would be nice to hear from somebody who have tried them.

[Kilkis]

I found a Greek forum discussing it but I found it hard to translate.

As far as I can tell they are using WiFi to provide an internet service but I could be wrong. They set up a WiFI antenna on a hill somewhere and you put a directional WiFI antenna on your roof pointing at the one on the hill. As long as you have good line of sight and not too great a distance it works. The computer shop in my village does a similar thing. He has a mast near Theriso and a large number of OTE ADSL feeds to it. He then splits the available bandwidth between a number of customers who pay him a monthly fee. As far as I can tell Sky Telecom are using a high speed fibre optic to feed their mast so can give higher bandwidth and serve more customers. It allows them to provide an uncapped service. I know they have an antenna serving the Heraklion area but I don't know what they have elsewhere. I don't know anything about them.

Warwick

[steven_0]

Warwick, if you happen to talk to the computer shop, could you ask them how they solved the problem regarding the reselling of vdsl lines ?
I am running into problems getting a wholesale broadband line that allows reselling.
This, in combination with the EETT licence needed, keeps me back from starting officially.

Regarding SKYtelecom.gr I have send them a email to see if they have any coverage on Crete.
When they reply, i will put it here.

Greets
Steve

[Kilkis]

They definitely have coverage near Heraklion. I suspect out in the villages where there is poor landline coverage rather than in the town. One person on the Greek forum that I linked said it was in/near the village of Rodia, which is a bit Northwest of Heraklion. If you look at the bit of the coast that more or less runs North-South just before you get to Heraklion, Rodia is about halfway down it and inland a few km level with Palaiokastro.

Obviously the shop is not open at the moment but if I was able to ask him the question I think it is possible I would get the reply, "What problems?" if you get my meaning. I am not sure that he is buying wholesale. Do you need an EETT licence to connect WiFi to an antenna? It operates in two ISM bands and I thought they were fair game?

I think that some rural areas in the UK with poor landline connection have done a similar thing. They get BT to allow them to put a WiFi router with a small directional antenna on the nearest line of sight telegraph pole that does have decent bandwidth and connect a landline into it. They pay for that broadband service on that landline like any other customer. They then put another directional antenna on their farmhouse and connect it to a WiFi repeater in the house. Obviously it is not quite the same thing as they are not distributing the signal but I don't think they had to get a radio licence for the WiFI link.

I understand the technology aspects of doing this sort of thing quite well but I have never got involved with the regulatory side so the above might be a load of spheroids.

Warwick

[steven_0]

Thanks Warwick,

The EETT licence does not only cover the legal operation of a commercial link but also the rules of isp.
The licence free bands of wifi can be used non-commercially without licences but commercial use requires a licence.
Having the licence also offers means to handle wifi setups that do not adhere to the rules. (e.g over power, give interference etc)
Some in this area are shooting with +30W EIRP where 1W is allowed on the band. When they also use a 80Mhz channel, the interference is all over the bands.

I know that even OTE advice the same setup to several clients in the area, but i wonder what they do with commercial usage.
Its a weird thing anyway.. Would a hotel be considered reselling if he provides it for free ? As far as i understand, a free offer that is included towards all clients without any restriction is considered part of the main agreement. Hence its not free and used as part as a commercial offer?

Offering internet to others also comes with legal problems if someone does something illegal on the account that is registered in your name.
Just think about someone downloading a crap load of illegal movie torrents..
Offering it commercial makes you a ISP with all the attached rules for ISP's. (think things like data retention etc)

Greetings
Steve

[Kilkis]

..Just think about someone downloading a crap load of illegal movie torrents...

Heaven forfend! I can't imagine anyone do something like that.

Thanks for the info. I am not intending to enter into this field but I do like to know things.

Warwick

[steven_0]

Warwick,

Unlike UK, the Netherlands, Germany etc, i never heard of anyone getting into problems in Greece regarding movie torrents ?
But as a risk, its there. Got several letters from WB to "cease and desist" my sharing of 1 single movie.

On one hand i doubt that OTE would take any action unless one provides problems for them.
On the other hand, i always go the legal way. But the paper mess in Greece is a hell.
A organisation like the EETT should be able to communicate in English, but so far its limited to single line responses.
Even the registration form is only available in Greek and does not allow to use a foreign VAT number.
When asked for explanation, the EETT simply stops replying.

Lets see what the future brings

Steve