There’s finally some good news to report from Jordan’s internet scene: the reduction of ADSL prices and the introduction of more choice. Wanadoo, Jordan Telecom’s ISP arm has announced a 50% reduction in ADSL connection fees for its 512k lines and the introduction of an affordable ADSL “Light” services at 128k and a “super-sized” 1024k line at the same price that was previously charged for a 512k line. If there is one word to describe this new development then it’s “cool”!

As Jordan Telecom still has a monopoly over international connectivity and thus can dictate the prices of internet activity for all other ISPs. It is natural that Wanadoo was the first to announce the reduction, followed closely by Batelco Jordan (who are offering similar packages at even lower prices).

Once can only hope that these new prices get more Jordanians online. As mentioned previously on this page, ADSL penetration in Jordan still stands at dismal levels. If we are serious about turning ourselves into a knowledge economy then fast, affordable connectivity, not to mention cheap computers, need to be made available to large segments of society. In other words: it is time for a government supported, private sector implemented computer and connectivity ownership campaign. Make it possible for people to buy a computer bundled with an ADSL or dial-up connection from one store with affordable monthly installments.

And here is a word of advice to Jordan’s ISPs: for heaven’s sake improve your sales staff (so that they don’t have to put me on hold every time I ask them a question), and give us 24-hours-a-day technical support. By now we all know about your new corporate names and logos, so stop spending money on advertising billboards and just employ some tech dude to sit in your office AFTER 11 pm.

An onslaught of internet-hungry Jordanians can only be applauded when (and if) it happens. But existing users of ADSL now fear that such an onslaught will degrade the connection speeds. Oh please Mr. ISP. Prove us wrong.

What else can we, the internet users in Jordan hope for, now that ADSL is more affordable? How about some decent local content and services? May a young Jordanian entrepreneur or and old Jordanian tycoon be inspired by Amazon.com and start selling us useful stuff online and deliver the stuff to our homes and offices. Or may some airline executive start selling us tickets online. And may our e-Government launch new useful services soon.

Ever did something useful on a Jordanian website? Share it with us.
Many of us buy stuff, book flights and check the news on the web. Yet most of the time we do that on international sites. If you have ever used a Jordanian web site to do a useful task, buys products or services or just communicate, let us know. Send me an including the name of the site and what you used it for.


Posted

in

,

by

Tags:

Comments

10 responses to “Will cheaper ADSL prices spur on Jordan’s online business?”

  1. Ammar Ibrahim Avatar
    Ammar Ibrahim

    Great Article! This is a new Era for Jordan I guess. Monopolies have really hurt the industry. I can’t wait till the end of the year, some people say that fastlink is applying for a Telecom license(fixed lines & etc…).
    I hope this would also mean better internet access for remote areas.
    I believe that if people are aware of these new costs & what ADSL is all about this will improve many businesses. Many Services require people to have a dedicated connection, this might the answer. I hope We’ll start having Voice Over IP services soon & some home automation toolkits.

    ISPs tech support really sux big time, you couldn’t have been more right about it! and oh yeah, we need 24/7 support!

    It’s also good that our government is trying to be (e-gov) They are implementing many services. Basicly I use a site to check my car violations, good thing waiting for more useful stuff to be online.

  2. Saqf Avatar
    Saqf

    I was surprised when I first read the news about wanadoo’s reduced tariffs for ADSL, and was expecting an action from my ISP, which happens to be BATELCO Jordan. After a couple of days or a little bit more, I saw several ads in the newspaper from other ISP’s – including mine – about their reduced tariffs.

    The funny thing is, after being a BATELCO user (previously NETS) for almost 4 consecutive years, and more than 3 years as an ADSL user, I never heard anything about the new offer by e-mail or telephone!

    I am still wondering what will happen with the money I paid for my latest renewal. Will I be considered as the normal ADSL house user, or the super one? I personally have no idea!

    There is something good happened in all this, but worries me in the same time.. Eversince they made this new offer, my download speed went up by a small fraction. If the server I am downloading from has a good bandwidth, I would be able to download at a rate that does not exceed 48 kb/sec. Now, from the same site, I get 58 kb/sec.
    Hmmmm, now the question is.. is this the new improved “normal” home ADSL rate, OR the new “SUPER” home ADSL rate?

    Please advice, for I need to know if I should pay the double price for an extra 10 kb/sec, or enjoy this new improvement for another year without paying anything more!

  3. M Avatar
    M

    Saqf, Don’t pay nothing for an extra 10KB, not one jd! the server you’re downloading from might’ve been overloaded when you got the 48KB transfer rate.

    the normal transfer rate for a 512 is supposed to be 55-60KB/s, depending on how far you’re from JTC’s switch. Unless you want to enjoy a 120KB/s transfer rate, dont upgrade to a 1mbps dsl package.. I used to have one and i found out that it’s not worth it.. even with the new reduced prices..

  4. abusaif Avatar
    abusaif

    The adsl sold here in Jordan insults my intellegence. Do you guys know that it does not cost ISP’s a dime more whether you get 128, 512 or 1 mb
    When I lived in the US, my speed only depended on my distance from telephone company’s hub to my hows. I used to Pay $49 and get over 1 mb of downloading speed.
    So, if you are paying for 512 or more, make sure that you get what you pay for as minimum.

  5. Anis Al-Tell Avatar
    Anis Al-Tell

    Can someone please list the various ISP’s in Amman and their tarrifs for DSL services?

  6. ziad Avatar
    ziad

    It’s funny the information for both ISP’s In amman and the tarrifs could not be found anywhere on the internet. I guess We have to Drive around the coutry for weeks to find this information.

  7. What is ADSL? Avatar
    What is ADSL?

    Many other mid-east countries already have fast ADSL service. Saudi Arabia and Israel, two of Jordan’s neighbors, have 5 MB/s ADSL access available. Why is it news that Jordan is now getting fast access? It should have happened a long time ago.

  8. FN_Guru48 Avatar
    FN_Guru48

    Interesting article indeed. I was doing some research on broadband high-speed options in Jordan when I came across this. It is a bit embarrassing how expensive and slow the service is from what I read so far. Getting more people on broadband and online is more of a need at this point than a luxury really, we need to keep up with the rest of the world.

    I have been considering living in Jordan and do my work from there; I work for an multinational high-tech company and I can work from anywhere as long as I can travel occasionally and work from home, but it requires a high speed connection.

    I don’t mean to make anyone jealous or anything, but currently I have an 8 MB DSL line, modem and wireless router provided by the ISP, 100% uptime for the last 2 years, for only $50/month (CA, US). I am not asking for anything like that in Jordan, just something decent to work with. Paying close to 70 JD/month for a 1 MB ADSL line is taking back 10 years in the time machine. We all need to invest in our infrastructure, that is the only way to get ahead.

  9. M Avatar
    M

    Well prices are going down but so is the service.
    And as for your wish it is comming true as you can see a new Jordanian site is developig in that direction, check it out it is http://www.eAmman.com
    Still ne but growing.
    The main thing you forgot to mention is the upload speed as it is a nightmare no more than 45 compared to the download of 1MB it is a shame.

  10. Ziad Avatar
    Ziad

    Jordan was no.1 when it first introduced the internet but for the last years, it becomes one of the most expensive internet services in the Arab world in addition to the poor service ISPs provide with such very high cost.
    To give an example, Tunisian ISPs have no limitation for any ADSL plans, and price for 1 mb for example is less than $150 per year including wireless router, free setup, cordless phone and no hidden costs!

    You should really raise your voice and stop this cheap dirty monopoly of ISPs in Jordan, after all … i used to give Jordan as an example of how advanced internet services are in terms of Quality and service but now …. NO COMMENT :( !