On the information highway, it doesn't matter how far you want to travel because the Internet unites all its users geographically. On the other hand, it does matter how fast you want to go because the slower your internet connection, the longer it will take you to get anywhere.

When we talk about speed on the Internet, we usually refer to bandwidth. Bandwidth states how much data can pass through a channel within a certain period of time. The wider the bandwidth, the faster the transfer speed. Bandwidth is similar to the width of a highway. The more lanes the highway has, the faster traffic moves.

Dial-up service using a 56K modem is not considered high speed. In fact, it's more like travelling on a dirt road. Cable and ADSL provide high-speed access comparable to travelling on a highway. Unlike dial-up service, with cable and ADSL you're "always on" and your phone line is not affected. You get the service at a flat, unmetered rate, 24/7. When your computer is on you're connected.

Depending on what you use your internet connection for or how often you need it, dial-up service may suit your needs. However, if you want to access music files or even many web sites or if you like multiplayer gaming over the Internet, then you will need a high-speed connection such as cable or ADSL. Otherwise, you will spend a lot of time waiting for files to be transferred to or from your computer.

For dial-up connections, there are various service providers in St. John's and Mount Pearl. High-speed bandwidth connections for users in St. John's and Mount Pearl are offered through Newtel using ADSL lines on their WARP service or through Cable Atlantic using cable on their RoadRunner service .

If you already have high-speed access, there are many tools available online that you can use to make sure you are getting the speeds that correspond to the type of connection you have. If you have a cable or ADSL connection, you can test your speed at [www.dslreports.com/tools]. Online speedometers are also available from the free Net Monitor utility from Kiss Software [www.kissco.com].

The Microsoft Network provides a bandwidth meter at [www.cnet.com/internetservices/g/bm/msn/0001.html] which can be accessed by dial-up as well as ADSL and cable users. Besides diagnostic speed tests, these sites offer tools to improve your machine by configuring it for maximum downloading and uploading performance.

Unfortunately, although distance is not important once you are on the Internet, it is very important in terms of getting on there in the first place. For now, high-speed access is primarily available in areas where there is a large volume of potential customers. What this often means is that the greater the distance you are from an urban centre, the less likely you are to get high-speed access. If you do not have high-speed access, Cable Atlantic and Newtel can tell you when and if it will be available in your area.

As for people living in small communities and remote areas of the province, they may not get access soon or, possibly, ever. Their only hope may lie with the Federal Government, and, more specifically, with the Department of Industry and its head, Brian Tobin. Industry Canada has set up a National Broadband Task Force to advise the Government of Canada on how to make high-speed broadband Internet services available to businesses and residents in all Canadian communities by the year 2004.

The Task Force is still debating their definition of community and its members have been working with Statistics Canada census data to determine communities that are underserved in terms of telecommunications. We can only hope that the Task Force realizes that the term "community" in Newfoundland is most often defined by very low numbers. If government is willing to provide access where private industry won't, then small Newfoundland communities might eventually get high-speed access.

In the not-so-distant future, high-speed access is going to be more important than we realize now. It won't just be a matter of being able to download your favourite music or films for recreational purposes. Whether or not you have high-speed access could determine the types of health and education services that are available to you and the people in your community. In fact, for Newfoundlanders, high-speed access could eventually mean the difference between getting on the fast lane to economic growth or waiting in line for handouts.

Previously published in The Express 04/01
Take me To TechTrends