International ISP's

[Brazilophile]

Does anyone use, or has anyone used, an international ISP?  This is an ISP with local access numbers in many different countries.  I want to start accessing the Web, when I travel, directly from my own computer rather than using a public computer.

I have surfed the Web and found a handful like Net-Roamer but I would like to get feedback from people with direct experience with this.

Thanks for the help.

[Ralph]

... in response to International ISP's, posted by Brazilophile on Aug 5, 2003

I have had luck in the DR, with hooking my laptop up in an internet cafe. Most will let me do it. They usually charge a few pesos extra. One place even let me hook up my WAP, so I could access the net through WIFI.

Once WIFI become more prevalent in LA, this will become much easier. My buddy has a bar on the beach in the DR. As soon as broadband is available in his are he will have it installed. I already promised to install a few WAPS. That way I can sit on the beach and "work"!

If you have corresponded with some ladies via email, there might be another alternative. "Borrowing" their acount log ins.
In LA it is very common that people "share" acounts. One person will get an acount and share the info with all of their friends etc, many times they split the costs.

[Brazilophile]

... in response to International ISP's, posted by Brazilophile on Aug 5, 2003

Thanks Kit and David for your suggestions.  I looked at ATT Worldwide and it gives access numbers that are only for the US.  Have you guys ACTUALLY DIALED-UP AOL and ATT on LOCAL access numbers OUTSIDE the US using your US based account?

Let me clarify what I am looking for.  I envision an ISP that has INTERNATIONAL access numbers.  When a person is in a given city in the USA, this ISP would have an access number the person dial up locally and connect to the Web on his/her laptop.  When a person is in Cali, Colombia, this SAME ISP would have a local access number available for use.  When a person is in Sao Paulo, Brazil, again this SAME ISP would have a local access number.  When in Lille, France, another local access number is available from the SAME ISP.  When in Bonn, Germany, this SAME ISP would have a local access number.

I visited the websites of NetRoamer, IberPass, and 2-Net Roam (?).  These ISPs display ALL the countries and cities in which they have local access numbers.  (Around 150 countries.)  Two of the three charge a flat rate for the first minute of use in a month and then a per minute rate for the connection time.  IberPass charges only a per minute rate which varies by country and city.

Has anyone used local access numbers in multiple countries from ONE ISP?

[Kit]

... in response to Re: International ISP's, posted by Brazilophile on Aug 5, 2003

Yes AOL is one ISP. They have access number in most of the countries around the world. That is the idea. Simply call their 800 number for support and they will explain you how to get a list of local numbers to dial. You can even precreate a profile for Colombia while still in your home country.

[Brazilophile]

... in response to Re: Re: International ISP's, posted by Kit on Aug 6, 2003

Kit,  I went back to the AOL site and read as much as I could about its international service.  You are correct.  AOL has local access numbers for many countries in the world.  It seems to disallow international use in the first 60 days of subscription.  There is no explanation why.  There is a surcharge for international use I can't figure out if it is per connnection or per amount of time of use.

I sent them an email asking them a bunch of questions.  I guess I will learn more soon.

[DavidMN]

... in response to Re: International ISP's, posted by Brazilophile on Aug 5, 2003

Yes, I think I know what you're asking for. And it might be difficult and expensive to get it. I glanced at Earthlink dial-up and they have a fair amount of international numbers but 1) you have to pay the regular monthly charge plus 15 cents a minute when dialing from an intl location and 2) they don't seem to cover Latin America very well.

That's why I suggested AT&T because they obviously have the international network plus long relationships with the countries you'll be traveling to. But they really haven't spent a lot of money on their Worldnet dial up service recently and it appears from your research they haven't extended it overseas at all.

I have a feeling with all the interconnections involved and the crazy mix of state monopolies, competitive local, competitive long distance, etc that it would be tough to find a moderately priced one size fits all service.  Especially with the popularity of free web-based e-mail or being able to access your paid AOL, AT&T, Earthlink account on any computer in the world; the dial up business just isn't getting a lot of investment.

Maybe a savvy business traveler or international consultant can steer you in the right direction. In my limited experience, if I use my laptop for business overseas and need to connect to the company network, I have to dial into a VPN via UUNet (Worldcom) at some whore house per minute price. But it's secure and I'm not using it for long.  Other business travelers might be using a similar system and/or connecting via their local branch office or client's network.

I know I've rambled but it seems to come down to sticking with the internet cafes or choosing a couple of cheap dial- ups for the REGION you'll be in.  You can get all of the U.S. via AT&T for $5.95 a mo, maybe you can get all of LatAm for $10-15 from someone like Telefonica/Terra and all of Europe for a similar amount from AOL, Telefonica, Deutsche Telekom, etc. Hope this helps.

[Kit]

... in response to International ISP's, posted by Brazilophile on Aug 5, 2003

I think the easiest choice is AOL as it has the widest international exposure.

[Brazilophile]

... in response to Re: International ISP's, posted by Kit on Aug 5, 2003

Thanks for the suggestion, Kit.  I just went to AOL International and AOL Global and GOT LOST!  

AOL does operate in several countries such as UK, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina.  I can't tell from their info if subscribing to AOL in one country automatically gives you access to AOL in other countries.  One page suggested there was an $4.95 access surcharge if you used access numbers in a different country.  There were LOTS of warnings about long-distance charges.

AOL did not appear "easy" to me at first glance.

[DavidMN]

... in response to Re: Re: International ISP's, posted by Brazilophile on Aug 5, 2003

AT&T Worldnet Service is probably a good place to check because they obviously have the worldwide network. And if you're traveling to South America, check out Telefonica (Spain) and their Terra service (in Colombia I believe the Terra ISP brand is 007Mundo). Telefonica owns a majority share in several of the South American landline providers.  Finally, TelMex and/or Prodigy. I say Prodigy because they are aligned with CompUSA and SBC and are now a Mexican-owned company.