Gone are the days when only three companies offered access to the World Wide Web in Kyiv. The number of Internet providers has grown significantly within the last few years. There are almost 20 companies listed in the Kyiv Business Directory.
All of them share the same access lines and, at first glance, there is little difference between them because prices are basically the same.
Installing state-of-the-art fiber-optic lines requires a huge investment and most young Internet companies cannot afford it. That is the reason why Internet service here is substandard, although competition is steadily driving down prices and improving service.
The first thing to check is the three-number telephone prefix of the provider. New digital lines start with 238, 573, 530, 460, 234. Older analog lines start with 228, 221, 441, 416, 417 and 513. The more modern the line, the faster and better the connection.
Of course, speed is dependent on many factors Р including the speed of a customerХs phone line and the speed of the computer. UkraineХs outdated domestic telephone lines put most Ukrainian users in the slow lane automatically.
The companies that have been around the longest are Infocom, Romantis-Ukraine, Sovam Teleport and Global Ukraine.
Ukrtelecom, the mammoth state-run telephone monopoly, recently joined the club of Internet providers.
The business principle is simple: Providers sell computer users the right to access the line. DonХt be fooled by companies that attempt to sell exclusive lines, because there is no such thing. All lines are shared by hundreds of clients.
Dial-up service from Lucky Net costs $25 to be registered, $5 for the monthly fee and $1 for every hour on line. The firm has a ТclassicУ service, whereby heavy users can pay a flat $25 monthly fee for 30 hours of service.
Global Ukraine offers three packages of Internet connection. The economic package costs $30 for the first eight hours and an additional $2 for each daytime hour or $1 for nighttime hours. The business package costs $70 for the first 40 hours, $1.50 for each additional daytime hour and 90 cents for additional nighttime hours. The professional option costs $140 for 100 hours and $1 per daytime hour and 80 cents for additional nighttime hours. It also offers access via pre-paid cards.
V-Com, Inc., offers a high-speed satellite connection, but it is costlier. It requires a special PCI board, which costs $550, and a satellite dish for $100. To send or receive data up to 30 megabytes will cost $27.50; up to 300 megabytes costs $228. This service requires a ground-based Internet provider.
Andrei Mossienko
