Jump to content

Bell Internet

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 69.196.165.154 (talk) at 15:35, 23 February 2011 (→Usage-based billing). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Bell Internet
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryInternet Service Provider
FoundedNovember 29, 1995
HeadquartersMontreal, Quebec
ProductsxDSL, WiMax and dial-up
ParentBell Canada
WebsiteBell Internet

Bell Internet, originally and frequently called Sympatico, is the residential Internet service provider division of Bell Canada. It was affiliated with MSN. As of June 2009, Bell Internet had over 2 million subscribers in Ontario and Quebec and was the largest ISP in Canada.

History

Bell Internet's former logo as Bell Sympatico

Sympatico was launched on November 29, 1995.[citation needed] Originally a national service operated jointly by Canada's ILECs and operational run as a content portal by MediaLinx, the companies other than Bell (including Aliant) have since retreated to their own brands.[citation needed] Bell subsidiaries NorthernTel, Télébec and Northwestel continue to brand their Internet services as Sympatico, and users receive an @ntl.sympatico.ca, @tlb.sympatico.ca, or @sympatico.ca email address, respectively.

Starting in Summer 2003, Sympatico tried to differentiate its service from its competitors by adding Radial Point's (formerly Zero Knowledge) suite of antivirus, firewall and anti-spyware services for extra charge. In 2004, Sympatico added a wireless modem-router hardware upgrade and Microsoft's MSN Premium software to its portfolio. In Summer 2007, Sympatico packaged its Security suite and wireless home networking modem together with its high speed offering as Sympatico Total Internet.

Bell Sympatico changed its name to Bell Internet on August 8, 2008. September 2009, Bell Canada Enterprises Inc. and Microsoft Canada Co. have decided to go their separate ways and launch independent sites for MSN.ca The two new portals are Sympatico.ca and MSN.ca.

Equipment

Bell Internet offers many tiers of service based on two different kinds of technology: dial-up service, based on telephone modem equipment as well as DSL services, based on ADSL and VDSL2 technology. The main differences in both equipments vary from the speed of signal, its length and its ability to overcome the noise of a phone line.

Three other Bell Internet services are also offered:

  • Bell Internet Portable service is a portable wireless service that is part of the Inukshuk Wireless WiMAX partnership. Inukshuk aims to provide broadband Internet access to urban and underserved areas across Canada. Also, Bell has a service named Bell Internet Rural. It uses the same technology as the portable, except the modem itself is mounted to your home in the direction of the tower it will be connecting to.
  • Total Internet Max service is a residential Internet service provided through a fibre optic network currently offering download speeds of up to 25 Mbit/s. These services currently have a limited availability however service expansion is ongoing.
  • Bell Entertainment is a IPTV service offered in Toronto, currently being replaced by Fibe TV. It is bundled with Fibre Internet offering speeds of up to 35 Mbit/s download and 6 Mbit/s upload[1]
  • Bell Fibe TV is an IPTV service bundled with Fibe 6 Internet, and is expected to replace Bell Entertainment Service in a wider rollout.[2] The speed of the connection is 25 Mbit/s download, degrading to 6 Mbit/s the more television channels are being watched or recorded.

Plans for Ontario and Quebec

Bell has monthly data transfer limits (download bitcaps) for all of their tiered Internet services.

Service[3] Download speed Upload speed Monthly bandwidth limits Hours use at max rate before bandwidth limit exceeded P2P bandwidth limits[4] Over Usage Charge
Essential (only available in Quebec)*** 500 kbit/s Quebec 500 kbit/s 1 GB Quebec 2.232 256 kbit/s 6pm-1am $2.50/GB Quebec
Essential Plus*** 2.0 Mbit/s 800 kbit/s 2 GB (5 Quebec) 1.584 (3.960 Quebec) 512 kbit/s 4:30pm-6pm
256 kbit/s 6pm-1am
512 kbit/s 1am-2am 		$2.50/GB
Performance/Fibe 6/7*** 6.0 Mbit/s (7 Quebec) 1.0 Mbit/s 25 GB (60 Quebec) 7.944 (16.656 Quebec) 512 kbit/s 4:30pm-6pm
256 kbit/s 6pm-1am
512 kbit/s 1am-2am 		$2/GB
Fibe 12/10*** 12.0 Mbit/s (10 Quebec) 1.0 Mbit/s 50 GB (75 Quebec) 8.544 (15.144 Quebec) 512 kbit/s 4:30pm-6pm
256 kbit/s 6pm-1am
512 kbit/s 1am-2am 		$1.50/GB
Fibe 16*** 16.0 Mbit/s 1.0 Mbit/s 75 GB (90 Quebec) 9.792 (11.76 Quebec) 512 kbit/s 4:30pm-6pm
256 kbit/s 6pm-1am
512 kbit/s 1am-2am 		$1/GB
Fibe 25*** 25.0 Mbit/s 7.0 Mbit/s 75 GB (100 Quebec) 5.208 (6.936 Quebec) 512 kbit/s 4:30pm-6pm
256 kbit/s 6pm-1am
512 kbit/s 1am-2am 		$1/GB
Entertainment (for TVs)* 25.0 Mbit/s DSL (TV unknown) 5.0 Mbit/s 60 GB (not applied to TV) 4.44 512 kbit/s 4:30pm-6pm
256 kbit/s 6pm-1am
512 kbit/s 1am-2am 		?
Turbo Hub (Ericsson W35)** 7.2 Mbit/s (2.0 - 4.0 average)[5] 5.76 Mbit/s 3 GB, 5, or 10 GB 0.504, 0.864, or 1.704 512 kbit/s 4:30pm-6pm
256 kbit/s 6pm-12am
512 kbit/s 12am-1am 		$9/GB, $6, or $15/GB (after exceeding 10GB/mth)[5]
Turbo Hub (NetGear MBR1210)** 21.0 Mbit/s (3.5 - 8.0 average)[5] 5.76 Mbit/s? 3 GB, 5, or 10 GB 0.240, 0.408, or 0.840 512 kbit/s 4:30pm-6pm
256 kbit/s 6pm-12am
512 kbit/s 12am-1am 		$11/GB, $7, or $15/GB (after exceeding 10GB/mth)[5]
Portable Internet**** 3.0 Mbit/s 384 kbit/s 30 GB 19.704 512 kbit/s 4:30pm-6pm
256 kbit/s 6pm-12am
512 kbit/s 12am-1am 		$1.50/GB (not currently enforced)
Portable Rural Outdoor**** 2.0 Mbit/s 256 kbit/s 10 GB 9.840 512 kbit/s 4:30pm-6pm
256 kbit/s 6pm-12am
512 kbit/s 12am-1am 		$1.50/MB?[6] (not currently enforced)
Portable Internet 512**** 512 kbit/s 128 kbit/s 10 GB 34.728 256 kbit/s 6pm-12am $1.50/GB (not currently enforced)
  • Entertainment (for TVs) is a bundle offer which includes TV service (with limited HD), and 25 Mbit/s "Fibe" DSL, and is currently only available in some parts of the GTA (Greater Toronto Area).
  • Turbo Hub additional data usage between 3-5 GB: $5/GB, and data usage between 5-10 GB: $3/GB. Data usage over 10 GB: 1.5¢/MB[5] ($15/GB). Up to a maximum of $30/month (for an extra 2 GB, 5 GB, or 1 GB of data usage).
  • Fibe customers may experience extended download and upload times when using P2P file sharing applications during the daily scheduled traffic management period which is currently scheduled from 4:30 pm to 2:00 am EST for Bell Internet DSL. The current upload/download rate speeds only for P2P file-sharing usage are gradually decreased at the beginning of the peak period (from full speed down to 512 kbit/s at 4:30 p.m. and then down to 256 kbit/s at 6:00 p.m.) and then gradually increased towards the end of the peak period (up from 256 kbit/s to 512 kbit/s at 1:00 a.m. and then up to full speed at 2:00 a.m.).[4]
  • Portable customers may experience extended download and upload times when using P2P file sharing applications during the daily scheduled traffic management period which is currently scheduled from 4:30 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. EST for Bell Internet Portable and Rural. The current upload/download rate speeds only for P2P file-sharing usage are gradually decreased at the beginning of the peak period (from full speed down to 512 kbit/s at 4:30 p.m. and then down to 256 kbit/s at 6:00 p.m.) and then gradually increased towards the end of the peak period (up from 256 kbit/s to 512 kbit/s at 12:00 a.m. and then up to full speed at 1:00 a.m.).[4]

Value-Added Services (VAS)

These are services offered by Bell Internet in addition to the above services for additional costs. --

  • Bell charges up to a maximum of $30/month in over usage charges.
  • Bell offers a plan for $5 a month for an additional 40GB of usage per month (12.5¢/GB). These can be added multiple times. (example; 3 Usage Insurance Plans to equal 120GB + your original limit).
  • MSN Premium is offered
  • Personal Vault storage is available at extra cost

Controversy

Project Cleanfeed Canada

In November 2006, to address the problem of the accidental access to child pornography sites, especially by those under the age of majority, Bell, Bell Aliant, MTS Allstream, Rogers, Shaw, SaskTel, Telus, and Vidéotron, in conjunction with Cybertip.ca[7] (a nationwide tipline for reporting the online sexual exploitation of children), announced the creation of Project Cleanfeed Canada, an initiative designed to block access to child pornography sites. It is based on a similar program introduced by British Telecom in 2004.[8] Project Cleanfeed Canada uses an encrypted blacklist of known child-pornography sites operating outside the country and targets only those sites that offer images of prepubescent children.[9]

Some critics denounced the initiative, but others argue that it is a step worth taking.[10]

Bandwidth throttling

Users of bandwidth that Bell Internet deems excessive have been sent warning letters that state they are in violation of their service agreement and acceptable use policy. As a result their use of peer to peer programs is traffic managed during peak hours. Some have questioned the legality of this (including notable companies such as Google and Skype).[11][12]

As of April 7, 2008, Bell began using deep packet inspection by Arbor Networks to identify and throttle all BitTorrent traffic across its network,[13][14] regardless of actual bandwidth use. This also affects its wholesale service customers and resellers, who have filed a formal complaint to the CRTC.[15] Critics claim Bell's move stifles competition, violates net neutrality, and discriminates against legitimate uses of the BitTorrent protocol.[16]

Usage-based billing

In May 2010, the CRTC ruled that Bell could implement a billing system utilizing a bandwidth cap, legally known as usage-based billing (UBB), on wholesale ISPs that sell Internet services over their regulated last mile networks (such as Primus Canada, 3web, Youmano, and TekSavvy), claiming that the larger and sometimes unlimited usage plans offered by the smaller ISPs were causing congestion on their network. However, the CRTC also required that Bell impose the same requirements on its retail customers as well.[17] However, Bell appealed on the restrictions, claiming that the restriction violated policies imposed on the CRTC by the government.

The CRTC repealed the restrictions they had imposed, and allowed it to impose UBB on its wholesalers beginning on March 1, 2011, allowing them to only grant their customers a set limit on how many gigabytes of bandwidth they may use per month (as little as 25 gigabytes in most cases), and impose an overage charge of $1-2 for every gigabyte over this limit.[18] [19]

The move was criticized by many, including representatives of the affected ISPs, who claimed that Bell's plans were anti-competitive and intended to force smaller independent ISPs to cripple their service in favour of Bell's own internet and television services.[18] The move was also considered damaging to online streaming services such as Netflix (which had only recently launched in Canada), and the 25 GB cap was also considered a stark comparison to the 250GB data caps offered by the American ISP Comcast by a writer for the U.S. technology news site Ars Technica.[20] In response to the outcry, the non-partisan group OpenMedia.ca published an online petition calling on the CRTC to repeal UBB. By February 3, 2011, the petition had received over 400,000 signatures.[21]

On February 2, 2011, industry minister Tony Clement and prime minister Stephen Harper jointly called on the CRTC to reverse the decision in a meeting, stating that the limits would hurt small businesses and innovators, and that forcing a new business model on companies that do not want to use the model is the wrong way to do things. The day after, the CRTC announced that it would review the decision due in part to the criticism over the move, and a request by Bell to delay the implementation.[21]

See also

References

  1. ^ Entertainment.bell.ca
  2. ^ Fibetv.bell.ca
  3. ^ Bell Internet Services
  4. ^ a b c Bell Network Management P2P schedule
  5. ^ a b c d e Turbo Hub Flex Plan
  6. ^ Rural 2 Mbps
  7. ^ Cybertip.ca
  8. ^ Martin Bright (2004-06-06). "BT puts block on child porn sites". London: Guardian Unlimited. Retrieved 2007-12-28.
  9. ^ Michael Geist (2006-11-24). "Project Cleanfeed Canada". Michael Geist. Retrieved 2007-12-28.
  10. ^ Michael Geist (2006-12-04). "Child porn plan a risk worth taking". Toronto: TheStar.com. Retrieved 2007-12-28.
  11. ^ Bell Sympatico P2P Black List. 2008-11-03.
  12. ^ Peter Nowak (2008-07-07). "Bell's Internet throttling illegal, Google says". cbc.ca. Retrieved 2008-07-25.
  13. ^ Bell Canada Confirms Throttling - Tells wholesalers: too bad, so sad... - dslreports.com
  14. ^ Internett.bell.ca, Bell: Network management (Bell official website)
  15. ^ Story Financial Post [dead link‍]
  16. ^ "Union urges CRTC to curb internet interference by Bell, Rogers". CBC News. 2008-03-28.
  17. ^ Nowak, Peter. "CRTC approves usage-based internet billing". CBC. Retrieved February 3 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  18. ^ a b Marlow, Iain. "CRTC ruling handcuffs competitive market: Teksavvy". The Globe & Mail. Retrieved 3 February 2011.
  19. ^ Nowak, Peter. "CRTC green lights usage-based internet billing". CBC. Retrieved 3 February 2011.
  20. ^ Lasar, Matthew. "200GB to 25GB: Canada gets first, bitter dose of metered Internet". Ars Technica. Retrieved 3 February 2011.
  21. ^ a b "CRTC to review usage-based billing decision". CBC. Retrieved 3 February 2011.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bell_Internet&oldid=415522220"