Jacob Richman Training
Choosing an Israeli ISP
The Connection Itself
- Ask friends how good the service is especially during peak hours.
- Speed and bandwidth to the USA
Your speed also depends on the number of subscribers using the lines at the same time.
If your provider does not have large enough communication lines (bandwidth),
surfing the Internet can become a nightmare!
- Uptime - do they have backup lines out of the country.
Support - YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!
- Type of telephone support and support hours
This is not a normal business - most people need help in the middle of the night -
24 hour support is becoming a standard.
- Support for non-vendor software
- Training availability
Service
- Which software is provided ?
- Do you get an FTP account ?
- Do you get a free web page(s) ?
- Choose your email id carefully - it is a pain to change later.
Pricing
- Flat rate (unlimited hours) pricing versus per hour pricing.
- Signup cost (if any).
- Price per hour over set monthly hours
(sometimes it is an unpleasant surprise).
- Upgrade of set hours policy.
- Specials - Many have unadvertised specials.
- How long are you committed to the service?
Long term service contracts are cheaper BUT...
If you do not like the service you have a problem.
This includes the ADSL (fast Internet) deals!
Businesses Connecting their whole network to the Internet
- Hardware costs
- Type of Bezek communications line
Setup/monthly costs
Nalan, Sifranet, Frame Relay, ISDN, ADSL
Speed of the service.
Wait time for installation.
- DNS setup and maintenance
- UPS for DNS server and modem (in case of power outage).
- Firewall software (recommended)
- Routers
The most widely used routers in Israel are Cisco.
- Terminal Server
- Hub for Internal network
- TCP/IP node setup's (defining each networked computer).
WARNING: This is a real pain if each computer is different (hardware) and
has a different operating system. Figure 20 minutes to 1 hour for each PC that you want to give Internet access.
If the network card is old and non-standard, and you do not have the correct
software drivers, and you can not get them, you may want to buy a new card for that computer.
- Monthly traffic fee (what the Internet Provider charges you)
This does not include the monthly Bezek phone/modem charge.
The provider will charge $X per month depending on the
bandwidth and type of speed / circuit level.
The good news is that these are FIXED COSTS.
You can connect as many people to the network as you want.
However, if 50 people try to download files at once,
response time will get very slow.
You can always upgrade the circuit (speed).
Check the costs and compare.
BEWARE of very cheap prices from small providers!
A few already have gone out of business!!
Support is also a major consideration!
Israeli Internet Service Providers
Question and Comments
Return to Training