Moore’s law has always been admired and thought of to be true, even in Kuwait, if you look at it upside down that is! Moore’s law simply applies that computer technology performance will double every 18 months, and its prices will go by half in the same amount of time. Over the years, we have managed somehow to move from dial-up connections to DSL faster ones, for much higher price. Currently a 256 kbps costs average of $57 a month. We have had this before 2002 and if you want to get the highest, 1.5 Mbps, it will cost you over $440! can you imagine. Even with a DSL, what we are getting in the end is real slow connection. Our service is dependent on a sea cable that gets affected by constructions in UAE, and there is no backup for it. While in early 2000, when I used to search Google, if I blink I will miss the refresh, right now I sometimes refrain from searching and browsing to cut-down wasted time, while I should be really enjoying a faster connection than others.

Isn’t the ISPs doing anything to overcome the problems? Yes sure they are. They have come up with a unique solution to overcome customer problems. By they here, I am referring to the employees not the company it self. Qualitynet for instance does a brilliant job when there is a problem with their connection. It’s true it has been extremely slow for over a month, but just a few days back when it went completely dead I thought of wasting my time a bit and give it a hopeless complain try. When I called I got a smart IVR saying “We cannot take your call in the meantime”! What they do is that, whenever there is a problem with the connection, they switch on the IVR to stop incoming customer complains. When, and IF the problem is resolved, then you can talk to customer care only! How ridiculous. I mean, if they were really going to resolve the issue in 1 hour that’s fine, but this is an on going issue and this is there way of coming over it. Just block customer complains. In the name of God, if you are not going to take customer calls at downtimes, when are you going to take it then? I haven’t tried Fasttelco, but my friends never spoke a good deal about it either.

This lack of improvement have opened the door for outsiders to compete with them in their own game. Telecom companies are hot on the 3G and Beyond 3G technologies, giving customers 1.8 Mbps for 20 KD ($68). If what they are promising is true, and they can maintain it, why should anyone go and pay 17 KD ($57) for 256 kbps, when they can get 7 times the speed, more reliable for just $11 extra. Now, some areas in Kuwait are being equipped with Fiber Optics, but you know what the problem is? The technology is still not there to use it.
For the good of all readers, please do share your experience and recommendation if you have any on this topic.

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