June 10th - 2007

Internet to Go!

Considering the amount of time a REALTOR® spends out of the office, mobile Internet technology can have many advantages.

Considering the amount of time a REALTOR® spends out of the office, mobile Internet technology can have many advantages. The newest addition to the wireless access options available in Ontario is called portable Internet service. Unlike Wi-Fi where you have to go a specific hotspot to connect, portable Internet is available anywhere there is an electrical outlet providing you are in a coverage area.
 
Portable Internet service will be especially attractive to people who don't have another way of getting high-speed Internet and would like to move beyond dial-up service. Because the modem is “plug and play” and is only about the size of a paperback book, it can be taken anywhere – around town, or to the cottage. To use the service, you do not need a Wi-Fi adaptor or a wireless phone and there’s no need to install software. Once the wireless modem is plugged into your computer it becomes the bridge between your computer and the wireless network. To use the service, you simply run an Ethernet cable from your laptop or desktop computer to a wireless modem (which must be purchased separately), plug it into an electrical outlet and immediately you get high speed Internet.
 
So far portable Internet is only available through either Rogers’ Portable Internet or Bell’s Sympatico Unplugged and both rely on Inukshuk Wireless Inc., to deliver the service. According to its Web site, Inukshuk Wireless is an equally owned joint venture between Bell Canada and Rogers Communications which uses existing Bell and Rogers cellular towers. This means that whether you subscribe to the Bell service or the Rogers service, all your data will flow over the same Inukshuk network. In Ontario, Inukshuk is now available in the Greater Toronto Area, Barrie, London, Windsor, Kitchener-Waterloo, Hamilton and Ottawa. Because both services use the same network, you can expect to get the same quality service from either company and both Bell and Rogers assure customers that their portable Internet connection is very secure. The only differences are in how each company prices and market their service.
 
Rogers vs. Bell
Portable Internet from Rogers is available in two versions – one suited for dial-up users at $24.95 a month and one for small business or home users at $49.95 a month. You also have to purchase the modem for $99 plus shipping. Rogers is offering a special introductory offer of $5.00 off each month for the first year along with free activation. The Rogers service includes five email accounts and the same services available to its Rogers Yahoo Hi-Speed Internet customers such as security features, spam control and parental controls.
 
Bell’s Sympatico Unplugged currently offers two speed options -- $45 a month for the lower speed and $60 a month for the faster version. Like Rogers, you must purchase the modem for $99. Bell subscribers also get up to 11 email accounts and 10 hours of dial-up service for when you are in an area not serviced by Inukshuk.
 
Both companies’ portable Internet plans have monthly bandwidth usage caps and customers must commit to either one year with Rogers or two years with Bell. For more information, visit www.rogers.com/portable or http://highspeedunplugged.sympatico.ca/.

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Ontario Real Estate Association

Jean-Adrien Delicano

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416-445-9910 ext. 246

Ontario Real Estate Association
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