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bkaral

Hi all:

Well, mostly for the sake of two of my friends in Toronto, I've been investigating what WIRELESS hi-speed service
is available in Toronto as alternatives to our existent duopoly.

Here is what I've found so far: that's actually worth calling:

1. Whip the Web (Wireless Hi-speed Internet Provider)

http://www.whip.ca/index_3a.html

They have service available in:
Barrie, Brampton, Concord, Hamilton, Mississauga, Niagara Falls, Oakville, Oshawa, Ottawa, Richmond Hill, St. Catharines, Toronto

The phone number to call for these areas is via:
SwitchWorks Technologies Inc.
Sales (416) 531-8750
or e-mail: sales@whip.ca

For service in all other areas contact:
SwitchWorks Technologies Inc.
Rick Ross (416) 531-8750 - rross@whip.ca

When my friend e-mailed to inquire about an apartment installation, she was told (and THIS ONLY APPLIES TO APARTMENTS, NOT TO HOUSES):
1) in order to offer services there must be at least
10 users signed up for the service in your building
2) the monthly cost is $39.95 for a 1 year minimum
contract
3) installation costs would be $150.00 per user and
would cover: installation, modem, service & support

Now, I also spoke with the president of a US-based wireless ISP company who seemed very congenial and very eager to get into Toronto, once I told him the scenario here.

I won't mention the name of the company yet, but....

He told me that all he needed was 10-12 users within a 7-8 mile radius and he would be able to install the necessary equipment and have things up and running within 30-40 days.

He promised an (unofficial) minimum bandwidth of 1 MBPS and low ping times. The maximum bandwidth would be 3 MBPS
If I remember correctly the setup fee was minimal-next to nothing.

Funny thing-I belive this guy. He was the really serious ambitious type. You could tell from speaking with him-which I did-for an hour and a half.

Anyways, I have information about Whip the Web from the rep., which I'd be happy to e-mail to anyone who wants it.

I'm considering this alternative route, as I think it's the future of Internet service. <Bring on the flames>.

And by the way, NO, I wouldn't stand to make any money or favours from business at these companies.

Brad

YARRRRRRR · Newcomer Joined: 08 Jul 2023 Posts: 5

Are these guys buying their internet access from Look and reselling it, like most of the 3rd party DSL providers do with Bell?

If so, do you know if their service is compatible with the Look antenna equipment? I still have an old Look antenna on my roof from my ill-fated odyssey with them.

bkaral · Posted: Mon Aug 05, 2023 5:44 pm Post subject: Look compatibility

alexo · Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2023 9:55 am Post subject: Look

WhipTheWeb · Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2023 5:45 pm Post subject: WHIP in Toronto residences.

I want to thank you all for your eagerness to explore Internet options. As the President of the company, SwitchWorks which operates "WHIP the WEB"), and the person who took the call mentioned above, I would like to fill in some of the gaps in this thread.

To cover the costs of installation and on going operation, we need a minimum subscriber base.

i)Our service, unlike Look or any other provider, is delivered in bulk to the building using fiber or similar commercial services. These are VERY expensive, but necessary to deliver the best service to our customers. We then install wireless and/or wired systems throught your building to deliver the service to your unit.

ii) What we find works best, and gets even lower rates for customers, is to have a buildings tennant association or condominium association work with us to increase the subscriber base. With higher subscriber bases we can easily get the price per user under $30CDN per month.

iii) I don't believe the US company referred to above would have included the cost of the end user equipment in his "almost nothing" costs. You will most certainly need something in your apartment to "catch" the signal. Most people desire, and should have, a firewall protecting their computer. Many of todays firewalls have wireless included, however, these wireless "boxes" are designed to provide wireless service on the protected side of the firewall, not the incoming "WAN" or Internet side of the box. Consequently, you will need a seperate wireless receiver to pickup your providers service.

iv) Look Internet uses a system which is proprietary to their organization. You can not take Look equipment and use with another provider, hoping to save on install fees. Sorry, life sucks sometimes!

v) In order to install a system, we must work with your building management to get approval. We can not simply walk into your building and start running wires and installing antennas. This process is somewhat timely and costly to complete properly. However, once completed, it will benefit all people living in your building.

vi) WHIP can install a variety of technologies which are compatible with many of the WiFi (eg. 2.4GHz) technologies employed in todays laptops and PDA's. We'll install whatever your building agrees is the best media for access for your overall population.

I hope the above information provides some insight into the challenges ISPs are faced with when providing Broadband Internet to communities.

If there is an opportunity to service a building in the Greater Toronto Area (Ontario, Canada) please feel free to contact me at support@whip.ca