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Having just moved to Wellington I have recently been through the process of setting up broadband access. The whole process was more difficult than I had planned for but it got me thinking of various approaches to avoid sitting in the internet cafe.... ADSL Naked DSL Cable Broadband AirCard Public WiFi Public WiMax The classic approach would be ADSL. The apartment we moved to didn't have a phone line already connected which is the pre-requisite for ADSL. Who says you don't need copper anymore? Given the take up of mobile handsets as the only phone of choice for many people what then are the choices when you don't have a land line? This is where Naked DSL comes to the fore. There are however scarce numbers of providers that run Naked DSL lines into homes, none that I could see in New Zealand. There is however Telstra Clear that operate a cable network to supply TV, Voice and with a cable modem broadband access. This is the best option for subscribers in the US if you wa...

In the move to New Zealand we decided to keep one of the mobile numbers here. The operator, DTAC, has been quite creative with options to retain the number at minimal cost. The first plan they offered was zero monthly charge and to retain the number you have to keep the account active with at least one transaction every 90 days. Not a bad plan if you were going away for three months or less. However we won't be back until August at the earliest. After describing the problem in the outlet the CSR suggested to transfer the number to pre-paid. This is the best model for convergence for me allowing me post-paid functions with pre-paid as a payment method. It seems that this operator is starting to understand the pre or post is no more than a choice on how I wish to pay, the services should not be differentiated based on service line, good news. This pre-paid package, called Simple, allows you to keep your balance and your number active for one year, that's 365 days. Sounded p...