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MyTrunkshow

Would I be able to stream radio from Windows Media Player? I will be located in Hail, KSA (pending acceptance as I haven't signed yet...)

When in Dubai last week, my SKYPE was blocked from making calls while I was at the airport using my laptop. In the hotel in Dubai Knowledge Village, I used SKYPE successfully, so it looks like hit and miss.

Is SKYPE blocked in KSA?

Are the BBC(UK), CBC/CTV (Canada) or my favorite local newspapers from various N. American cities available online?

What other sites are blocked? Travel sites? I'm not interested in porn sites or religious/controversial/edgey themed sites. Just the normal fairly conservative stuff. How well do the muttwa monitor foreigner's internet habits?

What is the quality of apartment connectivity? Office connectivity?

Regards,
Gary

007

trapezius · Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2008 2:52 pm Post subject:

Cleopatra · Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2008 3:05 pm Post subject:

This topic has come up several times before. I suggest you do a search.

In a nutshell, the internet is not as heavily censored in KSA as some people believe. So long as you are not interested in surfing porn, or Arabic language political or religious sites, you should barely even be aware of censorship, a few annoying exceptions aside.

MyTrunkshow · Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2008 3:52 pm Post subject:

MyTrunkshow · Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2008 10:12 pm Post subject: Internet.

Let me get that mytrunkshow.

Housing does have a decent internet connection. A wireless box was supplied too in what can best be described as pretty decent housing...and the married quarters down the road are spiff too. Or is it up the road? It's all flat.

mts

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

Listening to BBC and other radio stations over the Internet is quite possible.
What still amazes me is the technical ability to listen to something that was broadcast yesterday or the day before. Time travel !

trapezius · Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2008 1:49 am Post subject:

What still amazes me is the technical ability to see pictures of something that happened yesterday or the day before. Time travel !

also in saudi · Joined: 26 Feb 2006 Posts: 137

Internet access provided in compounds is typically extremely slow, even though it is from satellite and delivered through dsl.

On the other hand, it is not censored.

bad cowboy · Joined: 17 Jun 2008 Posts: 10 Location: USA

mytrunkshow,

The safest bet (albeit, not the cheapest) is to contact ORBIT. They are providers of satelite internet service, as I believe someone else mentioned. It is unfiltered, and I believe it is a French-run/owned company(CORRECTION: Saudi, privately-owned, HQ'd outside of KSA; thanks Cleo!) therefore you don't have to worry about bikini shopping Twisted Evil

or anything else for that matter.

The downside is that a good contract will run around 120 US dollars per month. The next tier down is cheaper; however, there is a nasty download limit, which, I don't believe, would serve your purposes. The funny part is that the speed is the same between the two packages--although the 120 dollar package offers 500+ in speed, you will NEVER get more than 100 out of the service, period. NEVER.

Basically, you are paying for the higher download limit which is 1 Gig per day with the $120 plan. It's called SatNet2. I have personally had no complaints with the service, so far. Also, Skype is not exactly a bastion of secure communications (e.g. China scandal) and, theoretically, chats and calls could be monitored by the Saudis, if they REALLY felt like it, and they probably don't...gets in the way of tea-time.
--Hope that helps with expanding your options. Good luck.

P.S Don't be offended if the TCN installation techs try to sell you on (ad nauseum) illegal boxes for satellite tv. It's nothing personal. They apparently seem to think that all westerners cut their milkteeth on hardcore porn.

Cleopatra · Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2008 8:11 pm Post subject:

trapezius · Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2008 9:24 pm Post subject:

MyTrunkshow · Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2008 10:31 pm Post subject: Internet is OK.

I've been in Saudi 2 days so I'm not sure about long term internet stability here in Hail but my impression is that the long term tenants have little complaints about connectivity. Internet was already hooked up when I arrived and so far it streams radio stations well. I use Windows Media Player (and others...).

I gather the connections are not the same throughout the Kingdom...was I just lucky?

This year, I'm working on wrapping up my MA so any distraction such as downloading movies or watching TV is an unwelcome distraction, so I'll hold off for now on considering any satellite.

Regards,
mts

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

Both Mobily and Jawwal offer high-speed links which many use for downloading movies etc

Of course you need an Iqama for this. so if you have been duped into coming on a business visa, tough luck !

also in saudi · Joined: 26 Feb 2006 Posts: 137

Mobily must have reduced its rates considerably in the past year.

It was very easy to casually surf the Internet for less than a half hour and use up a 60 riyal card.