Choosing an ISP in the Gambia

Choosing an Internet Service Provider can be a difficult decision in he Gambia, especially when you have only four options (i.e Gamtel, Quantumnet, Netpage and Unique Solutions. There are a lot of factors involved that can and should influence your decision. But not always do you think of all those factors, just to find out that after you made a choice, there is something that you don't like about the new ISP. Or you might not be aware of all the choices you have. This tutorial should help you make a more educated decision about what ISP to choose.

First of all, let's make a check list of all the things that you should take into consideration:

• Speed

How fast do you need your Internet access to be? What access speed can the ISP provide? Is it consistent? 
This information you can get directly from the ISP.  Bear in mind that in the Gambia, all ISP’s get their internet bandwidth from Gamtel. The difference in the service you receive from any of the above ISP’s is the way in which they manage the bandwidth that they have and the delivery system they use to get the connection to your home or place of business.

• Reliability

How reliable is the service? Are they always available or do they have frequent down times? 
This information is a little harder to get since the ISP naturally does not want to admit that they have frequent problems. For this question you should turn directly to users of the ISP. Ask people that use this provider about their experience, either in person or in Newsgroups online.

• Price

How expensive is the service? Do they have a plan for unlimited access for one monthly fee? How much is it and how does it compare to other ISPs? Its worth mentioning that you should not make your decision based solely on the cheapest ISP, as the saying goes you pay for what you get. Some are more expensive than others for very good reasons, but at the same time some are just plain rip offs.

• Other Fees

Are there any other charges, such as a one-time setup fee, Survey fee, Installation fees, etc?

• Other Perks

Besides the Internet access, what else is included in the plan? Do you get free e-mail accounts and if so how many? Do you get free web spaces so you can create your own little home page? If so, how much, 5MB, 10MB?

24/7 Tech Support

Do they have Tech Support? If so, when are they available? Just Monday through Friday, 9-5? Or 24 hours, seven days a week? And how can you reach support? By fax, e-mail, phone?

• Bandwidth-to-user ratio

The most important question you should be asking is how much bandwidth does the ISP have from Gamtel and how many people are sharing that bandwith? Example, If you have an ISP who bought 4MB of Bandwith from Gamtel and have 200 clients on 256kbps each sharing that bandwidth, you can expect extreme slow speeds and poor connections if you sign up with that ISP.

A good guide is something like 2MB to about 40 clients on anything over is too high and you should stay away from it. 

This list covers just the most important questions you should find answers for before making a decision. Since this is a lot of data, I suggest creating a spreadsheet to document this for each ISP that you consider to give you a nice overview. 

Just remember: You are buying service and you want to get the best value for your money. You want to be able to commit for a long time to avoid the hassle of switching ISPs every few months. If you just invest a few hours of research, be critical, analyze your options, you can find what you need. Also, ask for different payment plans. Some ISPs offer a lower rate if you pay quarterly, semi-annually, or annually. Don't waste your money on bad Internet service. Go out there and find the ISP that serves you best.