This is not really concerned with the site’s main objective of getting Batelco to understand that we fully oppose their imposing limits on our internet access, but I felt that this is important enough to highlight here as it might affect the wireless communication progress in the Kingdom, hence I shall represent the email as I received it this morning for your information and appropriate action:
Last week, TRA (the telecom regulatory authority) launched a public consultation on making the licensing of WiFi and Bluetooth permanent in Bahrain. We drafted a response opposing this. The text is online at
http://www.petitiononline.com/BHWIFI/petition.html The deadline for sending TRA this petition is 5 pm (Bahrain time) on Thursday, 20 July. That’s less than two days from now. TRA’s announcement/description of the consultation is online in English and Arabic (pdf files).
Our petition’s strategy is to demonstrate the need to change the telecom law, which requires not just licensing of all WiFI and Bluetooth links, but all cordless phones, GSM handsets, wireless sensor nets, baby monitors, wireless hearing aids, RFID tags, etc. In other words, it goes way beyond what is necessary to prevent interference. We also offer suggestions for rule changes that would limit the impact of the law even without amendment.
Please spread the word fast about this petition, and about the consultation. If you don’t agree with our petition, fine - send TRA your own comments. But tell your friends to act, and act fast.
We are a nonprofit organization based in the Netherlands and the Czech Republic which works to increase public access to license exempt radio spectrum. We have made similar policy interventions in Russia, England, the European Union, the Eastern Caribbean, Nicaragua, and Central Asia. See our website for more background.
Thanks for reading this far - please visit the petition now.
Robert Horvitz
Open Spectrum Foundation
email:bob@openspectrum.info
skype: robert_horvitz
mob:+420 775024705
tel:+420 222726807
http://www.openspectrum.info
This story was covered by the GDN on 20 July, ‘06, thanks guys!
July 18th, 2006 at 10:40 am
I noticed something very annoying, last month my inet usage is only 3GB so the remaining bandwidth is 12GB, when I checked the batelcoshit site at the beginning of the month they reset the bandwidth to 15GB ! this is theft, since I already paid 40BD for the bandwidth why Batelco don’t add the remaining unused bandwith to the new one ex. 12GB + 15GB= 27GB ? All I can say is that they are really professional thieves.
July 18th, 2006 at 2:32 pm
How on earch would the be able to impliment and for that matter enforce this??
July 18th, 2006 at 2:39 pm
Well I was theft in other way. I have used almost all of my bandwidth and the last day before they have resetted to 15 GB, I had 800 MB. SO I started downloading from 6 in the evening till 11:45, and by midnight they gave reset the bandwidth to 15 GB. The surprise was that, the 800 MB were deducted from the new 15 GB!!!!! I have raised a complain, and the customer service guy told there is nothing thay can do about it!!! it is really bullshit and I am fed up with checking my usage every 6 hours in their stupid website. I don’t know if there is alternative those theives, but if there is, please someone tell so I will switch!!!
July 18th, 2006 at 3:33 pm
Waleed, they never carry over the leftover bandwidth, so always use it up
July 18th, 2006 at 3:57 pm
The way I see it, even if they are unable to enforce this now since there is no way to monitor every bluetooth connection, every wifi connection etc - atleast they will not have a Law to fall back to if in the future any such technology is deployed.
Also, why the limit and the monitoring? I’m against that itself.
July 18th, 2006 at 6:36 pm
there is a way to actualy steal from batelco u can actualy have unlimited bandwith if u actualy try out some bugs with the internet like i have tried i cannot say it here because batelco might see it and fix this bug but i use 512kb internet unlimited for 2 months now without it droping to 64k it is realy an easy bug just think about it and u wil figue it out
July 18th, 2006 at 7:12 pm
qaz, I am not that strong with technical tricks, but you can always e-mail me at razaq@hotmail.com and tell me about your trick if possible, and I promise that I will keep the secret!
July 18th, 2006 at 8:11 pm
Hey qaz what is the bug you have found please email me at ali_najim@yahoo.com
July 18th, 2006 at 9:09 pm
Me Too: najla_099@yahoo.com
July 19th, 2006 at 12:58 am
I don’t understand this O_o.
What’s the point or use of such a system implemented?
Infact, i don’t understand the whole hoopla joobla O_o.
July 19th, 2006 at 8:35 am
Then read Mohammed Ubaydli’s article for a good explanation on what impact this licensing would have on our daily lives.
July 19th, 2006 at 8:43 pm
Thanks, understood - signed.
And by the way, anyone notice that ever since they finished their “Re-routing work” Pings have been absurd?
I’m getting pings of 800 - 1200 MS on STEAM!
O_O
July 19th, 2006 at 11:24 pm
whats with this “licensing” stuff? who came up with that kind of smart idea?
and the re-routing was done by FLAG, not batelco, FYI was in emirates if i recall correctly, havent jumped on WoW yet, but from i can see at the moment, it is not good, not good at all “as usual, even though its no our side ’supposedly’ “
July 19th, 2006 at 11:58 pm
well, I restarted my router a billion times till i got pings of 300 and under.
You could try that.
I REALLY should start a blog on gaming + hardware ;
July 20th, 2006 at 5:46 am
let me know what the addy is mate, lets get together and waste some n00bs
July 20th, 2006 at 2:07 pm
Call it highway robbery or what you like. Batelco is there to make money by hook or crook. Customer Service can go to hell. Since they have monopoly they can do what they like. Wheter they give a damn or not we have to live with this crap. I have the same problem convincing my upper management to steamline our company products and cost as per the Bahrain market but the block head do not care. The idea is to make as much money as possible and even if you have to screw the customers, no problem.
July 20th, 2006 at 5:53 pm
There, you can click my name to go there but right now, it’s an empty wasteland - no posts or anything yet.
Hit me up Xfire (noob3h) so I can add you to the team and so we can discuss what will be the first post.
July 20th, 2006 at 6:49 pm
i use skype meself, but ill get xfire, i think i had an account with em a long time account, lemme take a look here…
July 23rd, 2006 at 6:47 am
so, what happened?
July 23rd, 2006 at 11:54 am
I recently noticed that the internet connection became very slow, anybody have the same problem?
July 23rd, 2006 at 1:12 pm
Yes, I ontice that too.
Since they finished the re-routing work it became quite slow >_>.
July 24th, 2006 at 10:15 am
Yesterday I Skyped with the UK and Holland: no problems.
Now I just tried Australia: unusable.
Checked ping times to Oz: 3340 ms, E.g more than 3 seconds! Are they routing via the moon?
July 24th, 2006 at 10:32 am
Just a quick check
No of devices using the following:
WiFi: 7
Bluetooth: 9
GSM: 6
Other: 8
No of items using wireless spectrum:: 22
(some are using more than one system)
And I need to license them all? Great move!
July 24th, 2006 at 7:47 pm
just a quick question, can anyone access their batelco e-services account? i can’t seem to be able to login…
and yes damn TRA with that smart move…
beware of skype tho it does suck quite a bit of bandwidth, i use it to chat to my guildmates while playing world of warcraft, and when i look at the bill details i see that it sucked around 250+ MB during those 5-6 hours of gameplay….
tell me again batelco how does this fit the gamers? and who ever heard of a 3 hour game in online games? this isnt the old days! we have youtube, flickr, skype, and all those wonderful sites that like to splatter the page with streaming videos of stuff….
sorry bout this but i just had to vent a bit…
*bash head against keyboard*
July 24th, 2006 at 8:51 pm
I can’t login either, I tried the password a billion times and I even copy-pasted straight from the router’s PW field.
Nothing happened.
Score 1 for Batelco!
July 24th, 2006 at 9:29 pm
yes now back to normal and guys did u hear about nue tel new company providing internet there nbr is 16033000
July 24th, 2006 at 11:12 pm
The Internet has indeed become slower after the rerouting. Lots of problems with the connections.
The Batelco e-services site is down, you’re not doing it wrong, they just aren’t providing bill details anymore (but the counter is still counting your downloads!)
Nuetel (or nue-tel) are only offering services in Amwaj Islands. (I thought that should have been Amwaj Telecom). Their website is empty, doesn’t look promising at all.
So yes, ping times through the roof, terrible routes, and no alternative in sight. Sorry guys, keep on suffering.
July 26th, 2006 at 3:30 pm
Any news on whether the Petition was successful?
July 31st, 2006 at 12:07 pm
Batelco is a sucker!! I am fed up from them.
August 1st, 2006 at 4:57 pm
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