Well, it looks like TeleCuracao FM wants to be a part of that conversation….

Well done, horny guy who runs the TeleCuracao FM friends page.  Oh right, TeleCuracao FM still has a friends page. That needed to be said as well…

Christ on a trampoline, so much fail.

h/t: Joost Schrier in Multilul

If you have dealt with UTS or TDS before, you know that this is par for the course. Sadly, things only got worse from there, as evident by this May 14 post….

Fast forward to May 18th (Friday) and the problem still has not been fixed.

I’d say to post this info on their Facebook page, but the TDS Facebook page might be the saddest “fan” page I’ve ever seen. Christ, it looks like a paralyzed salamander is running that thing.

So TDS, if you are reading…please, for the love of lord Zuckerberg, please help this man. Have mercy and allow him to watch some television. The reception is probably bad and he’ll probably end up wanting to stab himself in the eyes…but it’s better than nothing….

Fast forward 3 weeks and the official announcement has been made. Columbus Communications has partnered up with Elemental Technologies and will be using Elemental Live to allow cable subscribers to access live television and on-demand video across IP-connected devices.

What? Did I say on-demand video? Well yes, yes I did.

The service is expected to be introduced in September, but we don’t have any pricing details. More information will follow soon, but as a Flow Tv customer, I can say that I’m pretty excited about this, especially the on-demand video.

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Jeroen had higher peaks than Omar registered yesterday, but Omar’s speeds appear to have been a bit more consistent.

Want to share your speed test results with us? Feel free to email them to me or post them in the comments. You may also use this forum thread.

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The speeds may be somewhat disappointing, but it’s actually exactly as advertised. UTS says that this 4G service is up to 4 times faster than its 3G service and since that one tops out at 1 Mbps, we can basically expect this one to top out at 4 Mpbs, which is basically what these tests show.

Lobster Dog is underwhelmed…

I had my fun with them along the way – partly because of some questionable decisions on their part and partly because I’m a childish dipshit – but looking back, Digicel handled their 4G launch a gazillion times better than UTS.

What’s that you ask? Did UTS launch their 4G service? Well yes, today was the big day and while many people (including myself) were eagerly waiting for UTS to one up Digicel, we were just left scratching our heads in disbelief.

When I woke up today, I immediately checked my phone in hope to see something, anything. Sadly, I was still getting ‘EDGE’ and even sadder, I was still getting EDGE speeds. A check of the UTS website however showed that 4G, or better said, Chippie 4G+, indeed had been launched.

So, what’s Chippie 4G+ you ask?

Argghhh. It’s only available via a Postpaid subscription? Come on Paulus, are you trying to trick me into signing a horrible contract again?

Paulus: “Yes, but look at how much you’re getting back in return! You’re getting 500 free minutes, 150 free SMSes, a 5GB data bundle and a brand new Samsung Galaxy II absolutely free! Christ on a surf board Dave, that’s a good deal!”

Hold on there, my fine feathered friend. The 4G+ service costs Naf. 160,- per month for voice and Naf. 79,- for the premium 4G package. That  adds up to Naf. 239,- a month! And I have to sign a two-year contract? And new customers will be required to pay a deposit? And you might charge me an installation fee?

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? Over the span of that two year contract I will have paid almost Naf. 6,000,-. And that’s without surpassing the 5GB quota! THAT PHONE IS NOT FREE. IT COSTS A FUCKING FIRST BORN SON. For those prices, at least give us the Samsung Galaxy III, you know, the new edition that is being released next week?

But wait kids, there is less. If you didn’t feel screwed enough, check out the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 deal…

For Naf. 999,- and Naf. 79,- a month, you can get the Tab and the premium 4G service. But you guessed it. You’ll have to sign a two year deal and give Paulus a Naf. 150 deposit. Simple middle school math will show you that that Tab will cost you Naf. 3,000,- over the length of that contract.

Paulus: “But but, that 4G is 4 times faster than the 3G speeds that you are used to.”
Dave: “So, we’re basically going to max out at 4 Mbps?”
Paulus: * forever alone *

I bought that same Tab in a store last month for Naf. 1,300,- in a store and enjoying my 15 Mbps Flow connection via Wi-fi when I’m at home. That same 15 Mbps connection is slightly more expensive than that 4G, and surely more stable.

I don’t know if UTS could have handled this 4G thing worse than it has. If you think I’m being overly harsh again, consider the following. A reliable source told me that UTS had a launch event scheduled at the Floris Suite Hotel a few weeks ago.

They were going to use iPads to demonstrate the 4G connection, only the iPads were getting their Internet via Wi-Fi. Floris is hooked up to Flow, which means that it was a Flow connection that was powering those iPads. Eventually the event tanked because the service wasn’t close to being ready. I mean, I couldn’t make this up, even if I tried.

I’m sorry Digicel. I take back all the jokes I made last year. At least you guys reached out to me and let me test your service.

See what I did there Paulus???

Anyways, UTS’ 4G is here, albeit for Postpaid only and priced up the wazoo. Can we even say that we are surprised anymore?

* sigh *

Want to join the discussion? Leave your comment below or post it in the UTS 4G forum thread.

First of all, the 3 products that were launched – Cloud Voice, Cloud IT Security and Cloud Video Conferencing – are all affordable business products. When you think of Flow, you probably think of their residential services, but these cloud services will make them a bigger player on the business side of things as well.

Which service will sell the best?
I think that business will be lining up for the Columbus Cloud Voice service, a sentiment that was echoed by Flow representatives in Trinidad as well. Telephony plays such a big roll for companies here in Curacao and this solution will save them money and have them working more productively, two variables that bosses seem to love.

We’ve already mentioned some of the benefits of this voice service that will be offered through partner Metaswitch and at the end of the day, it will be the best VoIP solution that a company will be able to get here on Curacao. And again, it’s scalable, meaning that you can implement it in your small, 4 employee company, but it can also be used by a big conglomerate.

Should UTS be sweating it?
Of course. Companies who are looking for cheaper ways to make phone calls will be switching to Columbus Cloud Voice, just like many residential users dumped UTS’ DSL service for Flow’s cable Internet.

It will be interesting to see though how UTS will react to customers who want to dump their land line service and switch to Cloud Voice, while running the voice service over a UTS broadband connection. You can use any broadband connection in combination with these cloud services, so theoretically, you can switch to Columbus Voice and use UTS’ own Internet connection at the same time you kill their land line service.*

* That’s what we call sweet, sweet irony

A Flow representative we spoke to expects UTS to put up as much resistance as possible, which means that you’ll probably be better off by switching to Flow Business Broadband, if you have not already.

Which service am I most exited about?
Well, it may have to do with my background as network administrator or due to the fact that I got hacked last month, but the Cloud IT Security service has me pretty pumped. We’re talking about being protected by products and services that are used by Fortune 500 companies and all you have to do is connect a small gateway and pay a fixed monthly fee.

Updates are immediately rolled out and installed and I love the fact that the customer can decide how hands on their own IT department will be. If you think your IT staff is capable enough, Columbus Business Solutions (and Checkpoint) will step back and let you run the entire show. If you’re intimated by security, you just step back and let the pros take care of everything for you.

During my admin days, I came across many small businesses where security was not a priority. Many factors are at play here, with cost probably playing the biggest factor. That’s where this Cloud IT service can take off. It will save customers money (no need to hire dedicated IT people, no need to purchase extra hardware) and you will have the peace of mind that you are protected and backed by a true industry leader.

Again, you connect the gateway, you run the set up wizard and you are done.

No love for the video conferencing service?
Of course. I used to work at a company where we did a lot of meetings via Skype and this Cloud Video Conferencing tool from Glowpoint would have been the ideal solution. From the moderator tools (look a meeting, remove participants, volume control, reception control), to the video switching – whoever is talking longer than 2 seconds is automatically seen in the main screen – it will make your video conferencing a pleasant experience.

So, how does Flow stack up now against the other providers?
Every provider has its advantages. UTS hangs its hat on offering clients “everything” (broadband, mobile Internet, digital television, business broadband, Blackberry services, cell service and land line service), TRES has a 100% Fiber Network, Scarlet offers mobile broadband possibilities, VoIP, hosting and business broadband, while Digicel, a mobile provider, can say that it was the first to introduce 4G on Curacao.

Flow can now offer a more complete package, with residential customers being able to take (the fastest) broadband, digital television (and soon telephony), while business customers can fill certain needs besides a business broadband connection.

I can see many small to medium sized companies start up with a business broadband connection (with static ip’s and on the region’s most advanced network), along with VoIP calling, a top of the line security suite and a conferencing tool to stay in touch with clients and other workers.

It bears repeating: quality, affordability and scalability. Now let’s see how the others react….

So, let’s start with some good news. You know those annoying UTS promotional text messages? The ones you’ve been begging UTS to stop sending? Well, it looks like Lord Zuckerberg has answered your prayers. Reader Brian explains…

It’s almost as if they care about what we think.

And speaking of potential good news, it looks like the 3G/4G launch is finally around the corner. According to a tipper, UTS will be launching the 3G/4G next week Friday. More information will probably follow, but for now we play the waiting and make Paulus even richer in the meantime game.

Lobster Dog hates waiting…

But sadly, it can’t all be good news. Like, did you guys know that the site hack happened right as I was uploading files via FTP, while using the UTS 3G connection?

You: “ZOMGGG1!!!1!!!1!!!!!
You: “Tell me more, Dave…”

Yes sir, my Flow connection went down for about 20 minutes and since I had to finish the file upload, I decided to use the 3G stick. Five minutes later I was being redirected to websites with scantily clad Russian women. Coincidence? I THINK NOT!

Paulus: “Remember who’s in charge here junior….”

Columbus Business Solutions
Besides consumer TV, Internet and voice services, Flow has been providing connectivity and voice solutions to business and government customers for several years under the Flow brand. Last year, CBS was launched as a separate brand to facilitate the increasing demand for ICT and Managed Services within the government and commercial sectors across the Caribbean and Latin America.

And today CBS officially launched what they call ‘the next stage in the evolution of Columbus Business Solutions’; 3 cloud services that are versatile enough for large enterprises, but also affordable enough for small to medium business.

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Why move to the ‘Cloud’?
Before we get to these new services, let’s look at the advantages that cloud services have to offer. First, there’s the cost factor. There is no need to purchase additional hardware or software licenses, which is great for small businesses who are on a budget. The company behind the cloud service takes care of all of the technical details, leaving the client to only “consume” the service.

And since you are dealing with Flow/Columbus Communications, you are using the most stable and advanced network in the region.

Columbus Cloud Voice
This Voice service is offered through partner Metaswitch and is a low cost voice solution for traditional digital landline services. Clients can make VoIP calls, set call rules (ignore specific numbers, forward calls to different phones, send certain calls to voice mail, etc etc), receive voice mails via sms and set up their own automated answer systems.

You can purchase new PBX phones or use your old PBX phones – they will be compatible – but everything else happens right inside ‘the Cloud’. This means that clients do not have to worry about security and other technical details, as these are taken care off by professionals who do their work behind the scenes.

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One IT worker within your company can administrate this Cloud Voice service, but end users can program their own phones as well. When you are out of the office, an app will allow you to control a PBX phone at the office and make a call to another phone on the network. You will be able to make ‘local’ calls while abroad, which means avoiding expensive roaming charges and costs. As a Cloud Voice customer, you can also give an extra service to your own clients by letting them call you for free.

Columbus Cloud IT Security
The Cloud IT Security is offered through partner Checkpoint. Checkpoint is an industry leader with regard to online security and in collaboration with CBS they will offer an affordable and easy to use security platform.

You just connect the security gateway (Safe@Office 1000N Series) to your network and a simple Wizard-based interface will walk you through the set up. The device offers best-in-class security, right out of the box. Benefits include integration of enterprise-class Firewalls, Anti-malware, Anti-virus, URL filtering, network management, real time protection and much more.

Checkpoint offers these security services to Fortune 500 companies and they will now offer this same level of expertise to small and medium sized business, for just a low monthly cost. Clients can choose to let their own IT department manage the cloud security, but they can also turn everything over to Checkpoint. The price will remain the same in both cases, as you are paying a fixed monthly fee.

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Again, the advantage here is that you are not investing in expensive hardware and software licenses. You pay a fixed fee per month (you can also pay for a full year or 2 years) and get industry leading protection for your business, through a small device.

Columbus Cloud Video Conferencing
Columbus Cloud Video Conferencing is offered in collaboration with Glowpoint and allows clients to conference into meetings, training sessions and just about anything that requires face-to-face communications. When you sign up for an account, you will receive an administrator password. This password will allow you to start meeting and control the entire process as an administrator.

You can use a service like Cisco Jabber Video and when you invite users to join you in a conference, every user will be put inside a separate ‘waiting area’ upon entry. The meeting will only start when you, the administrator, enter the admin password.

You can lock the meeting (keep other users from trying to enter), remove users from meetings, adjust the volume per user and keep track of their signal connectivity. According to Glowpoint, you’ll need somewhere between 500 and 800 kbps of bandwidth to get a good, HD video feed. The software can handle up to 50 people in a single conference, but it will work best when having between 4 and 10 users in a conference.

Momentarily there is no SSL support, meaning that you will be in trouble should someone be sniffing on your network. The good news however is that SSL support will be added somewhere within the next two months.

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Cloud Surveillance Security
Another service that was talked about was Cloud Serveillance, where security and surveillance cameras are run from the cloud. The advantage here, because their are no physical security tapes, is that no one can enter your building or store and disable your cameras or tamper with video after something has happened. The Ministry of Defense in Trinidad is already using this system, and the hope is that Curacao will adopt it soon as well.

When can we expect these services in Curacao?
According to CBS, these services will be available within the next two months on Curacao. Flow also has some things lined up in the near future for residential customers, but that will be revealed in due time.

Want to join the conversation? Post your reply in the comments or in the forum thread.

But loss of traffic and reputation aside, it wasn’t all bad. We’ve been toying with the idea of starting from scratch and renewing the website, and the hack turned out to be the final push we needed. So here we are, a newer (and hopefully) better version of Curacao Connected.

So, what has changed?
Well, mainly the look and the structure of the content. Categories are organized better now, making information easier to find. The content itself will remain the same, so expect more childish posts with Lobster Dog appearances.

Hey, where did the comments go?
Sadly, the one thing I could not save, were the comments on the stories. “Only” losing the comments was a best case scenario, so we’re not trying to sweat it too much, but there was some valuable info in there that has been lost.

How does the commenting system work now?
Well, about the same as with the old website. You can comment using your Facebook account, or you can use the built-in comment system.

Do I need to be registered to comment?
No, you don’t. But if you may always register and use a funky, Lobster Dog approved avatar.

Hey, what about the forum and classifieds section?
They were down for about a month as well, but they’re back up at their usual locations. The forum can be found here, the classifieds section can be found here.

Ok, sounds good. Anything else I need to know?
Not really. We’ll continue where we left off, keeping an eye on things that are happening on Curacao and trying to keep everyone on their toes. Remember to follow us on Facebook and Twitter if you haven’t already, or get our feed here. Tips, questions or comments can also be sent to david@curacoaconnected.com.

Thank you for your continued support!