Chengdu / Chongqing Internet Speeds

[nitropuppy]

Presently, I'm told that the internet speed I can get is 1.5 megs. (I think) I'm not sure of the speed rate but it seems incredibly slow compared to the service I got back in the U.S.(which was ethernet speed of 15 megs)

Is there any way to get faster download speeds? Why is it so very slow here? Surely, China has the technology for faster internet speeds. What's the deal?

I wanted to download some music from iTunes, but one 4 minute song might take two days to download with this bogged down internet system. I don't want to tie up my computer that long. Any suggestions or information?

[roddy]

Whereabouts are you, and what ISP are you on? How do domestic sites compare? If you can compare with people in other cities / using different ISPs / next door you might be able to figure out where the problem is.

I've had consistently good service with Beijing Netcom, bar the Taiwan earthquake - international stuff is noticeably slower, but still entirely usable, domestic sites almost instant (if you allow for the 2MB of HTML and flash animations). Can't remember what the fastest download I've had is - 120kB/s or 170kB/s, one of the two.

[nitropuppy]

Howdy Roddy, I'm in Chengdu and the internet service provider is the local telecommunications company. They provide phone service as well. I did a speed test for downloads. It seems I'm getting about 70 kbps. Painfully .....s....l.....o....w..... !

I guess I'll just have to suffer with it. Nothing much I can do short of moving to another city. And I'm not much in favor of that. Perhaps, I can trade MP3's with local expats.

[pandaxiongmao]

If you used a speed testing server in another country, you will be running into the problem with slow links to places outside of China. I don't get any more than about 35KB/sec for International traffic, but I get up to 120KB/sec (almost 1Mb) downloading from sites within China.

Also, your provider may limit traffic using certain protocols, such as bittorrent. That is the case with China Telecom in Hainan, for example. You could see if the speed problems apply to other protocols, since it might not have anything to do with your actual connection speed.

If you have problems with the speed using sites within China, you might want to contact the phone company and ask them why it is that slow.

[nitropuppy]

Thanks for the hints and info. Just one more question if I can.

It seems I can't download from iTunes anyhow. They won't let me do it from China. (yes, I understand why) Can you give me a competant web site in China where I can download music from. I want to access typical american rock, and pop tunes. Would also love to get access to some British greats like Emerson,Lake, and Palmer. How about some info on this?

[banjo67xxx]

When in China, do what the Chinese do ...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6163352.stm

Just in case you have trouble reading it, its a news report about Baidu.com winning an appeal against EMI, Sony BMG, Warner Music and Universal Music over links to illegal music downloads.

[roddy]

Those speeds aren't right, certainly not if you are paying for an ADSL service, and I'd still be inclined to see what speeds other people are getting and take it up with the ISP.

On downloading - there are existing links in the music forum. mp3.baidu.com is the classic, but with deals being signed between record companies and the portals there are an increasing number of online options. Try Sina's Music Box for example - haven't tried it myself, just had to translate a press release about it this morning.

[Prodigal Son]

I live in Chengdu, have China Telecom internet (1.5mbps, 120元/月) and my download speed is capped at 150k/s. I've requested the fastest internet they reasonably have and have been told that I have yet.

I just returned from Chongqing where I noticed my friend downloading torrents at over 1mb/s, and he told me he pays 90元/月 for whatever his girlfriend signed him up for. I can't believe the speed varies that much between two cities in such close geographic proximity. I had China Telecom internet before and could download at higher speeds, but they refused my request for a public IP address.

[roddy]

Merging the two Chongqing / Chengdu Internet Topics

[nitropuppy]

Yeah Roddy, I'm on the exact same rate and system that Prodigal Son wrote about. It's 120 yuan for the 1.5 service. I have a monitoring system for download speeds. The speeds I'm getting vary from 50-80 kb/s. Woefully inept. This may be because of several factors. The wiring in my building may be a long run without a signal amp.(I'm 9 floor up) Or it could be antiquated wiring in the building. And a few other technical reasons.

After talking to the company technician, who shrugged in the same non-commital way as everyone else, I guess I'm stuck with what I'm paying for. At least for right now anyway. I'm presently looking for another apartment in Chengdu. Hopefully, I can find a "no dogs allowed" apartment complex with better internet speeds. If any exist. Thanks for the cross thread. It confirmed my thoughts on the matter.