Jump to content
Chapala.com Webboard

New Fiber Optic Cable


Ezzie

Recommended Posts

Gringohombre:  I went into the iLox store in Ajijic last week and canceled my subscription to phone and internet.  Whole process took 5 minutes and she said my credit card would show my refund in 2-3 weeks.  Easy peasy!!!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have way more patience. However long it takes, they are doing it as they promised. Unlike TelMex that promises everything and delivers never. Remember it was only a few months ago that many said "It will never happen. And you'll never get your money back". Once it's installed and everyone else has it, those who cancelled now will be sorry, I'll bet.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a neighbor perhaps a block from me in upper Ajijic, who has had iLox for perhaps 5 or 6 weeks and the last time I checked(maybe two weeks ago), he was very happy with his new ISP (internet service provider).  I hope that he is not the exception, say I, up in Seattle for a few more weeks.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm a little confused - which is not unusual for me.

Are some of you saying that iFibra is stringing cable for themselves - rather than as a subcontractor for Ilox? And that iFibra will be offering the packages shown on their website directly to customers at Lakeside in competition with Ilox and Telmex? Just want to clarify. I guess iFibra could be planning to provide service at Lakeside and that competition and choices can only work in our favor. I just don't see iFibra thinking that competing with Ilox would be a good idea but perhaps they will go for it.

The young man that came to my house to do the original Ilox install came back this week to add the TV package that I did not order originally. I had a pretty long talk with him - as I mentioned earlier he is a really nice guy and technically very skilled. He is from Ocotlan and has worked for iFibra for quite a while. He has had Ilox paperwork with him each time he has been here and called Ilox to get the service authorized once he had done his part here at my house.

He didn't know much if anything about the arrangements between Ilox and iFibra. He said he had not been told what to say - or what to not say. He just shows up and does his work. He speaks very little English - really almost none - but we haven't seemed to have had trouble communicating with each other in Spanish.

I was one of the original prepaid accounts, have had my service for several months now and am very happy with the speed and with the overall experience in dealing with Ilox.

Quite honestly I am stupid and apathetic - I don't know and don't care about most of the details people are getting worked up about. Ilox is working through their build-out, I am up and running, speed and service are great for me. 100% happy. Don't really care which poles are being used, if iFibra is or isn't a subcontractor for Ilox, or any of the other details folks are getting worked up about. Stringing cable is one part of the process but there are many more steps required to deliver service over those cables. Obviously lots of other folks don't see all this the way I do.

Thanks once again to Tom for all his work to get this going - and for his incredible patience in dealing with all the headaches. We should double Ted's salary - but then 2 x $0 is still $0 so all I can do is to thank him profusely. This is truly a game changer for our community and for me personally.

  • Like 3
  • Thanks 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't think anybody is "worked up", Rec, about which poles or who iFibra is or isn't. It's all just discussion. Curiosity. People are getting worked up about waiting for installation, is about all I can sense. (Although on TOB there is a guy who is convinced any moron pretty much can install fibre to the home; just pick up a book and bam! You've got it. He even provided a couple of titles. Well, I've seen the skill it takes to do it properly, and he's pretty much p***in' into the wind on that one.)

When iFibra first appeared, I postulated that they may be subcontracting for iLox. Seemed far too coincidental. However, iLox has denied this, and now we know iFibra is a company in its own right. I have no idea if they are big enough to be competitors, but iLox is most definitely not big in the sense most people would think. However, judging by iFibra's Website, their top speed is pretty sad for fibre. Far less than I am already getting with TelMex.

BTW, Tom Kessler is the correct name.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So what are upload and dnload speeds att.  Are they enough for virtual conferences..ie,,webex, zoom, etc? or even PPT or Prezi meetings?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A guy was here literally 10 minutes ago in a vehicle with iFibra logos all over it. He once again had Ilox paperwork and was here to finish up something extra that I asked for in my Ilox setup. Same guy has been here three times now including the initial Ilox installation. The other two visits were because I asked for and paid for something extra after the initial installation.

Thanks CG. Corrected Ted to Tom (I used to work with a guy named Ted Kessler). With all the work Tom has done for all of us I could at least get his name right (haha).

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here are some FACTS that I have learned about this mysterious company, IFibra. I called the number on the website that was posted here: www.iFibramx.com

The young lady that answered did not speak English, nor anyone else there, so I stumbled around with my basic Spanish until she hooked up a 3 way conversation with her father, who spoke excellent English. She said the company had nothing to do with ILox and, yes indeed they had internet service available in San Antonio and could hook me up in 8 - 10 days. I asked about rates and she sent me a screen shot from the website that shows that the highest speed of 15 mbps would be $340 per month. They also have packages that include a 150 channel TV cable option that looks kind of interesting. There does not seem to be any phone option. This is simply the information that I have learned by one phone call. I cannot confirm any of this and would prefer to go with ILox to get much higher speeds and also the phone included so I can say adios forever to Telmex. I do not understand why in my small pueblo of SAT there could be 3 possible options for cable and since ILox has over-promised me (3 months, now 2 months more), does this mean that they will be starting from scratch here? The novela continues.....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My last comment on all this is that calling the local office of any of the companies being discussed here and asking the person that answers about the company's business plan, contract/subcontract arrangements and other similar details is not likely to provide the accurate, definitive, detailed information folks are looking for. Sort of like calling a U.S. company's local office and asking the receptionist about strategy, subcontracts, etc. Just my opinion.

I'm a happy Ilox customer so I'll bow out.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have said that I am willing to wait for ILox but as a lifelong businessman I explore ALL my options. IFibra has a website that is posted here with what they are offering. The only new thing that I learned from my phone call is that they have strung cable here in SAT (as I saw with my own eyes) and they can hook me up in 8 - 10 days. I also said that I cannot independently confirm this but am assuming this could be true since they have cable about half a block from my house. Maybe others here have more info or experience with them and I am sure that we would all like to hear about it. Or maybe not!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, ComputerGuy said:

iLox strung their fibre on our streets in Riberas probably two months ago; no indication of impending installs.

Hey ComputerGuy, I took a fiber splicing course about ten years ago.....now if only I could climb a pole with spikes.

SunFan

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

According to an Ilox supervisor who we just buttonholed at Raquet Club, Riberas was one of the first scheduled installations....  Ilox started calling and calling people to schedule installations and 9 out of 10 had left for the summer.    I guess there are a lot of Canadians there.  Right now they are working like crazy in the Raquet Club, then will go to San Antonio, then Riberas...

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 months later...

I just wanted to clarify a couple of things. 

 

I do not believe that iFibra , nor iLox are building their "own" networks. Recently in Mexico some companies have bagan to apear that offer a "conduit" for the last mile of service for TV, Internet and Telephone. This is much like Ashland Fiber network in Ashland, OR  https://www.ashlandfiber.net/ , although private companies doing it. In that way, they lease or rent capacity on those fiber lines to ISPs , Cable and Phone companies. If the provider is then connected to that "conduit service" they can then connect to your home for the services you require. 

I believe I have confirmed that iLox and Ifibra are NOT sharing a common conduit (at least not yet) . My iFibra contract is from "Acceso a Redes SA de CV" which literally means "Access to Networks SA de CV" (note the plural), and only on one page does the iFibra logo appear, and that is where they took my personal information. 

My iFibra 18 Meg up and 18meg down is scheduled to be installed this week. I am sure it will be better that the (sometimes) 5 max I have been getting from Telmex ADSL , which is not even VDSL as in most areas.

I have never had such unreliable phone and Internet fron Telmex as I now have. I believe they are falling apart. A cell phone SIM, USB dongle for 3g  (to make phone calls with the SIM) , and tiny VoIP server  will do a fine job of all of my worldly phone call needs. Unfortunately nobody can offer me a 376 area Cell phone SIM still!

 

Mark de Leon

Teknogeekz

Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 minutes ago, HDTVStreamers said:

 

I have never had such unreliable phone and Internet fron Telmex as I now have. I believe they are falling apart.

Mark de Leon

Teknogeekz

I don't think they are falling apart but I can confirm that Telmex IN LAKESIDE is absolutely pitiful. That, fortunately, is not the case in other parts of Mexico.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I live in Ajijic. And according to Telmex two of the four telephone lines  in the cable that comes to my house provides me internet. And Telmex says that the distance between my modem and where the internet is connected to it (DSLAM Card) is 1070 meters. And all I know is that my Telmex service is excellent. And almost never goes down.

No it is not fiber but I still get maybe 15 Mbps down by a typical 0.55 Mbps up. I was just very lucky that I live close to the Telmex office and the wiring to the office (DSLAM Card) is in good shape

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, HDTVStreamers said:

I just wanted to clarify a couple of things. I do not believe that iFibra , nor iLox are building their "own" networks. R

No idea about iFibre, but do have intimate knowledge if iLox, and that is an incorrect observation. The family owns a string of TV businesses on the other side of the lake and have their own backbone, upon which they are expanding.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...