Chinese to Enjoy Fast-speed Internet AccessCitizens in this capital of east China's Anhui Province will soon able to get access and surf the Internet on their computers 100 to 200 faster, according to sources.The Hefei Telcom Bureau is to provide local users fast Internet access through a wide-band network, to be completed soon in the city, a bureau official said. The bureau has laid 35,000 kilometers of optical fiber, the wide-band carrier of information flowing through the Internet. An Internet user can browse at a speed 200 times faster than using 56k a modem or 100 times faster than using ISDN service. A 56k modem or ISDN is currently the most popular way for Chinese to get on the Internet. Basically all residential areas in the city have been connected to the wide-band network. Outlet boxes have been installed in every floor of residential buildings, ready to be connected to for use. Old houses that don't have optical fiber can also greatly increase Internet access speed through new zip technologies, which enable users to be connected to the wide-band network through telephone lines, but not via exchangers, according to sources. Wide-band network users need to pay 600 yuan (US$72) to open a user account and 120 yuan (US$14) each month for regular use, sources said. |
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