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Archive - Archive 2004 - July 2013

Simply speaking – Contention Ratio |16 September 2011

They are not necessarily interested in how many kilo bits per second and what contention ratio is offered by the service provider.. that is, until they start exploring how much the service will cost, versus how good the service will perform.

Unfortunately, some ISPs do not publish their contention ratios which makes it more difficult for the consumer to make the best decision. However, in case you consider an ISP (e.g. KOKONET) that does publish their ratios together with their data rates, then it is a good idea to know what all the techno speak means in simple terms.

Data is transmitted to and from the internet in a series of 2 simple conditions e.g. high voltage/low voltage represented by a 1 or a zero. These conditions are called bits. When you read 512 kbps it means 512,000 bits per second (which, when you come to think of it, is a heck of a lot of changes in such a very short period of time!).  

When people use the internet they all use it in different ways and the amount of data being transmitted to any one user can vary drastically. You could have one person downloading a large file while the other one is just sitting there reading a page of information that has already appeared and is therefore not requiring any data to be transmitted at that time. ISPs work on the probability that not all people require all the data rate simultaneously and place the users into shared groups. The maximum number of users in the group determines the Contention Ratio.

So, contention ratio is basically the maximum potential number of fellow internet users you are sharing the service with at any given time. For example, one of KOKONET’s most popular packages is 512 kbps 40:1 selling for SR800 + GST per month. This means that if this is the service you have subscribed to, you are in a group that ultimately can hold a maximum of 40 users that all share 512 kbps on the downlink i.e. what you receive from the internet.

You may be lucky and be the only person active in that group at the time and so you will get all of the 512 kbps data rate or what we call ‘bandwidth’ to yourself. If another of your fellow group members goes online, the maximum both of you will ever be able to receive is 256 kbps i.e. 512 kbps divided by 2 and so on..

KOKONET provides packages of differing data rates and contention ratios for different sized budgets and all offerings are with an UNLIMITED DOWNLOAD which is easier to consider than the metered offerings that can sometimes result in a shock when you receive your first bill.

If you would like to know more about how you can get connected to a service with offer details that are clear and with no unforeseen surprises, please visit our KOKONET SALES OFFICE at Huteau Lane or contact us on 6474747.
  
Sponsored by Kokonet

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