can anyone give me information on ADSL options in Pattaya that don't require a telephone line. Thanks

It is available in some areas from Communications Authority of Thailand (CAT), but it is expensive when compared to the other ADSL services offerred by TOT and TT&T. CAT is the "long distance" telephone provider. Because they are prohibited from offering regular telephone service, they provide ADSL only. IMO it is the best ADSL service in Thailand.

 

When I moved to my present house last November, it did not have an existing telephone service - CAT had a "promotion" at the time for free installation and the 13th month free when signing a 12 month contract - the cost with VAT is 2,782 baht per month - In my case, I paid another 2,400 baht because they had to run a line for over a kilometer to connect my house to their junction box on Jomtien Beach Road. However, if your location is close, there is no additional charge for running the connecting line. Also, CAT installed the line when they said they would and sent 4 people to handle the connection to the service after the line installation (1 to physically connect the line, 1 to assist in setting up the modem, etc. to connect with the service, and 2 to watch -- ).

 

My friends that use TOT or TT&T ADSL complain of frequent outages and slow performance - but they do pay around 900 to 1000 baht per month. In the 8 months I have been using CAT ADSL, I have experienced an outage only twice - both lasted for 2-4 hours. However, the friends that recommended CAT to me said to expect a disconnect every so often (usually every 2-3 days) as CAT forces you to reconnect for a new IP address (they charge substantilly more for a static address). Reconnection simply involves rebooting the modem. As to speed, I am very pleased - my usual download speed exceeds 1000 kbps and upload is usually greater than 500 kbps.

I have used many kinds of connections in Thailand. I had a dedicated line through ToT which was around 19k baht per month. It was never down and the service was excellent.

 

I used the Satellite system there for a while and the speed was much better than a shared ToT or TTT line but since it was satellite, it was not possible to do VOIP which I use often. There were also some issues when I had to access https sites that were secure.

 

I also had a shared line at one point and it really was up and down most of the time.

 

I tried a cell phone card and the speed was horrible. I also tried a few other services.

 

There are options there if you seek them out. The guy at Central Plaza who owns the Internet cafe is VERY knowlledgeable and helpful and willing to give advice.