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Access to ANDI network



Greetings to you from ANDI:

Thank you to everyone who has given their input on the Worldwide data  
network.  After 9 months of work we are ready to conclude  
negotiations for dialup service, but before we do I have a few last  
questions to ask.

Our official domain name will be andi.org.  We have received a class  
B license with full access to the Internet.  We intend to support  
dialup telephone access at speeds of 14.4K (V.32bis), 23K (Telebit  
Turbo PEP protocol), and 24K (Motorola Codex's implementation of  
V.Fast) if there is sufficient interest.  In addition, basic rate  
ISDN (BRI) service will be available in many areas of Maryland,  
Washington, DC, and Virginia at speeds up to 128K over the B  
channels. Dialup service via X.25 packet networks such as CompuServe,  
Tymnet, and Infonet could be made available at speeds between 1200  
and 9600 baud. All service offerings are flat rates with no charge  
for traffic (kilocharacter or kilosegment).

1.  Would you be willing to buy a Telebit or Motorola modem to be  
able connect at 23K or 24K (approximately $700-1200US)? Do you have a  
modem that supports 14.4K?

2.  Would you pay $6 to $12 per hour in the U.S. to connect to an 800  
number offering connectivity at 14.4K to 23K/24K?  Would you pay $24  
to $44 per hour in Europe, Scandinavia, South America and Asia for  
14.4K to 23K/24K service? Would you prefer to pay $18 to $26 per hour  
outside the United States but be limited to 1200 to 9600 baud?

3.  If you are a long distance call from Maryland would you prefer to  
pay a small hourly/monthly fee for dialup service and pay for your  
own long distance charges (based upon my analysis this is more than  
the costs listed in #2.)?

4.  If you live outside the U.S.A. can you buy/use a modem that  
operates at 14.4K, 23K, or 24K?  If so, who is the manufacturer?

5.  ANDI will provide a supplemental newsfeed that will allow RTF,  
audio, etc. and run Newsgrazer. Would this be a benefit to you?  Do  
you want a full USENET newsfeed or just those groups the would have  
some impact on using the NeXT computer?

6.  Are you presently using ISDN phone service?  If yes, please list  
the equipment used including telephones, PBX's, and terminal  
adapters.

7.  If you are not directly connected to the Internet, who is your  
service provider, and how much does your monthly access cost?  What  
is the fastest connection (9600, 14.4K, 2400, etc.) available,  
excluding compression, that you can get?

8.  Would you be willing to prepay for monthly usage by check or  
money order, or do you prefer to use a credit card such as VISA,  
Mastercard, or American Express?

9.  Would you prefer to run SLIP or PPP and pay a little more to have  
this service running at 14.4 to 24K, or use kermit and VT100 terminal  
emulation at speeds of 1200 to 9600 baud for slightly lower charges?

10. Would you be willing to set your computer to poll at a certain  
time in order to get lower rates?

11. If you live in the continental U.S.A would you be interested in a  
separate service that would let you connect at 1200 to 2400 baud for  
$3 per hour from the hours of 8pm to 7am Eastern Standard Time,  
Monday through Friday, and all day Saturday and Sunday?

12. How much time do you spend on-line each month and what time of  
day do usually go online?  Do you connect every day or just certain  
days of the week such as Monday through Friday?

Please respond to me at strehl@socrates.umd.edu immediately with any  
comments as we will be concluding our negotiations this week.

Thanks in advance for you responses.  This will help us provide the  
best service at the lowest cost as we begin to come on-line in the  
next several weeks.

Regards,


Bill Strehl
Executive Director
Association of NeXTSTEP Developers International

reply to: strehl@socrates.umd.edu  (soon to be bill@andi.org)