Your web questions answered

Send your WebWorld queries to pcollins@irishtimes.com

or by post to Padraig Collins, The Irish Times New Media, 4th Floor, Ballast House, Aston Quay, Dublin 2

Could you tell me how to go about getting Internet access for personal use but also for a business. I would be grateful if you could let me know how one could avail of the most effective and fast access and if you could inform me of the cost involved. Are there different standards which one should be aware of? If possible, would you also let me know if there are any good sites which would help me with my enquiries. - via email from a person who did not wish to be named.

There are several different Irish ISPs (Internet Service Providers) with services provided by the main phone companies - Eircom and Esat - being the most popular.

All ISPs offer a range of different rates to suit various types of users. There are rates to suit people who spend a lot of time or a little. Therefore you might want to use different plans at home and for the business.

The basic cost of an hour on the internet, using a subscription-based service, is just under 50p at weekends and evenings. Daytime rates are twice that. The monthly charge, which varies depending on the service you are using, but would typically be in the region of £20.

There are also many services which do not charge a monthly rate, but whose dial-up costs are slightly more expensive at weekends and evenings and almost three times more at daytime rates.

The provision of an "always on" Internet service, which would allow you to be connected 24 hours a day for a single, set fee, seems to be a long way off. Esat have said that they want to provide it but that Eircom are holding up the plans (Esat rents lines from Eircom). Eircom would deny this of course.

Another Internet service that we should have by now is a high-speed cable connection, but both NTL and Eircom have put plans for this on hold. What you can get is an ISDN line which is basically a double line in one, thus allowing faster downloads or to be both on the phone and on the Internet at the same time.

When choosing your modem, which you will need to connect your computer to the web, make sure that it is a 56k one. Anything less than that can make download time very slow. While Internet services in Ireland are not all they are cracked up to be - despite constant self-congratulation about our supposedly high-tech society - there will be a package to suit your needs, for home and for business.

You can get more information about specific plans at www.eircom.net and www.esat.ie.