Cyprus Communications - Internet
There is good news and bad news about Cyprus Internet. The good news is there are some very good Internet Service Providers. The bad news is that even now 2011, many parts of Cyprus still do not have coverage.
The main internet service providers do offer good packages and service, however they seem to be dragging their feet at realising that all of Cyprus wants good internet services. We can only hope that this year will see a lot more areas covered by the providers of internet services.
For those that can get it, there are several providers to choose from, and various packages on offer, depending on your needs. Both business and home users are provided for. The major providers generally offer a choice of packages to the home user such as broadband internet plus phone, or broadband internet plus phone and TV. You can choose from several broadband speed options, usually from 300Kbps up to 8Mbps, and it is expected that higher speeds will be offered in the very near future.
The main platforms provided for broadband internet in Cyprus are ADSL, Cable, Satellite and 3G. The most popular is ADSL, which most home and office users opt for. Cable is mostly available only to a certain few urban areas. Satellite internet apparantly has island wide coverage, however it may be considered too expensive for the average home user. 3G is only available to a few urban and suburban areas.
Recent years have seen the arrival of new companies offering broadband internet services to Cyprus, resulting in better pricing and services, as well as free gifts at times for new subscribers. The competition can be considered as healthy and beneficial to the population who now have choices in which provider to use, with the exception of course of those who do not have coverage in the area they live, and can only be serviced by satellite.
Internet cafe's are numerous throughout Cyprus. Most do not require any kind of membership, you can just pop in, surf and pay, with a few having membership options. Many establishments nowadays are set up mainly for online gambling or network gaming.
The dawning of wifi internet hit Cyprus recently, and has spread rapidly. There are now many establishments that offer free wifi use to patrons, as well as some outdoor public areas where anyone can make use of the free wifi hotspot zones. You can get free wifi in many pubs, restaurants and hotels. In May 2010, it was announced that downtown Paphos would be equipped with free WiFi access along the coastal front of Kato Paphos.