A commenter was kind enough to point us in the direction of this letter from an unsatisfied UTS customer that was sent to the Amigoe. If you don't want to read it, I can recap it for you. It's basically the same horrible cycle that we're all stuck in...

Customer has crappy Adsl connection. Modem needs to be reset multiple times a day. Service center says that a software upgrade is needed and that a technician will pass by. Technician always calls when you are not at home. Customer goes to customer service center and has to wait an hour before some assistance is given. Customers asks if technician can pass by when she is at home. Customer service agent promises that technician will pass by the next day, for sure! The very next day, the technician does not pass by. Customer goes back to service center. The same customer service clerk that helped her yesterday now ignores her.

Customer has now totally had it with UTS. She applied for the 10 Mb upgrade 5 weeks ago and still has not gotten a reply. Combine this with the ridiculous prices and the unstable connection and you can imagine that she has reached the point of wanting to rip her contract to shreds. She then calls the customer service supervisor to tell her that she's had enough.

You're still with me? We all can relate to this right? Well, here's where this letter gets really interesting...

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It's a fact that UTS' dns servers are as unstable as Mel Gibson. That's why we have articles like this one and it's one of the major reasons why customers are so unhappy with these guys. Today it's reader Remi who supplies us with more UTS dns failure. Remi starts by writing that he can't open multiple web pages ( * jumps from bridge * ) and reminds us how useless the 'help desk' really is..

When you call the "help desk" they told you to insert some dns addresses everywhere...in your router, pc's....tell you to bring the modem for a firmware upgrade, reset the modem, connect the modem directly using a network cable, connect the modem without a splitter, change splitter, change telephone line, try the modem on a different telephone wall slot...

Ah yes, how many times haven't we tried all of those options? It's the standard run around that they give you, which in true UTS form only leads to more angry customers instead of actual solutions....

They will give you the dns: 216.152.160.30 and says that this is the bestest dns to use...well this dns works for 30 minutes than the sh*t begins again.
They will also give you OpenDNS which is very slow and Google Public DNS.

Seriously, how pathetic is it that an ISP tells their customers to use public dns settings? When you realize that your dns servers are junk, and you're giving out public dns settings to your users, shouldn't that set off some red flags? As a business, that's the point where you have to look at yourself in the mirror and say: "Hey guys, we're doing something very wrong here."

* sigh *

After trying all of the stupid help desk suggestions - which obviously do not help - Remi has to now wait for a technician to pass by, which is a bigger waste of time than sending Lindsay Lohan to rehab. It really does not matter. This company has basically become the epitome of frustration....

Oh, and make sure you click on the image above to see the log from Remi's modem last night. It literally has tons of fail in it....

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I don't think I need to add anything to this....

Got to give props to my colleagues at Versgeperst.com. They did an excellent job of covering the elections, staying on top of the stories and even getting some vids the wee hours of the morning. And is it just me or were this election day more quiet and uneventful than usual?? When I went to vote, my district was basically a ghost town.

Either way, all of our election related stories can be found at this link...

Reader Ricardo emailed this to us a few weeks ago and it kind of got lost in the shuffle. It's about his customers who are having trouble when trying to send email and even accessing the Internet. These users have UTS Onenet connections and when Ricardo did some digging with a 'Blacklist test', he found some interesting yet unsurprising results.

I'm going to post what he mailed to me below, including the two pdf files, so make sure that you download them and read the contents. Either way, let's get to that email...

Reader Michel asked us to do some research into the political parties and to find out what they've done for the island on ICT level and more importantly, what they are planning on doing in the future. With the elections coming up tomorrow, it seemed like a very great idea. Sadly, due to time constraints, I didn't get the chance to really look into this subject.

I did come across Omayra Leeflang's promise to (hopefully!) equip the new VSBO laptops with Open Office and saw that Partido MAN wants every household to have a computer that is connected to the Internet. MAN also wants to restructure UTS so that the infrastructure part and the service part get separated. The infrastructure would then become part of a private company or 'Holding'. This, according to them, would create a level playing field for all of the providers, which in turn would lead to healthy competition and lowered prices for consumers.

So, since I didn't get the chance to do my research on this, I'll just ask you guys your opinions with regard to the government and ICT. What are you happy with? What are you not happy with? What do you want the government to do with ICT in the future? What should they focus on? What should the next minister of Telecommunications be doing? Does one party seem to have some good ideas?? What would you change??

Edit: Oh, and do you think that Maurice Adriaens faired well when he was the minister of Telecommunications?

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Hey kids, here is the updated Flow service area map, as of Tuesday August 24th. When you compare it with the previous one, you'll see that the active area (red) has become bigger and that there are new areas to be activated (blue).

From what I can see, parts of Santa Rosa, Barbouquet, Toni Kunchi, Salinja and Vredenberg are now active, while parts of Van Engelen, Cas Cora and an area between Marie Pampoen and Punda are now next to be activated. You can click the image to get a larger view or you can download the map.

We'll keep you posted as soon as it has been updated again...

A reader was kind enough to send some TRES related info our way and now we have a little bit more than the newspaper ads to go on. In short, this is what he was told....

- They'll be starting with their services sometime in the next 1 to 2 months with Fiber To The Home (FTTH) services
- They will offer broadband Internet, digital television and local and long distance telephony
- They will launch their services on a neighborhood basis and these areas should soon become known to the public
- One area in particular, the Brakkeput Abou area, is currently planned for the first quarter of 2011

Our reader did not get any other info and was asked to check back with them in about 6 weeks as they are prepping for their launch. It may not seem like much, but he Brakkeput Abou tidbit is interesting and the rest basically confirms what we have been hearing all along. Now we'll just have to wait and see what else will come our way...

I've been getting a lot of questions about the neighborhoods that have underground wiring and how quickly Flow will be able to get them hooked up. Well, here's your answer...

Flow will be delivering service to communities that have underground wiring but it will take us a little longer because we have to contact property developers etc for the relevant permission to access the ducts. It is a process that we have already started but if a particular area wants service the easiest thing would be for them to send us an email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , provide us with the address of the community and the name and phone number of the contact person that we need to speak to . Many of these private gated communities have a committee member that represents the group and we would be happy to speak with that person.

There you have it. If you still have questions, you know the deal. Shoot me an This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or leave it in the comments. That said, remember to also keep us posted with regard to the cable spotting in your neighborhood or area...

A reader wondered a few days ago if other users can post the areas where they have spotted the hanging Flow cables. That way everyone can get a better idea of which areas are already hooked up.

I think it's a great idea and even though we have the current service area map for reference, I'm intrigued myself to hear where cables have been spotted. If you don't know what the cables look like, I have posted pics of the ones that run in front and behind my house. I can describe them as these thick black cables, visibly thicker than the other cables that run from pole to pole.

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Just some website/network related updates. The job posting section has been taken down for a while due to some back-end issues. In the meantime, if your company has job openings or if you are looking for a job here in Curacao - tech related or not - you can post it in the classifieds section.

If you're not familiar with the classifieds section yet, it's absolutely free and created especially for people here in Curacao. You just have to create an account and you can then proceed to post your ad in Dutch, English, Papiamentu or Spanish. Oh, and when you create your free account, I'll have to activate it for you first. This in an effort to keep spam out and to keep the ads aimed at users on Curacao.

That said, feel free to post anything that you're looking for or selling in the classifieds section. Cars, apartments, houses, gadgets, furniture, second hand equipment, toys, personals, job opportunities, professional services or whatever else you're in the market for.

If you have any questions about Curacao Classifieds, you can send me an email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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I managed to get a service area map from Flow, showing the areas on the island that are already active and the ones that are next to be activated. You can click the image above for a larger view, or you can just download the map. The red lines show areas that are already active. Areas in blue are active already but Flow is doing certification on them and hopes to have them ready by the end of next week, at the latest.

As for IPs for residential users, here is the definitive answer...

It is two dynamic IPs or one static and one dynamic for residential users. Clients will have to provide their MAC address for the static IP to be assigned.

There you have it. If there's anything else, feel free to ask and I'll keep doing my best to have the latest info here first....

Been getting a number of emails and calls the last couple of days of people who are having Adsl issues. Some users are saying that their connection has been dead for a number of hours and no one can tell them what's going on. A number of calls to "help desk" and all they get is the generic "reset your modem, remove your router and check your phone line" crap.

Who else is having issues with their Adsl these days and if so, in which area of the island are you experiencing these issues?? A friend of mine was wondering if these latest issues are related to the 10 Mb upgrades. What do you guys think? Is it a coincidence or is UTS' network feeling the strain of the recent upgrades??

More Flow Curacao question and answers

I put up a Flow FAQ post yesterday, putting the questions that get asked most in one area, which makes certain info easier to find. Readers chimed in with more questions and I have the answers right here...

The Flow questions still keep coming in - which is really cool - and since most of the answers are scattered all throughout the comments section, I'd though I'd make a 'FAQ' post that puts everything in one place. If you still have a question about Flow Curacao (and their services) that has not been answered yet, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or drop it in the comments. I'll do my best to find out for you...

"I see that they offer 5, 25, 50 and 100 Mb packages. Is there nothing available in between the 5 and the 25 Mb?"
No. That's the four options that residential users have at the moment.

What are the prices per package?
Have a look at this flyer.

"Can residential users get static IPs?"
Residential users get two dynamic IPs, but if you need a static IP, you can request one and get it for free. So, to be clear, it's two dynamic or one static and one dynamic IP for residential users. If you request a static IP, you'll need to submit your MAC address so that it can be assinged.

If you're a MCB @ Home customer, you probably received an e-mail today, announcing the launch of 'MCB Mobile'. MCB Mobile is the mobile friendly version of their online banking website, optimized for use on such devices like the Blackberry, iPhone or other HTC and Nokia enabled smart phones.

You actually don't need to go to a different url to access the mobile website. The site should automatically recognize that you are using a mobile device and will load the appropriate mobile friendly page for you. A second way is to go to m.mcb-home.com (this is not mentioned in the email, but you can see that it forwards you to that sub domain).

I gave MCB Mobile a try on the Blackberry and it looked good. You fill in the same user name and password that you use on the regular website and get the same security questions. After that you can check your balance, make payments or do account transfers, just like you do with your @home banking. I would try to open it on my iPhone but the poor thing is almost dead and Safari doesn't really respond anymore... * holds back tears *

EDIT: Finally got Safari to respond. It looks nicer on the iPhone (in my opinion) and I like that you can easily check exchange rates as well.

MCB's news comes right on the heels of Banco di Caribe's announcement that they'll be offering customers mobile banking in the near future as well. Add Girobank's mobile banking that started last year and things are looking pretty good in these neck of the woods. Well, at least for those who use these services (like me).

UTS Blackberry Internet and Blackberry Messenger Service
Oh, this is not really news but I thought I'd mention it any way. I got a couple of emails and questions today of people asking if I'm experiencing UTS Blackberry issues as well. Well, the Blackberry I use for work is from Digicel so that did not really apply to me. But I see now that UTS has sent a message to its Blackberry clients (it just came in on the wife's BB), saying that their BB Internet and BB Messenger services are down and that they are working on it. So there you have it.....if you haven't received that message already...