Internet in Northern Cyprus

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Internet in Northern Cyprus - 34 minutes 8 seconds

If you arrived here from a link on another web site or, through a Google search, you are probably wondering what "34 minutes and 8 seconds" is all about. Well, it's the answer to the question:-

How long does it take to download a 128MB file on a 512kbps internet connection?

A question asked on this page: North Cyprus internet

Internet in Northern Cyprus - speed

Internet speed (more oftenly referred to as bandwidth) is measured in (units) per (time period) and is (nearly always) quoted as the maximum amount of data that either: a device can handle or, that is available to a device. Another definition is the amount of data that can be handled by, passed through or, along a channel of communication in a given time period. For the purposes of this article, internet speed (bandwidth) is quoted in kbps (kilo bits per second)

If you know the difference between your kb's and your KB's and your Mb's and your MB's, you can skip the next paragraph.

512kbps (kilo bits per second) = 64kBps (kilo Bytes per second) = 0.5Mbps (Mega bits per second) = 0.0625MBps (Mega Bytes per second). Usually, internet download or, upload speed is quoted in either: kbps or, Mbps whilst file size, download(able) or, upload(able) is quoted in MBps.

The majority of internet users in Northern Cyprus connect to the internet with a 512kbps internet connection. There are many internet service providers and several methods of delivery to the end user, but in the majority of cases (users without telephone connections), the last mile (few miles) of the internet connection is delivered by wireless radio.

Internet in Northern Cyprus - the infrastructure

Anyone that has lived in Northern Cyprus for a year or, two, will know all about the infrastructure or, lack of it! Water shortages every summer meaning water is delivered to your home by tanker. Bumpy dirt tracks that double as streams (when it rains in the winter months). Regular power cuts. Not enough telephone numbers and no telephone lines to the majority of houses and those that do have twisted pairs, may experience regular outages - you've just got to love it!

Consider this and you will understand why I am often amazed and amuzed when I see/hear people moaning about the speed of the internet in Northern Cyprus and you should also understand why the last mile (few miles) has to be delivered by wireless radio.

Apart from the odd internet connection via satellite, internet in Northern Cyprus is supplied by Turkey through a submarine cable. The main KKTC (telecommunications) hub is situated in Lefkosa where the connection from Turkey terminates and from there, several fiber optic cables terminate to different areas of Northern Cyprus (Kyrenia, Guzelyurt, Famagusta etc.) These cables terminate in the telecommunications offices (of each area) and it is here that your internet service provider will locate their equipment to accept and forward their bandwidth allocations. It all sounds very simple and it is (all things being equal) but whilst some ISPs have dedicated connections to Lefkosa, the infrastructure doesn't support the total bandwidth requirements of everyone which forces certain customers (including some ISPs) to share connectivity. This brings me to one of the most important words in your ISP's contract's terms and conditions - SHARE!

Internet in Northern Cyprus - shared!

Internet connections in Northern Cyprus are the same as they are anywhere else in the world - shared! If you have a shared 512kbps internet connection, it will perform at its best (512kbps) some of the time, but it is in no way a guaranteed speed 24x7. Dedicated internet connections are available and they do (should) perform at the quoted speed (24x7), but firstly, they are far more expensive than the cost of a shared internet connection and secondly, they too, may not give 512kbps 24x7 - other factors are involved.

The limited infrastructure in Northern Cyprus makes internet bandwidth an expensive commodity. I was an internet service provider here until April 2008 when eXtend Broadband took over my customer base and let me tell you, I was glad to get out! Why? Well, in 2008, a dedicated 34/8Mbps(CIR) internet connection (8 Mbps guaranteed with a further share of 34Mbps) cost just short of £2,000 (sterling) per month from Turkish Telecom. The high cost of the connection was one problem, but not as much of a problem as the limited infrastructure which was at capacity and turned a 34/8Mbps internet connection from Turkey, into a 2Mbps connection in Northern Cyprus. So, how do internet service providers in Northern Cyprus buy their bandwidth at this price and re-sell it and make a profit? Good question - by sharing it!

Not all users need or, use their bandwidth allocation at all times and this allows internet service providers to share bandwidth between customers. In this example, the internet is being shared with a contention ratio of 16:1.

User 1 (of 16) on a 512kbps internet connection downloads their emails at 9:05am and therefore, uses their allocation, but user 2 (of 16) doesn't download their emails until 9:30am when they need their allocation. User 3 (of 16) surfs the internet between 10:00am and 11:00am and user 4 (of 16) surfs the internet between 11:00am and 12 noon - you get the idea, but what happens when more than one user wants their bandwidth at the same time? I answer this and many other questions on the next page.