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travelxc wrote:

1.) A lot of the rentals include internet connection with the rent. Would it be possible to install a second internet connection with the ISP of my choosing in a rental apartment?

If possible, what's required, rental contract, cedula?

It'll probably take money, patience -- and a bank account if the ISP account will be in your name and not the name of your established landlord.  Either way, you should also have the advice-and-consent of your landlord.

The bank account (and there may be rare exceptions) typically requires the national ID card which is based on an Expat having obtained a residency visa.

As for the ISP contract, the one I signed almost two years ago is for service for three years.  There is a penalty for opting out early, but the amount would depend on various factors including whether the penalty clause is enforced.

CNT was requiring a land-line for its service last year, so I signed up with MoviStar.  I was required to buy a small modem for about $100, which seems to work around town with any laptop and is easy to insert or transfer between laptops.

cccmedia in Quito

travelxc wrote:

2.) How do I go about finding out areas in either Quito or Cuenca that are fiber optic ready?

In Cuenca I've read there's a guy named Tony Bishop who provides a fiber optic line to your residence. I really don't know how that works....

In Quito, go to a major shopping mall.  There will be booth(s) there offering fiber optic.  Give the host the address and he or she should be able to tell you whether fiber optic is available.

The fiber optic landscape has been changing for the better in both cities, at a speed where it's unlikely a Gringo would have access to a central data bank or multi-provider map for this.

I was told that fiber optic was coming to my block in El Centro next year, but that if I could enroll a second customer in my condo complex, they could install it now.  So there may be room to negotiate for what you want.

As for Tony Bishop etc. in Cuenca... there was some discussion of fiber optic in Cuenca a few months ago on Nards' Unofficial Cuenca page.  You could type the words Cuenca forum into the Search ´ó¿§¸£ÀûÓ°Ôº box atop this page -- and then click on the search icon to the right of the box -- to navigate over to the Cuenca threads including Nards's.

cccmedia in Quito

cccmedia wrote:

As for Tony Bishop etc. in Cuenca... there was some discussion of fiber optic in Cuenca a few months ago on Nards' Unofficial Cuenca page.  You could type the words Cuenca forum into the Search ´ó¿§¸£ÀûÓ°Ôº box atop this page -- and then click on the search icon to the right of the box -- to navigate over to the Cuenca threads including Nards's.

cccmedia in Quito

I met a newbie expat who had Tony setup Puntonet fiber optic in their short-term rental recently.   Apparently, Tony has since parted ways with Puntonet since they were working behind his back, or something to that effect.

Down the street from me a gringo had Puntonet fiber optic installed. Since they were the first customers in the neighborbhood, and because Puntonet had to do run a lot a cable,  they were charged an installation fee of $250 instead of the normal fee of $80. I guess this means I can get it where I live, if I want to bother switching some day.