Internet in El Salvador (Detalles)

So you need the internet in El Salvador?

No worries. Coverage is suprisingly good and service is much more reliable (mostly) than it is made out to be.

There are several major companies include Claro, Telecom, Movistar, Amnet (which is now Tigo/Telecom).

Those companies offer 3G in many regions such as San Salvador, San Miguel, La Libertad, etc. They also have WiMax available in the larger areas which offers amazing wireless highspeed. It is very reliable.

A decent 2MB/s wireless connection will cost you around $60.00 USD a month.

What if I want a wired connection?

A wired connection is available in many areas aswell. Wired connections do have some problems however. In some areas the cables get "robbed" and as a result service can go out for hours, days and even weeks. Also, Amnet used to provide great service but now that they merged with Tigo you never get your contracted speed. Many individuals get around 1/4 or less of their contracted speed which is terrible.

A Better Connection...

Ask for dedicated internet aka "Internet Dedicado", "Linea Dedicada", "Enlace Dedicada"

You can get a 2-4MB/s dedicated connection for around $100 USD a month, some range up to $150 and offer much better speeds. They are only available in regular wired service areas.

The outside where wired isn't available?

I live 2 miles from the city of Zacatecoluca (La Paz) and no wired service is currently available (lines got stolen) and wireless is limited to 2G (GPRS) which is way too slow!

Satellite is terrible and I need VoIP.

I found 2 solutions that work WELL with satellite.

1. LaTelco - this is a company from San Salvador that offers business class WiMax grade VPN with outstanding uptime, service and speed. They have service available in Zacatecoluca with a great signal strength. My price for a 1024kbps Symmetrical secure VPN line was $490.00 USD a month plus $90.00 installation. The price is high but service is great and if you need it for business, it works.

2. EConsulting - A satellite company in Honduras & Guatamela which also services El Salvador. Their parent office is back in Miami, FL USA and they are a reseller of Skytrackers. Unlimited 1MB/s (384kbps upload) with guaranteed speed. I use this now, no downtime. WORKS GREAT WITH MY VOIP! (They guarantee support for packet8) and best of it, its available where I live. I used my USA ID to start service and it charges my USA card. Satellite Equipment is expensive. I have a monthly price of $375.00 for my line including equipment rental monthly. It's a decent price and service is good. I'd highly recommend those.

Your options are about limited to those. Word is Claro and Tigo are currently attempting to get WiMax in the La Paz area and the rest of El Salvador. 15 companies have WiMax licenses in El Salvador at this time and the technology is growing fast, the future looks good for internet but for the meantime there are options. Anyway, in the USA tons of areas are still stuck with dialup. I was impressed with the extensive internet coverage in El Salvador and where traditional lines fail there are options.