This week I sent out the last couple of emails to clients in Riberas del Pilar and Ajijic informing them that as of the end of June I would no longer be able to offer Internet service in those areas, the decision was not easy for me, but from a financial standpoint, it was no longer feasible to maintain service there.
It has been a long time since I have posted on my blog, and for a good reason, the last two years have been a big transition period for me, I have been working on several projects, It seems like only yesterday “1994” I was sitting in an old Telmex switching station in Chapala trying to help the technicians improve the local phone infrastructure so that Internet connectivity would be possible.
In 1996 when I would go to pay my phone bill at Telmex office in Chapala I would stare at a roster with a long list of signatures from people who wanted Telmex to provide Internet service. The list did little to prompt Telmex to do anything about it.The only ISP’s available where a long distance call away, which were the University of Guadalajara (UDG), Guadalajararve, and a few smaller companies offering dial-up.
In 1996 with the help of my business partner Dave we launched the first formal dial-up ISP (Lagunanet) which provided connectivity to everyone lakeside, it was not easy, and Telmex was there at the receiving end ready to abuse anyone bold enough to attempt to set up Internet service. At the time, a business phone line “without installation” cost $4250.00 pesos or $1416.00 U.S back then when the exchange rate was 3-1.
In 2000 I began installing wireless service with speeds ranging from 64 – 256 Kbps the service did have its struggles but it was much faster than the 56Kbps modem connections Telmex was offering.
In any case it has been a fun ride, I write this post because I still receive many phone calls on a daily basis from people wanting Internet service in different areas, unfortunately, Lagunanet is only offering service to existing customers in selected areas where we still have a strong client base,Los Arroyos, San Juan Cosala, El Chante and Jocotepec. At this time, I am not taking on new customers.
To those who have been with L all these years it has been a pleasure serving all of you, aI hope to continue you providing service for years to come.
