Is Bayantel / SkyDSL Blocking Speakeasy and Speedtest.net?
Friday
Jun 1, 2007
There are a lot of bandwidth checking tools around, but speakeasy.net/speedtest and speedtest.net are a few of my favorites because of their simplicity. Also, speedtest.net lets me compare the speed of my local connection to the speed of my actual connection to the world (see my previous post ranting about Sky’s speed problems of late).
I’ve been trying to do some speed testing just recently, when I noticed I couldn’t access both speedtest.net and speakeasy.net . I initially thought that either these two services were down or I was having problems connecting to the rest of the world (much like during the December Taiwan earthquake, where the country’s major pipes were severed).
But I tried accessing these sites from a remote server I had management access to, and I could connect fine (speed was really fast, actually). I asked friends on other ISPs and the sites were also okay from their end. So I got suspicious and did some more network testing. It seems that whenever I try to access either of these sites, I just keep going around in circles, and I don’t really get beyond the Bayantel / SkyDSL servers. I’m stuck between 7600-gw4.bti.net.ph and gatewaynet-v50-rsvt-7606.bti.net.ph, which I assume are both Bayantel’s servers because of the bti.net.ph domain.
See screenshots of traceroute operations below.
Trying to access speedtest.net
Trying to access speakeasy.net/speedtest
I’m wondering if this is a deliberate move by Sky to prevent users from testing their DSL vs. practical connection speeds.
There are still alternatives, of course. There is dslreports.com/stest and bandwidthplace.com/speedtest . Of coures, there’s ookla.com, but as of my last checking, that site isn’t accessible either! And guess what–I get the similar traceroute results.
Something’s fishy here, Bayantel. You know I often recommend you guys whenever someone asks me about broadband/DSL. Now I might point people elsewhere.
J. Angelo Racoma is a technology journalist and blogger. See more of his blog posts here at racoma.com.ph, commentaries at racoma.net, and Twitter feed at @jangelo.
Comments
Corsarius
June 1st, 2007 at 1:18 am
thanks for the heads-up, j. same case here! X(
ia
June 1st, 2007 at 1:20 am
I think Bayantel is degrading now. I keep getting disconnected here. And since I hear from Jhay that Globelines is also acting up, I don’t think there’s any decent ISP left. Sigh.
vance
June 1st, 2007 at 1:45 am
hmmm? thats quite impossible since speedtest.net is sponsored by Bayantel?!? am I wrong?
J. Angelo Racoma
June 1st, 2007 at 2:00 am
They do host a local speedtest server here. That’s what I use to test the connection speed from my end to Bayantel. That’s why it says “sponsored by Bayantel” when you click the Philippine server to do a speed test.
kid
June 1st, 2007 at 2:25 am
That’s odd. I also can’t access speakeasy and I’m in Singapore. I also get that circling trace route result.
J. Angelo Racoma
June 1st, 2007 at 2:36 am
I’m currently checking speedtest.net through another computer via terminal services, and I can get through. But this time, the Bayantel speedtest server is no longer on the map.
Ade
June 1st, 2007 at 5:08 am
This is disappointing. And I thought Bayantel/Sky had the best business practices around.
jhay
June 1st, 2007 at 5:35 am
My my…I think ISPs are getting fed up by ‘negative publicity’ from the blogosphere, and they are trying to cover things up.
Then again this would be a more dangerous move for bloggers can now really be a force to reckon with.
nightfox
June 1st, 2007 at 8:26 am
bayantel – not found on speedtest map? eek. weird!
J. Angelo Racoma
June 1st, 2007 at 5:02 pm
Looks like it’s working now. Were they working on something yesterday?
jepoy
June 1st, 2007 at 6:44 pm
working now
mr nice ash
June 2nd, 2007 at 1:55 am
speedtest.net is powered by ookla metrics.
David
June 2nd, 2007 at 5:10 pm
I’m rather surprised with some of the comments here. Has anyone considered asking Bayantel what’s possibly going on?
Without knowing what’s going on from Bayantel’s side, there’s no way anyone could reasonably conclude they’re up to no good. Or is it conveniently easier to believe such?
J. Angelo Racoma
June 2nd, 2007 at 11:28 pm
Well, I tried calling up 411-2000, but they couldn’t give me a response on that one. I would think maybe it’s a glitch, due to the fact that the Bayantel-sponsored server went down for a while. Or then again maybe it’s not, because the speedtest site was accessible from other ISPs, and because it was quite coincidental that three popular speedtest sites/services were inaccessible during that time.
Convenient, maybe. But I do hope that they could at least air out their own side either on their own forums, or even on this comment thread.
Jeric
June 3rd, 2007 at 5:04 pm
Oh? I use Speedtest.NET too but sometimes I use Bayantel’s Speed Test http://speed.skyinet.net . Hmmm… I’ll check it out later when I got hold of my SkyDSL connection.
Jeric
June 3rd, 2007 at 9:00 pm
As of 8:59PM, Speedtest.net and Speakeasy.net is accessible on my SkyDSL connection. The sponsored test server of Bayantel is also functional.
MAY
July 18th, 2007 at 10:16 pm
BAYANTEL SKY DSL REALLY SUCKS!!!!! I’VE BEEN DISCONNECTED RIGHT AFTER I PAID MY MONTHLY BILL. NOW FOR FOUR DAYS NOW I REMAIN CUT OFF.
I WONDER WHY THIS COMPANY REALLY SUCKS
akajj1234
March 20th, 2008 at 12:22 am
I would think it depends on you location, my relatives in Q.C. says Bayantel Dsl is good compared to other competitor while here in Abad Santos Ave., Tondo, Manila it is the Worst and I’m the living proof
chard Lau
May 2nd, 2008 at 3:16 pm
so far so good..
Elaine.KatipunanQC
May 16th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
hi, what about CIR stats that Bayantel listed in their list of dsl packages before… any thoughts on this? meron ba talagang CIR na iniimplement nila?
SenseiJoe
June 28th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
Here’s the result of my ping from Manila to San Francisco to L.A. read it and weep dude’s my download speed from the U.S. is heart breaking 323 kb/s and I’m paying $50 for it I’m compare to $30 in the U.S. for 2 Mbps I’m cutting my Bayan DSL service, maybe learn Chinese, or Malay because that’s where I can connect above 246 k, oh brother. Who’s the wise guy who came up with this idea, do any of you guys have any relatives in Malaysia or Songapore cause every body I know lives in California
KeEpInGiTrEaL
June 28th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
Indeed, and liers always tell the truth, lah, lah, lah
WTHBayantel
June 28th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
This is what I get after paying my bill, they gave me a dead number to call, try calling the number they have listed 411-2000 and see you tommorrow, they should call themselves Customer Diservice Agents
WTHBayantel
June 28th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Waited on hold for half an hour then the Bayantel Customer Service Agent hung up on me she said her name was Gee%$#%$#$ something I could’nt understand it said she’d help me out and hung up on me
hjason
April 29th, 2009 at 10:53 pm
indeed… i think there are no decent ISPs in the Philippine Islands now. but to think of it… i’ve been pissed with BayanTel DSL already. so slow. right now, it’s “PATIENCE-DRAINING!” not even slow…but interrupted service…”here in a moment, gone later in a few minutes” connection…
don de jesus
May 4th, 2009 at 10:44 am
Bayantel dsl makes me regret not to choose pldt dsl, everytime someone calls the connection gets disconnected. this connection is a loser, and it really sucks calling those call center guys , they too don’t know what to do. bayantel is a loser! it sucks.