Of course, GSM dial-up had existed in Nigeria before 2003. As far back as early 2002, I had used CSD from MTN. It was unstable, and very often failed, but at least it was there. But, let us be content to go back only as far as 2003 when the technology had achieved a certain stability. 2003 was early days for GSM technology in Nigeria, and more specifically for GSM data services. Everyone is excited about high speed internet today, what with 3.5G, 3G, and even EDGE coverage spreading wider and wider. Even basic GPRS, where it exists today, is heaven compared to what we had to settle for in the beginning.
What is GSM Dial-up?
Yes; in the beginning, there was GSM dial-up. The technical name is Circuit Switched Data (CSD). But if you are old enough to know how dial up internet works, basically CSD means that you use your GSM line to dial a given phone number in order to connect to the internet. The cost was N50 per minute then. And the theoretical maximum speed was – wait for it – 9.6kbps! CSD was first deployed by Mtech on the MTN network sometime between late 2001 and early 2002, and then also on Vmobile (now Zain) in 2005. Just for kicks, I have pulled out the CSD settings from my archives and will post them here (just in case someone has a hair-brained inspiration to try it out).
GSM Dial-up Configuration Settings
MTN
Profile Name: Mtechusername: mtechPassword: mlifeIP/Gateway: 192.168.77.153Port: 9210Dialup number: 08039002000 (fData type: analogueData speed: 9.6kbpsConnection: connectionlessHome: http://web.mlifeng.com (or use http://mobinaija.com instead)
Vmobile (now Zain)
Profile Name: Vactiveusername: wapPassword: wapIP/Gateway: 172.018.254.005Port: 9210Dialup number: +2348022981000Data type: analogueData speed: 9.6kbpsConnection: connectionlessHome: http://wap.vmobile4me.com (or use http://mobinaija.com instead)
3rd Party Dial-up Services
I also remember vividly that Disc Communications Ltd (Discomm) had a dial-up service made available to the public. I used this regularly with my smartphone’s built-in mail client to manage my mails. The Discomm details are/were(?) as follows:Provider’s name: DISCusername: testpassword: testdialup number: 013459000 Fun times, if you ask me.
Don’t miss our reviews.Follow our news on Google News.Join our WhatsApp Group, to be notified of the most important articles and deals,Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
