Sharing with a neighbour you would probably get away with but erecting a mast and sharing one domestic ADSL connection with a number of other people is highly illegal and a criminal offence unless you have all the permits from Industría, Telefónica etc and can land everyone concerned in serious trouble.

I didnt say that we had erected a mast and sharing a domestic connection, I said a local telecommunications company has done it. and to clarify, They are a registered Spanish company who have been in business for about 6 six years, they have been installing Microwave systems in Rural Spain specifically for this purpose, The reason I get mine "free", is that their repeater has been put on my property as it is the highest in the area and the pay me rent for it under contract ( oh and the rent is about the same as my ADSL contract)

Secondly, I would challenge the statement that it is illegal to share ADSL connections, otherwise how would it work in Airports and hotels and the like, You probably mean you need a licence to do it, and I'm not suggesting you do it illegaly. Secondly most companies offer you a choice of Multiple PC connections for home or office whether it be by line or Wireless. So I cannot see the difference ?? And if your within range and can access why not??

For example it is quite common practice for people in our locality to take their portables down to the local village, sit in the their cars and access the wireless connection there FOC. (maybe that is just a security loophole that they (Telefonica, (its their system))havent closed yet.

And Finally, Citrus Red S.L. who incidentally offer some of the best rates for landline calls in Spain and International, Have started to canvass in rural areas to put in similar systems as described above. So why not contact them and see if you have enough people interested in your locality to make it worthwhile for them to invest.

OK, understood.

It was just that your post read as though you were sharing your ADSL connection over a whole valley which is illegal. If you are using a legitimate company with all the right paperwork then that's fine. I have a landline but several of my neighbours who don't use a company based in Alora called Everbit.

I know there are many fly-by-night companies offering retransmitted domestic ADSL connections which, I say again, is a criminal offence

The 'hotspots' are not illegal, in fact, they are given on the Telefónica web site. It all depends on the ERP of the transmitter.

Been reading this post with interest. We thought about setting up a WIFI hotspot for our paying guest, we have a router with an aerial on it but never thought we would have to get permission to use it from telefonica.
We also saw this article today. It seems that U.K. is being warned that the speed of the internet system there is falling behind that of other European countries. We wonder what Spain is going to do? The limit on our connection is very low and the cost is high, when compared with The Netherlands, where we lived before Galicia.

If someone is within reach of your wi-fi router and has legitimate free access to it I don't think this is a problem.

The permits and licences are required for higher powered masts designed to cover a distance of several kilometres for which customers pay a fee.

Anyone who doubts my assertion that retransmission of ADSL beyond the address at which it is registered is an offence may like to read through the terms and conditions:

http://www.telefonicaonline.com/on/e...ontratokit.htm

Interesting article, but I see the dont list time consumed deleting spam