Review Of Hutch And Cat, Please

[bradandmary]

Hi all,

My family and I will be moving to Bangkok to teach in the fall, and I would love to find out more about the wireless internet services provided by Hutch and CAT. I am currently teaching in Kuwait, and use my sierra aircard in my notebook to receive a decent internet experience. From what I've been reading in the forums, internet in Thailand is pretty crappy. What about the EV-DO service provided by the above companies? Could anyone tell me which is a better choice for internet service in Bangkok? Is there a different company that I should consider?

Finally, I am about to sell my Sierra Aircard 850 because I had read somewhere in the forum that I will need to buy the hardware from either Hutch or CAT. I can't just put their sim card into my aircard, I guess...

After all the posts I've read, I still do not know what is my best option for internet. Any help you can give will be greatly appreciated...

Brad

[jetzie]

i heard about the Hutch too, i wonder if a tourist is able to purchase it?

[Thanh-BKK]

Hi to both

Being a Hutch user since shortly after the network went "live" i know a little about it..... as to the Air Cards, bring yours and test with a Hutch SIM before you commit to a new air card. It should actually just work (of course only if your Air Card is CDMA! If it's GSM - no go). Hutch loves to tell people that they can not, under any circumstances and "for technical reasons", use CDMA devices from abroad even if those happen to support SIM cards and 800 MHz.

YET i myself have tested a phone from abroad (Telkom Indonesia) on Hutch and it works just perfect, so why shouldn't an Air Card?

Now a thing about "Hutch and Cat". They are *basically* the same, i.e. CAT owns Hutch or something like that. Within central Thailand, Hutch runs it's own network, and in the rest of the country CAT run theirs. Both networks are CDMA-2000 on 800 MHZ, Hutch's is on the older 1x standard (only partly on EV-DO) while CAT is aparently fully EV-DO.

The problem is that the two, altough basically the same company, do NOT allow "data roaming" between them. Which means that a Hutch customer will have NO DATA while on CAT (i.e. outside central Thailand) while a CAT user has NO DATA while in central Thailand where there's Hutch (and Hutch only!) Yes, you may say "T.I.T." to that. Voice and SMS is no problem by the way, customers of either network automatically roam on "the other".

So if you travel around in Thailand and want data everywhere, you indeed need at least two SIM cards, one of each provider. And high-speed you get only with postpaid accounts (in fact CAT doesn't have pre-paid at all while Hutch has pre-paid but 1x only, no EV-DO).

For the "tourist" thing, Hutch yes, CAT no. Hutch has pre-paid (you can get the refills at Hutch shops or at 7-Eleven) but you only get 1x, which means max. 153 kb/s speeds. Hutch requires a work permit to get a post-paid in your own name (alternatively a Thai friend), CAT not sure - i asked about it and they told me "only passport" but in the end i didn't even try it (because i couldn't find the bloody place in Chiang Mai!! Grrr!)

Best regards.....

Thanh

[nikster]

CAT works fine in those places where it works - everywhere except BKK and central Thailand. Post paid only, Passport indeed seems to be enough. You can cancel at any time, but you need to buy the modem from them about BHT 13,000.

CAT only sells these in Chiang Mai in their head office which is a tall narrow building with antennas on top. It's on the super highway here:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&...&iwloc=ddw1

Edited February 13, 2008 by nikster

[Gary A]

I wouldn't seriously consider a CDMA phone until Hutch and CAT can agree to coverage for the entire country. I will use the CAT high speed Internet if I have a decent signal out here in the boonies.

[Thanh-BKK]

Good morning

Yeah but the PHONE does have coverage for the entire country...... both Hutch and CAT users automatically roam on the other network when out of range in their own. I been to Chiang Mai a few times where there is CAT and my phone works perfectly, makes and receives calls, receives and sends SMS. It does not cost more when roaming on CAT, i am still on the same Hutch promotion etc. It's the DATA that doesn't work, i.e. while i am up north i can't surf WAP or use the phone to get internet on the computer.

Phone-wise i prefer CDMA over GSM any time

Best regards.....

Thanh

[Gary A]

Good morning

Yeah but the PHONE does have coverage for the entire country...... both Hutch and CAT users automatically roam on the other network when out of range in their own. I been to Chiang Mai a few times where there is CAT and my phone works perfectly, makes and receives calls, receives and sends SMS. It does not cost more when roaming on CAT, i am still on the same Hutch promotion etc. It's the DATA that doesn't work, i.e. while i am up north i can't surf WAP or use the phone to get internet on the computer.

Phone-wise i prefer CDMA over GSM any time

Best regards.....

Thanh

Thanks, I didn't know that. You have post paid? How does the price compare with AIS?

[Thanh-BKK]

Hi

Yeah i have postpaid - it's in my boyfriend's name tough. I am on the "Super Extra 1299" promotion, it costs 1,299 Baht plus VAT and SMS (2 Baht per SMS) and gives an insane 2,600 free minutes air time, to any network country-wide. I use the "Super Extra" because it allows to use both WAP and "PlayRoom", which is Brew. My phone supports both so why not? And with those many minutes i could rent the phone out as i myself, even with quite a bit of "help" from my boyfriend, never use even half those minutes. As i am not a SMS junkie (maybe 10 per month) my monthly bill is always around 1,500 Baht, which includes 49 Baht for the "Caller Ring", that is, if you call me you hear a nice instrumental piece playing instead of the "toot -toot" sound.

The promotion always runs for a year, and if i don't do anything by the end of that time it is extended indefinitely regardless what Hutch have at that time (even if that promotion isn't available anymore). But if it's still available i go there and sign up for another year - same-same actually, just another signature, and i get another free or price-reduced phone. Hutch i think is the only provider in Thailand doing that (no idea about CAT but none of the GSM guys does it).

Hutch have a lot of different postpaid promotions, starting as low as 299 Baht per month, but the lower the basic, the more you pay on top for additional minutes etc. Should i ever run out of minutes, every additional minute is a mere 25 Satang.

The roaming between Hutch and CAT works with pre-paid Hutch phones as well, as i also have a couple of those - they too work on CAT's network in Chiang Mai just like on Hutch, also no price difference.

Unfortunately i can't compare with AIS because i wouldn't touch AIS with a barge pole - crooks they are. My boyfriend uses it (pre-paid) and i can only say - never fall for any of their cheap promotions. IF you do, always make sure your pre-paid is loaded - because AIS conveniently waits until you are out of credit, THEN attempts to deduct the fee for the promotion, which then of course doesn't work, as a result they bump you up into the MOST EXPENSIVE plan available (5 Baht per minute!!) and offer to get you the cheap one back - for an additional 50 Baht and losing all "time credit" (validity) that you have! My boyfriend stays with those thieves only because he has the same phone number since 8 years.......

With best regards......

your Thanh