Can Anyone Summarise Mobile/wireless Internet Options In Thailand?

[TVmonitor]

I make no apologies if this has been covered before – I think it is something that probably needs updating from time to time.

I’m looking for a summary of mobile/wireless Internet solutions for my Lap-top.

At present I have a Hutch modem (slow-type) connection. This works around Central Thailand but it is very whimsical – speeds vary from slow to nothing.

A further problem has arisen with Hutch customer service which is non-existent.

So they have to go – or change –

What options are available to me?

• Hutch have a high speed connection, but I’m loath to stay with them.
  
• What about staying connected throughout the country?
  
• What is “Edge”?
  
• What is GPRS?
  
• Should I go for 2 different connections for different areas?
  
• What about Dtac?
  
• Any other ideas?
  

Please – if you have any ideas don’t slip into jargon – technical I can handle if it’s explained – but I’m not familiar with IT jargon.

Thanks

[Junglejumbo]

What fee would you pay me for writing this report?

[H2oDunc]

TVmonitor, at the moment the EDGE system is the quickest. 3G is being introduced in BKK and rolled out through the rest of the country after. I got an air card from the TV Classifieds. I use an AIS 1-2 call sim card, which came with it with 30 hours. You just top it up as you need to. You can get 30 hours for 100 baht, 250 hours for 500 baht and unlimited for 1000 baht, all per month. I get good reception throughout Thailand and fairly good download speeds.Up to 460 kBs It is also compatible with 3G so when that arrives I can use that. It comes with some good software and a hands free kit for making voice calls.

Edited June 1, 2009 by H2oDunc

[Digitalbanana]

Wireless options using laptop USB modems inc:

1. CDMA wireless. Services by Hutch in Central Thailand and CAT elsewhere. Speeds upto 3.1mbs offered by CAT and typically up to 3-500kbs. Needs a post paid type account with ID and name /address for billing.

2. GSM wireless using GPRS. Services by AIS, DTAC or True countrywide with both prepaid and post paid type account. Speeds are limited to EDGE speeds of no more than 460kbs and typically 56kbs on average. In select areas 3G coming online with higher speeds - untested by me.

Until 3G is widespread as it is in every other country these days, I'll stick with CDMA.

[TVmonitor]

Seems to be a couple of ways to go.

I want national cover when I'm travelling, but could do with high-speed near to home if not available nation-wide.

So where do I get hold of the CAT service? does it have brand name? - that covers most of the country - right?...and even when slow is about as quick as Edge on maximum?

No problem getting post pay.

alternatively I could stay with Hutch or similar and get the high-speed service, and then get Edge pre-pay to cover me on my travels...

Edited June 1, 2009 by TVmonitor

[dave_boo]

CAT and Hutch use the same technology. However, Hutch only uses CDMA 2000 x1RTT. CAT (the company) uses EV-DO, an upgrade that will show up as some 1 megabit actual speed.

Bad news is that CAT doesn't service Hutch area. So if you're connecting to Hutch's service you can't get EV-DO where you are now.

Hutch, from the reports I've read, offer a service that's speedwise equivalent to the EDGE service offered in Thailand. On EDGE up in Nakhon Sawan, the best I've seen it was ~25-28 kilobytes a second (just for your information "dial-up" is ~6,5 kilobytes a second).

Your best bet for national coverage is EDGE. I'm out in Nakhon Nowhere and still get a signal. Going down to visit the sister in law in Bang Pu I get a signal. On the way down there, if I'm not driving, I get a signal.

You may get lucky and get on the HS*PA which is supposed to be faster than EV-DO, but early reports indicate it's no where close in Thailand to theoretical speeds.

[TVmonitor]

So the CAT and Hutch services don't overlap? What does CAT offer then?

If I get a CAT service it won't work in Bkk and Chonburi? - Surely that can't be right.

i would love to tell Hutch where they can stick their modem, but at present it looks like I need their hi-speed for Chonburi and Bkk, and Edge for the areas they don't cover - as Edge is pre-pay, I won't be spending a load of money on a connection I don't use.

[MJo]

Forget Hutch, that's pretty much the same as EDGE. Get CAT CDMA EVDO if possible (if you are in their coverage area). If not use AIS or DTAC EDGE (nationwide coverage).

3G HSPA is faster technology than EVDO. However no one is providing proper one in Thailand. Yes AIS has small trial network in Chiang Mai and Chonburi but it is sharing bandwidht with 2G voice traffic at 900MHz.

Further AIS has just annouced it is not going to go thru with it's plan to build nationwide 3G / HSPA coverage on 900MHz.

Quote from Bangkok Post Article:

"AIS had cut the investment budget in the third-generation (3G) mobile phone project as it sees upgrading its existing 900 MHz frequency into high-speed packet access (HSPA) technology is not worthwhile. The project requires a large investment but is still subjected to the existing revenue-sharing concession.

The company planned to build only 100 3G base stations, down from 500 planned earlier. AIS now has 30 3G stations in Chiang Mai, 60 in Rayong and two in Bangkok."

Full article HERE

With this limited coverage and the fact that it shares with 2G voice (limited capasity) i would not take it even if i would live in the coverage area. As they are gonna abandon the whole idea the sites will be operational only as long as something goes bust and maintenance is propably non-existent pretty soon.

[monty]

If you are mainly in Pattaya, Hutch is a viable option.

Most of Pattaya, and the large surrounding area's have been upgraded to EV-DO.

Quality depends on location, but Hutch Pattaya can send a technician to your place to see how the connection behaves.

Mabprachan area, Nong Plalai area and parts of Huay Yai are some of the outlying area's covered by EV-DO.

As long as you stay on the Eastern Seaboard and greater Bangkok Hutch will work, albeit in many places only at 1X speeds (comparable to Edge).

I've seen speeds vary between 400 kbps and 1.3 Mbps (in the Nong PLalai area, not far from Pattaya Prison).

[TVmonitor]

I used Hutch on Koh Chang a few years back but the last time I couldn't get a signal.

I live on Eastern Seaboard but not Pattaya and drive about quite a bit between Rayong and Bkk - so I was hoping I might be able to use their hi-speed option for that - 1000 per month, which would sort me most of the time and then use Edge when I'm further a field.....I just hate the idea of giving Hutch any more money.

[jackdanielsesq]

Also remember that there is a lot of WiFi roll outs in cities, hotels, which makes your surfing easier - the best options appear to

be the CDMA & say True - 3G - its not there yet - is at best GPRS in most 3rd world countries, so dont bet on it.

BR>Jack

[MJo]

Thailand is one of the rare countries not issuing licences for 3G frequencies. It's all about politics and who gets the money...

More developed nations like Cambodia, Mongolia, Nepal, Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Libya and many others offer real 3G services and data.

[smacko]

i have a huawei e169 modem that works on GSM/GPRS/EDGE（850/900/1800/1900MHz)... will it work on DTAC/AIS edge services? i'm not sure what MHz they run..

[monty]

i have a huawei e169 modem that works on GSM/GPRS/EDGE（850/900/1800/1900MHz)... will it work on DTAC/AIS edge services? i'm not sure what MHz they run..

Depends.

Technically no problem, Dtac sits on 1800 Mhz and Ais on 900 Mhz, so both are covered.

The only problem you might have, is that when you bought it for example in Australia as part of a contract (1 year or more), is that the provider possibly has it locked to their own network.

In that case it would refuse any simcard apart from the from that provider.

It is possible to "unlock" those modems, google for unlock huawei 169 shuld give you some answers.

[BigSnake]

Best bet just make a stop at your local DTAC shop, most have an English speaker on duty, I did, got my moblie Laptop hookup for about Baht 300 a month.

[TVmonitor]

What speed is that? what is the coverage? and is there a download limit?

[Digitalbanana]

What speed is that? what is the coverage? and is there a download limit?

Go back to my first answer and read under 2. GSM wireless using GPRS....

[TVmonitor]

Checked out Dtac and it's just Edge so I'll get a AIS pack for that and it looks like i'll have to upgrade my deplorable Hutch A/C to "hi-speed" - I just can't abide the "nothing-to-do-with-us" attitude of their customer service.

[MJo]

Here it goes, AIS not going for 900MHz 3G network...

AIS Suspends 3G Expansion Pending License Auction

­Thailand's Advanced Info Service (AIS) has suspended the expansion of its trial 3G network running over the 900Mhz band, citing concerns about congestion for its existing GSM subscribers. The conpany will now wait for the long delayed 3G auction to release radio spectrum in the more conventional 2100 Mhz bands.

The regulator plans to auction 3G licenses later this year.

AIS launched a 3G network over its existing 900Mhz spectrum last year in Chiang Mai and Chon Buri, with a launch in Bangkok earlier this year. Its investment to date on the 900MHz 3G base stations is Bt60 million. AIS has previously said that it plans to invest 60 billion baht (US$1.7 billion) over three years on its 3G network - once the 3G licenses are formally awarded.

The state owned operator, TOT is also understood to be trying to negotiate a roaming deal which would grant it access to AIS's existing 3G infrastructure while it spends US$816 million on a network upgrade for its own 3G network.

Another operator, DTAC recently placed an order with Nokia Siemens Networks and Huawei for the supply of 3G infrastructure.

LINK

[monty]

Here it goes, AIS not going for 900MHz 3G network...

AIS Suspends 3G Expansion Pending License Auction

­Thailand's Advanced Info Service (AIS) has suspended the expansion of its trial 3G network running over the 900Mhz band, citing concerns about congestion for its existing GSM subscribers. The conpany will now wait for the long delayed 3G auction to release radio spectrum in the more conventional 2100 Mhz bands.

The regulator plans to auction 3G licenses later this year.

AIS launched a 3G network over its existing 900Mhz spectrum last year in Chiang Mai and Chon Buri, with a launch in Bangkok earlier this year. Its investment to date on the 900MHz 3G base stations is Bt60 million. AIS has previously said that it plans to invest 60 billion baht (US$1.7 billion) over three years on its 3G network - once the 3G licenses are formally awarded.

The state owned operator, TOT is also understood to be trying to negotiate a roaming deal which would grant it access to AIS's existing 3G infrastructure while it spends US$816 million on a network upgrade for its own 3G network.

Another operator, DTAC recently placed an order with Nokia Siemens Networks and Huawei for the supply of 3G infrastructure.

LINK

Dtac seems to have the advantage here, as they own the 850 Mhz band, which they are not using at the moment (they used it for the now defunct analogue network). SO they have the entire bandwidth available for 3G.

Their GSM/2G network sits on 1800 Mhz.

Additionally there are a lot of devices compatible with 850 Mhz HSDPA, unlike AIS's 900 Mhz band.

Not sure what their plans are at the moment, they seem to change every other week

[MJo]

Dtac seems to have the advantage here, as they own the 850 Mhz band, which they are not using at the moment (they used it for the now defunct analogue network). SO they have the entire bandwidth available for 3G.

Their GSM/2G network sits on 1800 Mhz.

Additionally there are a lot of devices compatible with 850 Mhz HSDPA, unlike AIS's 900 Mhz band.

Not sure what their plans are at the moment, they seem to change every other week

Yep, but i hear they are gonna wait for the 2100MHz as well. Last bit of the report is BS. They havent ordered any equipment yet. Just premilinary agreement was announced that NSN and HW will supply the equipment.