Broadband In Bangkok?

[HalfSquat]

I'm coming to Bangkok soon and will be looking to get connected to the information superhighway.

I will be staying near Bangkok's Central Business District.

Are there many broadband providers? Do they have download limits like some ISPs in the UK?

Is there mobile broadband so I can connect when out and about?

Any info or tips would be great.

Thanks

[filingaccount]

I'm coming to Bangkok soon and will be looking to get connected to the information superhighway.

I will be staying near Bangkok's Central Business District.

Are there many broadband providers? Do they have download limits like some ISPs in the UK?

Is there mobile broadband so I can connect when out and about?

Any info or tips would be great.

Thanks

Will you stay as a tourist (eg. a cople or few weeks) or planning on longer term (eg. months or years)?

This influences the answer significantly. I have attempted to briefly outlione a few available choices though.

Mobile broadband doesn't really exist yet. At best you will get a slightly unreliable EDGE connection (very few areas provide 3G on a "trial" basis). In my experience DTAC has the most reliable EDGE service in central bangkok. AIS data connections are unreliable. True Move I am not 100% sure (but they do offer a great dial-around service enabling you to call the UK from your mobile for 2 baht per minute, and quite a few other countries for 1 to 3 bht/min)

True WiFi provides access points in many places around the city (most notably in shopping malls and in & around cafes).

WiFi access could run from, free (requires ADSL connection provided by true) to 160 Baht per hour.

There are 4 notable ISP's in Bangkok.

True (offers up to 8 Mbps)

TOT (up to 4 Mbps)

TT&T (up to 4 Mbps)

CAT (Hinet packages vary. eg. 2/2 Mbps, 6/1 Mbps. Very limited service areas. More expensive)

All of them have their strong and weak points.

I have experience with TOT and True.

In my opinion True is better simply because they attempt to provide you with higher bandwidth, resulting in a higher average transfer rate.

True does not provide ADSL in every location in the CBD. The only choice then would be TOT.

TOT as a whole provides decent bandwidth. Torrents are coming at full speed, but surfing is very variable. It can range from a decent 1 Mbps to an abysmal 50 kbps.

TT&T provides the infamous Maxnet service packages. 2 MBps at 590 Baht per month. And this results in a classic case of "you get what you pay for". If you have meager bandwidth requirements, then 590 bht per month is a price hard to beat.

I have never used CAT's Hinet, but their upload speed up to 2 Mbps, at least on paper, sounds good for those who needs the extra upload bandwidth.

The 6 Mbps download with 1 Mbps upload would have been my choice had True not offered a 8/0.5 Mpbs package.

If you require more details, please PM me. The above should get you started in the right direction though.

[george25]

Hi,

I am considering to subscribe to the Maxnet Premier package 2Mbps/1Mbps for 1090THB/month, here in Bangkok.

1) Does anyone know whether the theoretical max download speed of 2Mbps applies for domestic as well as international websites? Or is international dl speed limited to 1Mbps as for most home packages?

2) What network infrastructure does Maxnet use? To my knowledge TTT (the network provider who markets the Maxnet brand) does not have their own copper network in BKK. Do they use TOT lines? Do they pull a line to my house? Where do they have their DSLAM installed? Beside the TOT stations?

Thanks for any advice!

Cheers,

George

[somefellow]

I assume it matters where one lives in bangkok... Is the central business district particularly good for connectivity? Are there any other places where the ADSL would tend to be faster (shorter distance to phone office, possibly better service, maybe even fiber optic lines??)