3g Thailand

[thaigold]

Does anyone have a clue when workable 3G service will be available in Bangkok, and in major cities in the south?

[gotlost]

Does anyone have a clue when workable 3G service will be available in Bangkok, and in major cities in the south?

The auction on 3G License has been put off tell February at the earliest so tell me.

[nikster]

Never!

Wait, except for CAT CDMA which will extend to Hutch probably within the next few years.

Edited November 5, 2009 by nikster

[LuckyFive8888]

Does anyone have a clue when workable 3G service will be available in Bangkok, and in major cities in the south?

NOT YET....

It's all about money! the politicians are against the issuance of 3G licenses as they claim that CAT and TOT will loose profits on 2G concessions from the operators. this is a deadlock situation where the telecommunications technology in Thailand is compromised. almost every country and SEA have 3G now except Thailand and Burma... yes, LAO has it (they're implementing now as we speak).

sooner or later Thailand will wake up like in the "stone age" of the 21st century where you have to go to the internet cafe just to send/recieve e-mails and chat face to face to your relatives or even worse your boss, and where you have to go to the office just to work for something online, a waste of time really. business in other countries will be fast paced and Thailand will be left alone waiting for 5G! SHAME!!!!

[Max2000]

Read this News article from 4 november 2009, and don't wait for 3G soon:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Rushing-3G-P...st-t311490.html

[nikster]

Does anyone have a clue when workable 3G service will be available in Bangkok, and in major cities in the south?

NOT YET....

It's all about money! the politicians are against the issuance of 3G licenses as they claim that CAT and TOT will loose profits on 2G concessions from the operators. this is a deadlock situation where the telecommunications technology in Thailand is compromised. almost every country and SEA have 3G now except Thailand and Burma... yes, LAO has it (they're implementing now as we speak).

sooner or later Thailand will wake up like in the "stone age" of the 21st century where you have to go to the internet cafe just to send/recieve e-mails and chat face to face to your relatives or even worse your boss, and where you have to go to the office just to work for something online, a waste of time really. business in other countries will be fast paced and Thailand will be left alone waiting for 5G! SHAME!!!!

to elaborate on this CAT and TOT are both state owned, and unprofitable except for those 2G "concessions" which are basically money for nothing. Billions of baht every year. but they only get it from 2G licenses. CAT and TOT pull a lot of weight with political parties for some reason, and so 3G is facing extreme resistance of large parts of the parliament.

I said it's never going to happen above, and I wasn't joking. I think the powers that be will prevent 3G at all costs. Even if Thailand looks like a total idiot on the world stage - the politicians behind this don't care and don't mind.

[msg362]

Does anyone have a clue when workable 3G service will be available in Bangkok, and in major cities in the south?

It's in a limited area around Chiang Mai already, has been for some time. I have a 'dongle' and get reasonably fast ( 3 Mb) downloads on my laptop from AIS. 3G phones ( iPhone etc) will work within a limited range. It's a;so avai;able in a limited area down south, but since I can't read Thai I can't say where it is!, it's by the sea somewhere! Ask AIS

[Daewoo]

Edge is available in Thailand, and is techically 3G because it meets the speed threshold. Edge is the final evolution of GSM where most people mean WCDMA/UMTS technology when they say 3G.

4G LTE equipment is now being rolled out in Japan.

It isn't a bad thing that the state want to ensure they realise maximum value for licences and that is the same all around the world. The issue is the slow speed or lack of any progress.

Cheers,

Daewoo

[monty]

It's in a limited area around Chiang Mai already, has been for some time. I have a 'dongle' and get reasonably fast ( 3 Mb) downloads on my laptop from AIS. 3G phones ( iPhone etc) will work within a limited range. It's a;so avai;able in a limited area down south, but since I can't read Thai I can't say where it is!, it's by the sea somewhere! Ask AIS

Not sure down South, but in Bang Saen they have coverage (AIS on 900 Mhz).

Eastern Seaboard, between Chonburi and Pattaya...

[monty]

3G on the 2100 Mhz band will not be available anytime soon, as per the above posted reasons.

Limited coverage will start to appear in parts and pieces on Thailand as we speak, as operators are rolling on on existing frequencies.

Both Dtac and True can use the 850 Mhz band, with the advantage over AIS being that neither True nor Dtac has to use that frequency for 2G/voice. Dtac used to have an analogue voice service on that frequency, but this is not used anymore.

AIS will not likely expand on their Chiang Mai area, as putting 3G on a large scale on the same frequency they use for voice and 2G would simply overload the system...

[nikster]

Does anyone have a clue when workable 3G service will be available in Bangkok, and in major cities in the south?

It's in a limited area around Chiang Mai already, has been for some time. I have a 'dongle' and get reasonably fast ( 3 Mb) downloads on my laptop from AIS. 3G phones ( iPhone etc) will work within a limited range. It's a;so avai;able in a limited area down south, but since I can't read Thai I can't say where it is!, it's by the sea somewhere! Ask AIS

iPhone doesn't work in 3G on the frequencies that AIS is using. That at least is the official word from AIS. HTC Magic works though.

[monty]

iPhone doesn't work in 3G on the frequencies that AIS is using. That at least is the official word from AIS. HTC Magic works though.

Correct, very few devices can do 3G on 900 Mhz, HTC is your best bet. My few years old Touch Diamond can also do 3G on the 900 Mhz band...

[Daewoo]

The problem is, the most current devices do is 4 bands (quad band). None do both 850 and 900 MHz, it is only one or the other. With Nokia you can get different models to cover both bands, but iPhone only does 850.

In Australia, most operators have a higher freequency as well (1800/2100 Mhz) so they can still offer the iPhone.

All UMTS handsets will roam onto GSM. No GSM handsets can roam onto UMTS.

iPhone Specs;

* UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz)

* GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)

* Wi-Fi (802.11b/g)

* Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR

Cheers,

Daewoo

Edited November 6, 2009 by Daewoo

[monty]

The problem is, the most current devices do is 4 bands (quad band). None do both 850 and 900 MHz, it is only one or the other. With Nokia you can get different models to cover both bands, but iPhone only does 850.

Indeed, my HTC does 900, but not 850.

Apparently, just like Nokia, HTC also do different versions, based on region and used 3G frequencies.

[LuckyFive8888]

Edge is available in Thailand, and is techically 3G because it meets the speed threshold. Edge is the final evolution of GSM where most people mean WCDMA/UMTS technology when they say 3G.

4G LTE equipment is now being rolled out in Japan.

It isn't a bad thing that the state want to ensure they realise maximum value for licences and that is the same all around the world. The issue is the slow speed or lack of any progress.

Cheers,

Daewoo

EDGE is not 3G as the access method is still thru GSM (more likely 2.5G as some may say). my reference is 3GPP and you may read it online if you want to know more about 3G.

[Daewoo]

International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 (IMT-2000), better known as 3G or 3rd Generation, is a family of standards for mobile telecommunications defined by the International Telecommunication Union,[1] which includes GSM EDGE, UMTS, and CDMA2000 as well as DECT and WiMAX. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3G).

but from the same article -

EDGE can be considered a 3G radio technology and is part of ITU's 3G definition, but is most frequently referred to as 2.75G.

My point was, when people in Thailand say "3G" some are talking about a desire to have UMTS, and some are talking about the existing edge network, which is only barely 3G, if it is 3G at all...

Japan has started 4G (LTE rollouts)... The Australian Network Opperators are expected to start rolling out 4G (LTE) in 2011... maybe Thailand will skip and entire generation, (and save the operators about 50 Billiion Baht just in equipment costs ... doesn't help me, I work for one of the major equipment vendors, and I want Thailand to start a 3G rollout so I can get work there ...

Like most of Asia, broadband connections in Thailand are typically connected wirelessly, and therefore have a far greater need for speed and capacity in the networks than here in Australia, where wireless is a convenience product to fill the gap between wired Hi speed home broadband, WiFi Hotspots everywhere, and office LAN...

Cheers,

Daewoo

[nikster]

Daewoo - I think the point in time is not too far away where even I would say let's skip 3G and just go for 4G in Thailand. 4G is coming in, 3G is going to remain delayed for the time being..

4G is going to face the exact same political resistance that 3G has of course. So pretty soon we might be talking about the delay in getting 4G rolled out in Thailand. Progress!

Calling EDGE 3G is just confusing. Technical blah-di-blah, it's slow, and not even operators are trying to sell it as 3G.

[MJo]

Well once we go to technology i guess LTE rolled out now is not exactly true 4G either

For simple reason the standards have not yet been finalized by ITU.

ITU Receives Six Proposals for 4G Mobile Technologies

­The ITU says that it has received six candidate technology submissions for the global 4G mobile wireless broadband technology known as IMT-Advanced. The selected technologies are expected to be accorded the official designation of IMT-Advanced - to qualify as true 4G technologies - in October 2010.

The submissions were made in response to an open invitation in March 2008.

The six proposals aligned around the 3GPP LTE Release 10 and beyond (LTE-Advanced) technology and the IEEE 802.16m technology, will be assessed against ITU-R requirements using a defined evaluation process. This rigorous assessment over the next year will be supported by the work of independent external evaluation groups that have been established around the world and will take place under the direction of ITU-R Working Party 5D.

Full story HERE

But yeah, LTE is commonly referred as 4G and that's fine. Same as EDGE is not referred commonly as 3G, And who cares

[Daewoo]

Calling EDGE 3G is just confusing. Technical blah-di-blah, it's slow, and not even operators are trying to sell it as 3G.

I hope I wasn't coming across as someone trying to push their techincal knowledge... fact is, I work on the rollout side of networks, and have very little technical knowledge... they are all just boxes with flashing lights to me ... My background is actually in cabled networks as well...

I was just trying to help those that are confused when they are told they can get 3G now... it isn't real 3G... the term 3G is a bit of a catch all... and Egde only just sneaks in...

UMTS/WCDMA still has some legs for another 4 years or more... and considering most GSM networks are pushing 5 years and still carrying a large portion of operators voice traffic... there is no reason to hold off on UMTS for finance reasons... a tender we just submitted here in Australia included refreshing all of the operators GSM base stations... so they hope to get another 5 years out of their GSM (with UMTS and LTE on top)...

Of course none of this addresses the real reasons Thailand doesn't have 3G... IMHO, Toxic didn't want any operators building a better network than his until after he sold it... now the politicians want to protect the Kingdom's revenue... and fair enough... Telecommunications is the 3rd biggest industry in the world, so there is no reason that the country should just give it's resources (in this case licences) to foreign owned companies so they can get rich... just hurry up about it...

Cheers,

Daewoo

[tlcwaterfall]

Calling EDGE 3G is just confusing. Technical blah-di-blah, it's slow, and not even operators are trying to sell it as 3G.

I hope I wasn't coming across as someone trying to push their techincal knowledge... fact is, I work on the rollout side of networks, and have very little technical knowledge... they are all just boxes with flashing lights to me ... My background is actually in cabled networks as well...

I was just trying to help those that are confused when they are told they can get 3G now... it isn't real 3G... the term 3G is a bit of a catch all... and Egde only just sneaks in...

UMTS/WCDMA still has some legs for another 4 years or more... and considering most GSM networks are pushing 5 years and still carrying a large portion of operators voice traffic... there is no reason to hold off on UMTS for finance reasons... a tender we just submitted here in Australia included refreshing all of the operators GSM base stations... so they hope to get another 5 years out of their GSM (with UMTS and LTE on top)...

Of course none of this addresses the real reasons Thailand doesn't have 3G... IMHO, Toxic didn't want any operators building a better network than his until after he sold it... now the politicians want to protect the Kingdom's revenue... and fair enough... Telecommunications is the 3rd biggest industry in the world, so there is no reason that the country should just give it's resources (in this case licences) to foreign owned companies so they can get rich... just hurry up about it...

Cheers,

Daewoo

In Surin local Catcom office had a 3G promotion at Big C shopping centre yesterday and today. Shopping centre was absolutely packed with people.

They had a laptop with a usb modem purporting to be accessing 3G service and free to try out. Went to a few web pages and speed was ok then went to speedtest.net and speed came in at 0.40 MBPS. Cost of usb modem ranged between 5000 and 6000 baht for different models.

By the way they had around 7 very very hot Thai girls doing the promotion wearing sexy tight fitting outfits. My research took quite some time but was enjoyable.

[tlcwaterfall]

Calling EDGE 3G is just confusing. Technical blah-di-blah, it's slow, and not even operators are trying to sell it as 3G.

I hope I wasn't coming across as someone trying to push their techincal knowledge... fact is, I work on the rollout side of networks, and have very little technical knowledge... they are all just boxes with flashing lights to me ... My background is actually in cabled networks as well...

I was just trying to help those that are confused when they are told they can get 3G now... it isn't real 3G... the term 3G is a bit of a catch all... and Egde only just sneaks in...

UMTS/WCDMA still has some legs for another 4 years or more... and considering most GSM networks are pushing 5 years and still carrying a large portion of operators voice traffic... there is no reason to hold off on UMTS for finance reasons... a tender we just submitted here in Australia included refreshing all of the operators GSM base stations... so they hope to get another 5 years out of their GSM (with UMTS and LTE on top)...

Of course none of this addresses the real reasons Thailand doesn't have 3G... IMHO, Toxic didn't want any operators building a better network than his until after he sold it... now the politicians want to protect the Kingdom's revenue... and fair enough... Telecommunications is the 3rd biggest industry in the world, so there is no reason that the country should just give it's resources (in this case licences) to foreign owned companies so they can get rich... just hurry up about it...

Cheers,

Daewoo

In Surin local Catcom office had a 3G promotion at Big C shopping centre yesterday and today. Shopping centre was absolutely packed with people.

They had a laptop with a usb modem purporting to be accessing 3G service and free to try out. Went to a few web pages and speed was ok then went to speedtest.net and speed came in at 0.40 MBPS. Hardly a great speed when I normally get 1 to 1.5 MBPS 12 kms out of city. Cost of usb modem ranged between 5000 and 6000 baht for different models.

Speeds over the last few days on my net have dropped considerably. Testing 3G equipment maybe resulting in a loss of speed on current network?

By the way they had around 7 very very hot Thai girls doing the promotion wearing sexy tight fitting outfits. My research took quite some time but was enjoyable.