Tot 3g Amazingly Fast...

[infernalman7]

Hi all,

I am just letting you know that I finally subscribed to iMobile 3Gx (MVNO operating on TOT 3G networks) and believe it or not it is amazingly fast! I couldn't even believe my eyes .. or maybe I wasn't expecting anything special from the beginning...

Well I have been using 3G for a while in Australia and I can never ever manage to get the speed of 3Mbps or more ... but hel_l for this thing I can get almost 7Mbps.. that's almost the theoretical maximum speed!

Anybody here using the similar networks on TOT 3G at the moment? I think once number port is up I am moving from AIS to one of the MVNOs for sure.

[infernalman7]

Surfing in a moving car

[arkom]

Wow amazing, do you know if the package with I-Mobile is the same with TOT?

[infernalman7]

Wow amazing, do you know if the package with I-Mobile is the same with TOT?

I was first going to go with TOT as well but after knowing that their post-paid plans do come with a 12-month contract I decided to go with iMobile 3Gx instead. However, the deal over at iKool 3G (http://www.i-kool.net/) seems to be much sweeter. The main problem is you have to be in their wait-list... I wanted the 3G NOW... so I headed to MBK and grab the post-paid SIM card off them.

My promotion is the 599 Baht per month with 4500MB of data. No contract. Cancel whenever you want.

[dandun]

I have been using the i-mobile 3g prepaid card more than a month now and i wish i had the same impression as you do, 3g is indeed super fast compared to the adsl connections we have but it only works when there is signal and unfortunately getting the signal is the problem.

For example go to pantip plaza and you will loose the signal all together , you cant even make or receive phone calls. Exact same applies for certain parts of paragon and central world shopping malls.

[pampal]

I also get blisteringly fast speeds with TOT 3g but it doesn't always have a good signal

[garyh]

I have got much faster speeds than you quoted in Australia with Vodafone, but it will slow down with a weaker signal.

[infernalman7]

I see... I think it is because I happen to live and work near the BTS area all the time.

[MJo]

It seems TOT has quietly installed around 550 base stations in Bangkok. WCDMA (3G) at 2100MHz with HSPA support. They also plan to extend the network for nationwide coverage by 2012 in means of adding few thousand base stations all over.

It also seems TOT does not require any license for the frequency. Unlike the private operators... Amazing Thailand, what a way to promote investment and lure multinationals in...

To get indoor coverage for malls etc takes time as you need to do the deals with the property owners and install complex system of feeder cables and antennas.

The private operators have all this infrastructure ready, what they lack is the government permission to upgrade their equipment to 3G which can be done fairly easy and fast.

Let's see when they nationalize the private telcos followed by land and property. Proper state system ala North Korea is looming behind the corner if this get's any worse.

[infernalman7]

^^ No. TOT has the rights to the frequency from the start. That is why the NTC has banned TOT from auctioning the frequency along with CAT and that was the reason why the MICT was screaming at NTC about it and then stopped the tendering process altogether.

There was no coverage in Siam Paragon Ground floor at all. I just noticed this yesterday. Kinda bad though but it was okay since I also have my True internet account that also works with their True Wifi.

No one else is to blame, not even the NTC but the government. The NTC and all the private operators were ready to upgrade since 2002 already. I agree with you. It's just... sad.

[MJo]

Yep it is sad.

DTAC also has the "rights" for 850 MHz but i doubt they are allowed to use it for commercial 3G... In the bottom it comes down to the fact that both TOT and CAT are up and running only because they suck revenues from private telcos under the old concession agreements. Too much money coming in and filling up too many powerful pockets to stop it. Even when it means huge damages to Thailand in general and especially it's economy and development.

[LivinLOS]

Any way of knowing coverage maps ??

[infernalman7]

^^ Coverage map is on TOT3g.net website

DTAC, True and AIS has started 3G on their own frequency but all of them are not going to roll out the nation wide network simply because all of their concessions are going to end soon... and that means all the installed 3G base stations will have to be returned to either CAT or TOT. This is why they are not doing anything right now.

They would rather wait for the new spectrum for certainty.. but it's not going to happen until their concession is going to end. This is because once they all own their own spectrum, they will all transfer their customers to their new 3G base stations and that means CAT/TOT will no longer get the revenue from them! This is why both CAT and TOT are going to do whatever they can to stop all other telcos from getting their spectrum .. and the sadder part is the owner of both CAT/TOT is the government.

[jfchandler]

Re the I-Mobile (thru TOT) 3G service, they're having a big show at the Queen Sikrit Center this weekend including technology, so my wife and I stopped by there last night, and she talked with the I-Mobile staff there about their POST-PAID service... ie... you're getting a monthly bill.

The I-Mobile guy at their booth there said my wife (a Thai) would need to bring a copy of her "tabien baan" (house book) in order for her to sign up for their post-paid service. And the guy told her they wouldn't open a post-paid account for me (a farang) regardless.... Never even got to the point of talking about whether I had a work permit or not...

I know I could just buy their pre-paid card. But the service rates for that are higher, and I don't want to mess around with topping up the card all the time. I like handling things post-paid.... So, yes, my wife can bring a copy of her tabien baan and we can get the post paid service we want.

But, I'm wondering, for farangs, what's been your experience elsewhere with TOT and/or I-Mobile (and at what locations?) about establishing new post paid accounts with them... And what if any kind of documentation were they wanting for the account to be in a farang's name???

[dandun]

I am a Farang and with work permit and copy of my passport i managed to get post paid i-mobile about 2 months ago. But i can tell you all that i am extremely unsatisfied with the service.

It does not work 80 percent of the time even when i am outdoors. Paragon, Central World, Mbk Plaza, Pantip Plaza are some of the locations that i am lucky if i can get a signal AT ALL, i get complaints from friends that they cant call me even at that time i know i have signal.

Because of all the issues i started to carry a second cheap "small" handset with my dtac sim.

My advice would be, by the prepaid to test before you lock your self into a year long agreement with them.

[jfchandler]

Dandun, did I-Mobile require you to produce a work permit in order to set up the post paid 3G account?

And, if someone gets a post-paid with them, is it a binding one-year contract??? With True's mobile service, even with postpaid, you can cancel any time you want...no penalty or other negative about that....

Unfortunately, True's 3G is 850 mhz and my phone is 2100 mhs for 3G....

I should add, if you're having problems getting incoming calls, that's not a 3G issue but a GSM issue, I believe. Supposedly, the TOT 3G network that I-Mobile is offering their 3G service thru has 400 or 500 stations around the BKK area, so their coverage OUGHT to be pretty decent.

But a better techie than me ought to clarify... when you're signing up for this kind of service in BKK, your 3G data stuff is being carried by TOT's 3G network thru I-Mobile...

But whose/what network is handling the regular I-Mobile GSM phone calling activity??? Outside BKK, I know I-Mobile customers phone calls are roamed to AIS... But inside BKK, whose network is taking regular phone calls....

Edited February 7, 2010 by jfchandler

[dandun]

Please read my new post regarding to TOT 3G.

You DO NOT want to get the service. They completely stopped offering International Calls. And here i am stuck with the 1 year contract.

But the prepaid if you must and use it only for data with your computer. I am going back to my faithful AIS.

[phazey]

I'm also no too pleased with the signal. When i'm home it'll sit there with one or two bars and the 3G icon illuminated. If i use anything that uses data, it'll go 2 bars to 1 bar - then 0 bars and finally the 3G will disappear and signal will revert to "searching"

But saying that, when it does work it works well, and blisteringly quick. I would like a way i could check my data usage though as i thinik i've gone over my quota,,,,

[steffi]

I'm also no too pleased with the signal. When i'm home it'll sit there with one or two bars and the 3G icon illuminated. If i use anything that uses data, it'll go 2 bars to 1 bar - then 0 bars and finally the 3G will disappear and signal will revert to "searching"

But saying that, when it does work it works well, and blisteringly quick. I would like a way i could check my data usage though as i thinik i've gone over my quota,,,,

So if you carry a MacBook Pro what hardware is needed for this iMobile service?

Also, does True offer any prepaid 3g internet service for computers? If so what hardware is required?

[jfchandler]

OK, I took the plunge today, signing up for I-Mobile's 3G Post-Paid service at their shop on the 4th floor of Central World.

I signed up for their lowest level 199 baht per month 3GX package, which for that price, as best as I understand it, includes:

--199 minutes of regular phone calls originating from the Bangkok area for no extra charge,

--50 satang for all call minutes in Bangkok beyond that amount, and 1.50 baht per minute for all roaming call minutes outside the Bangkok area.

--199 minutes of video calls made in the Bangkok area.

--HSPA data usage of 199 mb, and extra usage of .20 baht per MB (all 3G data usage in the BKK area only)

--and 1 baht per SMS for all messages, in BKK or roaming outside.

Their web site and printed materials reference TOT's network of supposedly 551 base stations for 3G around the BKK area. And when I took my phone home and installed the I-Mobile 3G SIM in the Nana-Asoke area, I got a full 5 bars signal strength, with the network showing as 3G and "TOT Mobile." And indeed, the UMTS band they're using is the 2100 Mhz band that is probably the most common among mobile phones.

One thing that's not clear to me as yet is, while I know I won't have 3G service outside the BKK area, at least until TOT expands their network, I'm wondering whether I'll have any data service outside Bangkok on this I-Mobile SIM, such as GPRS/Edge. Their web site and printed materials seem to be silent on that subject.

Some other good and bad news:

1. Good: With my Thai wife translating, we asked repeatedly and were assured that the service did not entail any one-year or any other term contract, and we could cancel anytime on a monthly basis.

2: Bad: At least at the Central World I-Mobile shop, according to my wife, the staff (who spoke only bare English) insisted that they could not register a post-paid 3G package to a farang regardless, even if I had the usual Thai work permit and passport.

No 3G post-paid for farang period, so my wife reported. Curiously, though, on the form she signed which is labeled I-Mobile 3GX (meaning their 3G service), there's a place in the ID section where they have boxes to check for passport and work permit (which obviously would be irrelevant for Thais.... So not sure what to make of that....

For my wife, the actual process once we decided took not more than 10 minutes. Fill out a one-page form all in Thai, produce her Thai ID and have them make a photo copy of it, sign on the line, and out the door.

The I-Mobile web site pretty much has no English components to it... But Google does a pretty good translation of the Thai contents. Here's a link to the Google translation of the I-Mobile 3G info page...

PS - I asked the I-Mobile staff, when I'm just making regular phone calls in BKK or outside, what network is carrying those phone calls. And their answer was 1-2-Call, which is part of the AIS empire... So I-Mobile's capacity to handle regular phone call traffic, inside Bangkok or outside, ought to be pretty good.

I just want to test the service, and see how it works, and whether it's good enough and reliable enough for me to ditch my other long-term mobile account.. It'll be interesting to see...

PPS - I'm only trying/wanting to use the 3G capacity on my mobile phone, not needing or trying at all to use the mobile 3G as a substitute for home internet, or as a modem connection for a PC...

Edited February 8, 2010 by jfchandler

[pampal]

I-Mobile doesn't have a physical network. The network is owned an operated by TOT 3G. I-Mobile is a re-seller of TOT 3G bandwith. I signed up for TOT 3G at my local TOT office. I don't have a long term visa and I don't have a work permit, but they gave me post-paid anyway. The only documentation from me was my passport with a one month visa exempt entry.

BTW, you cannot presently make international calls with the TOT 3G sim card, if that's a concern for anyone. You can make international calls using a phone card(Hatari, etc..) though.

For those that want a coverage map--- www.tot3g.net

[jfchandler]

Pampal, thanks for the news about that... about a farang being able to sign up directly with TOT for their 3G...without the hassle of having/producing a Thai work permit...

That's likely to be the situation about this...some policy variability, as is typical in Thailand... given that up to 6 different companies are supposedly going to end up vending the 3G service on the TOT network: TOT itself, I-Mobile, and up to four other less visible re-sellers who have been authorized by TOT...

I'd be interested to hear how other farang do in their dealing with other TOT offices, or other I-Mobile offices for that matter, in obtaining post-paid 3G accounts...and whether work permits are being required for post-paid.

Some time back, I had to go thru great hassle with True, and me being a multi-service customer of theirs, before they'd finally give me a post-paid mobile account without a work permit...and that was after they had told me "No" probably a half dozen different times and in varied shops/offices...

Lately, I recall seeing some advertising from DTAC saying they were becoming more farang friendly by no longer hassling farangs for work permits ... though I haven't dealt with them directly for a long time...

PS - While I was also at the AIS office at Central World (about some other mobile business for my wife), they had a poster sign on the rep's service desk talking about their 3G service, and specifying that it was on the 900 Mhz band...

So I asked their rep, and showed her a copy of a printout I'd brought along talking about AIS's supposed announcement sometime back that they hoped to roll out 3G service on the 2,100 Mhz band via some kind of sharing/roaming agreement with TOT...

The CSR seemed a bit flustered, and called over a supervisor, who ended up explaining that, yes, AIS was trying to arrange that... But that they hadn't reached any agreement with TOT as yet, and they couldn't predict any time for how soon a 2,100 Mhz agreement with TOT would be forthcoming...

I already knew that from reading ThaiVisa...but I figured, it never hurts to ask, and hear what their answers might be... and how much if any the answers relate to the presumed "reality" that we already know...

[pampal]

HI JF,

The TOT office on Din Daeng Street between Pracha Songkro and Ratchada is very farang friendly. Give them a try.

[phazey]

I'm also no too pleased with the signal. When i'm home it'll sit there with one or two bars and the 3G icon illuminated. If i use anything that uses data, it'll go 2 bars to 1 bar - then 0 bars and finally the 3G will disappear and signal will revert to "searching"

But saying that, when it does work it works well, and blisteringly quick. I would like a way i could check my data usage though as i thinik i've gone over my quota,,,,

So if you carry a MacBook Pro what hardware is needed for this iMobile service?

Also, does True offer any prepaid 3g internet service for computers? If so what hardware is required?

A mobile telephone capable of "tethering".

Not sure about True, but the coverage area is limited.

Also, did any post-pay subscribers get their bill through the door recently? I got mine yesterday (i'm on the 799 package) and got 950 baht discount for some reason.

I do know i went way over my data quota, but there is no breakdown in the bill...

[jfchandler]

A few more odds and ends here about the 3G service thru I-Mobile/TOT...

At least as someone who signed up thru I-Mobile, you won't get customer call center service thru regular I-Mobile..

Rather, they'll route you to a supposedly 24-hour number just for the 3G service... 02-576-5599.

In talking to a CSR tonight in English, a couple things were explained to me....supposedly as facts:

--The 3GX service doesn't allow sending of MMS messages...

--The 3GX service doesn't include any data roaming functionality outside the 3G area of Bangkok, that is... no GPRS/EDGE roaming on the AIS network that will carry your phone calls outside Bangkok.

[dandun]

It looks like this 3gx service was created only to use with the usb modem devices. Can not send MMS, can not make international calls, ca not roam, 90 percent of the time fighting to get signal etc.

[jackbox]

I have both a TOT3G and an I-Mobile 3GX postpaid account. TOT is easy for a farang. I just went to the Mall Ramkhamhaeng TOT service center and produced my passport and work permit. That is all they required. My Thai wife was with me but they never talked to her. I bought a new Android phone at I-Mobile and they offered three free months of their 3GX SmartPhone package. But they told me I could not sign up without a guarantee from a Thai. So I downloaded the guarantee document from their website and had my wife fill it out and sign it. I also had her sign a copy of her ID card endorsed for guarantee of 3GX mobile service for me only. I went back to the shop and they opened my service but I had to show them my passport, work permit and another ID card with the same birth date on it (I used my Thai driver's license).

Now for the good and bad. TOT3G will roam on AIS for voice/sms only when there is no 3G service. My 3GX service, on the other hand, goes to "No Service" when the 3G signal drops. Mind you this is on the same handset. I called I-Mobile 3GX customer service and told them my TOT3G sim will roam on AIS when I am out of the 3G coverage area, but my 3GX sim does not roam. After being shuffled around to many people, getting hung up on once and having to answer irrelevant questions repeatedly, the CSR finally told me there is a problem where some new numbers will not roam, so sorry but there is nothing they can do. She said it should roam but a large block of their numbers don't roam. I said can you contact TOT (their service provider) and have them fix the problem with AIS. No, so sorry this number cannot roam. No attempt to fix the problem just say sorry cannot.

So when my three free months are up I will cancel the stupid 3GX sim. To add insult to injury, I-Mobile will not cancel service on the phone. You have to go to an I-Mobile service center in person and show your documents again to cancel the service. Man I wish I never accepted their free three months of crap service offer.

[MaiChai]

This seems the best topic to talk about I-Mobile 3GX, so here is my question:

We signed up to the 1Gb 199 baht postpaid service. Basically you get a bill every month and go and pay it. Major frustration is how do you check your internet usage? On Three in the UK I check the usage on a webpage from the handset. With this service you can only check if you are on prepaid via *153#. But this does not work for the postpaid service. Are we just suppose to run up huge bills and then just pay them when the paper bill arrives? Appreciate any help from anyone.

Thx.

[MaiChai]

Girlfriend logged into some account where you can check all your billing, etc and it shows no usage. Then she called them and they told us we had used 7.5Mb. Thus it seems if you want real time internet usage, you need to call, verify all your account details, you are put on hold and then someone comes back and tells you how much you used. I wondered if they could help someone who can't speak Thai fluently? For me I will just use the girlfriends sim; too much hassle otherwise. You can draw your own conclusions about this service!

I wonder if they send you an sms when you exceed or are close to exceeding your allowed monthly usage?

[jackbox]

This seems the best topic to talk about I-Mobile 3GX, so here is my question:

We signed up to the 1Gb 199 baht postpaid service. Basically you get a bill every month and go and pay it. Major frustration is how do you check your internet usage? On Three in the UK I check the usage on a webpage from the handset. With this service you can only check if you are on prepaid via *153#. But this does not work for the postpaid service. Are we just suppose to run up huge bills and then just pay them when the paper bill arrives? Appreciate any help from anyone.

Thx.

Call up 3GX customer service at 02-576-5599 and ask for an English speaking rep (they have several of them). Then tell the rep you want your four (4) digit code that allows you to sign up on the website. Then you go to the following URL and register:

http://118.175.2.198/webselfcare/cust_smtlogin.jsf?1=1

Note: This site only works properly with Internet Explorer on PCs. Not sure about Macs.

The is all in Thai but I can get your through it. Underneath the login button there is a link to register. Click that and then do the following: First you will see a think you can click to select one of two choices. Select the second choice and enter your phone number (without dashes or spaces) in the first entry box. Then enter the PIN (4 digit number you were given) in the second box. The third box is your desired user name and the last one is your email address. Make sure your email address is valid as they will then email you a password after you click the submit button (if your email is wrong you are SOL). Then when you get the password log into the site and they will have you enter a new password two times. I don't remember but if there are three boxes then the first one is probably the password they emailed you. If only two boxes enter your desired password twice.

Then when you are logged into the site use the graphic I have attached that shows you which button is logout and at the bottom I have shown what each of the clickable menu items does. This site only shows data usage and not minutes used talking, sms and mms (yes the system can do mms even though some people have claimed it cannot).