AIS At War With TOT, Voice Users Will Be Disconnected On February 1

[Bilqis]

It is NOT what they say it is - why are you so determined to make up excuses for people I have personally met and have listened patiently to their bullshit. I must admit I have wasted too much time on this - If I thought dealing with AIS was a waste why on earth am I engaging in banter with you???

Edited January 31, 2010 by Bilqis

[ChiangMaiFun]

seamless???

Doesn't even approach it!

the coverage is not the problem either I am well aware of that - what is so disappointing is the complete failure to supply - despite their claims - a service that is useable - if they claim it to be it should within reasonable limits function as they say - the truth is and I'm backed up by AIS technicians here - they really haven;'t thought it through, you are unable to top-up in a satisfactory way and the a/c - is worked out not on GB or monthly whichever comes sooner but once your GB is up they disconnect you. They then claim your account is finished and try to put you on a more expensive rate. - there is of course no way to check this or the amount you have used.

Even when I pre-pay the money is never credited to my account - Telewiz have no idea whatsoever about the account and fail to top it up they even tried to charge VAT on a VAT inclusive deal- the only way I can continue the service is to go into the AIS office in advance and then again when I've been cut off.

You can't even buy top -up card to the values required, help line haven't got a clue - they have received no training or information, they do however charge for the phone calls, they do ring back when they have to go and ask for assistance. I would say on average topping up every month takes about 8 to 12 hours plus at least or or sometimes two trips to they office

It is what it is. A trial service.

They have allocated narrow band from their 900MHz licence used on 2G and have set up couple of base stations with minimum capasity to test it out. In Chiang Mai they had capasity to handle around 3000 subscribers with limited speeds when they started the trial and i'm not aware that they have added anything since.

If you then believe their marketing hype and expect to get usable wireless broadband dream on...

I use AIS 3G and find it to be a very good service... occassional 'drops outs' but not much - the worst thing is the top-up service - I have to go in every month and they don't take advance payment. To say it isn't usable etc. is not terribly accurate

[MJo]

It is NOT what they say it is - why are you so determined to make up excuses for people I have personally met and have listened patiently to their bullshit. I must admit I have wasted too much time on this - If I thought dealing with AIS was a waste why on earth am I engaging in banter with you???

I'm not making excuses to anyone.

Fact is that it is trial service with very limited capabilities regardless of what they or anyone else is telling you.

I for one never even considered getting it as i know exactly what equipment and system they have and what it can do. The fact is that people you met talking to you is not going to make the hardware handle more data nor it does not increase the bandwidht they have.

CMFun obviously is lucky and is using it in areas where there is not that much traffic getting reasonable speeds and connectivity...

If you are not happy with it just vote with your feet and stop using it.

Edited January 31, 2010 by MJo

[ItsMeMike]

I'm glad to have 2 different providers.

[LivinLOS]

Now TOT just went and build network on 2100MHz. Something the others are not able to do since the licences are not issued. Not sure why the same rules are not being applied to TOT but they just went and built several hundreds of base stations all around Bangkok and planning few thousands more all over the country.

My bet is that once TOT has nationwide coverage and strong enough subscriber base build as government monopoly, they allow the other players in and issue licences. This might take years taking into account TOT's appalling track record in implementing projects and capasity to their networks.

OK but I ask again.. TOT mobile ?? Whats this branded as ?? Where can I get a sim ?? What is it, how do you top up etc etc ??

I mean AIS (12Call) DTAC Orange True etc.. OK but TOT mobile ?? I dont see this anywhere here...

[fullcave]

Already switched to Dtac a month ago. Thanks!

[christcourt]

TOT = Totally Obsolete Telecomm (company)

AIS = As If Service (were any concern of ours)

NTC = Naughty Television Censors

"Now I like this"

[suanprig]

As a mobiles technician I can tell ya that this wont effect anything so-long as AIS AND TOT each have 3G networks in place already. For every base station Moblie broadband is 1 or 2 extra peices of hardware than wats allready in place for voice. and about half a days tweaking of software etc. The cards could be installed through out the country within weeks. OK sorry i forgot we are talking about Thailand....3 weeks. But in general terms, I've worked in the industry in Australia and New Zealand for over 8 years and this sort of tit for tat childishness between carriers occurs throughout the world. Lets face it, if you have literally 1/3 or 1/4 of the countries population subscribing to your carrier, the little bits add up to lots and lots and lots of cash. For 1 carrier to ask for roaming onto what the other carrier have just invested shirt loads into for free. is a bit rude. hence the argument.

[suanprig]

In simple English, does this mean I won't be able to use my AIS mobile service to talk to a TOT user?

No. it means when your AIS phone is out of a AIS coverage area.It will no longer "roam" (jump the call onto TOTs coverage area if available) Your call will drop and you will have to make another call and/or wait until you move back into a AIS coverage area.

[Totster]

Why aren't we still using the conch shell to communicate....

Because the battery life was crap

totster

[suanprig]

seamless???

Doesn't even approach it!

the coverage is not the problem either I am well aware of that - what is so disappointing is the complete failure to supply - despite their claims - a service that is useable - if they claim it to be it should within reasonable limits function as they say - the truth is and I'm backed up by AIS technicians here - they really haven;'t thought it through, you are unable to top-up in a satisfactory way and the a/c - is worked out not on GB or monthly whichever comes sooner but once your GB is up they disconnect you. They then claim your account is finished and try to put you on a more expensive rate. - there is of course no way to check this or the amount you have used.

Even when I pre-pay the money is never credited to my account - Telewiz have no idea whatsoever about the account and fail to top it up they even tried to charge VAT on a VAT inclusive deal- the only way I can continue the service is to go into the AIS office in advance and then again when I've been cut off.

You can't even buy top -up card to the values required, help line haven't got a clue - they have received no training or information, they do however charge for the phone calls, they do ring back when they have to go and ask for assistance. I would say on average topping up every month takes about 8 to 12 hours plus at least or or sometimes two trips to they office

It is what it is. A trial service.

They have allocated narrow band from their 900MHz licence used on 2G and have set up couple of base stations with minimum capasity to test it out. In Chiang Mai they had capasity to handle around 3000 subscribers with limited speeds when they started the trial and i'm not aware that they have added anything since.

If you then believe their marketing hype and expect to get usable wireless broadband dream on...

3000 subscribers? dream on. add atleast 3 0s to that "they do however charge for the phone calls"

[eTiMaGo]

There is no actual "TOT Mobile", they sub-lease the network to other providers (it's all explained in the original post, if anyone cared to read ). I have an iMobile 3GX pre-paid card just for testing, it works rather well, actual download speeds up to about 3Mbps, and actually much more responsive than True "High Speed" DSL. But without a truly unlimited option, well, it's rather limited (though 6GB allowance per month is more than enough for casual surfing on the phone and laptop web access on the go)

But as of today, unable to place any calls through that number

[LivinLOS]

There is no actual "TOT Mobile", they sub-lease the network to other providers (it's all explained in the original post, if anyone cared to read ).

OK but again, who or rather what is the brand name for TOT mobile..

I mean they are saying they will cut off TOT mobile customers for voice roaming on AIS.. Thats clear.. But who are TOT mobiles customers ?? Whats thier network name ?? Thats whats baffling me..

[Bilqis]

If ANYONE offers a trial service they should make it clear that there are limitations - not done by AIS - they also are charging up to 1000 baht per GB download! I hardly think that is appropriate for a "trial" service!

[pampal]

There is no actual "TOT Mobile", they sub-lease the network to other providers (it's all explained in the original post, if anyone cared to read ).

OK but again, who or rather what is the brand name for TOT mobile..

I mean they are saying they will cut off TOT mobile customers for voice roaming on AIS.. Thats clear.. But who are TOT mobiles customers ?? Whats thier network name ?? Thats whats baffling me..

I am a TOT mobile customer. Their network name is TOT Mobile.

I got my TOT 3G sim card from the TOT office near my condo. There is indeed a TOT Mobile network and the brand name is TOT 3G. You can google it.

www.tot3g.net

The TOT 3G network is owned and operated by TOT, but in areas that don't have coverage, the TOT 3G sim card roams on the AIS 2G network.

On the website link I provided, you can even see their coverage map and the address of their 3G antennas.

TOT has 5 companies offering services on the TOT 3G network, I-mobile is one of them. I-mobile is in effect a re-seller for TOT 3G. I-mobile has no physical network, that's why their customers see TOT mobile as their carrier.

[animatic]

So anyone notice a lose of service yet?

Acedemic for me here, there doesn't appear to be any service here anyway.

[pampal]

Now TOT just went and build network on 2100MHz. Something the others are not able to do since the licences are not issued. Not sure why the same rules are not being applied to TOT but they just went and built several hundreds of base stations all around Bangkok and planning few thousands more all over the country.

My bet is that once TOT has nationwide coverage and strong enough subscriber base build as government monopoly, they allow the other players in and issue licences. This might take years taking into account TOT's appalling track record in implementing projects and capasity to their networks.

OK but I ask again.. TOT mobile ?? Whats this branded as ?? Where can I get a sim ?? What is it, how do you top up etc etc ??

I mean AIS (12Call) DTAC Orange True etc.. OK but TOT mobile ?? I dont see this anywhere here...

You can get the TOT 3G sim card at TOT stores or offices. They have post and pre paid.

I have a post paid at 799 baht/month.

www.tot3g.net

[LivinLOS]

There is no actual "TOT Mobile", they sub-lease the network to other providers (it's all explained in the original post, if anyone cared to read ).

OK but again, who or rather what is the brand name for TOT mobile..

I mean they are saying they will cut off TOT mobile customers for voice roaming on AIS.. Thats clear.. But who are TOT mobiles customers ?? Whats thier network name ?? Thats whats baffling me..

I am a TOT mobile customer. Their network name is TOT Mobile.

I got my TOT 3G sim card from the TOT office near my condo. There is indeed a TOT Mobile network and the brand name is TOT 3G. You can google it.

www.tot3g.net

The TOT 3G network is owned and operated by TOT, but in areas that don't have coverage, the TOT 3G sim card roams on the AIS 2G network.

On the website link I provided, you can even see their coverage map and the address of their 3G antennas.

TOT has 5 companies offering services on the TOT 3G network, I-mobile is one of them. I-mobile is in effect a re-seller for TOT 3G. I-mobile has no physical network, that's why their customers see TOT mobile as their carrier.

OK superb.. Thats the answer I was after..

Do you get refill cards in 7/11s and the like ??

It would appear the service is BKK only hence why many of us have not seen it.. Correct ??

[pampal]

There is no actual "TOT Mobile", they sub-lease the network to other providers (it's all explained in the original post, if anyone cared to read ).

OK but again, who or rather what is the brand name for TOT mobile..

I mean they are saying they will cut off TOT mobile customers for voice roaming on AIS.. Thats clear.. But who are TOT mobiles customers ?? Whats thier network name ?? Thats whats baffling me..

I am a TOT mobile customer. Their network name is TOT Mobile.

I got my TOT 3G sim card from the TOT office near my condo. There is indeed a TOT Mobile network and the brand name is TOT 3G. You can google it.

www.tot3g.net

The TOT 3G network is owned and operated by TOT, but in areas that don't have coverage, the TOT 3G sim card roams on the AIS 2G network.

On the website link I provided, you can even see their coverage map and the address of their 3G antennas.

TOT has 5 companies offering services on the TOT 3G network, I-mobile is one of them. I-mobile is in effect a re-seller for TOT 3G. I-mobile has no physical network, that's why their customers see TOT mobile as their carrier.

OK superb.. Thats the answer I was after..

Do you get refill cards in 7/11s and the like ??

It would appear the service is BKK only hence why many of us have not seen it.. Correct ??

I am not sure about refill cards as I have the post paid, but I will ask and let you know by PM.

AFAIK, the3G service is only available in Bangkok.

[Thai at Heart]

Now TOT just went and build network on 2100MHz. Something the others are not able to do since the licences are not issued. Not sure why the same rules are not being applied to TOT but they just went and built several hundreds of base stations all around Bangkok and planning few thousands more all over the country.

My bet is that once TOT has nationwide coverage and strong enough subscriber base build as government monopoly, they allow the other players in and issue licences. This might take years taking into account TOT's appalling track record in implementing projects and capasity to their networks.

OK but I ask again.. TOT mobile ?? Whats this branded as ?? Where can I get a sim ?? What is it, how do you top up etc etc ??

I mean AIS (12Call) DTAC Orange True etc.. OK but TOT mobile ?? I dont see this anywhere here...

You can get the TOT 3G sim card at TOT stores or offices. They have post and pre paid.

I have a post paid at 799 baht/month.

www.tot3g.net

Now the next dumb question, can TOT3G sell you a 3G capable phone?

[Thai at Heart]

Seems like the providers are predicting some problems, even the weather doesn't look that hopeful

That said, I would never expect any release of anything that has anything to do with CAT to be less than plain sailing!

TOT_3g_Clear_Skies_Ahead.bmp

TOT_3g_Clear_Skies_Ahead.bmp

Edited February 2, 2010 by Thai at Heart

[jfchandler]

What's the pricing for their 3G plan, either thru TOT direct or resold thru I-Mobile???

I am a TOT mobile customer. Their network name is TOT Mobile.

I got my TOT 3G sim card from the TOT office near my condo. There is indeed a TOT Mobile network and the brand name is TOT 3G. You can google it.

www.tot3g.net

The TOT 3G network is owned and operated by TOT, but in areas that don't have coverage, the TOT 3G sim card roams on the AIS 2G network.

On the website link I provided, you can even see their coverage map and the address of their 3G antennas.

TOT has 5 companies offering services on the TOT 3G network, I-mobile is one of them. I-mobile is in effect a re-seller for TOT 3G. I-mobile has no physical network, that's why their customers see TOT mobile as their carrier.

[pampal]

HI JF

I am not sure about I-Mobile pricing.

But TOT post paid has plans from 299 baht/month to 899 baht/month.

I have the 799 baht plan.

That is only for the data part of the plan, phone calls cost 1.5 baht/minute.

I am currently in Hong Kong, but next week I will drop by the TOT office and get the rates for you.

[pampal]

Now TOT just went and build network on 2100MHz. Something the others are not able to do since the licences are not issued. Not sure why the same rules are not being applied to TOT but they just went and built several hundreds of base stations all around Bangkok and planning few thousands more all over the country.

My bet is that once TOT has nationwide coverage and strong enough subscriber base build as government monopoly, they allow the other players in and issue licences. This might take years taking into account TOT's appalling track record in implementing projects and capasity to their networks.

OK but I ask again.. TOT mobile ?? Whats this branded as ?? Where can I get a sim ?? What is it, how do you top up etc etc ??

I mean AIS (12Call) DTAC Orange True etc.. OK but TOT mobile ?? I dont see this anywhere here...

You can get the TOT 3G sim card at TOT stores or offices. They have post and pre paid.

I have a post paid at 799 baht/month.

www.tot3g.net

Now the next dumb question, can TOT3G sell you a 3G capable phone?

I didn't see any at the TOT office, but they are easy enough to find.

The least expensive ones I know of are sold by I-Mobile. You can find them at Fortune IT Mall or MBK.

I use my Nokia N95 8GB. Works fine.

BTW I tried True 3G before I went with TOT.

My Nokia didn't work with True and after much prodding, they told me that their 3G is limited to Blackberry and I-Phones bought from True.

[Thai at Heart]

So the situation is that:

TOT can't see you a phone

TOT can sell you a card for someone else's phone

TOT can't roam to far

AIS can sell you a phone

AIS can sell you a card

AIS can't access you to anyone else's network?

So back to 1995 until AIS builds its own network?

True think they have won because someone's dad is helping, but the truth is that TRUE will never ever ever pay for their own network.

Come on Temasak (AIS), pay for your own network and make these two bit loser mobile companies step up to the plate. Then make the others pay through the bloody nose to have access. Then route all your international roaming and internet through your own satellite and put CAT out of business.

[jfchandler]

Thanks for the reply and info Pampal... Don't sweat it.... I was just curious to know...

I already have True mobile, and just changed my data plan with them.... not 3G of course....

But they're offering 129 baht per month for 15 total hours per month of Wifi, GPRS and Edge service. And under that data plan, you do pay extra for all calls, 2 baht for the first minute, and 1 baht for all call minutes after that, regardless of who/what network you're calling. But I likewise don't rack up so much mobile calling time every month. So I think my monthly bill for calls and data under the new set-up likely will be under 500 baht per month most of the time.

I use the Internet big-time at home, but only sporadically when I'm outside. So the 15 hours per month of mobile data time is plenty for me.

However, next time I go to buy a new mobile phone, it certainly will be chosen with an eye toward which phone model/manufacturer is going to work with whatever the most capable 3G network is in Thailand at that time and for the future.

Like anything new in technology, 3G in Thailand is likely to be pricey at the beginning, but then will drop to routine pricing with time...

There also is the issue of rival and disparate frequency bands for 3G in Thailand. It seems like the different carrier and systems are all over the frequency bands with their 3G systems, as start-up as they are.

My Nokia E61i mobile is 3G capable on the (European??) UMTS/WCDMA 2100 band... I must sheepishly admit, I'm clueless of about if any of the providers in Thailand are or are headed toward providing 3G support on that band...

HI JF

I am not sure about I-Mobile pricing.

But TOT post paid has plans from 299 baht/month to 899 baht/month.

I have the 799 baht plan.

That is only for the data part of the plan, phone calls cost 1.5 baht/minute.

I am currently in Hong Kong, but next week I will drop by the TOT office and get the rates for you.

[slimdog]

Come on Temasak (AIS), pay for your own network and make these two bit loser mobile companies step up to the plate. Then make the others pay through the bloody nose to have access. Then route all your international roaming and internet through your own satellite and put CAT out of business.

The fact is, until AIS gets a 3G licence from the NTC, they are still under their original TOT concession which only allows them to operate in the 900 mhz frequency.

This concession is a build,Transfer & Operate (BTO) which means that any new equipment they install, (including their 900 mhz 3G system), they have to transfer ownership over to TOT, and then they are allowed to use it for the period of the concession, which finishes I believe in 2015.

Come the end of the concession, TOT gets a free 900 mhz gsm network, which they can utilise, sell or negotiate to a new concession owner.

AIS is not going to spend billions of baht to set up any new network until they have a new licence, knowing that the new network belongs to them and not TOT.

[pampal]

Hey JF

TOT 3G is on UMTS 2100MHZ so you're Nokia will work just fine

[Thai at Heart]

Come on Temasak (AIS), pay for your own network and make these two bit loser mobile companies step up to the plate. Then make the others pay through the bloody nose to have access. Then route all your international roaming and internet through your own satellite and put CAT out of business.

The fact is, until AIS gets a 3G licence from the NTC, they are still under their original TOT concession which only allows them to operate in the 900 mhz frequency.

This concession is a build,Transfer & Operate (BTO) which means that any new equipment they install, (including their 900 mhz 3G system), they have to transfer ownership over to TOT, and then they are allowed to use it for the period of the concession, which finishes I believe in 2015.

Come the end of the concession, TOT gets a free 900 mhz gsm network, which they can utilise, sell or negotiate to a new concession owner.

AIS is not going to spend billions of baht to set up any new network until they have a new licence, knowing that the new network belongs to them and not TOT.

Makes you wonder how there is a mobile system at all in the country.