Hi --

We live in Pong Yang, Mae Rim, Chiang Mai -- about 35 KM northeast of the city. True lines don't come out this far, only TOT. That's what True said when I called them, anyhow. And to be clear, we might have either TOT lines or TT&T lines. TOT bills for both companies. I think we have TT&T, but that always confused me because I never saw a bill from TT&T. Now I understand. TOT bills for both companies.

Anyhow, getting back to the story -- With TT&T lines, our ISP says, the fastest speed they can give us is 2 Mbps. And we pay almost 2000 Baht/month for that. It's not a line quality problem. It's a competition problem. TT&T, apparently, since the start of the year is refusing to let any third party ISP increase any individual customer's speed. The only change a third party ISP can make is to cancel! Do you believe that sh_t? And from what I'm reading about TT&T - Maxnet service, I don't think I want to go anywhere near it. Any suggestions?

[Our ISP gives us great service, BTW, whenever and however they can. It's Ji-Net or Jasmine Net, and if you're thinking of switching ISP's, let me know. I'll introduce you through one of the people we work with at Ji-Net. That way you'll have somebody to talk to and I know you'll like the service.]

Satellite? I looked at the TOT satellite web page and the speeds are lower and prices higher than we're paying now.

Wireless? I hear AIS is offering 3G, but one friend says it's great and another says to stay away -- lots of interruptions, busy signals, dropouts, etc.

I've even written to TOT about a leased line; and Ji-Net is checking to see about a leased line or a corporate account for us. Apparently they have more flexibility with corporate accounts, but the prices are higher.

OK, pant, pant, pant. Have I covered everything? Or is there any kind and wise soul out there who might be able to suggest something else we might try?

Thanks --

CAT CDMA and True. I.m on AIS 3G and its hit and miss. Seriously thinking of going over to CAT CDMA. Check and see how far the CAT tower is, if less than 5 km should be OK>

CAT CDMA and True. I.m on AIS 3G and its hit and miss. Seriously thinking of going over to CAT CDMA. Check and see how far the CAT tower is, if less than 5 km should be OK>

Thanks, gotlost. Appreciate the quick reply. I'll check.

Cheers --

I TRIED TO EDIT MY ORIGINAL POST, BUT THERE WAS ALREADY A REPLY, WHICH FROZE THE ORIGINAL. SO I'LL PUT THE EDITED AND CLARIFIED POST HERE. CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS BALONEY THAT TT&T PULLING???

We live in Pong Yang, Mae Rim, Chiang Mai -- about 35 KM northeast of the city and I think our phone lines are from TT&T, even though our bills are from TOT. I just found out that TOT bills for both TOT and TT&T, so we might have either one. I'm checking now. True lines would be much better, but True lines don't come out this far yet. That's what True said when I called them. So I'm pretty sure we have TT&T, and if we do, we've got a problem.

With TT&T lines, our ISP says, the fastest speed they can give us is 2 Mbps. And we pay almost 2000 Baht/month for that. It's not a line quality problem. It's a competition problem. TT&T, apparently, since the start of the year is refusing to let any third party ISP increase any individual customer's speed. The only change a third party ISP can make with an individual customer is to cancel! Do you believe that sh-t? And from what I'm reading and hearing about TT&T - Maxnet service, I don't think I want to go anywhere near it.

[Our ISP gives us great service, BTW, whenever and however they can. It's Ji-Net or Jasmine Net, and if you're thinking of switching ISP's, let me know. I'll introduce you through one of the people we work with at Ji-Net. That way you'll have somebody to talk to and I know you'll like the service.]

TOT? I'm checking to see which company we actually have. I've also written to Ji-Net and asked them about it. Maybe we can get TOT lines if it would make a difference, but I think they're pulling the same cr_p as TT&T. We'll see what Ji-Net says when they answer my last email.

Satellite? I looked at the TOT satellite web page and the speeds are lower and prices higher than we're paying now.

Wireless? I hear AIS is offering 3G, but one friend says it's great and another says to stay away -- lots of interruptions, busy signals, dropouts, etc.

Leased line? I've even written to TOT about a leased line; and Ji-Net is checking to see about a leased line or a corporate account for us. Apparently they have more flexibility with corporate accounts, but the prices are higher.

CAT-CDMA? I'll see how far we are from one of their towers and what kind of service we might be able to get. Thanks for the suggestion, Gotlost.

OK, pant, pant, pant. Have I covered everything? Or is there any other kind and wise soul out there who might be able to suggest something else?

Thanks again --

The problem is that at any given moment a given ISP will be the best in a given area BUT at the next moment it well be the worst.. There is not one ISP that is 100% or even 75% good. Talk with people in your area not 30 to 1000 km away for their experience can will be totally different from your area.

The problem is that at any given moment a given ISP will be the best in a given area BUT at the next moment it well be the worst.. There is not one ISP that is 100% or even 75% good. Talk with people in your area not 30 to 1000 km away for their experience can will be totally different from your area.

Good advice. Sounds like you've been through it, gotlost.

Cheers --

I guess unless a person has used "all" the ISP's on the poll, he can't really give a good answer.

When I first arrived Thailand I signed up for a TOT 2Mb Goldcyber package...it was terrible in terms of international speed and disconnects...I canceled after 6 weeks. I then switched to a JI-NET (now JasNet) 2Mb plan, specifically BizConnext (a SME type plan) which was the only plan available on my TOT line...it worked great, good international speed, great service, but cost 1890 Baht/mo (includes VAT)...after about 15 months I wanted a higher speed and wanted to pay less since internet prices had come down a lot....couldn't get JI-NET to come down in their price...they did have a 4Mb plan now for my area but it was also pricey (2800 baht) compared to other plans like from TOT, True, etc. I'm on a TOT line and my choices are pretty much TOT, JI-NET, and probably a few others who are pricey. So I decided to give TOT a try again under their new plans. Fastest TOT speed available to my location/moobaan here in western Bangkok is 4Mb/512Kb at 590 baht/mo...so far, after about 3 months, it has been working fine. So, my first experience with TOT was bad...my second experience with TOT has been good (so far).

I guess unless a person has used "all" the ISP's on the poll, he can't really give a good answer.

When I first arrived Thailand I signed up for a TOT 2Mb Goldcyber package...it was terrible in terms of international speed and disconnects...I canceled after 6 weeks. I then switched to a JI-NET (now JasNet) 2Mb plan, specifically BizConnext (a SME type plan) which was the only plan available on my TOT line...it worked great, good international speed, great service, but cost 1890 Baht/mo (includes VAT)...after about 15 months I wanted a higher speed and wanted to pay less since internet prices had come down a lot....couldn't get JI-NET to come down in their price...they did have a 4Mb plan now for my area but it was also pricey (2800 baht) compared to other plans like from TOT, True, etc. I'm on a TOT line and my choices are pretty much TOT, JI-NET, and probably a few others who are pricey. So I decided to give TOT a try again under their new plans. Fastest TOT speed available to my location/moobaan here in western Bangkok is 4Mb/512Kb at 590 baht/mo...so far, after about 3 months, it has been working fine. So, my first experience with TOT was bad...my second experience with TOT has been good (so far).

Thanks, Pib. I guess I'll see if I can get a TOT line and see what they're offering here. Cheers --

I live in Tambon Rimtai of Mae Rim and was a loyal, multi-year customer of JI-net delivered over TT&T. I even successfully negotiated a price decrease with them because, as the OP states, ISP pricing has plummeted. Even with this lowered pricing, we were still forking over THB 4,000 every month for special subscriber service (limited to 5 users).

But early this year, we began to see a serious ersoion in the quality of our JI connection...it was constantly flickering in and out. JI-net wasn't the culprit; TT&T had decided to discontinue support for its ADSL service where we live. Along came 3BB (Maxnet) with brand new wiring throughout our area, and best yet, they didn't need to tie up our phone line to deliver their broadband service. Instead, 3BB routed lines carrying their ADSL service that were independent of the telephone system. We happen to have a TOT main telephony line, which works fine. I was using the old TT&T line to handle my ASDL connection over Jasmine; plus I had a fax machine connected over the same TT&T carrier. As explained, TT&T dropped its ADSL service. This original TT&T line now handles my separate home office telephony and fax services. 3BB, with its independent ADSL line, handles only my broadband service. In effect, we have three hook-ups delivered by three companies. There is no overload nor outtages, except on a temporary emergency basis.

I decided to order 3BBs fixed IP service at an additional rate (5Mbps down/1.024 up). This costs more than their dynamic IP address plans, but I need the improved QOS to do my job. It costs THB 3,103 monthly, of which my company reimburses me the lion's share. We started this service in early March and so far it has been perfect...there are occasional line problems along the FO trunk which gets rountine and non-routine maintenance but all in all I cannot complain.

Had 3BB not come into provide fresh service, I may have ultimately considered 3G AIS, but I heard it is extremely slow and spotty where we live. IPSTAR satellite coverage is available, but I have not heard good things about it either, particularly during bad weather. For now, I am very pleased with 3BB. The only worry I have is the likelihood of oversubscribing in our area. Even with a fixed IP, I have experienced some slowdowns on international connections during peak periods when all subscribers are on line and drawing down bandwidth.

Good luck with your particular situation.

Thanks Foreman -- We live in Pong Yeang and unfortunately, from what I can tell, Maxnet (3BB) has not run any new lines out our way. So their service is still the same bad old Maxnet service and we are pretty well stuck with Ji-Net. Since I wrote this Ji-Net or somebody did something and although we still can't get more than 2MB download, it's pretty stable and suffices for the present. As for 3G, I'm sure you've seen the latest stories. I guess nobody should be holding their breath for 3G any time soon, right? Thanks again -- et

I live in Tambon Rimtai of Mae Rim and was a loyal, multi-year customer of JI-net delivered over TT&T. I even successfully negotiated a price decrease with them because, as the OP states, ISP pricing has plummeted. Even with this lowered pricing, we were still forking over THB 4,000 every month for special subscriber service (limited to 5 users).

But early this year, we began to see a serious ersoion in the quality of our JI connection...it was constantly flickering in and out. JI-net wasn't the culprit; TT&T had decided to discontinue support for its ADSL service where we live. Along came 3BB (Maxnet) with brand new wiring throughout our area, and best yet, they didn't need to tie up our phone line to deliver their broadband service. Instead, 3BB routed lines carrying their ADSL service that were independent of the telephone system. We happen to have a TOT main telephony line, which works fine. I was using the old TT&T line to handle my ASDL connection over Jasmine; plus I had a fax machine connected over the same TT&T carrier. As explained, TT&T dropped its ADSL service. This original TT&T line now handles my separate home office telephony and fax services. 3BB, with its independent ADSL line, handles only my broadband service. In effect, we have three hook-ups delivered by three companies. There is no overload nor outtages, except on a temporary emergency basis.

I decided to order 3BBs fixed IP service at an additional rate (5Mbps down/1.024 up). This costs more than their dynamic IP address plans, but I need the improved QOS to do my job. It costs THB 3,103 monthly, of which my company reimburses me the lion's share. We started this service in early March and so far it has been perfect...there are occasional line problems along the FO trunk which gets rountine and non-routine maintenance but all in all I cannot complain.

Had 3BB not come into provide fresh service, I may have ultimately considered 3G AIS, but I heard it is extremely slow and spotty where we live. IPSTAR satellite coverage is available, but I have not heard good things about it either, particularly during bad weather. For now, I am very pleased with 3BB. The only worry I have is the likelihood of oversubscribing in our area. Even with a fixed IP, I have experienced some slowdowns on international connections during peak periods when all subscribers are on line and drawing down bandwidth.

Good luck with your particular situation.