Cat Or True For Wireless Internet

[gazz]

Hi,

Is anyone in the know about whether the 3G partnership between CAT and True includes sharing transmission towers?

I noted the CAT tower across the road had changed the sign on the enclosure to a True Move sign.

For a past few years I've had a CAT cdma device working quite nicely (signal strength--when you can connect--was usually very good). The signal had developed the annoying habit in the last year or so of dropping off frequently. I put that down to limited bandwith and the increase of users in my area, but is it possible the tower was now being shared with two telecommunications organizations?

While I'm out of the country, my sweet wife discovers CAT is promoting the really-this-time-we're-not-kidding 3G (HSPA+) service and they have a dandy little device called a MIFI E5836 Mobile Hotspot which will allow us to have up to 5 computers connected wirelessly. Perfect! Just what we need and it's "supposed to be available end of November." So she sells our Novatel MC760 for peanuts to our neighbour to help them out of a jam since we won't be needing it. I get back to find the hardware is not available in Phuket until end December. It's now mid January and nothing in sight. True has the same device and may have a unit or two left on the island if we hunt around.

I read the official launch of the CAT 3G service was yesterday!? The 'kiddy' CATs in the office at Central say the service was up and running (but no hardware) months ago and that if I could buy the device in Bangkok and bring it here, I'm in like Flint. The TRUEly lovelies that man the booths around town can't confirm if I could use their service in my area (5k south of Airport). Borrowing dongles from friends to occassionally hook up is getting old and driving me to verbal diahreah...as is evidenced here.

Does anyone know for sure how I can get back online with a wireless gizmo that allows the computers in our household to make use of that tower across the street whether it is in fact CAT or TRUE or shared?

cheers,

[ThaiLife]

Hi, may be have a look here , not a direct answer but my recent experiences as a CAT CDMA / CAT 3G wannabe

http://www.thaivisa....-my-3g-service/

http://www.thaivisa....t-and-truemove/

TL

[ThaiLife]

forgot to add ..

http://www.truemove-...k_coverage.aspx

http://www.mybycat.com/area.html

[gazz]

Thanks Thailife, read through the threads but I'm still in the dark about what works and what doesn't, what's available and what isn't.

True, like CAT, still have no definitive answers.

[Jiu-Jitsu]

All that you need is a device that works over HSPA 850MHz. It will work with both TRUE and CAT, dependent on which SIM that you use.

If the TRUE MiFi is available to you, as long as it is not locked to TRUE, you can use it for both.

I think the model is Huawei E5836 is you are looking for the generic unit.

[Jiu-Jitsu]

A slightly cheaper alternative, guaranteed to work on either, is the iFox MiFi-585 3590 baht as opposed to 3990 baht.

http://www.totalairc...obile-WiFi.html

It's the Huawei E585. You might have to pay a little more on Phuket, though no more than 4290 baht from the official stockists. It won't be locked to any network.

[rice555]

TELECOM

CAT-True deals on 3G service in trouble Senate panel says partnership might be in breach of law

Usanee Mongkolporn

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Senate's anti-corruption and good-governance committee has concluded that parts of the CAT Telecom-True Corp partnership for third-generation cellular service may breach relevant laws.

The committee chaired by Rosana Tositrakul sent its conclusions to the board of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) and the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) last week. The Senate committee also viewed that those involved in permitting CAT to sign the deals with True group should be investigated on suspicion of misconduct. The committee concluded that CAT's agreement to allow BFKT (Thailand) to procure telecom towers and signal systems on its behalf to generate 3G bandwidth, and CAT's apparently allowing BFKT authority to manage the 850-megahertz spectrum on its behalf, might violate Article 46 (2) of the frequency law. The committee also suggested that the NBTC execute its authority under Article 31 (2) of the 2010 Frequency Allocation Law to order CAT to suspend this transaction.

Article 46 (2) bans licence holders such as CAT and TOT from granting rights of spectrum management to other parties, as they must use such spectra on their own.

Moreover, the committee views that BFKT, which is part of the True group, breached Article 45 of the Frequency Allocation Law as it does not have a business licence to provide this network rental service.

The BFKT network-rental deal is one of several contracts signed between CAT and True group in January last year to set up their partnership to offer 3G-850MHz service.

The NBTC board yesterday approved the appointment of a subcommittee to examine the legal aspects of the deals, said commission secretary-general Takorn Tantasit. The subcommittee is to complete its examination within 60 days of the board officially ordering the appointment, which is expected to take place in the next few days.

CAT and True's subsidiaries Real Move and Real Future signed the deals on January 27, 2011. Under the arrangement, BFKT of Real Future rented 3G-HSPA (high-speed packet access) equipment to CAT to generate 3G bandwidth over a 14-year contract. CAT has agreed to wholesale this 3G bandwidth to Real Move to provide service for 14 years. Real Move now has more than 800,000 subscribers.

The deals attracted probes by many state authorities including the Information and Communications Technology Ministry, the Office of the Auditor-General and the NACC. CAT and True executives have strongly affirmed that the deals comply with all laws and regulations.

The NACC has summoned Takorn to be questioned about the deals next Monday. The ICT Ministry is expected to announce the result of its probe at the end of this month.

Recently True filed a lawsuit at the Central Administrative Court against the order of the now-defunct National Telecommunications Commission that True had to amend part of the wholesale-resale contract between CAT and Real Move.

In a separate matter, the NBTC board yesterday asked the broadcasting and telecom committees to review the spectrum-management, telecom and broadcasting master plans and submit them for the board's consideration on March 14. If approved, they will be announced in the Royal Gazette. The review is to take into consideration the findings of a public hearing on the master plans last Friday.

-- The Nation 2012-02-16

[bobl]

Yet another attempt to utterly and completely screw up Thailand's 3G services.

[lomatopo]

For the OP, CAT/Hutch CDMA sites are being rapidly converted to 3G on 850 Mhz. There is one single, physical, nation-wide network let's say "owned" by CAT. Services on this network are marketed to consumers by TrueMove H and CAT My.

Any device which supports 850 Mhz 3G will work with this new network. You can subscribe to services from TrueMove H or Cat My.

http://www.mybycat.com/

http://www.truemove-h.com/en/prepay/

If you have a single PC then an aircard might suffice? Some smartphones can act as modems, or even WiFi hotspots, and if you need to provide connectivity to multiple devices over WiFi than a MiFi device may be best.

You can get a feel for products, prices and availability here:

http://www.totalaircard.com/products/Huawei-E153-3G-USB-Aircard-.html

http://www.totalaircard.com/products/Huawei-Pocket-WiFi-2.html

I think many people understand this convoluted deal is probably not technically legal, but just change the laws and be done with it.