Best 3G/4G Provider In Thailand? Dtac? Ais? Other?

[lomatopo]

The networks code are here (for the new 2100MHz only)

• 52003 – AIS 2100
• 52004 – true move H
• 52005 – dtac 2100

These HNIs, made up of the MCC (Mobile Country Code - 520 for Thailand) and the MNC (Mobile Network Code - XX), do not necessarily reflect which band one might happen to on at any moment given the capabilities for roaming. I could have a new DTAC TriNet HNI of 520-05, so my home network is 2100 MHz but I could be roaming on 520-18, so maybe 850 MHz 3G or even 1800 MHz GSM.

My TrueMove H/CAT HNI is the old Hutch one: 520-00.

I think you need to be able to drill down into the phone's service menu to determine which UMTS band might be being used at any particular moment.

Unless one has ported out and in to a new 2100 MHz subsidiary (AWN, Real Move, TriNet), or purchased a new 2100 MHz SIM, I think it safe to say that they are not on 2100 MHz.

[Pib]

Thank you Mr Pib! This code worked just as you described for me.. I am using DTAC and have a Samsung Note2... And it shows I am currently on 850 Band5 which I am sure is the old 3G... I have been trying to get on the new 3G for over a month now... And yes they gave me a new SIM and got my personal info from my Thai Drivers license at the DTAC shop at the Lotus shopping center on Pattaya Nui but where too busy I was told to put me on the new 3G network.. So I ended up at the DTAC shop in the Big C extra center on Pattaya Klang where they took my passport number and enter something in their computer system and... Then told my GF there is many many customers in the que and when (or if?) my request gets processed I would receive a SMS stating I was now on the new Trinet 3G.. This was about a week or so ago and I am still waiting for that SMS... My current download speed using the "speed test.net" app is roughly 500Kb down and 350Kb up.. Thanks again for this Mr. PIb... Btw, Can you tell me what percentage of time you stay connected @ 2100Mhz?

I was switched to DTAC Trinet on 16 Aug which is the start of my billing month. Wife was switched on 22 Aug which was the start of her billing month. We are both on post paid plans and it appears DTAC switches a person on the start/first day of their billing period....or at least that's how it worked for the wife and I. We both got the DTAC heads-up SMS we had been approved to transfer to Trinet a couple of weeks before the actual switch over.. And then two days before and one day before my actual switch over on 16 Aug I got heads-up SMSs the transfer would occur during the early hours of 16 Aug and it did occur around 3am. Now the wife got her actual heads-up switch over SMS around 10:30am on 22 Aug and was switched around 4pm...none of that day or two before heads-up like I got.

Although in my part of western Bangkok the DTAC 2100Mhz signal is much weaker than the 850Mhz, as soon as I was switched to TriNet I would stay connected to 2100Mhz the great majority of the time even through the signal was like 30dbm less than the 850Mhz...like I would be getting 4 bars signal strength on 850 but on 1 or 2 bars on 2100Mhz....and my speed when on 2100Mhz was suffering greatly due to the low signal level. I didn't like this very much. Same thing was happening to the wife also.

So, instead of letting my Samsung S4 "Select Automatically" my preferred network I would instead "manually" select the DTAC 850Mhz which appears as "dtac" in a network scan...and I would have to turn Mobile Data Roaming "On" to get a 850Mhz connection as a DTAC SMS will tell you to do on the day you are switched-over plus you get a phone Configuration Message telling you that you have lost the network signal and I need to turn on Roaming...turn on Data Roaming (on the phone; not by calling DTAC to turn on any roaming) and you get/maintain a 850Mhz connection. Note: having data roaming turned on was not required before the switch to TriNet since 850Mhz was my home network; but once switching 2100Mhz becomes your home network it seems to take priority even if its signal level sucks, which in turn can affect its speed. When I manually selected "dtac" it would stay on 850Mhz 3G only--wouldn't connect/switch to 2100Mhz--but still downshift to 1800Mhz/Edge if necessary which happened very little as it could get a good 850Mhz pretty much anywhere with the exception of my mother-in-laws house out in the province/jungle.

As additional FYI, DTAC 2100Mhz appears as "DTAC" (upper case letters instead of lower case letters) in a network scan. If I manually selected "DTAC" it would stay on 2100Mhz 3G-wouldn't connect to 850Mhz--but still downshift to 1800Mhz/Edge if necessary which happened very little.

OK, after setting my phone by manually selecting dtac/850Mhz stay that way for a week or so an while playing with the phone on 3 Sep in a Pizza Hut I noticed I could turn "off" data roaming and still maintain a connection...wow...that was a change...remember before I mentioned data roaming had to be turned on to get/maintain a 850Mhz connection. I decided to do another network scan while waiting for my pizza and let the phone "Select Automatically" my preferred network...we'll it initially connected to 850Mhz for a minute or so, and I still didn't need to have Data Roaming turned on. But a few minutes later I noticed there was a very significant increase in signal strength...I entered the *#0011# dialer code and it showed I was on 2100 Band 1. I initially thought my phone is pretty much back to using 2100Mhz come hell or high water and won't switch to 850Mhz automatically when I return to my moobaan/home where the 2100Mhz is weak but 850Mhz is strong. But as I drove back while watching the frequency in the Service menu it was switching between 850Mhz and 2100Mhz...and when I got home it was on 850Mhz and stays there when I'm home. Apparently something had changed network-wise....was TriNet now operating by always switching to the strongest signal level....I don't know...but since 3 Sep my phone is switching between 2100 and 850Mhz in what I consider a smart way based on my speed testing...which is ensuring it's on the strong signal level frequency if the other frequency is week....and I don't need data roaming on anymore for this to occur like I did the first few weeks I was on TriNet. So, for me, since 3 Sep I staying on 850Mhz most of the time for me since I'm at home most of the time...but if I go somewhere the 2100Mhz is strong Trinet will switch to it.

Maybe you are wondering how the wife's Trinet is working....she has a Samsung S4 just like me...bought at the same place at the same DTAC Service Center and is on the same mobile data plan. As mentioned she was switched on 22 Aug. But for her S4 it continues to operate frequency selection-wise with the 2100Mhz being selected even when the 2100Mhz signal is very weak and the 850Mhz very strong...just like my phone operated for a few weeks...and she must also have data roaming turned on to get a 850Mhz connection. We have manually selected dtac/850Mhz since she is a home most of the time just like me where the 2100Mhz signal level is weak...and this low signal level really impacts the 2100Mhz speed...at least for our connections.

I'm hoping that maybe after X-days/X-weeks that DTAC may evaluate which frequency a person is staying on most of the time and the associated power level/speed received and then maybe code a person's profile to say, OK under Trinet your home/preferred frequency will be 850Mhz or 2100Mhz..which ever one is best for you/your primarily location...instead of the apparent 2100Mhz. If, repeat, if that is true then maybe in another week or so my wife's S4 will start working on Trinet like my S4 is working. I even called the DTAC Call Center to ask about this in hopes of if DTAC was indeed doing this but really didn't want to tell customers to avoid a million phone calls asking for preferred frequency so-and-so....but if the customer ever did call asking such a question they would quietly code your profile for the frequency you thought was working best for you. And I'm not imply you would only then get that frequency...it's just that frequency would take priority over the other frequency in your case.

So, to answer your question. My phone is now spending most of its time on 850Mhz due to the weak 2100Mhz signal in our moobaan but does switch to 2100Mhz when the signal is strong. Since the wife's phone has been set to the 850Mhz it is of course sticking to that frequency; but before doing that manual selection it would stay on 2100Mhz the great majority of the time which was not good speed-wise while at home. But in doing speedtests when the 2100 and 850Mhz at basically at equal signal levels (give or take a signal bar in strength) the speed are basically the same. Just because 2100Mhz is a higher frequency than 850Mhz no one should be thinking that means higher speeds....both speeds are using the same 3G transmission protocols so which frequency will be faster for you will depend on your location, how many people sucking the bandwidth from the same tower you are connecting to, signal level, and some other factors. From looking at the average of my last 10 Speedtest.net results (to their STS Group server in Bangkok) done from my western Bangkok area and in Nakhon Pathom City about 40KM due west of Bangkok consisting of both 2100 and 850Mhz tests, the average download speed is 10.9Mb, with a high of 25.67Mb and a low of 0.43Mb.

Your results may (will) vary.

[greatjob]

I've been doing speedtest.net tests on a regular basis with my Truemove-H sim (Samsung Note 2), most of the time on Sukhumvit and Bangna.

Here are the results out of Sukhumvit 24 (very crowded, surrounded by high-rise buidling, this afternoon, rainy):

Nearest server (I am interested in seeing my bandwidth to the True switch, not the International bandwidth)

1.23pm - Download: 3980 kbps / Upload 3466 kbps

1.45pm - Download: 4124 kbps / Upload 3244 kbps

1.52pm - Download 3433 kbps / Upload 2933 kbps

Pretty consistent.

My MIL (mother-in-law) is on DTAC (will switch to TrueMove Prepaid as soon as I have some time to do it). This afternoon she had no signal on Sukhumvit 24 for 3 minutes, probably a "Trinet" issue, she is using a Samsung S2. I had to manually select the network to get back the signal, she was not happy (she was waiting for a call from a friend). Now I can only imagine someone with a wife at home who is about to deliver getting a message such as - "Sorry, DTAC can't be connected right now, coz Trinet is not really working, try again later".... Right then.

Anyway, can't wait to get the whole family on the 3G boat (haven't tried 4G yet)

GJ

[Pib]

So, to answer your question. My phone is now spending most of its time on 850Mhz due to the weak 2100Mhz signal in our moobaan but does switch to 2100Mhz when the signal is strong. Since the wife's phone has been set to the 850Mhz it is of course sticking to that frequency; but before doing that manual selection it would stay on 2100Mhz the great majority of the time which was not good speed-wise while at home. But in doing speedtests when the 2100 and 850Mhz at basically at equal signal levels (give or take a signal bar in strength) the speed are basically the same. Just because 2100Mhz is a higher frequency than 850Mhz no one should be thinking that means higher speeds....both speeds are using the same 3G transmission protocols so which frequency will be faster for you will depend on your location, how many people sucking the bandwidth from the same tower you are connecting to, signal level, and some other factors. From looking at the average of my last 10 Speedtest.net results (to their STS Group server in Bangkok) done from my western Bangkok area and in Nakhon Pathom City about 40KM due west of Bangkok consisting of both 2100 and 850Mhz tests, the average download speed is 10.9Mb, with a high of 25.67Mb and a low of 0.43Mb.

Your results may (will) vary.

Today, I took a look at the Speedtest.net results I still had logged in my Speedtest.net results log relating to "before" my transfer to DTAC TriNet. Based on the average of 26 speedtests done in the same areas I mention above, my average download speed was 10.4Mb, with a high of 24.52Mb and a low of 0.13Mb.

So, my average download speed results for pre-Trinet (on 850Mhz 3G frequency and 1800Mhz 2G frequency) were 10.4Mb and post-Trinet (on 850 & 2100Mhz 3G frequencies and 1800Mhz 2G frequency) 10.9Mb....basically the same so far. But I'm hoping the addition of the 2100Mhz network will provide better "overall" coverage and speed, especially for folks who live in major cities/high population areas which the 2100Mhz spectrum is primarily focused towards with the 850Mhz spectrum focused more towards the rural/suburb areas....in many, many places you'll still be able to pickup both frequencies it's just there could be very significantly signal strength levels differences between the two (i.e.,one frequency signal level much lower than the other) which can have a big impact on speed. Location, location, location....everybody's signal strength and speed results will vary.

[tagranados]

I have been reading this thread and didn't see mention of this article. Just posting in the event it is of interest to anyone here. I currently live in Seattle and am moving to Thailand in February. In looking for any excuse possible to upgrade my iPhone 4S to a 5S I ran across this informative discussion you all are having. I'm not as tech savvy as you all, but it seems there is really no great reason to buy a 5S for use while living there for the time being.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-07/thai-move-to-4g-mobile-may-lure-overseas-bidders-southeast-asia.html

Cheers,

Ta

[lomatopo]

^ TrueMove H offer LTE on 2100 MHz in limited areas - metro-Bangkok and SBIA/BKK, expanding to 14 -17 provinces with 2,000 base-stations by the end of 2013. iPhone 5S supports this LTE band, and many are using it with TrueMove H LTE.

[ultimate weapon]

I need the codes to turn on 3G+ for truemove and then codes to turn off the sucker when i leave.