Cat Cdma Internet-New Service/upgrade Available Or Not?

[Pormax]

I live in the sticks and my only option for internet is via CAT using a large ariel at the side of my house pointing to the neareast large town 20kms away. Lately have been getting very poor speed and in afternoons and evenings can lose connection completely for a couple of hours. Before I could use Skype reasonably well but sometimes speed not enough for video, now not enough speed for a decent phone call.

I have tried ringing CAT head office on their call centre number but not getting much help. Usually the standard response ' I will get technician to call you' results in no call being received.

Last time I called the lady at the call centre said something about upgrading to the new service but could not explain what this was.

Any one know if there is now an upgrade or new service available.

Any help appreciated

[Guest]

CAT CMDA was supposed to end already 2 months ago. Now the date is at the end of this month.

After that your modem will be useless.

Their new system is 3G/HSPA which requires new modem, SIM card and subscription.

You should call them and ask them to come to your home to check if the reception is good enough for your usage. Alternatively just buy a modem and the SIM card and check if it works.

[Pormax]

CAT CMDA was supposed to end already 2 months ago. Now the date is at the end of this month.

After that your modem will be useless.

Their new system is 3G/HSPA which requires new modem, SIM card and subscription.

You should call them and ask them to come to your home to check if the reception is good enough for your usage. Alternatively just buy a modem and the SIM card and check if it works.

Thanks for your reply. Looks like a trip to the CAT office in Buriram because it is hopeless talking to the call centre.

[Guest]

CAT CMDA was supposed to end already 2 months ago. Now the date is at the end of this month.

After that your modem will be useless.

Their new system is 3G/HSPA which requires new modem, SIM card and subscription.

You should call them and ask them to come to your home to check if the reception is good enough for your usage. Alternatively just buy a modem and the SIM card and check if it works.

Thanks for your reply. Looks like a trip to the CAT office in Buriram because it is hopeless talking to the call centre.

Please share what you hear from there. I went to a local CAT office in Phuket and they were conforming that the CDMA network promotion package as they call it, will stop after this month. Then again, they said the same the last time when it was supposed to stop.

I'm personally keeping my CMDA connection and will upgrade to the new system only after the old one is not working.

The benefits of the old system (CMDA) is that there is no monthly cap for high speed data where the 3G high speed is capped to maximum of 4GB/month (600 bath). After that amount the speed is 380kbps for the rest of the month.

When the day comes, I'm planing to buy 2 modems and 2 SIM's. Use one for not so speedy downloads (system updates, podcasts etc) and the other for work related stuff.

[thaimite]

I was a fan of the CAT CDMA which was my only optiom. On my last trip home it had expired and the local CAT office said it could not be renewed.

I went searching for alternatives and most unexpectedly had a very pleasant surprise as you can read here

it may be worth a check who knows you may also get a very happy surprise.

I do not live in any village, but I am fortunately not far off the main road 20Km from Det Udom

[CharlieH]

I am using CAT cdma and havnt heard anything about it stopping, and a recent visit to the Office they didnt say anything either ??

My service has been slower than usual recently but I put that down to all the schools being on holiday and all the kids playing on the net.

[Guest]

Here is an earlier thread of the same subject http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/568845-cat-telecom-to-dismantle-its-entire-cdma-ev-do-network/

[CharlieH]

I have literally just returned from my local CAT office,and they found it very amusing, there is NO stopping of the service, they will definitely NOT be discontinuing the service, The 3G service is offered as an alternative for those who WANT it, those that dont can continue as they always have. Those who want to switch can bring their old aircard dongle and have it swapped without charge.

That's what I was told not 30 minutes ago direct from the horses mouth as they say.

It may be different for islands like Phuket but certainly NOT in my area of the Central - North East.

[Guest]

Hopefully the date have been changed then.

They will not dismantle the system right away, but the packages will no longer exist. After that the price is 1 bath/minute.

This is Thailand. Things change quite fast.

Even this states that the internet package is valid until the end of this month.

http://www.catcdma.com/en/postpaid-internet.rhtml?packetId=3715

[Pormax]

Ok as requested from one of the replies to my OP I am giving an update after some rather lengthy enquiries. In the end my wife after much explaining to her what I wanted to know rang the Buriram CAT office.

This is what they said. The older system I now have with the ariel picking up a signal from the neaest tower 20Kms away WILL NOT be discontinued however anyone who has not got this system installed now can not be supplied with it. Previous users such as I will not be affected and the service WILL continue. The new system cannot be used in the same manner as the one I have now so will not be available to me.

My theory is that CAT have realised that they could well lose a lot of revenue to the users out in the rural villages if they discontinue the old service so will continue the service to existing customers.

As stated in one of the replies, the goal posts keep moving and of course this is Thailand, so we will have to wait and see.

Meanwhile my connection is much slower than it was a couple of months ago and I do not believe that this has anything to do with the school holidays or as the reason given by the Buriram office of too much rain and bad weather, as the slower speed is noticable throughout the day, from early morning to night time. Yes the effect of the children later in the afternoon playing games etc could be the answer to loss of connection at times but I think that is only a part of the problem.

Looks like I have no alternative here anyway. No chance of a fibre line being installed in this village which is 8kms from the main road.

So keeping my fingers crossed until some new technology comes in to give me a better service, if ever.

Hope this info is of some use to others in the Nort East.

[fatfather]

The CAT frequenciy 2100Mhz is on auction this month and who ever will be the new owner will not continue the current service on its old technology. The frequency will be used for 3G or higher speed connections which will definitively end the CAT service. Planned shut down is 31.10.2555

I also live in the sticks and do not see an alternative yet, just waiting what comes next

Fatfather

Sent from my HTC Desire HD A9191 using Thaivisa Connect App

[Pormax]

The CAT frequenciy 2100Mhz is on auction this month and who ever will be the new owner will not continue the current service on its old technology. The frequency will be used for 3G or higher speed connections which will definitively end the CAT service. Planned shut down is 31.10.2555

I also live in the sticks and do not see an alternative yet, just waiting what comes next

Fatfather

Sent from my HTC Desire HD A9191 using Thaivisa Connect App

Thanks for your input. I guess we will just have to wait and see what happens but my guess is that the date will yet again change and until then there is little I or anyone can do but hope.

[Guest]

The CAT frequenciy 2100Mhz is on auction this month and who ever will be the new owner will not continue the current service on its old technology. The frequency will be used for 3G or higher speed connections which will definitively end the CAT service. Planned shut down is 31.10.2555

I also live in the sticks and do not see an alternative yet, just waiting what comes next

Fatfather

Sent from my HTC Desire HD A9191 using Thaivisa Connect App

Are you sure about the 2100Mhz frequency? Other sources say that CMDA EVDO is using the following frequencies:

http://cms.catcdma.com/medias/Driver/USBModem/VW140/VW140C_CAT_Telecom_Manual_EN-R.pdf

Technical Specifications

CDMA EVDO 1X 800 MHz
CDMA Frequency Range
Rx: 859.64 ~ 893.37MHz
Tx: 824.64 ~ 848.37MHz

Channel Bandwidth
CDMA 1.23MHz

[Gary A]

I used CDMA EVDO for a number of years. They pulled the plug with no warning or notice. Calling CAT service is an exercise in futility. I went to one of the local telephone shops and was told that I may have a Truemove-H signal now. I bought a SIM and did have a good signal.

I went to the CAT office with my CDMA modem and as expected, they would give me nothing for it except a free MY CAT SIM. The CAT office didn't even have an air card to use the SIM. I was told that CAT and Truemove share coverage so I signed up for the post paid service. I stopped on the way home at Big C and bought a little MiFi unit. I indeed had a good signal at home and am back in business.

I'm not sure but it appears that when CAT converted the tower to 3G they must have stopped the CDMA signal. In any case MY CAT service (right now) is cheaper and faster that the old CDMA.

[lomatopo]

I am not sure if the older CAT CDMA service and the newer My by CAT 3G/TrueMove H service can co-exist on the same tower given the spectrum overlap, on-site power requirements and back-haul capacity. CAT has variously said that the CDMA service would be terminated by "mid-year", "end of the year" and a few dates in between. I assume that when they decide to turn up a TrueMove H/My by CAT 3G tower they turn down the CDMA service. CAT and True may still be having some disagreements - I think True was withholding payments - so I'm not sure what to tell people to expect going forward. As Gary A mentions, it should not come as a surprise when the CDMA service is suddenly turned off. Also, there may be some unofficial regional autonomy keeping some CDMA towers operating.

For those looking to replace their CAT CDMA service there is a longer distance P2P WiFi service available, primarily in rural areas, from TOT (Wi-NET), AIS (AirNET) and 3BB (brand name slips my mind). These services are more like fixed-line broadband in price/performance, with no caps, and many have commented positively on these services.

[tlcwaterfall]

I used CDMA EVDO for a number of years. They pulled the plug with no warning or notice. Calling CAT service is an exercise in futility. I went to one of the local telephone shops and was told that I may have a Truemove-H signal now. I bought a SIM and did have a good signal.

I went to the CAT office with my CDMA modem and as expected, they would give me nothing for it except a free MY CAT SIM. The CAT office didn't even have an air card to use the SIM. I was told that CAT and Truemove share coverage so I signed up for the post paid service. I stopped on the way home at Big C and bought a little MiFi unit. I indeed had a good signal at home and am back in business.

I'm not sure but it appears that when CAT converted the tower to 3G they must have stopped the CDMA signal. In any case MY CAT service (right now) is cheaper and faster that the old CDMA.

Cheaper and faster is good but I believe you have a download limit of 4GB. after which they will throttle your speed to 380kbps.

I am looking for a plan that will offer more flexibility with a higher download limit and Cat at this time are not offering this.

I live in a very small village 15 kms. from the city in North east Thailand and it appears options here are very limited in the sticks.

[fatfather]

I currently use a Sim card from AIS with Thailand wide 3G coverage, but in the area I life there is only EDGE available. Very reliable but snail-mail. Is the My-CAT Sim faster?

Fatfather

Sent from my HTC Desire HD A9191 using Thaivisa Connect App

[Gary A]

I used CDMA EVDO for a number of years. They pulled the plug with no warning or notice. Calling CAT service is an exercise in futility. I went to one of the local telephone shops and was told that I may have a Truemove-H signal now. I bought a SIM and did have a good signal.

I went to the CAT office with my CDMA modem and as expected, they would give me nothing for it except a free MY CAT SIM. The CAT office didn't even have an air card to use the SIM. I was told that CAT and Truemove share coverage so I signed up for the post paid service. I stopped on the way home at Big C and bought a little MiFi unit. I indeed had a good signal at home and am back in business.

I'm not sure but it appears that when CAT converted the tower to 3G they must have stopped the CDMA signal. In any case MY CAT service (right now) is cheaper and faster that the old CDMA.

Cheaper and faster is good but I believe you have a download limit of 4GB. after which they will throttle your speed to 380kbps.

I am looking for a plan that will offer more flexibility with a higher download limit and Cat at this time are not offering this.

I live in a very small village 15 kms. from the city in North east Thailand and it appears options here are very limited in the sticks.

I have exceeded my fair usage on My Cat Click and have found that the throttled back speed is indeed about about the 380 mark. Surprisingly this is still quite good for general surfing. Truemove-H on the other hand does NOT just throttle back. It eats up your balance and simply shuts down when you have no credit left. There is NO unlimited WiFi service here so the unlimited part is useless and BS.

I have Truemove-H on my phone and if I want to download a big file, I tether my phone to my computer and use the high speed service. It works well and is generally faster than the normal My Cat 3G. For email and general use, the throttled back My Cat is pretty good and good enough for me. Thai Visa loads quickly.

The bottom line is that, for me, My Cat is far better and cheaper than Truemove-H even considering that Truemove-H is a little faster.

[ThaiLife]

I used CDMA EVDO for a number of years. They pulled the plug with no warning or notice. Calling CAT service is an exercise in futility. I went to one of the local telephone shops and was told that I may have a Truemove-H signal now. I bought a SIM and did have a good signal.

I went to the CAT office with my CDMA modem and as expected, they would give me nothing for it except a free MY CAT SIM. The CAT office didn't even have an air card to use the SIM. I was told that CAT and Truemove share coverage so I signed up for the post paid service. I stopped on the way home at Big C and bought a little MiFi unit. I indeed had a good signal at home and am back in business.

I'm not sure but it appears that when CAT converted the tower to 3G they must have stopped the CDMA signal. In any case MY CAT service (right now) is cheaper and faster that the old CDMA.

Cheaper and faster is good but I believe you have a download limit of 4GB. after which they will throttle your speed to 380kbps.

I am looking for a plan that will offer more flexibility with a higher download limit and Cat at this time are not offering this.

I live in a very small village 15 kms. from the city in North east Thailand and it appears options here are very limited in the sticks.

I have exceeded my fair usage on My Cat Click and have found that the throttled back speed is indeed about about the 380 mark. Surprisingly this is still quite good for general surfing. Truemove-H on the other hand does NOT just throttle back. It eats up your balance and simply shuts down when you have no credit left. There is NO unlimited WiFi service here so the unlimited part is useless and BS.

I have Truemove-H on my phone and if I want to download a big file, I tether my phone to my computer and use the high speed service. It works well and is generally faster than the normal My Cat 3G. For email and general use, the throttled back My Cat is pretty good and good enough for me. Thai Visa loads quickly.

The bottom line is that, for me, My Cat is far better and cheaper than Truemove-H even considering that Truemove-H is a little faster.

Gary

I too am an ex CAT CDMA customer and now subscribe to the CAT 3G '' my '' unlimited package and find that after the 4GB throttling comes into play , that pretty much shuts down my downloading entertainment route. Where I live there are no other internet connection options available other than 3G , and in my location that currently means only CAT or Truemove-H . Like you once the 4G throttling kicks in I can surf the internet ok, but any thing else like Skype or Youtube is a no go area . I am waiting for TOT to come and check my location with the view of installing Wi-Net , ive got my fingers tightly crossed but have a bad feeling about it .

[Guest]

I too am an ex CAT CDMA customer and now subscribe to the CAT 3G '' my '' unlimited package and find that after the 4GB throttling comes into play , that pretty much shuts down my downloading entertainment route. Where I live there are no other internet connection options available other than 3G , and in my location that currently means only CAT or Truemove-H . Like you once the 4G throttling kicks in I can surf the internet ok, but any thing else like Skype or Youtube is a no go area . I am waiting for TOT to come and check my location with the view of installing Wi-Net , ive got my fingers tightly crossed but have a bad feeling about it .

Could you please test the upload speed when you have used the high speed quota. I'd like to know if it would be possible to use other VoIP solutions during that time.

I'm planing to buy 2 SIMs / modems. Use one first and then route all the slow speed connections to the 'used' SIM and use fresh 4GB quota for work etc.

[chiang mai]

A word of warning to anyone who takes up the CAT my3G offer: it's run by True but is marketed by CAT, response times remain decent for the first two days of each month and then degrade to slower than dial up for the rest of the month, both CAT and True acknowledge the poor performance and handed me some bal;oney about there being an agreement between all 3G operators in Thailand to severely limit download speeds so that all 3G users could at least get some usage, this whislt the 3G infrastructure is being built out - I went with 3BB ADSL, much better all round.

[ThaiLife]

I too am an ex CAT CDMA customer and now subscribe to the CAT 3G '' my '' unlimited package and find that after the 4GB throttling comes into play , that pretty much shuts down my downloading entertainment route. Where I live there are no other internet connection options available other than 3G , and in my location that currently means only CAT or Truemove-H . Like you once the 4G throttling kicks in I can surf the internet ok, but any thing else like Skype or Youtube is a no go area . I am waiting for TOT to come and check my location with the view of installing Wi-Net , ive got my fingers tightly crossed but have a bad feeling about it .

Could you please test the upload speed when you have used the high speed quota. I'd like to know if it would be possible to use other VoIP solutions during that time.

I'm planing to buy 2 SIMs / modems. Use one first and then route all the slow speed connections to the 'used' SIM and use fresh 4GB quota for work etc.

At the moment ive all ready reached the 4GB throttling , and this is what I now get

USA

Thailand

I will post back some new tests next month

[ThaiLife]

A word of warning to anyone who takes up the CAT my3G offer: it's run by True but is marketed by CAT, response times remain decent for the first two days of each month and then degrade to slower than dial up for the rest of the month, both CAT and True acknowledge the poor performance and handed me some bal;oney about there being an agreement between all 3G operators in Thailand to severely limit download speeds so that all 3G users could at least get some usage, this whislt the 3G infrastructure is being built out - I went with 3BB ADSL, much better all round.

Ive tried to keep a close watch on my first few days of a new month , when there's no capping , and I have to say it does seem that speeds deteriorate very quickly

The CAT 3G tower is only a few Km away from my house , and I all ways get a full signal with the help of an external high roof antenna .

Although I do have a TOT house land line telephone , I'm too far away for ADSL

[Guest]

At the moment ive all ready reached the 4GB throttling , and this is what I now get

I will post back some new tests next month

Thanks! To Thailand up and downlink are quite the same. I'm a bit surprised of the slow uplink to USA. When using mobile connection the first link from the modem to the basestation should be the most expensive.

Also your ping time is quite slow to Thailand.. and then again fast to USA. Go figure

[ThaiLife]

At the moment ive all ready reached the 4GB throttling , and this is what I now get

I will post back some new tests next month

Thanks! To Thailand up and downlink are quite the same. I'm a bit surprised of the slow uplink to USA. When using mobile connection the first link from the modem to the basestation should be the most expensive.

Also your ping time is quite slow to Thailand.. and then again fast to USA. Go figure

I tried several tests and they all were about the same , Ive just tried this ... http://speedtest.microsoftonline.com/

[tlcwaterfall]

I used CDMA EVDO for a number of years. They pulled the plug with no warning or notice. Calling CAT service is an exercise in futility. I went to one of the local telephone shops and was told that I may have a Truemove-H signal now. I bought a SIM and did have a good signal.

I went to the CAT office with my CDMA modem and as expected, they would give me nothing for it except a free MY CAT SIM. The CAT office didn't even have an air card to use the SIM. I was told that CAT and Truemove share coverage so I signed up for the post paid service. I stopped on the way home at Big C and bought a little MiFi unit. I indeed had a good signal at home and am back in business.

I'm not sure but it appears that when CAT converted the tower to 3G they must have stopped the CDMA signal. In any case MY CAT service (right now) is cheaper and faster that the old CDMA.

Cheaper and faster is good but I believe you have a download limit of 4GB. after which they will throttle your speed to 380kbps.

I am looking for a plan that will offer more flexibility with a higher download limit and Cat at this time are not offering this.

I live in a very small village 15 kms. from the city in North east Thailand and it appears options here are very limited in the sticks.

I have exceeded my fair usage on My Cat Click and have found that the throttled back speed is indeed about about the 380 mark. Surprisingly this is still quite good for general surfing. Truemove-H on the other hand does NOT just throttle back. It eats up your balance and simply shuts down when you have no credit left. There is NO unlimited WiFi service here so the unlimited part is useless and BS.

I have Truemove-H on my phone and if I want to download a big file, I tether my phone to my computer and use the high speed service. It works well and is generally faster than the normal My Cat 3G. For email and general use, the throttled back My Cat is pretty good and good enough for me. Thai Visa loads quickly.

The bottom line is that, for me, My Cat is far better and cheaper than Truemove-H even considering that Truemove-H is a little faster.

Thanks for this information. Good to know that at 380kbps you can still surf the net, do emails etc. My speed at the moment is 560 kbps and rarely gets much faster than this.

So it looks like the move to 3G may not be so bad after all. I will certainly use the 4GB. very quickly though. My local office still has no information about when or if the CDMA service will be closed down in our area.

[Gary A]

This morning, 13 Oct with my phone tethered using Truemove-H,

[Gary A]

This morning using CAT throttled back speed,

[4evermaat]

Alternate speedtest site: www.measurementlab.net/run-ndt

For those people having problems with phone customer service, use their email: ContactCenter at CatTelecom DOT com

I found that if you format the email logically, it increases the chance that the other person can interpret it well on the other end:

- Full Name on account

- The name of service (My by Cat, Cat CDMA, etc) and the 10 digit account # (may be 9 digits on bill, without the 0 in front, but make it 10 digits for clarity)

- Your location of usage (either the whole address, or at least the district, subdistrict, province). Put the thai version of this if possible.

- Description of problem leaving out the emotions. Don't write a book, get to the point and show what steps you took to fix if any.

- nickname and phone number(s) for callback contact.

Sometimes they will only email reply within a few hours. Sometimes they will call back within a few hours. If it is a billing or non-technical issue, it may take the next business hours to get acknowledgement. Not only is the email free, it's easier to be clear about the problem and location. Doing this via phone can be a bit of a pain.

Btw, for any call details request (a full printout of your internet/call details) requires you attach a copy of your passport signed. If they say it will take 2 weeks, give them the 2 weeks. Then if [when] you do not see their reply after the full 2 weeks, either call or email again reminding them of the date and time of the original request so that they do not confuse it with a new request. Then you should get it within a couple of days. On the 3rd and subsequent calls or emails, specifically request a call back to confirm that you receive the pdf. But on the 3rd time you should get that pdf.

If you are requesting a refund for any billing errors, give them 1-6 months to resolve. TiT