3G Mobile Services Attracting Large Numbers Of Users, Kicks Off In Thailand

[jbrain]

4G (on 2100 MHz, or even 1800 MHz for DTAC) may be closer than some postulate?

So as usual True is selling something they actually don't have.

[lapd]

Instead of criticizing, I applause. thanks for the great work. For those who think there is such a huge difference between 3 and 4G.... I think a normal user won't see much of a difference, but will see it on his phone as it will die much faster than 3G. They have not been able to overcome the power consumption issue with the introduction of 4G. So, even tomorrow, I get the choice between 3 or 4G, I'll stick with the 3G just because of the battery life that is once more scarified for a tiny bit of more speed.

Or you could...you know...switch off 4G on your phone. Problem solved.

Here is an even more radical idea. Get a phone that doesn't use more power for 4G. Like all the newer ones.

Edited May 7, 2013 by lapd

[innerspace]

Hang on, my iPhone has been showing 3G for a very long time, you mean I had been ripped off all this while?

Might this be iPhone-specfic?

Nope. It may be to do with the fact that all the providers 'launching' 3g have been running 3g for years. It just means the technical (paid service) trials can be labeled official.

This news story and entire thread are a joke.

Did you also hear that the thai government has discovered a new food source. Its called rice. And the government owns the distribution rights which is why it is now being announced.

[uhuh]

Instead of criticizing, I applause. thanks for the great work. For those who think there is such a huge difference between 3 and 4G.... I think a normal user won't see much of a difference, but will see it on his phone as it will die much faster than 3G. They have not been able to overcome the power consumption issue with the introduction of 4G. So, even tomorrow, I get the choice between 3 or 4G, I'll stick with the 3G just because of the battery life that is once more scarified for a tiny bit of more speed.

Your information could not be more incorrect. When I am in the US using a 4G network, my ACTUAL download speeds are around 9MB, and my uploads average 4MB. Sometimes my speeds on 4G exceed my wireless speeds. So, there is a HUGE difference between 3G, and 4G. Of course, the 3G in Thailand is slower than most. How long till we have 4G in Thailand? Five years? They have had 3G now in rural Africa for years.


Mike Macarelli
Chaiyaphum, Thailand
Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Hello!

4G is 10 times quicker than 3G. And that is the technical fact.

I think the 3G theoretical limit is 42 Mbps (down), while LTE (4G) is 100 Mbps.

Service providers here (in Thailand) could deploy LTE on 2100 MHz. LTE will give service providers a lot more capacity, maybe not such huge speeds for consumers.

There aren't a lot of LTE/4G-capable handsets here.

I've had 3G here in Thailand for ~ 2 years; I just got 3G in the U.S. (albeit on 1900 MHz with T-Mo) a few months ago. Here in Thailand I pay ~ 50% of what I pay in the U.S., for similar services.

u include a speedtest with 5 digits (15000 kbps or something)

i have never seen anything like that in Thailand

im happy when i get jbrains' speeds, often its much less (with AIS, the worst, speed is usually zero)

im in central BKK and using all 5 providers, AIS (the worst for 3G), DTAC (sucks), True Move H (mostly ok), TOT (used to be ok, but getting worse over the years), CAT (mostly ok)

the price here is about the same as in Western Europe

[spidermike007]

u include a speedtest with 5 digits (15000 kbps or something)

i have never seen anything like that in Thailand

im happy when i get jbrains' speeds, often its much less (with AIS, the worst, speed is usually zero)

im in central BKK and using all 5 providers, AIS (the worst for 3G), DTAC (sucks), True Move H (mostly ok), TOT (used to be ok, but getting worse over the years), CAT (mostly ok)

the price here is about the same as in Western Europe

Sorry, the speed I get in Los Angeles on 4G, is typically about 9,000 KBPS and 4,000 KBPS. In thailand it is usually about 2,000 KBPS on AIS 3G. If that. So, you say true is better? faster speeds? I was thinking about switching, as the speeds on AIS are usually not too fast. And there are some areas in Bangkok I seem to get poor reception, which is surprising. Anyone know how good the TRUE 3G coverage is in Samui? thanks

[uhuh]

True Move H coverage on Samui is unpredictable.

In many places very good, but can be non-existent.

And the coverage can change for seemingly no reason.

It depends on your exact location.

In BKK AIS 3G until yesterday was very slow, and not even all of central BKK was covered. True Move H was much faster and had better coverage.

Since AIS started the new 2100 MHz 3G today I dont know how good they are. My experience with their old 3G was so poor, the pre-registration process was such a mess, and their customer support for 3G so bad that I would be very surprised if anything would improve.

I tried it today but I couldn't get a connection at all.

[ALFREDO]

Must be that we are in a different nation then.

Depends where you stay, a good or a bad signal! I happy now with True Move in Udon, Amphoe Chaywan and Chayaphum, Amphoe Phkukiau, but a bit away from the cities.

DOWNL. 6,5 Mb, UPL. 3,5 Mb approximately, at least better than the AIS D-tac numbers beforehand, lucky to get 6 - 20 KB !

Edited May 7, 2013 by ALFREDO

[infernalman7]

Not sure if I should laugh or cry from some people's comment. Here's the summary of some FACTS people should know.

2100MHz 3G has no benefits from the previous 3G Thais have been using. Not unless you are using AIS because their had only 5MHz to operate 3G on their 900MHz. Now with the their new 3G they can operate at 15MHz, which wider frequency block. A wider frequency block allows more customers to download at the same time at higher speeds.

The shift to 2100MHz is good because there are more devices supporting it. In addition, AIS, DTAC and True will no longer have to pay part of revenue back to TOT or CAT.

All of the new 2100MHz 3G networks being deployed by Thai telcos now are DC-HSPA+ which will allow the theoretical speed of 42Mbps. That is about 5MB/s of download.

The world is moving to 4G LTE, true, but the benefit is very little. Only top end devices support 4G. And 4G LTE real world speed is only about 10Mbps (which is attainable by 3G) up to 20Mbps (I usually get around this in Australia). In London right now, I am using 4G LTE on EE and it is only downloading at 8Mbps, slower than AIS 3G in Chiang Mai. The only fast 4G network I've tried in the world so far is in Denmark (Telenor DK).

This is why AIS, True and DTAC are going to launch 4G only in certain parts of the country where there are a lot of customers using high-end devices demanding slightly higher speeds. But if they were going to do this, it's probably more cost and performance effective by deploying Wi-Fi instead.

4G LTE is not a complete technology. It requires 3G to function properly. You cannot make calls on 4G unless you have 3G coverage. Voice calls on 4G can only be made via internet (VoIP).

[lomatopo]

It looks like TrueMove are launching 4G/LTE (Band 1/2100 MHz) in select areas today:

http://truemoveh.truecorp.co.th/truemoveh4g?gclid=CJ-WoreUhbcCFUxA6wod_XIAvQ

presumably 2100 MHz 3G in others. Very interesting.

So if you have an iPhone 5 model A1429, certain other select phones and tablets you're good to go.

A quick review of pricing shows a slight premium (I think) for 4G.

Not sure if DTAC will do the same tomorrow? They have the choice of band 1 (2100 MHz) or band 3 (1800 MHz).

Edited May 7, 2013 by lomatopo

[Keesters]

Bought my 3G 2100MHZ phone in Thailand June 2010. Contacted DTAC last month about when I would be able to use it. They said they'd get back to me. Still waiting.

[lomatopo]

Bought my 3G 2100MHZ phone in Thailand June 2010. Contacted DTAC last month about when I would be able to use it. They said they'd get back to me. Still waiting.

What is the exact brand and model?

Are you pre-paid or post-paid?

DTAC are set to launch "Tri-NET" tomorrow, so depending on your exact situation you may have to be proactive, or be prepared to wait a bit.

[lomatopo]

"See-Gee" may take some getting used to...

[doctorproc156]

Not sure if I should laugh or cry from some people's comment. Here's the summary of some FACTS people should know.

2100MHz 3G has no benefits from the previous 3G Thais have been using. Not unless you are using AIS because their had only 5MHz to operate 3G on their 900MHz. Now with the their new 3G they can operate at 15MHz, which wider frequency block. A wider frequency block allows more customers to download at the same time at higher speeds.

The shift to 2100MHz is good because there are more devices supporting it. In addition, AIS, DTAC and True will no longer have to pay part of revenue back to TOT or CAT.

All of the new 2100MHz 3G networks being deployed by Thai telcos now are DC-HSPA+ which will allow the theoretical speed of 42Mbps. That is about 5MB/s of download.

The world is moving to 4G LTE, true, but the benefit is very little. Only top end devices support 4G. And 4G LTE real world speed is only about 10Mbps (which is attainable by 3G) up to 20Mbps (I usually get around this in Australia). In London right now, I am using 4G LTE on EE and it is only downloading at 8Mbps, slower than AIS 3G in Chiang Mai. The only fast 4G network I've tried in the world so far is in Denmark (Telenor DK).

This is why AIS, True and DTAC are going to launch 4G only in certain parts of the country where there are a lot of customers using high-end devices demanding slightly higher speeds. But if they were going to do this, it's probably more cost and performance effective by deploying Wi-Fi instead.

4G LTE is not a complete technology. It requires 3G to function properly. You cannot make calls on 4G unless you have 3G coverage. Voice calls on 4G can only be made via internet (VoIP).

Are you kidding me? Theoretical speeds of 3G HSPA+ may be 42 Mbps but that can almost never be achieved unless you stand right underneath the signal tower and require dual cell devices to achieve the speeds (more expensive phones, dongles etc). The theoretical speeds of 4G can range from 100 Mbps to 1Gbps and only minor upgrades need to be made in order for it to achieve the speeds at the higher end of the spectrum, such as the upgrades required to move up from UMTS to HSDPA and HSPA. The higher the theoretical speed the higher the actual speed you will get. I don't know where you get this info from of only getting 10 Mbps on 4G as I have lived in Vancouver for the past few years and I an currently subscribed to the Bell LTE network and I can easily achieve 25-35 Mbps, when compared to 3G I could only get around 3-8 Mbps. Do you know how far away from the signal tower you were in Australia or London or even if it was a properly implemented system? When 3G was first introduced as UMTS I remember speeds were only 500-1200 Kbps, but it was slowly upgraded and now its much faster, people were also questioning the need for 3G when 2G could almost do the same thing and we did not need such high speeds at the time for mobile phone use. Calls can be easily re-engineered to use the VoIP and it already has been done in the majority of the world, that really is a non-issue, its just how the signal is sent and can be changed. 2100mhz might not garner any major differences but it does have a higher penetrating power as the frequency is higher (therefore able to penetrate walls and obstacles better, good for inner city transmission, not that great for rural as the range is shorter).

Edited May 8, 2013 by anantha92

[Keesters]

Bought my 3G 2100MHZ phone in Thailand June 2010. Contacted DTAC last month about when I would be able to use it. They said they'd get back to me. Still waiting.

What is the exact brand and model?

Are you pre-paid or post-paid?

DTAC are set to launch "Tri-NET" tomorrow, so depending on your exact situation you may have to be proactive, or be prepared to wait a bit.

Samsung Candy 3G, post-paid. Been a customer for 14Y2M6D.

[lomatopo]

Bought my 3G 2100MHZ phone in Thailand June 2010. Contacted DTAC last month about when I would be able to use it. They said they'd get back to me. Still waiting.

What is the exact brand and model?

Are you pre-paid or post-paid?

DTAC are set to launch "Tri-NET" tomorrow, so depending on your exact situation you may have to be proactive, or be prepared to wait a bit.

Samsung Candy 3G, post-paid. Been a customer for 14Y2M6D.

It looks like there are a lot of different versions of that phone but suspect yours supports 900/2100 MHz 3G. Not sure why you purchased a model which did not support 850 MHz 3G, on which DTAC has operated 3G for ~ 2 years?

Do you use mobile data now? Which plan?

Your phone will work on DTAC's new 2100 MHz 3G network, and you can register with *3000*13 digit id# SEND.

http://www.dtac.co.th/en/trinet/trinet.html#tab-350:

You may need a new SIM.

[Keesters]

Bought my 3G 2100MHZ phone in Thailand June 2010. Contacted DTAC last month about when I would be able to use it. They said they'd get back to me. Still waiting.

What is the exact brand and model?

Are you pre-paid or post-paid?

DTAC are set to launch "Tri-NET" tomorrow, so depending on your exact situation you may have to be proactive, or be prepared to wait a bit.

Samsung Candy 3G, post-paid. Been a customer for 14Y2M6D.

It looks like there are a lot of different versions of that phone but suspect yours supports 900/2100 MHz 3G. Not sure why you purchased a model which did not support 850 MHz 3G, on which DTAC has operated 3G for ~ 2 years?

Do you use mobile data now? Which plan?

Your phone will work on DTAC's new 2100 MHz 3G network, and you can register with *3000*13 digit id# SEND.

http://www.dtac.co.th/en/trinet/trinet.html#tab-350:

You may need a new SIM.

My OP said 2100mhz and June 2010. So neither of your comments about what you suspect it supports and 850 MHZ 3G being available 2 years ago have any meaning if you'd read it.

Mobile data is used infrequently and I'm on no plan for it. I pay 1 baht/min for edge which is the best that DTAC have so far been able to offer me.

I realize I probably need a new SIM, knew that 3 years ago. Still waiting for DTAC to come up with the goods.

They know I want it and have known it for 3 years with regular reminders.

Looked at your quoted webpage. 13 digits ID!? I don't have one. I'm farang. Called 1678 they said just use *3000*#. In addition said 3G service not available until June. *3000*# worked but I get Thai language SMS back showing my passport number. Apart from the PP# the rest is ??!!!??. Service center did check and said my last issued SIM was compatible. At least that part is over. I'll go visit one of their offices.

Edited May 8, 2013 by Keesters

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

While 3G mobile data certainly isn't new to Thailand, there are several different things about the new era launching this week that are new and important.

-The new 2100 Mhz service means all the major carriers will offer 3G on the same band and probably the most commonly supported one among today's smartphone handsets.

-that will begin to replace the current mish-mash of 3G that had True and DTAC on 850, AIS on 900 and TOT on 2100 Mhz.

-the new networks are mandated to cover most of the country (80%), instead of the very haphazard coverage that has existed until now.

-the rates for the new 2100 Mhz 3G services are supposed to be lower, though it remains to be seen whether the government will really keep that promise.

-and at the least, the new system should give consumers more choices of available 3G service providers due to the common frequency band, which perhaps will improve competition.

Edited May 8, 2013 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[skippybangkok]

"See-Gee" may take some getting used to...

I suspect some Jealousy maybe - dont fret, your beloved DTAC might have See Gee one day, of course after they catch up on Sam Gee

[wilcopops]

Can't even connect to 1175 today!

[lomatopo]

They know I want it and have known it for 3 years with regular reminders.

Not sure where you are primarily located but there may be a better chance of getting 3G on 850 MHz from DTAC or TrueMove H - both have been available for ~ two years. This would require a new phone. You can keep your number in case you want to port to TrueMove H. My point being, DTAC may never offer 2100 MHz 3G in your primary location, but then it doesn't sound like mobile data is a huge requirement for you?

Most DTAC post-paid accounts have a Thai ID or foreign passport number associated with them; I know mine does.

[lomatopo]

(Not sure what's up with number portability? It seems to suggest that 2100 MHz customers must port out of AIS/port in AWN, but maybe that process will be automatic/automated and not like the TrueMove-->TrueMove H cock-up?)

AIS says it has 800,000 users for 3G-2.1GHz service

Usanee Mongkolporn

The Nation May 8, 2013 1:00 am

Advanced Info Service claimed yesterday that it had secured 800,000 users for its 3G-2.1GHz cellular service since its soft launch last month.

All of the 800,000 new users have to use call forwarding to AIS's subsidiary Advanced Wireless Network (AWN) because the number-portability capacity of all five operators is limited to 40,000 cases per day. Somchai Letsuttiwong, chief marketing officer, said 1.7 million AIS users had applied to migrate to AWN. All of them are expected to be moved over to the third-generation service on the 2.1-gigahertz spectrum this month.

AIS kicked off its 3G-2.1GHz service yesterday for the general public. It is targeting 10 million customers, both old and new, for the new service by year-end. Hui weng Cheong, chief operating officer, said AIS had set a Bt70-billion budget for network expansion over a few years. It has about 5,000 base stations in main cities in 20 provinces in every region throughout the country. Every month at least 800 base stations will be installed to ensure coverage for 77 provinces this year and full coverage countrywide by next year.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/AIS-says-it-has-800000-users-for-3G-2-1GHz-service-30205622.html

Edited May 8, 2013 by lomatopo

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

That comment above by the AIS guy about them being able to set up all their 1.7 m pre-registers is totally at odds with what AIS customer service told me a couple days ago that even for BKK, they'll be moving customers over in 3 waves- May, July and October...

Frankly, that latter versions sounds/seems more realistic.

I'm one of AIS's BKK preregisters due for May, and still heard nothing from them at all.

Edited May 8, 2013 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[Keesters]

They know I want it and have known it for 3 years with regular reminders.

Not sure where you are primarily located but there may be a better chance of getting 3G on 850 MHz from DTAC or TrueMove H - both have been available for ~ two years. This would require a new phone. You can keep your number in case you want to port to TrueMove H. My point being, DTAC may never offer 2100 MHz 3G in your primary location, but then it doesn't sound like mobile data is a huge requirement for you?

Most DTAC post-paid accounts have a Thai ID or foreign passport number associated with them; I know mine does.

Not interested in any other 3G than 2100MHZ on DTAC. Don't need a new phone, this one works fine. Bought it because I needed a new one and thinking towards the future was told that 2100 would be the way to go for 3G. And everyone has been waiting for it. The 3G saga is almost over. If 3G on 850 was so great why now have it on 2100?

I think you'll find all post-paid numbers will have ID or passport numbers attached to them. Thai business to trust you to pay later without ID and at the time I registered a 4,000 deposit. No way. The numbers may not be up to date as mine wasn't until recently after a PP change 2 years ago. Most of my friends have also registered their pre-paid numbers against their passports so they can get the same number back again easily in case of phone loss.

You should also quote properly. See forum rule #30.

Edited May 8, 2013 by Keesters

[nikster]

While 3G mobile data certainly isn't new to Thailand, there are several different things about the new era launching this week that are new and important.

-The new 2100 Mhz service means all the major carriers will offer 3G on the same band and probably the most commonly supported one among today's smartphone handsets.

-that will begin to replace the current mish-mash of 3G that had True and DTAC on 850, AIS on 900 and TOT on 2100 Mhz.

-the new networks are mandated to cover most of the country (80%), instead of the very haphazard coverage that has existed until now.

-the rates for the new 2100 Mhz 3G services are supposed to be lower, though it remains to be seen whether the government will really keep that promise.

-and at the least, the new system should give consumers more choices of available 3G service providers due to the common frequency band, which perhaps will improve competition.

Interesting.

What I am noticing on the ground here is that my True-H 3G is getting a lot slower in Chiang Mai; it was also pretty slow in Bangkok and Hua Hin recently. Maybe because of more contention, more 3G activations, and more importantly, more 3G smartphones. This year is the first year where pretty much every Thai under 40 has facebook on their phone... an explosion of mobile sharing and downloading...

So, when's 4G coming? I think 4G is really the only way to handle the data needs of the smartphone era. I am not even blaming the carriers, 3G was designed long before Instagram... little did they know...

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Well, I never said the new services are going to mean faster or better 3G for those customers who already have it - though hopefully that will be the case for at least some.

I don't know if the comparable U.S. experience bears any resemblance. But there, as the carriers began rolling out 4G and LTE, many folks felt their 3G service got better, presumably because the heaviest using data hogs moved off the older networks to the latest/fastest thing.

[infernalman7]

Not sure if I should laugh or cry from some people's comment. Here's the summary of some FACTS people should know.

2100MHz 3G has no benefits from the previous 3G Thais have been using. Not unless you are using AIS because their had only 5MHz to operate 3G on their 900MHz. Now with the their new 3G they can operate at 15MHz, which wider frequency block. A wider frequency block allows more customers to download at the same time at higher speeds.

The shift to 2100MHz is good because there are more devices supporting it. In addition, AIS, DTAC and True will no longer have to pay part of revenue back to TOT or CAT.

All of the new 2100MHz 3G networks being deployed by Thai telcos now are DC-HSPA+ which will allow the theoretical speed of 42Mbps. That is about 5MB/s of download.

The world is moving to 4G LTE, true, but the benefit is very little. Only top end devices support 4G. And 4G LTE real world speed is only about 10Mbps (which is attainable by 3G) up to 20Mbps (I usually get around this in Australia). In London right now, I am using 4G LTE on EE and it is only downloading at 8Mbps, slower than AIS 3G in Chiang Mai. The only fast 4G network I've tried in the world so far is in Denmark (Telenor DK).

This is why AIS, True and DTAC are going to launch 4G only in certain parts of the country where there are a lot of customers using high-end devices demanding slightly higher speeds. But if they were going to do this, it's probably more cost and performance effective by deploying Wi-Fi instead.

4G LTE is not a complete technology. It requires 3G to function properly. You cannot make calls on 4G unless you have 3G coverage. Voice calls on 4G can only be made via internet (VoIP).

Are you kidding me? Theoretical speeds of 3G HSPA+ may be 42 Mbps but that can almost never be achieved unless you stand right underneath the signal tower and require dual cell devices to achieve the speeds (more expensive phones, dongles etc). The theoretical speeds of 4G can range from 100 Mbps to 1Gbps and only minor upgrades need to be made in order for it to achieve the speeds at the higher end of the spectrum, such as the upgrades required to move up from UMTS to HSDPA and HSPA. The higher the theoretical speed the higher the actual speed you will get. I don't know where you get this info from of only getting 10 Mbps on 4G as I have lived in Vancouver for the past few years and I an currently subscribed to the Bell LTE network and I can easily achieve 25-35 Mbps, when compared to 3G I could only get around 3-8 Mbps. Do you know how far away from the signal tower you were in Australia or London or even if it was a properly implemented system? When 3G was first introduced as UMTS I remember speeds were only 500-1200 Kbps, but it was slowly upgraded and now its much faster, people were also questioning the need for 3G when 2G could almost do the same thing and we did not need such high speeds at the time for mobile phone use. Calls can be easily re-engineered to use the VoIP and it already has been done in the majority of the world, that really is a non-issue, its just how the signal is sent and can be changed. 2100mhz might not garner any major differences but it does have a higher penetrating power as the frequency is higher (therefore able to penetrate walls and obstacles better, good for inner city transmission, not that great for rural as the range is shorter).

Well, most of the things you mention here is the matter of the future that requires further investment. Unfortunately almost none of the 4G networks in the entire world has implemented voice over LTE. Not to mention increasing theoretical speed which none of them has done so either.

You ask me why?

Because there aren't that many people on the LTE networks yet (I'm talking about Australia, US, Sweden, Denmark, or even the UK) that's why they see no need to upgrade. Data around 10Mbps is considered fast enough by many LTE users and even considered "LTE speed" by EE in the UK.

To upgrade from this LTE to faster LTE would also require massive amount of investment especially when you're one of the first movers. Do you know how AIS managed to have 3G 3,000 base stations within 4 months? Because 3G technology is so cheap now. 4G on the other hand is so much more expensive, ROI per user isn't worth it at all. At least all telcos are doing it just to get the bragging rights. They would do it if there were enough customers who already use 4G compatible devices--and that my friend, is probably less than 1% of the total Thai population.

I am a network engineer at a telco in Europe right now. So I know their stuff.

[kotsak]

Talking about putting the cart before the horse.. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/True-Move-launches-4G-service-30205671.html

[lomatopo]

Talking about putting the cart before the horse.. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/True-Move-launches-4G-service-30205671.html

This is the smartest thing True have done since August, 2009 (3G/iPhone).

Putting the cart before the horse is what innovators do; quoting Don Draper, " If you don't like what is being said, then change the conversation.".

[infernalman7]

Well, after all that's what True is good at. And for putting their feet out there, it's great for overall industry competition!

After a few months from now, customers will scream at AIS/DTAC for not having 4G.

[GaryNelsonHarper]

YMMV. CAT service drops out once in a while. Overall I get more for my money here than in the US. I used to get annoyed by connectivity issues and concluded the last thing I want to be known for is being found "dead from a heart attack" at my computer. The internet has only improved my life by providing me with info about what I can do in the 3D world. My life hasn't really improved by arguing with others about the fine points of the color of a teeshirt in Thailand.