AIS 3G one year on.

[NomadJoe]

It is impossible to find an internet service package in Thailand that isn't either grossly misleading or outright false advertising (lies).

Here is what I have learned after over a year with AIS (One 2 Call) "3G" using an aircard. I also read what Woody writes in his articles at the Phuket Gazette, as well as personal discussions with him about it, and checking out is website on Phuket internet speeds at CRISP.

Firstly, it's important to know that the global IT community does not all agree on what the definition of 2G and 3G are. Thailand telecoms exploit this ambiguity and tend to apply the terms both liberally and arbitrarily when compared to other regions.

Both the the 3G aircard services available in Phuket (AIS and True) currently have data caps which are clearly spelled out by the ISP when you purchase the plan. It's the use of the term "Unlimited 3G" that is debatable. "Fair use" is something entirely different and refers to throttling and traffic shaping heavy data users.

AIS had until recently two plans, both for 1 month, which they referred to as "Unlimited 3G". One had a 3G data cap of 3 gigabytes for something like 799B and one was 5 gigabytes for something like 950B. Once you used up the data, which is easily done in a day if you stream HD video or use torrents, the speeds were then restricted to 385kbps. (dial-up is max 56kpbs, so almost 7x faster). Presumably AIS is able to get away with calling it "Unlimited 3G" because the max speed of 2G is around 200kbps.

I have found the AIS pre-data cap 3G speeds to be decent, at least until the last month or so. They were usually around 2-3Mbps. (I am using the 3.6Mbps aircard) The post-cap speed of 385kbps was also not that bad as long as you didn't need to stream HD video. The problem I have now is that the policy has changed and the post cap speed is 254kbps. This is noticeably slower and even less "3G" than before.

Now, on to the new AIS "Unlimited 3G" plans which are 1 gigabyte, 2 gigabyte and 4 gigabytes for 399B, 599B and 799B respectively. The advertised speeds of which are now "up to 42Mbps" although sales staff will tell you this is "for the future." Based on my experiences with the 7.2Mbps card, and further confirmed by Woody's speed reporting site, I guarantee you will get no more than 2-3Mbps on this 42Mbps aircard in Phuket at present. But the horrible thing, the thing which is the reason I will not longer be an AIS 3G customer, is that the post- data cap speeds have now dropped from a workable 384kbps to a painfully slow 254kbps for the 799B 4GB pkg, 128kbps for the 599B 2GB pkg, and for those that miss dial-up, a whoping 64kbps for the "Unlimited 3G" 1GB package for 399B! So now in 2 out of 3 of thier "Unlimited 3G" packages their post-cap speeds are slower than 2G and truly approaching dial-up! (International benchmark for 3G is usually 200Kbps) So now it is "Unlimited 3G" as long as you don't go over the data cap, and as long as you don't want to use it for more than one month!

Oh, I almost forget that the "unlimited" packages do allow you to use AIS's "unlimited" wifi at several wifi spots around the country, so I guess that is a way they are justifying the "unlimited" term.

True is not an option either, as their post-data cap speed is 128kbps for all of ther "Unlimited 3G" packaged.

The other way these companies are lying is by making false claims as to the top speed of their 3G networks. About four months ago I saw the new 7.2Mbps aircard was available, so I bought it. It turned out to be exactly the same speed as my old dongle, 2-3Mbps, but much less reliable. I tried in Rawai, Kata and Phuket town. Nowhere were the speeds any faster. On top of that, the new aircard drops out constantly or won't be detected by my laptop at start-up. Now they have a 42Mbps dongle out! No thanks. Once bitten twice shy.





TrueMove:

"ไม่จำกัด" means "unlimited"

42Mbps? Not a chance. 3-4 perhaps.

[Pib]

A person needs realize that marketing hype rarely lives up to reality...and companies know the majority of folks know little to nothing about the true technical specifications and limits of a certain technology such as 3G (and I'm not implying I do). Company advertising uses that technical ignorance (not meant in a bad way) to their advantage when advertising their product/service.

It's common to see 3G services listed as "up to 42Mb" speeds but the key there is the "up to" part and of course that "up to" part is usually the theoretical/laboratory environment upper speed. In that laboratory environment the transmitter and receiver are setting within inches of each other on the test bench and only one user is connected...plus the equipment being used to conduct the test is expensive test equipment not smartphones. But in the real world you could be kilometers from the transmitter tower and of course many users are connecting to that tower sharing the bandwidth using their various smartphones all of which have various max speed capabilities...like most mid-priced smartphones/devices have max speeds capabilities in the 7-14Mb range.

Also, the 3G/UMTS lower limit speed is usually considered to be 384Kb (that is, you are now in the 3G speed range that continues up the 42Mb speed area), not that you will actually get that 384Kb speed when making only a 3G 384Kb connection...you probably get around 220Kb with a good connection which is basically the same as a good EDGE connection. 384KB is basically the upper range for EDGE while 384KB is the lower range for 3G.

And with all max speeds, be it 42Mb or 384Kb specifications, there are also control protocol bits and bytes that take away from the max data speed you will get on speedtests.

So, when they say something like a 3G 1GB "Unlimited" Plan, well, as their note code/fine print say that means for the first 1GB you could get "up to 42Mb" speeds (in that theoretical/laboratory environment assuming your phone/device is 42Mb capable) and then after you used up that 1GB of up to 42Mb 3G speed you'll then be throttled to the 384Kb 3G speed....you still have "Unlimited" 3G data for the month; it's just your 3G max speed will be set to 384Kb until your next billing month starts.

Yeap, advertising/marketing hype all too often uses words which are not lies in the technical/laboratory environment sense; it's just the words really don't portray the real world. But hey, few consumers complain or sue; instead they just continue to buy the product/service--many times from the company with the best advertising/marketing hype.

[muratremix]

Get cat mynet. 384 kbit after 4gb for 599 baht. Btw its post paid.

[lomatopo]

Are you using the new AIS 2,100 MHz 3G service? I've had pretty good luck with it but the application is smartphone/mobile data rather than fixed-line broadband replacement.

Maybe talk with neighbors to see what they're using and what works with them?

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/649816-a-i-s-one-2-call-3g-pre-paid-sim-on-2100-mhz-3g-a-review/