Prepaid 4G?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

So am I getting this correct:

Both DTAC and True Move H's current fledgling 4G services are being run on the 2100 Mhz LTE band?

and AIS is nowhere right now in terms of a 4G presence?

[build6]

from what i remember seeing, it was pretty much similar to post paid packages i.e. 1,2,5 GB prepaid plans..... and pricing about the same ....

What is it called though? Which location were you at? Because you have no idea how many "prepay no 4G" I've heard from True staff

[lomatopo]

So am I getting this correct:

Both DTAC and True Move H's current fledgling 4G services are being run on the 2100 Mhz LTE band?

and AIS is nowhere right now in terms of a 4G presence?

Yes, and Yes.

Although I'm not certain DTAC's LTE has been launched yet; they've said "April" so expect that means after Songkhran. They are positioning some of the handsets (Note 3, Nexus 5, iPhone) as LTE compatible now.

AIS has limited 2100 MHz spectrum, really just the same 15 MHz that TrueMove and DTAC have, but they have the most customers (~34 million) and their GSM 900 concession ends next year, so they need to move everyone over. (AIS was going to enter into a significant roaming deal with TOT but that deal fell through owing to the <mis-> perceptions re: AIS and "politics".

TrueMove H has the CAT 850 MHz spectrum, and still not a lot of customers in comparison, and they have their 2100 MHz which, up until now, they've built out primarily for LTE. They now have some money and are supposed to be building out the 2100/3G network, finally. DTAC has the most spectrum: 850, 1800, 2100 and their 850/1800 concessions run until 2018.

There is supposed to be an 1800 MHz auction - this was delayed because True was allowed to keep their 1800 spectrum for another year, which most expect to use for LTE. LTE does give higher speeds but it really offers operators more density benefits. Obviously you need an LTE handset, still not a lot of those in Thailand (in the hands of consumers, as a percentage of the market), and LTE handsets can be a bit more demanding on battery usage.

I still don't see any pre-paid, volume-based packages from TrueMove H which include LTE - I sort of expected them to reserve that service, as a premium offer, for their high-value post-paid customers - but maybe they just haven't updated any of their marketing materials yet? I assume they'd have a bit of a launch if they offer pre-paid LTE so people know it's available? Based on comments in the press, TrueMove H seems to have shifted focus back to their 2100 MHz 3G deployment, hoping tor retain at least some of the legacy TrueMove customers, and have shifted back away from LTE. The CEO of True said - a few weeks ago at a briefing - the market wasn't ready for LTE here, and that they might stop LTE deployments at the current 1,200 base-stations rather than continuing up to 2,000.

There probably aren't enough LTE-compatible handsets/customers in the marketplace to justify wide-spread deployments now. But operators do know, exactly based on IMEI, the current make-up of their own customer base.

[build6]

Although I'm not certain DTAC's LTE has been launched yet; they've said "April" so expect that means after Songkhran. They are positioning some of the handsets (Note 3, Nexus 5, iPhone) as LTE compatible now.

where exactly did they say "April"? When I googled I saw "Q2", which could mean June.

As for Manchester United determining the fate of my data allowance...

http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/2014/03/david_moyes_is_manchester_united_s_new_manager_to_blame_for_the_club_s_collapse.html

[build6]

Alright. Went to True service shop. Got my SIM changed. I now get "LTE" instead of H/H+ indicated.

(this means that True distributed SIM packages that are entitled to 4G service but cannot actually connect to 4G networks). Have not explored too much yet. But initial impression - am not sure whether it's worth it.

True "LTE": 22.44 down, 8.54 up.

DTAC "H+": 24.50 down, 3.37 up.

Packages -

When I dial the phone menu system at *9000, I am offered the standard "3G" iNet and iSmart packages. Have not experimented to see if they're limiting it to "3G" and not "LTE" (I suspect not, but don't know now).

As for this (how I yearn to be free from the yoke of enforced Man-U fandom) -

from what i remember seeing, it was pretty much similar to post paid packages i.e. 1,2,5 GB prepaid plans..... and pricing about the same ....

Have found no indication of any kind of non-Man U prepaid 4G True SIMs on offer anywhere (needless to say staff deny its existence). Unless further evidence pops up I think this skippybangkok post needs to be filed under "mistaken".

Edited April 3, 2014 by build6

[build6]

I could not find any pre-paid mobile data ("overlay) plans from TrueMove H/RealFuture which include 4G/LTE - all are limited to 3G (CAT/850). There are a few post-paid plans in the iNet, iTalk, iSmart line which do include 4G/LTE.

OK, you are right - I finally got around to trying it out, and I am not able to sign up to any of those plans. I'd initially been misled because when I dialled *9000 using the Man-U SIM, the system duly listed all the various iNet etc. packages, I made the wrong assumption that by listing it out to me meant that at least some of them was available.

Now that I actually try to sign up, not a single one works. All "not applicable". So basically the Man U SIM only makes sense if they start winning matches again, because the default baht per MB rate works out pretty expensive!

[Jdiddy]

So I got the manu sim expecting 4g but ended up stuck with 3g, sort of didn't care as the network seemed very fast, infact internet is still quite usable despite being currently capped. I'll go to the true shop this week and sort it out

Quite surprised Thailand hasn't run out of spectrum in Band 1 seeing as all providers have networks on it, lots of different frequency carriers needed as there seems to be a tower every block and they are also rolling out 4g on it

[skippybangkok]

This thread for 4G prepaid sim

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/740242-true-4g-3g-sim-launched/