New AIS 4G

[rob2013]

Word on the street among my Thai friends is that AIS has a new 4G service and its really fast. Has anyone tested it out? How does it compare? I'm going to grab a SIM this weekend and give it a test.

[Upnotover]

I'd hang on a few weeks.....from their website....."The service will be available on the 1800 MHz network in January 2016."

[bubba]

I was at AIS on Monday, and they told me they would have 4G "next month". Don't told your breath on getting good data throughput though. My experience has been that it is not the speed of the packet connection to your phone, but rather AIS' internet switches. I have had very strong 3G connections, at the airport for example, yet the bandwidth was too slow to even check email or load a simple web page. 4G is not going to help that.

I have both AIS (because I have to for a company device) and also DTAC. Standing inside their corporate office at Shinawatra Tower on Monday and running a speed test just for fun, my data throughput was just under five times faster using DTAC.

[RichCor]

AIS only recently won the bid to provide 4G service on 1800 throughout Thailand.

It will take them a little while to acquire the antennas, radios, and provision their towers for the new service.

It won't happen overnight. It will probably be a long 6-month roll-out.

[bkkbarnstormer]

I got an sms from AIS today and subscribed to a 1month 4G free trial.

Outside BKK now but no evidence yet of a 4G connection

Also agree with earlier comment that band width - hence speed - will be an issue in crowded areas as it also is the case with 3G

[gandalf12]

I was at AIS on Monday, and they told me they would have 4G "next month". Don't told your breath on getting good data throughput though. My experience has been that it is not the speed of the packet connection to your phone, but rather AIS' internet switches. I have had very strong 3G connections, at the airport for example, yet the bandwidth was too slow to even check email or load a simple web page. 4G is not going to help that.

I have both AIS (because I have to for a company device) and also DTAC. Standing inside their corporate office at Shinawatra Tower on Monday and running a speed test just for fun, my data throughput was just under five times faster using DTAC.

It isnt the bandwidth that is slow. The through put is dependant on the bandwidth. A lot of ISP's at time reduce the bandwidth and that is when you get slow service

[gandalf12]

AIS only recently won the bid to provide 4G service on 1800 throughout Thailand.

It will take them a little while to acquire the antennas, radios, and provision their towers for the new service.

It won't happen overnight. It will probably be a long 6-month roll-out.

For 1800 MHz the number oof antenna's will rise dramatically probably four times what they have for 800MHz. As you say it will be a long time to get it up and running. New sites have to be found, the installation completed and the programming of both sites and base stations not to mention a full coverage survey to be performed. Not forgetting the additional cable that will be needed and as you have mentioned the antennas need to be purchased. A lot of work

Edited December 11, 2015 by gandalf12

[csabo]

The "unlimited" still wont mean unlimited and they will throttle you down to size halfway through the month.

[thailanddogerator]

When these people are not even able to provide a decent 3G who is stupid enough to believe that they could offer 4G ?

[Orac]

Nice speedtest figure tweeted by Saran from AIS:

Edit: Oops - fibre not 4g

Edited December 11, 2015 by Orac

[RichCor]

Edit: Oops - fibre not 4g

I was going to say...

I don't believe anyone is operating any 'open testing' of 4G/LTE equipment on 1800 yet, and 900 has yet to have its auction.

Last August, True Corp requested permission from the NBTC to do 'LTE Testing' on 1800, and AIS said it would like to do the same if True Corp was granted permission , but the NBTC declined to grant True Corp's request, saying it was concerned that, if it granted the request, it might affect the planned auction.

So no new 4G/LTE happening yet.

The first new LTE provisioned 4G towers aren't expected to become available until February,

[misterphil]

Its another bloody Thai fix. Ive had my AIS SIM and number for over 10 years and my 4G isnt working. However my Thai wife whos had her AIS SIM for 4 years is working perfectly.

Yes hers is very fast. 40mb download and 20mb upload

Mine is still the shit 2mb download and 1mb upload.

[misterphil]

I got an sms from AIS today and subscribed to a 1month 4G free trial.

Outside BKK now but no evidence yet of a 4G connection

Also agree with earlier comment that band width - hence speed - will be an issue in crowded areas as it also is the case with 3G

My wife and I both live in the same house in Sattahip Chonburi and she has the LTE however Im still stuck on the slow wanna be 3G

[RichCor]

My wife and I both live in the same house in Sattahip Chonburi and she has the LTE however Im still stuck on the slow wanna be 3G

Have you tried temporarily swapping the SIMs between the two handsets to see if you get the same speed as she using her SIM?

If so, then sounds like you need to either get your SIM upgraded, or swapped out with a newer version, or have the account provisioning checked.

On the other hand, if the SIM swap with your wife only revealed that your Wife's phone is capable of higher Internet speeds then I'd be suspicious that your phone doesn't support the bands and/or technology required for HSPA+/LTE speeds.

EDIT to add:

By the way, if you are an AIS customer,

To determine whether the SIM card and Phone support 4G/LTE

checked by dialing the USSD Code * 987 #

Edited December 11, 2015 by RichCor

[RichCor]

I got an sms from AIS today and subscribed to a 1month 4G free trial.

Outside BKK now but no evidence yet of a 4G connection

Also agree with earlier comment that band width - hence speed - will be an issue in crowded areas as it also is the case with 3G

AIS 4G Trial

available on the 1800 MHz (Band 3)

Only for AIS customers who received invitation SMS,

in Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Chonburi, Chiang Mai and Phuket.

To apply, dial *411# (send), valid now - 10 Jan 16

[jacko45k]

My wife and I both live in the same house in Sattahip Chonburi and she has the LTE however Im still stuck on the slow wanna be 3G

Have you tried temporarily swapping the SIMs between the two handsets to see if you get the same speed as she using her SIM?

If so, then sounds like you need to either get your SIM upgraded, or swapped out with a newer version, or have the account provisioning checked.

On the other hand, if the SIM swap with your wife only revealed that your Wife's phone is capable of higher Internet speeds then I'd be suspicious that your phone doesn't support the bands and/or technology required for HSPA+/LTE speeds.

EDIT to add:

By the way, if you are an AIS customer,

To determine whether the SIM card and Phone support 4G/LTE

checked by dialing the USSD Code * 987 #

Thanks for that info, apparently mine does.

I suppose I would have to change my plan or register for it though.

[bubba]

I was at AIS on Monday, and they told me they would have 4G "next month". Don't told your breath on getting good data throughput though. My experience has been that it is not the speed of the packet connection to your phone, but rather AIS' internet switches. I have had very strong 3G connections, at the airport for example, yet the bandwidth was too slow to even check email or load a simple web page. 4G is not going to help that.

I have both AIS (because I have to for a company device) and also DTAC. Standing inside their corporate office at Shinawatra Tower on Monday and running a speed test just for fun, my data throughput was just under five times faster using DTAC.

It isnt the bandwidth that is slow. The through put is dependant on the bandwidth. A lot of ISP's at time reduce the bandwidth and that is when you get slow service

Whatever the technical reason – I just know that I have one device with AIS and one with DTAC. Especially when in high use areas, DTAC is always good while very often AIS slows to a trickle of data. That is regardless of whether I have a 3G or 4G connection with DTAC.

And DTAC already have 4G across the country, in every changwat. DTAC prices are about the same as AIS. So my question is: if you are a data user, why would anyone want to use AIS, apart from the fact that AIS have slightly better coverage in the more remote areas?

[mrwebb8825]

My wife told me last week I have to get a new phone because AIS is going to stop supporting 2G and my 8yr old Nokia won't work on 3 or 4G. She said my SIM will still be ok to use so I don't have to change my number.

[RichCor]

My wife told me last week I have to get a new phone because AIS is going to stop supporting 2G and my 8yr old Nokia won't work on 3 or 4G. She said my SIM will still be ok to use so I don't have to change my number.

This is mostly true, and has discussed in other recent topics.

Who Provides 2G Service in Thailand in 2016?

Started by cigar7, 2015-11-01 23:02

Ais 12call terminating 2G Service 15th of December

Started by cigar7, 2015-11-01 21:38

Is 2G being switched off?

Started by VBF, 2015-07-30 21:46

DTAC, and therefor CAT, appear to be the last providers supporting 2G through 2018.

The other providers are being allowed to support their remaining 2G customers up till mid December 2015/January 2016.

So if you are not a DTAC/CAT customer you'll need to transition to a 3G or 3G/LTE capable phone, even if all you will be doing is making and receiving voice phone calls of SMS. This is basically because the signaling rate the mobile provider will be using has been increased and the older 2G only devices can't keep up.

The only difference from your statement is that you may be required to swap out your old SIM for a new SIM, either because your new phone requires a SIM of a smaller size or, your old SIM is not compatible with the newer 3G network. If your old SIM is registered to you (a Thai ID or Passport No is associated with the account) you'll be allowed to keep the same number when swapping for the new SIM when visiting your mobile provider.

[arkom]

I also just got the sms, but my phone is always on 3G, was in central BKK and just outside in Nonthaburi, which is also part of trial area.

Check my sim and phone and both are compatible for the 4G service, the data settings in my phone are also set to 4G.

[arkom]

I also just got the sms, but my phone is always on 3G, was in central BKK and just outside in Nonthaburi, which is also part of trial area.

Check my sim and phone and both are compatible for the 4G service, the data settings in my phone are also set to 4G.

Update, my iPhone 6 is now on LTE but the speeds doesn't seem that much faster than 3G.

[RichCor]

I also just got the sms, but my phone is always on 3G, was in central BKK and just outside in Nonthaburi, which is also part of trial area.

Check my sim and phone and both are compatible for the 4G service, the data settings in my phone are also set to 4G.

Update, my iPhone 6 is now on LTE but the speeds doesn't seem that much faster than 3G.

You'd probably only notice a difference with websites or services that are mirrored or based in Bangkok.

Very doubtful LTE connections through the Internet International Gateway would have any priority over any other type of connection.

What do you get on the speedtests *

AIS has previously stated their LTE-A system can provide up to 150 Mbit/s (probably via Carrier Aggregation of 1800 and 2100)

** Yes, the speedtests are NOT an accurate representation of what you could ever expect in real-world data connections

[arkom]

I also just got the sms, but my phone is always on 3G, was in central BKK and just outside in Nonthaburi, which is also part of trial area.

Check my sim and phone and both are compatible for the 4G service, the data settings in my phone are also set to 4G.

Update, my iPhone 6 is now on LTE but the speeds doesn't seem that much faster than 3G.

You'd probably only notice a difference with websites or services that are mirrored or based in Bangkok.

Very doubtful LTE connections through the Internet International Gateway would have any priority over any other type of connection.

What do you get on the speedtests *

AIS has previously stated their LTE-A system can provide up to 150 Mbit/s (probably via Carrier Aggregation of 1800 and 2100)

** Yes, the speedtests are NOT an accurate representation of what you could ever expect in real-world data connections

I've been getting around 20 mbs, but the reception where I am at is not that good. I'll run some tests tomorrow when I get out to see what I get.

[Skeptic7]

GF and I both got Free 4GB 4G Trial SMS invites from AIS. BLAZING fast and most impressive.

Looks like 3G data plan prices have now dropped dramatically in kind.

All good!

[richsilver]

Test of AIS 4G this morning in Pattaya (Jomtien) on my Samsung phone.

Edited December 14, 2015 by richsilver

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

AIS is indeed running what appears to be some kind of free 4G trial in Bangkok and elsewhere for its existing customers with compatible mobile phones, at least through Jan. 10 (not sure what happens after that, though I suspect they'll want people to sign up for new 4G plans). The wife and I signed up for the free trial in the past week, and immediately had significant increases in our mobile data speed results, not to mention our phone network displays changing from what had been "H+" for 3G to displays that now show "4G"

As an example, here was the speed test on my LTE capable phone prior to the AIS 4G trial:

Here was the speed test on my LTE capable phone AFTER signing up for the AIS 4G trial:

Here's what my mobile phone is now showing for AIS mobile networks available since the upgrade:

Getting signed up for the trial can be a couple step process, depending on whether or not you receive an unsolicited 4G trial invitation from AIS. The wife received one by SMS on her plan, but I didn't receive one on my plan. So I had to apply to AIS for the trial, and received an SMS several days later confirming I had been added.

As noted above, first step is to confirm that both your mobile phone and AIS SIM are compatible with the AIS 4G trial, as follows:

Then, if you haven't already received an invitation, you can apply for one, as follows:

And then, in the end, you should receive confirmation SMS's from AIS like the following:

Edited December 24, 2015 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[jphasia]

I got the invitation by sms for the 4G trial on AIS 2 weeks ago and i took it. I am on postpaid AIS and was quite impressed with the 4G speed. I am in Phuket but was in Bangkok last week, several places and the speed test shows between 40 and 70 Mbps download and 20 to 30 Mbps upload. I also have a True 4G and was surprised compare both of them as results of True is much slower. I live in Phuket, in remote area, outside the touristic area and i was surprise to have 4G coverage in the house. I am on Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and note 5

[dddave]

I got an sms from AIS today and subscribed to a 1month 4G free trial.

Outside BKK now but no evidence yet of a 4G connection

Also agree with earlier comment that band width - hence speed - will be an issue in crowded areas as it also is the case with 3G

AIS 4G Trial

available on the 1800 MHz (Band 3)

Only for AIS customers who received invitation SMS,

in Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Chonburi, Chiang Mai and Phuket.

To apply, dial *411# (send), valid now - 10 Jan 16

I took advantage of this AIS trial and have been very satisfied so far. Solid 4G signal almost everywhere I have been in Bangkok about 80% of the time.. Far better than my previous TRUE 4G experience. With True, I had 4G less than half the time...often not even 3G "H".

As I said in a previous topic on the same subject, time will tell as AIS signs up more customers. Their voice circuits have been overloaded for years.

Edited December 25, 2015 by dddave

[Simon1287]

AIS 4G. Iphone 5S. Not far from Friendship supermarket, South Pattaya.

[bearpolar]

tried in my house i get H, H+ and 4g depending on where i stand

malaysia (im in phuket): H: 7/1.3, H+ 11/3.7, 4g: 20/8.3