Confused about Cat Fibre

[ellathai]

l'm planning on retiring to Thailand (Yang Talat) Kalasin in about 4 months, the village l will live in has CAT fibre going through the streets except mine, l have been doing google searching to find there web page for cost of plans so l can get the family to have it all set up by the time l get there, problem is l can't find there website with there plans. If somebody out there can help me it would be appreciated. If you have any remarks on there service that would be great as well.

Thanks in advance.

Ellathai

[lopburi3]

And do you know if this fiber optic has local internet options available (going through could mean just that)?  If not on your street plan on about 25 baht per meter cost to run line as likely will be far longer than allowed free.  

 

As for plans/contact - this is a government organization of the first magnitude.   I suspect I would be checking for other options - fiber is getting to a lot of places with other providers these days and Wi-Fi should soon be a viable option at many others.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

You'll find a recent rate sheet for CAT fiber here in this post:

 

 

[Lamkyong]

go (or your representative)  to the main office in Kalasin and make the enquirey

 

as to the availability of the service to your home  if good you will have to  leave your

details  id card etc  to get on the list   as for payment  the connection should be free

 but waiting list     could be long time      I have had the cables running 50 meters from my home for nearly 2 years   their reply  yes sir 1 month 1 month    but so far nothing   and i have tried    all angles  (extra payments etc)but to no avail  also they quoted 1.700 bht for the 30 meg system per month  over the top!!!    do you have a tot telephone line connection ??maybe an alternative  but of course  only ADSL  slow and intermittent  but a connection,   also 3bb  might be available  again a visit to 

Kalasin office would be the best enquirey   procedure   again this connection is VDSL

a bit better than   ADSL

[ellathai]

l noticed last time l was there in April, that the cables were Cat, but doing scan for wi fi as l was walking l got, true, 3bb and a couple of others, does this mean when l get the cable done by CAT that l can go to any isp l choose ? As stated 1700 baht for 30mb is over the top, partially with the cheap 50/20 deals happening.

[lopburi3]

You get the cable done by the provider you want - it is not a telephone line were various providers can provide service - they all have there own fiber networks.  I would ask True and 3BB if they have fiber available at your location if you received Wi-Fi signals from them - it may only be a phone line ADSL signal but then again they might also have fiber as everyone is on that bandwagon these days.  AIS mobile is another player.

[Lamkyong]

i am fairly sure  each cable will be exclusive to each provider  because they have to also make the connection at their end   not sure about that  but i reckon  maybe not the case with ADSL  if you can sight the over head lines FIBER  will be larger than others    i think my advise  of getting someone to visit the KALASIN/YANG TALAT office  will put you right 

 

[KhunBENQ]

Be patient and wait until you are there and can participate!

 

I would not leave it to the family (except they have experience).

For a start you can bridge the waiting time with mobile internet.

 

How far is your house from the fibre cable trail?

 

I had ToT install "my" cable over 600 m or so where the village administration seemed to have a connection already.

(another 700 m or so the main road).

Cost a small fortune > 20k.

Was less than a week to get connected.

 

Current prices in the 700 to 900 Baht range for 20 to 35 Mbit/s.

Rates up to 200 Mbit/s available, but what for. Useless for private single use.

[ellathai]

Thanks for all your answers guys. By memory the only cable l see is fibre and it has CAT plastered all over it. Even our land which is off the main road where we intend to build has fibre going right past the driveway with a big loop hanging from it and once again CAT plastered all over it. Ive done the 4g thing and most frustrating, but guess as suggested might be best to wait till l,m there as family understand zip about internet.

[KhunBENQ]

I lost track about the relationship of CAT and ToT but CAT is labeled about everywhere at the fiber trail in our district.

But still it's ToT (and now 3BB) that offer service to the homes.

 

[ellathai]

KhunBENQ

so your saying it appears that TOT and 3bb  are coming frrom the CAT cable?

[Lamkyong]

1 hour ago, ellathai said:

Thanks for all your answers guys. By memory the only cable l see is fibre and it has CAT plastered all over it. Even our land which is off the main road where we intend to build has fibre going right past the driveway with a big loop hanging from it and once again CAT plastered all over it. Ive done the 4g thing and most frustrating, but guess as suggested might be best to wait till l,m there as family understand zip about internet.

fear not,  the families understanding will leap ahead once they catch on about FB/LINE  GAMING/ONLINE SHOPPING to name a few  keep your cc/bc details to yourself

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

45 minutes ago, ellathai said:

KhunBENQ

so your saying it appears that TOT and 3bb  are coming frrom the CAT cable?

 

I don't know about the visual labeling on the cables you're seeing. It could be CAT's cable, or other providers could be buying their fiber optic cable from CAT for some reason.

 

But, at the customer end of things, CAT, AIS, TOT and True Online are all providing their own, separate fiber internet services in different areas of the country. In each case, you're dealing with, subscribing through and paying to the individual provider. And each provider is running and provisioning their own separate physical fiber lines.

 

AFAIK, the only ways to tell if you're particular location  is served by one or more of them are to:

--a. contact the local office of each of them, and inquire based on your location.

--b. check with people in your neighborhood and see what they have.

c. AIS Fiber has, on its website, a web tool that allows you to enter your location/address and then responds whether they have fiber there or not. Not sure if any of the other providers have the same web tool.

 

BTW, be prepared to not be given the correct information when you check with their local staffs, as in my experience, amazingly, they often seem unable to correctly look into their own systems and give accurate answers about their actual service areas. So checking back and double checking with other staff never hurts, if you get "no hab" answers.

[ellathai]

Lamkyong

You don't know my family so don't say things based on yours. Married 27 years and they have never asked for a dollar.

 

[ellathai]

TallGuyJohninBKK

Yes you are most likely right, which is not a bad thing considering l have seen true, 3bb and now l think of it CAT pop up on my mobile on my morning walks. If your right would give me more choice. One can dream LOL

Yes your right! pop into the shops and ask or even better knock on some doors.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Just because you're seeing wifi hotspots or even 3/4G mobile data showing up on your mobile in a particular area doesn't bear much relation/connection as to whether that particular provider is or isn't running fiber internet (FTTH - Fiber to the Home)  in that area.

 

[ellathai]

2 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Just because you're seeing wifi hotspots or even 3/4G mobile data showing up on your mobile in a particular area doesn't bear much relation/connection as to whether that particular provider is or isn't running fiber internet (FTTH - Fiber to the Home)  in that area.

 

Never thought about that. hmm. Suppose l will pop into CAT in Kalasin when l'm back there and see what they have to say about there fibre lines passing thru the village. Fingers crossed

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

AIS and 3BB seem to be the most aggressive, and most reasonably priced, FTTH providers right now. They'd be the preferred providers, if you had any choice. Customer reviews here of their respective FTTH services have been generally good.

 

CAT is more considerably more expensive, and being a Thai government agency instead of a private company, they tend to operate in a Thai governmental manner, as does TOT for that matter.

 

But as things stand right now, often, you're lucky if just one provider, whomever it may be, has run fiber into your area, especially outside the big cities.

 

3BB:

http://www.3bb.co.th/3bb/product

 

AIS:

http://www.ais.co.th/fibre/en/

 

Here's AIS's web tool for checking their fiber coverage. They used to have an English version, but now I'm only finding a Thai version.

 

https://newfibre.ais.co.th/process/checkcoverage

 

 

TOT's Fiber to Home service can be found here:

 

http://www.tothispeed.com/2014/promotion.php

 

And then look for the tile in the horizonal scrolling menu labeled "TOT Fiber 2 U Strong Life 40-100 Mbps."

 

And there also are some other of their fiber packages/promotions listed in separate other tiles displayed there.

[carlyai]

A while ago, someone came to ask us if we wanted CAT fibre, and that if 10 or more people signed up we would get it.

OoooHooooHooo I thought, never happening to our little village 26 km from Kuchinari in the Kalasin district.

So we gave CAT the names...and....and...we have fantastic CAT wifi run to the house from the street, about 50 m and router connected.

The installation happened while we were away.

700 odd baht per month and great.

I use ILIKEHDTV, so I get all the tv/movie programs I want plus access for our ipads, smartphones etc.

Service does have some hiccups from both providers.

If I have a CAT problem, I ring their hot line and always have had great service, even replaced a router.

Maybe you need to get another group of ten or more and go and see them.

Failing that....ring their hot line 1322 or calling centre and tell them you want to speak to someone in English.

Sent from my SM-J700F using Tapatalk

[ellathai]

14 minutes ago, carlyai said:

A while ago, someone came to ask us if we wanted CAT fibre, and that if 10 or more people signed up we would get it.

OoooHooooHooo I thought, never happening to our little village 26 km from Kuchinari in the Kalasin district.

So we gave CAT the names...and....and...we have fantastic CAT wifi run to the house from the street, about 50 m and router connected.

The installation happened while we were away.

700 odd baht per month and great.

I use ILIKEHDTV, so I get all the tv/movie programs I want plus access for our ipads, smartphones etc.

Service does have some hiccups from both providers.

If I have a CAT problem, I ring their hot line and always have had great service, even replaced a router.

Maybe you need to get another group of ten or more and go and see them.

Failing that....ring their hot line 1322 or calling centre and tell them you want to speak to someone in English.

Sent from my SM-J700F using Tapatalk
 

Good story, give me some more hope.what speed do you get for 700 bht

[Lamkyong]

What's the Difference Between ADSL, VDSL and Fibre Internet ...

deucethemes.com/whats-the-difference-between-adsl-vdsl-and-fibre-interne

 

this may help understand

[carlyai]

I get enough to watch movies/ streaming etc while SWMBO on facebook or video conferencing, so above 5mbps down and ...can't remember but greater than 2 up. What ever there specs say, but I know that could change but been good for over a year.

Sent from my SM-J700F using Tapatalk

[Namon Neil]

I live in a small village about 40 kms from Kalasin City.

I have had CAT now for about 1 year.

I am on a  2 year  15/1 plan  (15 mbps / 1 mbps speed for downloading / uploading) with unlimited data.

It took about 3 months for CAT to connect me but for a payment of 3,000B this was conveniently hastened. For my 3,000 B I had a wifi modem thingo (sorry but I am not a computer tech) put into my house and my passwords etc setup for me.

I pay 690 B & 48.30 VAT = 738.30B per month. 

At 15 mbps there is no problem with me watching a HD movie, with others in the house still on the wifi.

CAT   Highly recommended 

[Isaanben]

On 11/8/2016 at 2:49 PM, Namon Neil said:

I live in a small village about 40 kms from Kalasin City.

I have had CAT now for about 1 year.

I am on a  2 year  15/1 plan  (15 mbps / 1 mbps speed for downloading / uploading) with unlimited data.

It took about 3 months for CAT to connect me but for a payment of 3,000B this was conveniently hastened. For my 3,000 B I had a wifi modem thingo (sorry but I am not a computer tech) put into my house and my passwords etc setup for me.

I pay 690 B & 48.30 VAT = 738.30B per month. 

At 15 mbps there is no problem with me watching a HD movie, with others in the house still on the wifi.

CAT   Highly recommended 

Thank you, this was helpful. Do you know where in Kalasin City the office is located? 

[David B in Thailand]

I have experience living in homes with 3BB ADSL, since converted to much faster AIS Fiber Internet. Great installation and good customer | technical service from both firms in my experience. In that home site, 3BB was NOT going to upgrade options, so I switched to AIS with zero installation fee. 100/10 in that location.  

However CAT in a village home has been a bit different customer experience. Months of promises, then finally installation. First installation team did it wrong and a 2nd team came to pull out the fiber and put in new fiber. Worked as promised for three months. Then nothing. Repeated phone calls to 1322.  "Yes that model modem is defective and we will upgrade for free".  However we are in a queue and no internet for two weeks now and no real date of replacement. Such is life in Thailand. No other fiber internet options in that village, so I of course can use a data plan on the telephone. Amazing how a Thai wife, who grew up in a village can become so dependent on fiber internet WiFi that does not buffer her video clips or TV shows. 

[Namon Neil]

On 2/16/2017 at 2:10 PM, Isaanben said:

Thank you, this was helpful. Do you know where in Kalasin City the office is located? 

Take the main Kalasin road to RoiEt and it is on the left near a fuel station after the bypass road.

it is an industrial looking building with an office in the front.   Not a shop....