We’re able to get a review unit of the new Bayan Broadband 3G service. Their claim of TrueSpeed is hinged on the promise that they can deliver true 512Kbps EV-DO to your home as long as the signal is strong.
The device is similar to the USB dongle you’ve seen with Globe, Smart and Sun Cellular. The modem is made by ZTE and the design series is the same as the one by Smart (the UAAP/NCAA series).
Unlike the other telcos though, this one doesn’t seem to have a SIM card in it. All I did was fire up the dialer, configure the settings to include my client ID and connect online.
I was able to position on a location that gives me 4 or 5 bars on the signal meter and tested the bandwidth using 2Wire and Speedtest.net:
Based on the two tests, the service can do the 512Kbps it promises. What’s promising is that the upload speed is also the same/close as the download speed (as indicated by SpeedTest.net).
However, that’s still dependent on signal strength. As expected, the speed also goes down as the signal degrades. I have to do a more extensive tests with different signal strengths and sustained download speed. Will post an update entry once I collect more data and test runs.