About 2 or 3 years ago, LTE connectivity became a reality in the country. Very few countries in Asia had it and the Philippines was among the few who got in first. It was heaven-sent especially to the ones how had LTE-capable smartphones.
Those who want to invest in LTE dongles or pocket WiFi had to spend close to 10k apiece and still have to get that elusive LTE-enabled SIM card.
And once you get into that exclusive LTE network, you’d be overwhelmed with the boost in speed. I remember getting connections as fast as 1.8MB/s downloads. The problem then though was looking for a spot where LTE was available (I used to park at the Greenbelt 3 multi-level parking beside McDo just to get the best speeds from Smart).
Today, LTE is almost every where in the city (and some key spots like Boracay is almost 100% LTE-covered). Around half of the smartphones being released each month had LTE-capability. LTE plans are much more affordable (Smart’s LTE Plan started out at Php3,500 per month for 10GB).
However, gone are the days when we get 25Mbps or better LTE speeds. Sometimes, even if our signal says we’re on 4G, it feels like we’re still on 3G, or worse, EDGE.
But that’s the reality. That 42Mbps theoretical speed only applies if there are few people connected to the network. Once everyone else is on LTE, the network would slow down. It’s the same big old pipe, just far more subscribers tapping into the towers.
The term LTE used to be a magical word full of bufferless 1080p video streaming on YouTube. Now, the effect of the word has fizzled.
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krypton says:
I couldn’t agree more. Lalong nagkaloko loko ang signal nila nung nag upgrade sila ng system sa LTE. Nung wala pang announcement na ganun, kahit sa bahay sobrang lakas ng signal ng Internet. After nung system upgrade kuno nila, ayun mabagal pa sa edge ang nakukuha ko. Haays!
Krypton says:
I am referring to Globe btw.
Justin says:
Walang kwenta naman ang globe, di pa nga naka 4G ang gamit ko, at most three times akong nakakrecieve ng overusage ng data message per day.. Paano naman maaeenjoy yung largest 4G LTE network kung isang movie palang nastream, agad namang babaan ang bandwith speed mo. So disappointing talaga.
Rockafella says:
Phuck Globe and Smart for their bullsheet claims of LTE.
David says:
I agree! I’m a Globe sub for four years since wala pa LTE, and I enjoyed their LTE (in Ayala Malls only!) for a short time. Now wala na at all! It’s even more frustrating that they advertise Largest 4G Network!!
Erik says:
LTE claims of Globe are crap. At best the LTE signal of Globe in metro manila is barely ok. I am not sure about the LTE service of Smart.
hector says:
balewala naman ang lte ng globe.. kasi kahit na mag kaibang technology ang 3G at LTE.. yung lte ng globe naka tap sa bandwidth ng 3G/HSPA+ Nila kaya ang ending halos walang pinagkaiba naka lte ka nga pero dimo alam yung lte nakiki share lang ng bandwidth sa 3G.
John says:
napansin ko lang sa SMART LTE, pag nasa tabi ka ng road or any major highways, may LTE signal.
pero pagpasok mo na ng bahay wala na.
naobserve ko to sa province namin and dito manila.
bottomlime is nakafocus signals/coverage nila sa mga roads where WALA masyado makikinabang.
samantalang sa loob tlaga ng bahay, walang lte signal.
gaya sa boarding ko sa pembo. sa loob wala, pag labas ko lang para bumili, meron. alangan tumambay ako sa labas para lang makasagap LTE?
#justsharingmyfrustration
Mon says:
Baliktad naman experience ko, kapag nasa bahay ako mabilis internet ko, aabot ng 3MBps download kapag madaling araw.
pero paglabas ko naman sa may kalsada mahina na hahaha
depende lang talaga sa location at sa oras =/ pero masgugustuhin ko pa sana yung kahit below 1MBps speed pero CONSISTENT kaysa ganitong paputol putol
boom vaness says:
Wala akong reklamo sa LTE ng Globe kasi nasa 40 Mbps ang max speed ko sa LTE at 15 Mbps naman sa HSPA+. Not to mention na 199 per month lang ang plan ko sa Globe. Unlimited LTE no FUP and no CAP. I’m very satisfied with it. Super cheap yet super fast.
Krypton says:
lokohin mo ang lelang mong panot….
Yousef says:
Whilst LTE is being present, I’m stuck with Globe (my iPhone 5 is locked to its network) being always on EDGE inside my house or on 1-2 bars 3G. There is no use in having a fast network if it has seriously shit signal.
Ged says:
buti pa dito sa taiwan hspa+ lang average speed ko 20+mbps.. yung 1gig mahigit nang asphalt8 wala pang 15mins tapos ko na idownload..
drew says:
ni minsan hndi ko naranasang makakuha ng 42Mbps. although ok na ako sa 24Mbps during off peaks. hehe
Rainbow Rat says:
Long Term Edge!
ewan says:
Dito sa Pasig di nga gumagana internet ng smart. Alang kwenta!
Rainbow Rat says:
+1 ako dito. Ewan ko ba nasa siyudad naman kami pero gprs madalas ang signal ko..
rockz says:
In my area it used to be 35mbps dl and 25 ul but now its 2.5mb dl during peak hours and 10mb during off peak…
Hopefully Smart will buy morwebandwidth and capacity to accomodate massive data being sent through their servers.
Unlike internet says:
I miss the unlimited Internet. no Capping!!
Yousef says:
At least, Smart doesn’t have the 800 Mb limit/day cap. I’ve tried downloading 8 GB in 1 day via Smart LTE once. Btw, the 800 MB cap from Globe was imposed years ago, not last year.
Ryan says:
sure ka yousef? eversince nka capped ang smart. ang globe last year lng nag capped.
Yousef says:
Smart prepaid (3G/LTE) doesn’t impose any cap.
Rapiduz says:
That’s the problem with the telcos. They lured the subscribers to apply for their LTE connections that promises of high speed internet. What happens, since the network has not been upgraded and the subscribers number increases, slow network connection is being experienced. But wait there’s more, in Globe if you want to have a bit fast connection, you need to pay for additional cost for what they call “BOOST”! This leads to very expensive service because aside from your regular plan, you need to pay more for this BOOST-SHIT!
LumangT_E says:
at proud pa ang globe na sila ang fastest among the big 3 ng Pinas, 2-3mbps daw ang average! susme, mga bilyonaryong may ari ng globe, hindi pa ba kayo nakaka experience sa ibang bansa ng internet nila? o sadyang kupal nalang ng mukha makakita lang kayo ng pera? sus
Ronald says:
Pag business owner, exclusive ang LTE line nila kaya di nila nararamdaman ang bagal ng LTE dito sa pinas. At kahit naman mapansin nila na mabagal ang speed hindi na sila magre-reklamo kasi libre naman sila at kumikita pa. Unlike sa atin mga ordinary subscriber, tayo na nga ang pinagkakakitaan worst service pa.
Yousef says:
According to opensignal, Globe is the worst performing network in the country.
Pack Sheet says:
Talaga ganyan na rin ang LTE now? Kasi yung aking 3G/HSPA eto bumagsak na ang speed, naging EDGE na ang dl is 17kbps na lang before minsan 400 going down to 100kbps.
I don’t think the future of Internet in the Phils is that bright. We only have 2 telcos and sila ang nasusunod.
Blitz says:
Im currently using Huawei pocket wifi with smart prepaid. As of now I’m satisfied with my download speed (hspa+) of up to 700kb/sec at off-peak hours. Kaya nga nito makadownload ng 6gb sa isang araw eh. :)
wat says:
in short wag nalang kau bumili ng lte enabled devices, d rin nman mapakikinabangan.
cloud4288 says:
actually it’s “don’t buy the latest car model, buy a old working one instead”. :)
Maybestupid? says:
That’s like saying, you shouldn’t buy a car since it’s hella traffic anyway.
#RetardLogic
Ben says:
It’s inevitable. Broadband bandwidth is and will always be contended by it’s number of users.
JP says:
But if the network providers continue upgrading their system to handle such massive bandwidths, then consumers won’t experience slow down in speed.
(Bigla ko naisip ang MRT haha. From 2004 to 2010 I was used the MRT 5 days a week and didn’t experience any nightmarish commute, except maybe a few nights when there’s some tech difficulties. Eh ngayon sobra dami na sumasakay pero di naman yata sila nagdagdag ng ganoon karami na trains, kaya grabe na ang experience)