I think we’re a bit fortunate to have 3 competing WiMax providers in the Philippines — there’s Globe, Smart and Liberty Telecoms. But just like the existing 3G networks that have been rolled out for years, WiMax is also dependent on location.
For reference, here’s a comparative chart of what the three telcos are offering — starting from 512Kbps up to 2Mbps.
Of the three, only Wi-Tribe is offering speeds of up to 2Mbps. Likewise, only Wi-Tribe is very transparent with their bandwidth capping policies. Globe also does bandwidth capping which is stated, in fine print, in the contract. I’m not sure if Smart has one but my guess is that they have to do this in order to maintain quality of service.
Again, the catch phrase here is “up to” — meaning if they say “up to 2Mbps” that means it could be somewhere between 1Kbps to 2048Kbps.
However, a lot of people experience something similar to what they call “buyer’s remorse”. This is mostly due to unsatisfactory quality of service.
I think the best way to handle this is for telcos to offer some sort of money-back guarantee. I think Globe offers a 30-day guarantee that customers can un-subscribe and get a refund for service they’re not satisfied with. Not sure if Smart or Wi-tribe offers the same.
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MR. Anonymous says:
actually kung mdami kau tlga sa lugar nyo na gmgmit ng wimax kht gaano pa kalakas ang signal nyo….mag aagawan kau sa signal same sa mga 3G tech…pag signal base tlgang gnun.. plus mga factor that affect the signal like Buildings and Trees Plus Area..
Morz says:
This is my 4th month of using Smart Wimax. And its been fantastic. SpeedTest.net result is constantly at 2 MBPS, sometimes over pa nga. I even brought the antenna to Baguio last Christmas and was able to get good signal and speed. If youre area is covered by Wimax I suggest you consider this…for P999 a month, its really worth it.
Wilcyn says:
how about po pg globe wimax,,,,ask ko lng po kung pwedi ilipat from CAR(bAGUIO cITY) to pangasinan,,,,,tnx po ,,hoping for an answer
juan says:
HAHAHA! all these wireless technologies sucks! pati support and service. Actually wala naman monitor ng account nyo eh, yun lang kapag mareklamo ka at lagi ka natawag sa hotline! i’ve been a TSR for telco for 2 years and luckily araw araw maraming problema! buti nalang, nakalipat na ako ng trabaho. i still prefer for “wired internet connection” like PLDT or digitel if you have available option.
francis says:
That’s it? That’s the round-up?
Ronald Alayon says:
Wi-Tribe is such a big liar they advertise Unlimited and consistent speed pero na experience ko ang super bagal na connection dahil daw high ang usage ko ito pa I qoute ” 5. Kindly limit automated software updates
• Your PC/Laptop operating system and other software may have automatic updates turned on, which means it is using your Internet connection even when you are not aware of it.
• Ensure you turn off any automatic updates on software you are using, and only allow updates that you need.
” so panong naging unlimited when they say LIMIT ???? contradicting dba sana wala na mabiktima
chester says:
F*ck wi-tribe! wi-tribe sucks!!, ang mga agent nila nag aalok ng mga tao, pero hnd nila sinasabi na outisde the range na sila sa signal, kng 512 kbps ang plan mo, magiging 100kbps n lng speed n yan pag nag speedtest ka.
Kiko says:
Pansin ko lng sa globe and smart kapag pumatak na ang 25th of the month bumababa sa kalahati ang speed like 0.45- 0.55mbps na lng. Nag reresume ang maximum speed na 1mbps sa 5th of the month or kapag nakapag bayad ka na ng bill. May shop ako for the past 1 yr yan ang napansin ko.Automatic na binabawasan ng network ang speed kapag matatapos na ang buwan at babalik ang maximum speed 5 days after ng panibagong month.
boy_youjizz says:
About bandwidth cap: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandwidth_cap
Wired vs. Wireless connection: http://welloiledpc.com/wifi.htm
FAIR USE POLICY of GLOBE WIMAX:
Globe Broadband for your Home (WiMAX)
How is Fair Use applied to this product?
The Globe @Home broadband product is designed to provide a steady browsing experience at the convenience of your home. This allows you to enjoy consistently fast and reliable broadband service when you use it. This product may be used for data streaming and heavier file downloads. However, uncommonly high file downloads (users of peer to peer/torrent applications) or commercial usage may result to a slow browsing experience.
Similar to the nomadic sticks, our fair use policy applies to products and services as well as special offers or promotions, providing data usage for free or at rates lower than standard rates, or unlimited access to data usage.
The Globe @Home broadband service currently provides the following peak volume capacity depending on your plan:
For WiMAX Prepaid: 1GB per account per day
For WiMAX Postpaid 512kbps: 16GB-20GB per account per month
For WiMAX Postpaid 1mbps: 21GB-25GB per account per month
If a customer exceeds the peak capacity, the following may be experienced:
For WiMax Prepaid: service will be temporarily unavailable until end of day and will resume the following day.
For WiMax Postpaid: slow browsing speed within the month.
Am I likely to be affected by the Fair Use Policy?
If you don’t use file sharing software or download large files from the internet it is unlikely that you will ever be affected by this policy. Media streaming and downloading of torrents contribute to your use of bandwidth capacity and if left permanently on, may cause you to be in breach of this policy.
What will happen if my usage requirement is high?
To fully enjoy Globe @Home broadband services, make a quick assessment of your usage. If it is more than the plan you subscribed for, it would be best to upgrade your plan to suit your usage requirement and lifestyle.
Occasional high bandwidth usage is unlikely a cause for concern. However, regular peak bandwidth usage may require you to upgrade your plan to optimize use of the product.
***The aforementioned thresholds are subject to change without prior notice.
lilmaqi says:
I agree with Ram. Kung mahilig kang magdownload ng malalaking files, never go for WI TRIBE. Tingnan mo na lang kung sinong may mas malapit na tower, Globe or Smart.
subscriber says:
If the ISPs provide a maximum speed limit, then they should be required to also provide a minimum connection speed.
ram says:
before applying for a wimax of a certain telecoms, if you really want speed, check if there is a nearby tower antenna of a specific ISP at your place because if there is 100% that you will have a burst speed in your internet connection
june says:
with regard on my last post :-) its wi tribe P998 not P995. sorry for the typo. I Still hate witribe. forever
june says:
I’m a user of witribe (1MB P995) since Oct. 22, 2010. I’m within brgy commonwealth quezon city. I’m near litex/manggahan area. For me i don’t question the cap of 6gb coz its not a problem to wakeup at 1am :-) to stretch my bandwith up to 4 tomes. But here’s the fucking catch. Even if im still within 6gb> download threshold. I have not achieve download speed greater than 130kbs. Those guys who posted earlier were lucky to achieve higher bandwith. My settings are all good, location should not be in question coz my modem is located 30 ft above the ground level besides it’s located in an open area our top floor.
Even on their supposedly happy hour. I experienced inconsistent speed ranging from fucking 10kbps to 130kbps. That happened all within the GB cap, which is so crap. I hate it.
To witribe i’m so dissappointed. the moment i finished all my torrent downloads. i will stop paying. Which is very near. Damn you. a 56k modem is better than your deep shit 4G modem.
To all: 130Kbps is so much lower than 1Mbps. you do the math. Witribe doesn’t deliver.
kiko says:
Ladies and Gents, there is no guarantee to maintain the speeds of mbps when you’re using any wifi connection, this is due to the fact that radios can sometime lose it’s connections and at the same time many subscribers accessing the ISPs server. ONLY wired connections can be guaranteed by telcos at all times.
nathan says:
Im trying to be prepared for the cap limit of 300kbps since It’s enough to maintine my online characters while “afKing” alive. i have been reading online reviews but none of the telco’s seems to provide satisfactory service
Click ME says:
@ogago:
wla nmn tlga cla magagawa eh, ur not getting what you paid for, those are only threats para pabayadin ka… kng super bagal speed mo, cla ung di sumusunod ng contract, tska di m nmn ata ginagamit ung service so wla tlga sila magagawa. :D peace
philippines says:
Are Globe Wimax and Wi-tribe available in Davao City? Hope someone could provide an answer.
francis albert says:
i am subcriber of witribe ; grabe 3 bars ng signal pagdating ng last wek of the month bumabagal’
Globe 30% cap. says:
Globe is not transparent with their wimax bandwidth cap.
We are using globe’s 1 mbps wimax plan. At first I thought that it was their usual system upgrade but since the trending in these past few months was I was just reaching 30kbps or 30% of the 1 mbps plan I started researching and found out that a lot of the wimax 1 mbps subscribers are having the same issues I’m having with the internet capping.
I do admit that I always do online streaming(youtube). But what globe and the other providers are doing is not right.
Your paying your hard earned 955php for the unlimited 1 mbps plan they promised. Then these greedy providers will suddenly throttle your internet down to a measly 30kbps slower than your 90’s 56kbps modem connection.
This is pure bull.
daBayrus says:
@vince journalist !== blogger
cortez says:
I was hoping that these networks exhaust the 7.1 mbps capacities of hsdpa first before switching to another technology.
Also, the other side of competition, lower rates = lower service quality.
Nong says:
AT&T realized the importance of cap limit.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-30686_3-20006780-266.html?tag=mncol;txt
Customer says:
The NTC should heed the FCC’s and Ofcom’s example.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/FCC-Raises-the-Broadband-Bar-70480.html?wlc=1280330416
FCC Raises the Broadband Bar
The Federal Communications Commission has drastically increased the minimum upload and download speeds it considers worthy of the word “broadband.” Now, 4 Mbps up and 1 down are the bare minimums; before, they stood at an anemic 200 Kbps for both uploading and downloading.
http://www.out-law.com/page-11258
Ofcom lets consumers terminate broadband contracts for lack of speed
Customer says:
What’s the point of rolling out Wimax when its speed is throttled? And their DSL services suck too with frequent outages and slow speeds. I’d rather wait to upgrade to a superior ISP. Up to 2Mbps in ideal conditions? Kawawa naman tayo.
Read this: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-10786874
Snapshot of global internet speeds revealed
The government should force ISPs to guarantee broadband speeds they sell us.
vince says:
“check my speed test, satisfied for now since the 1Mbps stable speed has been achived http://bit.ly/c45J3B”
good for you. tell us what happens to your speed when you reach the cap
ogago says:
to unsatisfied customers, gumaya na lang kayo sa kin, kc 2 months lang ako nagsubscribe after hindi na ko nagbayad kc im not getting what im paying for, may time pa nga as in wala ko connection for days pero wala cla magawa kc nga naman mga csr lang nakakausap ko. umabot pa nga sa point na nagpadala na sila ng demand letter di ko pa din pinansin, then tumatawag sila para manakot dadaanin daw nila sa legal action i told them “bring it on!”, tapos nagsawa siguro kukunin na lang daw nila unit at antena nila sa bahay hanggang ngayon di ko pa din pinapansin. kc kung kakasuhan nila ko (w/c i think they wont kc mas malaki pa magagastos nila kesa sa makukuha nila sa kin) im effin ready…
Nong says:
wi-tribe agent here. Honest answers to your queries. give us a call. no selling, promise.
Alex says:
check my speed test, satisfied for now since the 1Mbps stable speed has been achived http://bit.ly/c45J3B
Alex says:
On Monday 26th July 2010, @boplaksnakelot said:
satisfied with the series of speed test for tonight hoping this one will be STABLE as stated..
http://www.speedtest.net/result/892518085.png
http://www.speedtest.net/result/892518854.png
http://www.speedtest.net/result/892520389.png
http://www.speedtest.net/result/892521378.png
http://www.speedtest.net/result/892522113.png
nexusboy says:
This may not be related to Wi-max per se, but I believe this is worth the article here at yugatech. surprisingly, GLOBE TELECOM bested other Philippine ISP in terms of consumer downloads. tests were performed by speedtest.net and pingtest.net
http://www.netindex.com/download/2,10/Philippines
Please feature this in your blog. Thanks!
adam says:
I think I would want to try Wi-tribe since they offer 2mbps. Also the fact that they were owned by San Miguel Corp. They have the capacity also to improve.
Samsung Dual LCD Screen Camera
vince says:
“How about real world tests? What are the real world caps, speeds, area coverage? That would be an extremely useful article, as opposed to this which is only useful to people too dumb or lazy to visit these telco’s websites.”
you can find stuff like that in tipidpc.com, pinoydsl.net and facebook.
scroll up to the 4th and 5th posts on this page for links
Mark says:
Yung Wimax ng Witribe di ko alam kung worht it kasi sa Prepaid nga palpak sila e. Tapos ymag offer pa ng wimax. Pero ok na rin yung sinasabi nila may capping pero parang di sulit for an unlimited subscription.
Percy says:
Herce
Why don’t put up a website of your own, you condescending dipshit
Herce says:
Sorry to be critical, but this article is useless. This is just info from their websites.
How about real world tests? What are the real world caps, speeds, area coverage? That would be an extremely useful article, as opposed to this which is only useful to people too dumb or lazy to visit these telco’s websites.
Again, sorry to be critical, I generally like this site but the quality of reporting in this article is really terrible.
manong says:
dapat meron ding gumawa gaya nito dito sa atin:
http://www.techradar.com/news/internet/broadband/ofcom-broadband-speed-figures-show-stark-truth-705797
dan treacy says:
Their is too much hype on this wimax stuff, i dont know if Sun broadband is on this league but so far im happy with their speed. I could reach 2mbps starting at 1am to 6am, still it depends on your location.
Darius Vanguardia says:
yup! may 30 days money back guarantee ang globe, pero ayon sa mga nababasa ko sa net, kung uncapped ang speed mo sa first 30 days mapapansin mo na babagal na sya pagkatapos ng 30days na un.
manong says:
remember d disappearing prepaid load? dahil nababalita, umabot ang issue hanggang senado!
manong says:
i have a suggestion, why not use tv patrol’s ako ang simula or gma’s youscoop to bring this issue up? i think with a couple more grievances this will end up as news and be discussed by our authorities.
at least man lang babaan nila yung bill kung bumababa rin ang bandwith. so kung dial-up speed ka na lang, 100 pesos nalang!
MARCO says:
NAKAINIS ANG GLOBE WIMAX. IVE BEEN USING IT FOR MORE THAN A MONTH. I SUBSCRIBED FOR A 1MBPS PLAN AND YET UP TO NOW I AM HAVING AN INTERMITTENT CONNECTION AND ALSO ONLY .5 MBPS IS MY DOWNLOAD SPEED BASED ON SPEEDTEST.NET. IVE BEEN COMPLAINING THRU THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE HOTLINE 4TIMES AND EVEN TALKED TO THE MANAGER OF ONE OF THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER AND UP TO NOW ITS STILL THE SAME SERVICE THAT I AM HAVING WITH THEIR WI-MAX
vince says:
“Vince – dude, where did you get the idea that blogs should act like newspapers?”
Do you think being honest is limited to newspapers?
So blog owners can exagerate, speculate and mislead their readers with impunity?
defunct says:
wi-tribe don’t care at all. ill just finish my contract and cut this crap.
Asia Correspondent says:
Our IPs are so slow. Why can’t we be more like Japan?
Tano says:
I am a client of WiTribe. As I presumed when it was sold to me, I could only go down until 512mbps only when my 6gb cap is reached. What happened in reality is that I went down till 98 mbps after reaching higher consumption (what? a dial up?). I’m full of regret at the moment because I am tied up to a contract.
gary says:
Vince – dude, where did you get the idea that blogs should act like newspapers?
Noir says:
I have no experience with GLobe and Smart BUT
I DO know what Wi-tribe advertising has done.
They advertise “Unlimited” but once you go check the exact details which are not shown in their brochures, they will set a “limit” of your “Unlimited” capabilities.
Someone sue them for False advertising. I hope they get what they deserve.
vince says:
“I’m not sure if Smart has one but my guess is that they have to do this in order to maintain quality of service.”
“@andres – I don’t have specific or personal experiences with any of the three. My observations are based on what is posted on their website.”
please please, be a good journalist and avoid speculating/guessing. Ok this is a blog not a newspaper but people expect similar standards
mel says:
Of al the three ISP, I have used 2 service providers. Smart and Wi-tribe. I got the services of Wi-tribe since the signal was stable. The initial service and the signal was good. . . up until my 2nd week when to my shock, the 6gb limit had already caught up with my usage. When they say that the speed will go down, I was not aware that the speed will go down drastically to 60kbps. . . Imagine, dial up is even faster than this garbage.
Sad to say that Liberty telecoms and San Miguel is now leaving a bad taste in my mouth with the service they are providing. So to those thinking of using the services of Wi-Tribe. . . Better think twice and if you do decide to push through, prepare to experience hell.
Teknisyan says:
two is still too few to compete and they can still monopolize the price and market. At least 3 is better than 2, right?
in terms if switching provider, my only advise is that wired connection is far better than any wireless connection. :)
JP says:
That 30-day money-back guarantee is hogwash.
After a month of seemingly great service from them, I’ve had a few speed glitches that eventually lead to hours and hours and even days of frustration with untimely disconnections, plus the outrageously high ping my connection has.
Abe Olandres says:
@andres – I don’t have specific or personal experiences with any of the three. My observations are based on what is posted on their website.
Jon K says:
I was able to test Smart’s WiMax and it seems more stable than SmartBro’s USB in terms of getting continuous connection. I got no hiccups even if I was getting 2 out of 5 bars signal. Though I can’t vouch if that “continuous connection” would remain if it goes mainstream in our area.
chintoguy29 says:
I have been monitoring these WiMax providers for a long time now since I am weighing if I should get a WiMax service or retain my wired DSL service from PLDT.
I have been visiting Globe and Smart’s official Facebook accounts and counting numerous complains from different concerns including WiMax service.
I have friends who have tried Liberty’s Wi-Tribe but most of them are disappointed with the service.
Based on my obervations, opinion from friends and some reviews from the net’ I think GLOBE WIMAX is the best WiMax service in our country.
Dan says:
For those who subscribed to Wi-Tribe and not satisfied to their service, Please join us here http://www.facebook.com/pages/Wi-Tribe-Complaints/12007712*****70 ,We are planning to have a schedule to media, about Wi-Tribe marketing tricks.
Dan says:
I hope that Wi-Tribe kept their promises UNLIMITED fast reliable internet connection consistent speed of “1mbps” not the (512kbps and below) and 128kbps down to 5kbps speed, from what an average internet users always experiencing… or “MOVE UP the cap” from a descent limit cuz the limit is not descent at all.
My speed http://www.speedtest.net/result/887669168.png ;( still not happy
Dan says:
I hope that Wi-Tribe kept their promises UNLIMITED fast reliable internet connection consistent speed of “1mbps” not the (512kbps and below) and 128kbps down to 5kbps speed, from what an average internet users always experiencing… or “MOVE UP the cap” from a descent limit cuz the limit is not descent at all.
My speed http://www.speedtest.net/result/887669168.png ;( still not happy
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Wi-Tribe-Complaints/12007712*****70
Andres says:
Oh and might you add that both Smart and Wi-Tribe has a demo option to see if you will utilize the whole 1mbps. Though for some reason many are deceived by the damn wi-tribe since the agents dont even mention or even downplay that damn cap.
If you ask for my references, here they are:
Globe
http://www.tipidpc.com/viewtopic.php?tid=191611
Smart
http://www.tipidpc.com/viewtopic.php?tid=219268
Wi-Tribe
http://www.tipidpc.com/viewtopic.php?tid=216542
Count the number of dissatisfied customer and anyone could guess who the winner is.
Andres says:
might you rephrase this:
“Likewise, only Wi-Tribe is very transparent with their bandwidth capping policies.”
cause in the real world, more people are being seduced by wi-tribe and its agents because of the bandwidth capping, MORE SO they CAP at 6GB, and as seen in TPC, sometimes that 6GB cap is not even followed, some were capped starting at 2GB.
I think thats not the definition of transparent.
At least globe has 25GB instead of Wi-Tribe’s 6GB, and Globe has faster capped speeds than Wi-tribe.
But on top of those two, Smart is still the winner since they have NO CAP, and is clearly the best choice of the 3. This is based at the survey of how many disgruntled consumers are out there for the three telcos.
Customer says:
“Likewise, only Wi-Tribe is very transparent with their bandwidth capping policies.”
-This means that they salestalk you into a contract and after you hit the measly monthly cap your connections slows to a crawl. I hope ISP’s like this go bankrupt. Literally lying to their customers faces. Whatever happened to selling a good product and informing the customers sufficient info regarding the product for their SATISFACTION?
Customer says:
“Likewise, only Wi-Tribe is very transparent with their bandwidth capping policies.”
-This means they salestalk you into a contract and after you hit the measly monthly cap your connections slows to a crawl. I hope ISP’s like this go bankrupt. Literally lying to their customers faces. Whatever happened to selling a good product and informing the customers sufficient info regarding the product for their SATISFACTION?