Digiweb Mobile Broadband

konline

Has anyone used this? is it any good?

Thanks in adnavce for youe feedback.

AlmightyCushion

I would also like to find out more information about this. Does it suffer the same drawbacks as the mobile broadband from 3,o2 and vodafone. e.g. community based speeds, high pings etc. What is the download limit?

watty

Completely different technology to phone networks. Download limit depends on package 10GByte or 15GByte
http://www.digiweb.ie/mobile/

Pings are more like DSL, (depends like fixed broadband on where you ping).

It's not nationwide yet, but in Finglas /Naul / Blanchardstown / Swords kind of area.

At the moment only PCMCIA modem, but there is an Ethernet / WiFi router/adaptor option on ordering or you can use a

http://www.duel-systemsadapters.com/?productid=DP-0001

Express card adaptor you buy yourself. The Ricoh chipset PCI to PCMCIA adaptors used in desktop PCs for WiFi also work with the PCMCIA modem.

There will be USB and Express card Modems.

XP, Vista, OS X and Linux 2.6.9 drivers. Linux source for the PCMCIA modem, or anything with WiFi or ethernet works via the Router (Streaming Radio, email, skype texting, google maps and sat nav on a Nokia phone tested). Anyone tried PSP, Nintendo DS, Xbox360 or PS3 with the WiFi Router? (Should be OK).

FTP, email, web, VOIP, Skype all working on individual IP addresses.


Ultimately like any mobile system, your speed is limited by the number of people in a sector of the mast. That's basic maths and physics, with no way around it.

It seems on the web site they are coy about speed and ping, so I'll have to keep my thoughts to myself on that, but I have tested Skype, C4 streamed from my home internet 320x240@25fps (Limited by 512k Metro upload speed), youtube and Guildwars OK on it.

AlmightyCushion

Cheers for the info watty. What about the community based speeds. ie if two people are using it in the same cell do they share the speed?

watty

Yes. That is inherent to ALL wireless systems. Except some like WiFi share badly. The Flash-OFDM Digiweb uses shares speed very efficiently so that if both people are loading web pages you might not experience a slow down.

If 20 people are downloading simultaneously you will get 1/20th of the speed on Flash-OFDM but rather less than 1/20th on Ripwave, WiFi or HSDPA/3G (i.e. they share the speed less efficently).

The phone companies 3G/HSDPA is a form of fast dialup. If a connection is lost the session (page/download) is lost. The Digiweb Flash-OFDM is more like a Wireless ethernet (no PIN codes, username, password, connect strings or WiFi Keys to set, no settings at all), if the signal is lost due to very large building or long tunnel, in many cases the connection picks up where it left off, even if you are on a different base.

AlmightyCushion

Hsdpa masts can be upgraded to 7.2 or 14.4 and so on. Can this Flash-OFDM masts be upgraded like this? I imagine they can or else this wouldn't be a very future proof technology and would hardly be worth the investment.

Digiweb stated that it was significantly cheaper to provide this sort of network than a 3g one. Is this true?

P.S Does this sound like a Q&A session with Watty to anyone else?

watty

The higher speeds of HSDPA are to allow more users
Speed Max users that can connect per sector
1.8M = 12
3.6M = 24
7.2M = 48

There may be no 14.4M HSPDA, but HSUPA.

The Flash-OFDM is a next generation system similar to Mobile Wimax. The 3G equivalent is LTE. So in some ways it outperforms already ANY possible HSDPA upgrade. No mast upgrade would be needed as soon as HSDPA upgrades are needed. HSDPA upgrades will no solve the basic non-IP based underlying structure of the phone system that causes high latency and file/session loss on disconnect.

The Flash-OFDM is a "Designed from scratch" system purely for Computer data (native IP based), not shoe-horned onto a digital packet voice system.

Mobile Wimax is not available yet, only Fixed WiMax.

The early 3G Modems only do 384k. The 1st HSDPA modems only do 1.8Mbps even on 3.6Mbps networks, however often this is not achieved due to contention and congestion. The current E220 USB modem can't do 7.2Mbps, it is limited to 3.6Mps.
http://www.huawei.com/mobileweb/en/products/view.do?id=282

The Digiweb Flash-OFDM ( or F-OFDMA) is using a MkII chipset, it is currently faster than the HSDPA 3.6Mbps and will support full performance of future base station upgrades without being obsolete. However it is likely as with the phone companies, that any base station upgrade would be to allow twice as many users per sector.

The current Digiweb F-OFDMA supports higher speed and more users than current HSDPA. Also because it is not "dialup" based, users reading a web page (but connected) and users Clicking a web link (and not connected) can be "swapped" at speeds less than what HSDPA latency can be. This means the number of users "effectively" connected can be many times the number allowed simultaneous connection on HSDPA.

Also because Digiweb is an ISP rather than a phone company, the backhaul is ample and IP based, not Primary ISDN 2.048Mbps based like a lot of phone masts.

watty

AlmightyCushion wrote:

Digiweb stated that it was significantly cheaper to provide this sort of network than a 3g one. Is this true?

I'd hate to have to pay even for one base station of either. A base station for Flash-OFDM is a lot more expensive than for Metro. A significant part of cost of 3G is the overpriced licences.

For data only (Mobile Internet) the cost might be lower for Flash-OFDM than 3G. To provide a handset (Voice calls to/from real phone numbers), basically a pocket computer / PDA with SIP-VOIP styled and operated like a phone handset is needed. That will be a significant development cost unless Nokia decides it is a great idea.

A modem for Flash-OFDM is currently quite a subsidized bargain when you sign up.

mdfireng

Currently they only serve Fingal. Anyone know when it will be rolled out across the country?

billbond4

watty wrote:

I'd hate to have to pay even for one base station of either. A base station for Flash-OFDM is a lot more expensive than for Metro. A significant part of cost of 3G is the overpriced licences.
QUOTE]

I dont understand this comment.

The price the 3G operators in Ireland had to pay was reasonable considering they are using a natural resource of this county, at least it somemore money that the government can use/abuse.

All legal radio transmissions require a license, so its a way the government can keep track of who is using what frequencies and also make money.

watty

Compare 3G licences with GSM licenses or even TV boradcast licence. I don't know what O2 paide here, but in UK was Billions.

Yes spectrum needs to be regulated and money raised from leasing the spectrum. But not to the point where the consumers and infrastucture will suffer.

billbond4

watty wrote:

Compare 3G licences with GSM licenses or even TV boradcast licence. I don't know what O2 paide here, but in UK was Billions.

Yes spectrum needs to be regulated and money raised from leasing the spectrum. But not to the point where the consumers and infrastucture will suffer.

Oh yes in the UK and Germany, the operators paid way way over the top, I think they paid about 200million Euros for the licenses here for 10 years or something like that.

I dont think any operator will pay those crazy prices for frequency licenses like they did back in the 90's.

Yggr of Asgard

So I finaly decided to order it (as my the guy 2 houses down the road has it and is happy with it).

So I placed the order on Tuesday and today still no card/router. Calling them I found out that "they ran out of routers" and won't have any new until end of next week.

I think a lot of people will use this as DSL replacement (just like three).

According to the nice lady the router is a special one, that allows me to put the card directly into it.

Now let's hope they get the delivery .....

watty

It was expected that most people would want the "mobile" aspect. But almost everyone has ordered the Card + Router option, implying fixed use. So much for Karlin's "It *IS* demand" blog.

zugvogel

I wonder how many they've signed up so far?

Yggr of Asgard

The nice customer service lady (gee.. friendly customer service, what for a change) called back within minutes and they are now sending out the card to me first (gives me the option to test it) and once a router is available they send that one too.

They must have gotten more orders for the higher variant than they forecasted, now let's hope their network can cope with the traffic.