mobile broadband?

megashake

Hi,

Am back in Ireland for christmas, my parents live between Portarlington and Mountmellick Co. Laois, fixed line BB still not available it seems. HSDPA BB seems to be maybe an option, according to a guy in a store in Portarlington 3 have the best offer http://www.three.ie/broadband/compare.htm and if it doesn't work then you can get a full refund within 14 days. Anyone using this system for BB, does it work ok? Is it fast enough/does it allow skype with video?

Stokolan

try here in the 3 thread in the Broadband forums http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055115306

croo

Checkout the sticky in the broadband forum
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=259

I know two people who got 3 3G (against my advice) because the "guy in the shop" told them, "it works great - I have it myself"
In the Dublin area they get actual top speeds of about 600kb down - 50kb up... outside metro areas coverage seems to be very patchy and unlike o2 or vodafone when no 3G coverage is available there seems to no fall back.

vodafone looks at first glance like a good deal beig €10 cheaper o2 but they charge when you pass 5gb and there doesn't seem to be a way to get a report of what you have actually used. There are reports on boards of people getting large bills. When 3G is not available then it falls back to GPRS (which is dialup with slow pings).

o2 seems to me to be the best bet... it offers a 10Gb subject to "fair usage" and their fair usage policy seems to be just that rather than a fixed limit after which they automatically start billing as with vodafone. The second benefit to o2 is when no 3G is available it falls back to EDGE which is about 250kb down.

I'm just you average user but this is how I see the options currently.

watty

Technically you can do very poor Skype video on dialup. So video is possible. But mostly Audio is the limit and delay is much worse than dialup.

3 only has 3G, no GPRS or EDGE fall back as they have no GSM.

cgarvey

watty wrote: »

3 only has 3G, no GPRS or EDGE fall back as they have no GSM.

They have GPRS fallback (roaming).

megashake

Ok so there's a benefit from o2 that when no 3G is available it falls back to EDGE which is about 250kb down. So 3's connection doesn't work in the same way and Vodafone have a 5GB limit. O2's offering of €20 (first 3 months)€40 (thereafter) is a bit expensive?

Sponge Bob

YOU HAVE A CHOICE !!

Pay 3 €20 a month for no service or pay O2 €40 a month for a service !!!!

In rural areas the best bets are

Any WISP like premierbb for example or lastmile, they all operate in that area.

see

http://www.killenard.com/broadband-news-page.html

then

O2

then

Vodafone

then

3

Only go to three if you are truly deeply awfully desperate .

watty

Mobile phone companies are VERY dangerous for Data. You should be able to use some phones as a GPRS/EDGE/3G/HSDPA modem... but unless you put in the SIM that is for a standalone modem (I've tried this on O2) the cost is evil.

The EU needs to THUMP the Mobile phone companies VERY hard. Ofcom and Comreg won't do anything.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/27/massive_vodafone_uk_mobile_data_bill/

Two way satellite @ 99 Euro a month can work out cheaper and faster and even lower latency than a Moble Phone Network Modem. Not portable though.

Read ALL the small print.

Apparently you can use a Data SIM from some operators for voice calls in a phone, but the call charges are similar to the "outside the included minutes" charges. If abroad in UK or rest of EU, the data SIM call charges are same as voice call SIM charges, but unless you are on a special roaming data package, the data will be per MByte and expensive or not at all. Beware in Border areas with Data Modems or Data SIM in phone.

cgarvey

watty wrote: »

but unless you put in the SIM that is for a standalone modem (I've tried this on O2) the cost is evil.

That or you buy a data bundle for your normal voice SIM. 3 do this and o2 do now as well.

watty wrote: »

Apparently you can use a Data SIM from some operators for voice calls in a phone

You can for Vodafone and o2 anyway.

Micky Finn

Try www.nbb.ie/info

megashake

I took a look at http://www.killenard.com/broadband-news-page.html and called "Premier Broadband Phone Padraigh Holohan at 087 6302567." they'll call out in mid Jan to test signal strength and install an antennae if it works ok. He claims many in the area are using their system, let's see.

Sponge Bob

Premier are a good wireless isp operating initially in Laois and now moving into Kildare I hear.

That NBB link above is for satellite I believe, it neglects to make this clear but thats the only way you can 'guarantee' nationwide coverage. Wireless is far superior to satellite.

megashake

Are such wireless options based on WiMax technology?

A friend of mine who's father lives in Donegal said they've taken a similar system into use there and it seems to function ok. I'm hoping that Skype(with video) will function ok, could available bandwidth be affected by the number of users connected at any one time? If in this case they're all pointed towards the same mast which they would be.

Lastmile have an image on their site of a wireless BB antennae http://www.lastmile.ie/Resources/typicallastmilei.jpeg I assume the one installed by Premier will be something similar.