No Such Thing As Too Much Speed (Globe vs Smart LTE)

When I got my Xperia Tablet Z, it was specifically to load it up with an LTE SIM so I wouldn't have to tether it off my phone anymore. As useful as it was, tethering is just a waste of battery life.

There are 2 major telcos in the Philippines, Smart and Globe. I've been a Globe subscriber ever since and can't switch because of archaic Philippine policies on number portability (namely there is none). But since this is a data-only need, I could easily get a second SIM for my data needs on the device I use more often.

Upgrading my Globe line for LTE was quite easy, a quick visit to a Globe center and Php20 to upgrade the physical SIM to their LTE SIM and an hour later, I was online again.

I did an initial Speedtest in Fort Bonifacio Global City just to check things out.

Not too bad. Nothing great for LTE. At 7.35Mbps DL that's about the same as 3G speeds in Singapore. I'm still satisfied. And it didn't cost me anything extra over the Php20 SIM anyway, so it is worth the upgrade.

This was just a preliminary Speedtest. And since this is cellular tech, signal quality and speed will change DRASTICALLY with position and location.

Simply moving my tablet closer to one side of the window increases speed. So YMMV.

Now, my Smart SIM took longer. They were out of stock in 3 Smart Centers that I went to. But thanks to a friend in the company, I got one a few days later. And now the test. Test was done from the same area, looking for the best LTE signal strength.

Both tests were done while connected to each provider's respective servers so they do not reflect actual usage, but rather local loop speeds only. I used my tablet for both tests.

But so far, at 2x the download speed and nearly 4x the upload speed, Smart is the clear winner hands down.

Cost? Both providers currently offer LTE at Php995/30 days, currently no data cap as an introductory offer but hopefully both will keep it this way.

Rainy Friday Traffic App... WAZE

Last time, I wrote about the MMDA's new traffic app.  Comes in quite handy for a general view of traffic in the metro.  But sometimes, green/yellow/red doesn't really give you a full picture.  How slow/fast is traffic actually moving?

For those with data connections on their Android or iPhone, we like tweeting or updating our statuses on our current traffic condition.  It somehow saves our sanity.  But what if there was an app that could that automatically... while helping contribute to the traffic data?

Enter WAZE.  A social-networking app specifically for traffic.  Sign up for a free account and get moving!

The app shows actual Waze users that are on the road, and gives their over-all traffic speed on any given road.  No road for where you are? No problem, it can record your route and now will show your new road on the map! Accident? Flood? Wanna share a traffic mishap with everyone else? It allows that too.

It needs a data connection and GPS to accurately map your location and report traffic conditions in your area, you can specify the radius around you (the smaller the radius the faster the updates) and this is done in real-time. The more people are on it, the more accurate the traffic reporting will be! Try it out!

**This post has been brought to you by Smart LTE**

**No LTE signal here in the Fort, HSPA only**

Life in the Fast (LTE) Lane! (Smart Philippines LTE Beta)

For the next two months, this blog will be powered by Smart's new LTE service!  Boasting 40++mbps speeds... let's see what this can little thing can do!!!  Stay tuned for full speed stats in and around the Metro!

Thanks to Smart for making me part of their Beta-test preview of their service!

For those looking for a speed boost NOW, Smart's Rocket Wifi at 20++mbps is available now at all Smart Centers!

This post has been brought to you by Smart LTE!

I feel like I'm in Japan again!
*just a note, this was a WIRED LAN connection*

El Tee Eee, Samsung's New Galaxy S II LTE

Samsung has just announced an LTE version of their Galaxy S II.

Full details have yet to be announced, but so far, these are the specs:

• 4. 5 inch Super AMOLED touch display
• GSM/WCDMA/LTE network support
• Wi-Fi a/b/g/n
• 1.5 dual core processor
• 8 megapixel camera
• Bluetooth 3.0
• 1850 mAh battery
• Android 2.3 Gingerbread

No official announcement on availability date, or price.

Maybe Smart can offer this with their LTE service?

Original Source

LTE in the Philippines

Blogger Jim Ayson has posted news on Smart Telecom's new "4G" LTE service being demoed now.  Boasting theoretical speeds of 50mpbs, I'm hoping their interlink is fast enough to handle the traffic.  Otherwise it'll just be the same old "really-fast-local-loop" crap we have now.

Considering that my HSPA connection does give me a 2-3mbps local-loop speed... but less than 1mbps internet speed... Would that mean that 50mpbs will still just give us the same internet speed anyway?  Time will tell... let's hope the local infrastructure can handle the additional bandwidth that they will be offering.

But the local telco scene is getting exciting again!  Let's see what surprises lie ahead as well... ;)  Cough...cough...

*Just a side-note... LTE and WiMax are NOT 4G yet, despite marketing claims to be 4G.  4G standards dictate speeds of up to 1Gbps.  Not the current 100Mbps incarnations of pre-4G tech.