My Data Consumption in the Philippines and the Smart LTE

As the months progress, I'm beginning to learn more and more about the Philippines. Though I was born and raised here, being away for almost 8 years contributed to my ignorance and unfamiliarity of some of the things that are, to some, considered common sense.

One of the things I am beginning to understand is the amount of cellular data that I consume. In the US, I could get away with a data limit of 500mb, though there was a time when I consumed more than 700mb of data. This usually happened when I did a fair amount of driving and when the wife and I did some traveling. Whenever these things happen, I had to rely on my network, AT&T, to get connected to twitter, Facebook, and more.

But on a regular basis, I barely reach 500mb. This is because the places I usually go to have decent wifi so I didn't see the need to depend on my cellular network for connectivity.

What were the different places that I frequented?

As the spouse of a graduate student in Princeton University and a postdoc at the University of Chicago, I got some spousal benefits. Things like my own university ID enabling me to enter the university library and borrow books, access to the university network and even attend some university lectures. Because of my ability to access the university network, I don't need to rely on my cellular network as much.

(Here, I couldn't even enter the campus where the wife is a university faculty and researcher without giving up an ID in the university gate - much less the university library - a problem if ever I need to exit through a different gate...) 

The same is true for the public libraries in Princeton and Chicago. In both places, wifi is fast and I was able to download movies from iTunes in any of those locations (Chicago, being a big city, has several public libraries in the downtown area alone!) Here, I have yet to visit a public library... I don't even know the police station nearest our apartment is...

Another of my haunts is Starbucks. Of course...

In the US, all Starbucks stores provide free wifi. Here in the Philippines, they do not. I do not know the rationale for this, though my theory is, they don't want people lingering extended hours in their stores. Wait a minute... They still do! So maybe the primary reason why Starbucks does not put up wifi hotspots is they are trying to save money.

In some coffee places in the US, wifi pass codes are provided whenever you purchase anything from the store. Usually, the wifi access is good for two hours, a fair-enough compromise I believe. In my other favorite coffee shop here in the Philippines, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, you will need to buy a rewards card first (yes, you buy rewards cards here in the Philippines). Then, if you purchase anything from the store, you present your rewards card and then you ask for the password. I wish they would disregard the rewards card altogether and just give the wifi password to patrons.

On our second year in Chicago, the city started providing wifi hotspots in public places, like parks. So, if you are relaxing on one of the park benches one autumn afternoon, you can read your book and still be able to connect to the web.

In Metro Manila, I still have to spend more than 10 minutes on a public park. There are not a lot of outdoor places here, maybe because of the heat, and what we have instead are shopping malls. Lots of shopping malls...

Well, at least there are free wifi hotspots in shopping malls, though one mall in particular asks to sign in with your Facebook account. I dreaded doing that... And yes, the speed at malls is serviceable at best. Don't hold your breath downloading a movie much less a 35mb app update.

The proliferation of wifi hotspots in the US is the primary reason why I was able to resist the iPhone for so long. (My only other iPhone was the iPhone 4, though I had three iPod Touches since the 2nd iteration.)

The lack of free wifi hotspots here in the Philippines even forced the wife to get her own iPhone: now she is a proud owner of an iPhone 5c with data plan of course.

And how much data do I use here in the Philippines?

I measured my data usage on a per day basis. It turn out that I can consume up to 2 gigabytes of data on any given month! Even my tweetbot usage amounts to 80mb per day! This is all because of the lack of free wifi hotspots here in public places.

And this is where Smart LTE comes in.

With the network, I can enjoy unlimited LTE at speeds that goes to as high as 13mbps! And I am greatly in luck because I get close to at least half the top speed where I usually frequent. And being on an unlimited prepaid plan, I don't need to worry that my speed will be throttled, nor would I need to be conscious that my money load will suddenly go to zero.

So, despite the lack of free wifi hotspots, I am able to enjoy tweeting, watching streaming videos, uploading photos, instagraming, and more because of my unlimited LTE, albeit at a cost.

Well, it is something that I am willing to pay just to be always connected.

Smart Bro LTE Pocket Wifi Review

When the wife and I came back from the US, while we were still in transition, the first thing we decided to get, something that we can't live without, is a fast internet connection.

Yes, we live in a connected world...

At the start, we used a pocket wifi from one of the cheapest networks. Unfortunately, the network only offers 3G speeds and that simply won't cut it for us. We needed something faster and we couldn't just accept that.

We couldn't accept the "puede na yan (that will do)" concept when it comes to the internet so we decided to look elsewhere for faster internet speed.

It so happens that there is a customer representative for Smart Communications where the wife is working. At the booth where the rep is situated is a banner that said the company now offers pocket wifi at LTE speeds. This got our blood pumping! LTE in the US is fast! (Actually, 3G in the US will enable you to stream YouTube without buffering... But I digress...) So if LTE is available in the Philippines, then that is something that may be able to suit our needs.

The person we spoke with was nice enough to answer our questions. We spoke for some 20 minutes, I think, and she never lost patience because of our questions, some of them mundane. (Take note that the wife and I were still just getting used to things back here in the Philippines.) The customer representative told us to get a Smart LTE sim first and test whether there is an LTE signal where we were staying. That was, I believed, a really sound advice. We really wanted the LTE pocket wifi but it will be for naught if there is no LTE signal in our place. 100 pesos is easier to cough up than 4800 pesos...

So, we got a Smart sim and put it in my iPhone 5s. Immediately we got an LTE signal where we live! Hurrah!!! We tested it by watching YouTube videos, by clicking on Facebook links, updating iOS apps and by making my iPhone a wifi hotspot.

Needless to say, the wife and I were greatly impressed with the LTE signal from Smart.

So we decided to get the Smart Bro "LTE".

For Php 4888, the Alcatel OneTouch pocket wifi for prepaid account has a very stiff price. However, the wife and I were willing to pay for the faster internet. Our order was placed and we only had to wait for a couple of days to get the device. (Coincidentally, I kept the LTE sim on my iPhone also. Yes, I was really impressed by the Smart LTE speed.)

When we got the device, the wife and I were surprised by the shape of the pocket wifi. We thought that, as in the banner, the device will be pebble shaped (it is still the device shown on Smart's website). Instead, what we got was a squarish device that has a curved front. It comes with an extra battery, a stand a USB cable, and the AC charger. The customer representative, a different one this time, had to call up his superior to confirm that the extra battery was really included. I didn't know why he ever doubted that considering that the box was still sealed...

Anyway, the device can be charged directly via the USB cable or with the stand. With use, the battery of the pocket wifi can last up to four hours. For such a small device, this pocket wifi can get surprisingly hot. So I try to ventilate it whenever I use it. In relation to this, I noticed that the device tends to reset whenever it got too hot. Maybe it's the device's way of preventing a complete meltdown...

Also, I notice that there is a need to reset the device whenever it loses a signal, say when you go underground at the MRT (a subway system here in the Philippines; or rather an “L”, like in Chicago). If this happens, you would need to switch the device off and then on again to get it to work. This need to reset when the signal is lost is not a good thing to have whenever you use the device for, say, turn-by-turn navigation...

But what about the thing that really mattered: actually surfing the internet?

The average surfing speed, as determined by the speed test app on my iPhone, is at 3 mbps. But this number really means nothing if you cannot watch your favorite YouTube video, or in my case, an animé episode. And the wife and I were able to watch videos together. On four different devices. At the same time. I was able to download a 5-gigabyte movie from iTunes, though the device becomes crippled when simultaneous downloads is allowed. But if iTunes downloads are done one after the other, then the pocket wifi works just fine.

Also, there was a time when I got a speed of 8mbps and I was really happy when that happened, though this was the exception, rather than the rule...

Now, you may ask about the "up to 42mbps" speed that Smart is claiming. Well, two things: one is the "up to" phrase. Smart did not say that you will get 42mbps all the time. And if you go to Smart's website, you will see that the "42mbps" claim has an asterisk next to it: the fine print states that you will only be able to get that speed "Where service is available". And it is highly improbable that it will be available! Why? Because that speed is a theoretical speed. In reality, what you will get are speeds that are in the single digits. That's it. (Note also the networks in the US also exaggerate their claims...)

Even in the US, our home broadband internet provider promised "up to 40mbps speeds" but I was only able to get actual speeds of up to 24mbps. (Boy, I can only dream of having that here...)

It might be some time before we get mobile internet speeds in the double digits...

What about uploads? Well, I am baffled why the networks here do not pay much attention to upload speeds. As a photographer and product reviewer, I oftentimes upload photos and YouTube videos. At sub-1mbps for uploads, I will have a really, really hard time uploading my materials for reviews...

As a final thought, after doing much research, I found out that, with this Alcatel OneTouch pocket wifi, you really cannot get true LTE speeds. You see, LTE is the more advanced, currently fastest internet speed available for mobile phones here in the Philippines. 4G is actually slower than LTE: you can say that 4G is actually just 3.5G... LTE is the true next generation internet speed for mobile phones. However, the frequency used by Smart for their LTE is at the 2100MHz band, whereas, after researching the specs of the Alcatel OneTouch, I found out that it uses the 2600MHz frequency for LTE. This means that you will be able to get 4G speeds with this device but you won't be able to get the more robust LTE frequency. As a result, I can get true LTE signal with my iPhone 5s, but I only get 4G speeds with the pocket wifi. I just wished that the ones in charged of choosing the devices for Smart read the specs first so that the consumers can have a more compatible device for the network.

But overall, I love the device, the wife loves the device. We both need the internet for work and for play, so having a network where you can actually work, chat, play and watch videos is a must.

The Smart Pocket Wifi from Alcatel provides this, now, very basic need.

#TheShyPhotographer highly recommends it.

Globe Tattoo Torque Review

A great internet service is always something good to have. And I define great internet service with the following criteria:

• availability
• download and upload speeds
• reliability
• cost
• add ons / freebies
• customer support

The wife and I cannot rely on slow internet speeds. The wife needs it so she can communicate with her scientific collaborators, download scientific papers, and download and upload data related to her work, just to name a few. For myself, I have a moderately heavy online presence with my blog, tumblr, YouTube and twitter. I may have slowed on my posts since coming back, but, I think, I am now slowly adjusting to life back in the Philippines after being away for seven and a half years.

A slow internet connection is not a thing for us.

(And I believe that if the Philippines really want to be a world-class country, a fast internet speed is one of the great steps that it should make. Imagine having a famous physicist visit your campus only for him to find out your internet speed is at 100kbps... Imagine the same for an entrepreneur who wants to put up business here. I know the traffic grid lock is one of the more visible problems, but, I feel, that that is already a hopeless problem in my lifetime. At least the internet is “easier” to solve...)

I digress...

So, one of the only two available internet connection options in our building is the Globe Tattoo Torque. They've just started offering speeds of up to 10mbps when we moved into our building so we quickly jumped into it. Well, we really had no choice because the other provider only offers internet speed, up to the time I'm writing this post, of up to 1mbps only. Only!!!

So we scheduled the installation of the service to our apartment, informed our building manager of the work, and waited...

Well, the installers (yes, there were two of them), arrived 4 hours early! Security called me up and told me they're already waiting. I told the installers I was not ready for them yet. I asked them why they were early and they told me that they needed to access the electrical room of the building and they don't know what time the building engineer will come. (!!!) This is after I’ve already informed management about the work order...

I digress again...

Anyway, at the appointed time, I let the two technicians in and they worked efficiently. They worked on the telephone line first, one of the perks of Tattoo Torque, and they activated the internet connection thereafter. It took just less than 30 minutes or so. (Though they arrived 4 hours early...) We tested the speed using the Speedtest app and we got 8mbps of download speed and around 1mbps upload speed. I was shocked by this: why is the upload speed that slow?!? One of the installers informed me that "ganyan talaga sa uploads" (That's typical for uploads.) My first thought after hearing this was, “what will I do with my YouTube videos..?”

Oh, that download speed? We never got the promised 10mbps. Well, the promise was “up to” 10mbps. And I was told that if ever got speeds of 6mbps and below, then I should call right away to report it. And he said I should be able to call right away since we have a dedicated person to our account. Another perk of having the Torque account.

As the installers were about to go, the modem suddenly died! It was a good thing they haven't left yet! They turned the modem off and back on, for three tries I think, and the modem did not wake up anymore. So, one guy picked up their spare modem from their truck. The one who was left behind told me that it's a good thing they had another installation job so they had a spare modem. (Well, not really a spare if they'll need it for the second job, right?) so I asked him about the second job and he said they'll just drive back to pick up another one from their office. Which left me thinking: what if I was the second client and the modem broke while they were installing it. In that case, were they going to drive out to get another modem? How long would that take with the traffic here in Metro Manila? And another thought that occurred to me was, why not bring several modems for an installation job, just in case?

Again, I digress...

Anyway, the wife and I are satisfied with the service. It does not compare to the 18mbps that came with our apartment in Chicago and it pales in comparison to the 40mbps provided by Comcast, but at least, with Globe Tattoo Torque, we didn't have to ask ourselves anymore if clicking a link on Facebook was really worth the wait. And so far, we haven’t had a disconnection since the system was installed, though we haven't had a typhoon yet to test the robustness of the structure.

Knock on wood...

Internet speeds hover at the 7mbps mark most of the time but there are times when things go to a crawl. When this happens, I just reset the modem and the speed will be up there again in the 7's. But, yeah, I wish that we get to that promised “up to” speed.

The cost of the monthly plan is on the high side but the wife was willing to pay for it for the promise of faster internet. And there are things that go with the internet plan, like a dedicated land line, something that we use for food deliveries and calling other landlines within Metro Manila. Oh, this same landline can be used for calling Globe and Touch Mobile (TM) cellphone subscribers. That is great since my sister and niece and nephews all use Globe cellphones so I wouldn't have to think twice about calling them.

A couple of other perks include a free BlackBerry phone and free wifi thumb drive with 40 hours of unlimited internet browsing per month. I welcome those things since I wanted to replace my dumb phone and I can always use an internet stick whenever I am out of the house.

However, two months into our subscription and we still have to receive those two things. My wife followed it up three times already and the person she spoke with, the person dedicated to our account, told her three times that she will follow up on it. On the third time, the person even told her that, to compensate for the tardiness of delivery, she will send us a battery pack “tomorrow”. It’s been a week since that “tomorrow” but, no, there is no battery pack that is supposed to compensate for the tardiness... No BlackBerry phone, no USB wifi stick. And now, no battery pack...

And you know what is worse? Since our “personal account manager” already knows the wife's cel number and our landline, the manager has started ignoring the wife's text messages and calls.

If this is the way our dedicated account manager handles our freebies, I wonder how she will behave when our internet connection, say, breaks down. I am almost afraid...

I heard people say that Globe customer service is terrible and our account manager is not helping alleviate things...

But all in all, the wife and I are satisfied with the service that we get. I would recommend it highly if (1) even just occasionally we get 10mbps, (2) the need to reset the modem because of slow speeds does not occur as much, say just once a week, and (3) the freebies were sent right away, as in in 7 working days as promised, and, (4) if our “personal account manager” has our best interest in mind.

And yes, we still have to have a real crisis yet, so my judgement on that last one will have to wait.

So, I rate it:

• Internet speed - Recommended
• Customer service - fail
• Installation - Recommended with reservations
• freebies - what freebies?!?