7.2 Mbps HSDPA now available!

[biometrics]

There's a MTN advert in this weeks M&G (pg 5) that they now have 7.2 Mbps HSDPA.

Did I miss something? Vodacom now (only) offers 3.6 Mbps HSDPA, correct? Should we expect 7.2 from Vodacom soon?

Geez, so now wireless is faster than wired in SA! Amazing!

So now we can blindingly fast consume our cap! YAY

 

[vodacom3g]

There's a MTN advert in this weeks M&G (pg 5) that they now have 7.2 Mbps HSDPA.

Did I miss something? Vodacom now (only) offers 3.6 Mbps HSDPA, correct? Should we expect 7.2 from Vodacom soon?

Geez, so now wireless is faster than wired in SA! Amazing!

So now we can blindingly fast consume our cap! YAY

MTN 'announced' availability of 7.2 on the 25th of last month and then starting running the ads a week later. So far no-one seems to be able to confirm the service, nor for that matter 3.6 (speeds tests on the MTN data network are consistently lower than 1.8Mb/s).

MTN also refuses to give location information on where these 7.2 towers are. Or the 3.6 ones!!

There is a lively discussion on the topic over in the MTN forum.

As to 7.2 on the Vodacom network, it is quite feasible and was recently shown to be (watch this forum for more details ) but we probably won't turn it on anytime soon as we consider the backhaul to be be more 3.6-ready (but not everywhere) than 7.2-ready.

As to wireless being faster than wired, I'm sure it's a local phenomenon! I remember when we had 1.8 and ADSL was on 1Mb/s. Remember how quickly 4Mb/s ADSL came out after that?

 

[ic]

There's a MTN advert in this weeks M&G (pg 5) that they now have 7.2 Mbps HSDPA.

Did I miss something? Vodacom now (only) offers 3.6 Mbps HSDPA, correct? Should we expect 7.2 from Vodacom soon?

Geez, so now wireless is faster than wired in SA! Amazing!

So now we can blindingly fast consume our cap! YAY

I strongly recommend the following reading material [i.e. posts]:

[thread=102556]MTN 3.6 Mbps HSDPA here [please post your speed test results here]...[/thread]
and
[thread=102555]MTN 3.6 Mbps HSDPA arrives...[/thread]
and
http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/search.php?do=finduser&userid=7827&searchthreadid=102555
and
[thread=102731]Vodacom’s 3.6 Mbps HSDPA arrives countrywide...[/thread]
and
http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/search.php?do=finduser&userid=7827&searchthreadid=102731

Summary: there is a big difference between what MTN is advertising, and reality.

PS: v3g has answered the 7.2 question, click on the search links I posted - you will find the answer there.

<added>

Just noticed v3g's post, but do have a read using the above links...

It's especially interesting when one compares the number of download speed test results >1.8Mbits/s in the [thread=102556]MTN thread[/thread] to those in the [thread=60978]Vodacom thread[/thread].​

</added>

 

[biometrics]

I guess advertising a service vs delivering the actual service are two different things. It may not be true, but they are getting the press ... Then again, is anyone actually getting 3.6 Mbps on VC?

I know I am in the minority, but upload speed is more important to me, being a software developer and uploading new versions of our software to our international FTP server.

If I recall correctly, 3G was 64 Kbps for uploads. What is the upload speed for the 1.8 vs 3.6 vs 7.2 Mbps download services?

 

[ic]

I guess advertising a service vs delivering the actual service are two different things. It may not be true, but they are getting the press ... Then again, is anyone actually getting 3.6 Mbps on VC?

IMO MTN is more likely to annoy its customers that, based on the adverts, are expecting 3.6 or 7.2 from MTN, and not receiving it.

So far, there is [post=1504266]only one post in the MTN forum to suggest that MTN has 3.6, and that's in Lanseria of all places[/post], BTW I believe that post to be authentic and not from MTN.

MTN obviously 'got wind' of Vodacom's impending countrywide 3.6 launch on 2008-01-27, and decided to attempt a PR coup d'état by announcing [on 2008-01-25] that MTN has some 3.6 and even fewer 7.2 base-stations.

I know I am in the minority, but upload speed is more important to me, being a software developer and uploading new versions of our software to our international FTP server.

Most of MTN's HSDPA base-stations are still artificially limited to upload speeds of 64kbits/s, whilst Vodacom allows for the full 384kbits/s speed. There is a sticky thread about this issue in the MTN forum.

If I recall correctly, 3G was 64 Kbps for uploads. What is the upload speed for the 1.8 vs 3.6 vs 7.2 Mbps download services?

[post=1451812]Click here...[/post]

 

[Iam3G]

I guess advertising a service vs delivering the actual service are two different things. It may not be true, but they are getting the press ... Then again, is anyone actually getting 3.6 Mbps on VC?

I know I am in the minority, but upload speed is more important to me, being a software developer and uploading new versions of our software to our international FTP server.

If I recall correctly, 3G was 64 Kbps for uploads. What is the upload speed for the 1.8 vs 3.6 vs 7.2 Mbps download services?

Look here...

OK, since you guys asked, first test on an E272:

Speedtest.net to JHB:

Download: 3583 Kb/s
Upload: 332 Kb/s

 

[biometrics]

Look here...

Ah, so at least we know it is theoretically possible (for V3G at least). But we all know in practice this isn't the case.

I'm of the belief that whatever we are promised we're likely to get half of it. So the faster the better (even if we only get 50% of what is promised).

I'm still more interested in upload speed. I've found over the years that only upload speed is somewhat consistently reliable. With 3G I got a consistent 64 Kbps. At one point V3G assisted in me being upgraded to the 128 Kbps upload bracket for 3G though I always only got 96 Kbps.

On 384 Kbps ADSL I get 96 Kbps upload speed. With 4 Mbps ADSL I get 288 Kbps upload speed.

Any chance of this improving with 7.2 Mbps HSDPA? Or are the downlink transmitters simply more powerful than what a PCMCIA card can transmit back to the tower? It seems to me the bottleneck is the ability of a small antenna and power source being able to transmit back to the tower?

EDIT:

ic's link:

2 HSDPA-2 3.6Mbits/s 384kbits/s
3 HSUPA-1 7.2Mbits/s ~2Mbits/s

Now then, 2 Mbps uplink vs 384 Kbps would suite me just fine ...

 

[ic]

@biometrics, what make & model of HSDPA|HSUPA modem(s) do you currently have? - unless you already have HSUPA certified modem(s), HSDPA modem(s) are not capable of offering faster than the current 384kbits/s upload speed available on Vodacom's HSPA network.

 

[funkzar]

MTN 'announced' availability of 7.2 on the 25th of last month and then starting running the ads a week later. So far no-one seems to be able to confirm the service, nor for that matter 3.6 (speeds tests on the MTN data network are consistently lower than 1.8Mb/s).

MTN also refuses to give location information on where these 7.2 towers are. Or the 3.6 ones!!

There is a lively discussion on the topic over in the MTN forum.

As to 7.2 on the Vodacom network, it is quite feasible and was recently shown to be (watch this forum for more details ) but we probably won't turn it on anytime soon as we consider the backhaul to be be more 3.6-ready (but not everywhere) than 7.2-ready.

As to wireless being faster than wired, I'm sure it's a local phenomenon! I remember when we had 1.8 and ADSL was on 1Mb/s. Remember how quickly 4Mb/s ADSL came out after that?

I think that VC and MTN are misleading the end user to this 3.6/7.2Mbps connections. Since these services have been released both my MTN & Vodacom speeds(various areas/sims/modems were used) have reduced to GPRS speeds. Hopefully the backhual will get sorted so that the service can start working as advertised.

 

[ic]

I think that VC and MTN are misleading the end user to this 3.6/7.2Mbps connections. Since these services have been released both my MTN & Vodacom speeds(various areas/sims/modems were used) have reduced to GPRS speeds. Hopefully the backhual will get sorted so that the service can start working as advertised.

Please do elaborate.

 

[kingrob]

Vodacome DEFINITELY have the 3.6Mbps service available, while MTN lied to the public.

I can't wait for my voice contract to expire, will move that to Vodacom as well. Sick and tired of MTN. It's now more than a year that i've asked them to fix a problem i had since December 2006...and after hours on the phone with their pathetic help desk, I'm still waiting.

 

[vodacom3g]

bio, on 1.8, 3.6 or 7.2 you should get close to 384Kb/s upload.

The transmission network is symmetrical and should have ample capacity in the upload direction. Most speed tests seems to confirm this.

If you need more upload say 1024Kb/s, give me a shout. Might have an answer for you...

 

[funkzar]

Please do elaborate.

Like I said, since the services were activated my speeds have dropped significantly.

I've tried everything on this forum(firmware/software). The only thing I can summise is that every time I use either MTN or VC the service isn't working or the backhual is going to a select few.

Take into account that I've had to re-install a great number of laptops with E220 cards(VC & MTN) since the service was activated and none of them actually got 3.6Mbps speeds. there has been changes in software/hardware. Whether connecting in JNB CBD or Fourways the highest speed on HSDPA with full signal has been 800Kbps/70Kbps.

I've read comments from both MTN & VC stating that speed will go down with the amount of users in an area. What blows my mind is if more bandwidth was supplied by telkom, where is it? With the 1.8Mbps service speeds of 1700kbps were achieved so this is a couple of steps back.

If telkom did supply it, it wasn't enough and HSDPA seems to me like a big joke compared to before. This is the 1st time I've been dissapointed with VC. MTN is a dissapointment most of the time. The difference is I'm used to MTN being MTN.

 

[Freeksta]

http://mybroadband.co.za/news/Cellular/2827.html

please can sum1 explain how we are to update user profile???

 

[vodacom3g]

http://mybroadband.co.za/news/Cellular/2827.html

please can sum1 explain how we are to update user profile???

To go to 7.2?

At this point it's not a commercial service and won't be launched as such until we can provide some reasonable degree of backhaul.

We did the same with 3.6, i.e. we only launched it 6 months after the radio network were on 3.6, waiting for the backhaul to catch up.

So, at this point you won't be able to change your profile.

Why did we then demonstrate the service to myADSL?

We wanted to get the message out that we don't brag about a service until such time that we can reasonably provide it, even if we have the technology already in place.

As you know MTN is advertising a 7.2 service but have not been able to demonstrate it anywhere in the country.

rpm tested the service on his own laptop using his own test sites (all off the Vodacom network) and could confirm real-world throughputs up to 7.2Mb/s and sustained downloads at more than 5Mb/s.

 

[Freeksta]

To go to 7.2?

At this point it's not a commercial service and won't be launched as such until we can provide some reasonable degree of backhaul.

We did the same with 3.6, i.e. we only launched it 6 months after the radio network were on 3.6, waiting for the backhaul to catch up.

So, at this point you won't be able to change your profile.

Why did we then demonstrate the service to myADSL?

We wanted to get the message out that we don't brag about a service until such time that we can reasonably provide it, even if we have the technology already in place.

As you know MTN is advertising a 7.2 service but have not been able to demonstrate it anywhere in the country.

rpm tested the service on his own laptop using his own test sites (all off the Vodacom network) and could confirm real-world throughputs up to 7.2Mb/s and sustained downloads at more than 5Mb/s.

as per the article, fair enough still in testing phase... but i'm sure it would be even better for VC to give the public a feel of what 7.2 is like???

It's almost as good as MTN at the moment if all we getting to do is read about how fast and listen to the reviewers brag about the amazing speeds they are getting...

wouldnt this be selfish in the sense that we the public, might only get to use 7.2 6 odd months later, whilst by then 12mb would be out, or even predicted hop to 24mb... as whats overseas...


I know it's still in testing phase and not all area's would be covered, hence that should be noted to the customer and told that it's not a gauranteed speed to expect...


just my thought on this...

 

[ic]

as per the article, fair enough still in testing phase... but i'm sure it would be even better for VC to give the public a feel of what 7.2 is like???

It's almost as good as MTN at the moment if all we getting to do is read about how fast and listen to the reviewers brag about the amazing speeds they are getting...

wouldnt this be selfish in the sense that we the public, might only get to use 7.2 6 odd months later, whilst by then 12mb would be out, or even predicted hop to 24mb... as whats overseas...


I know it's still in testing phase and not all area's would be covered, hence that should be noted to the customer and told that it's not a gauranteed speed to expect...


just my thought on this...

Publicly unleashing 7.2 where sufficient backhaul capacity is not yet available, would be extremely irresponsible as it would drastically increase contention on the backhaul links and no one would get anywhere close to 7.2 as a result.

Patience grasshopper, patience...

 

[Freeksta]

Publicly unleashing 7.2 where sufficient backhaul capacity is not yet available, would be extremely irresponsible as it would drastically increase contention on the backhaul links and no one would get anywhere close to 7.2 as a result.

Patience grasshopper, patience...

Maybe if that was in the explanation in the first place unleashing would be done...

 

[ic]

Maybe if that was in the explanation in the first place unleashing would be done...

not understanding...

 

[Freeksta]

not understanding...

directed to the answer got from Vodacom3g