MTN LTE tested in Gauteng

[Dlamaqhinga]

According to 8ta average speed on LTE will be between 8-10 mbps once it goes live, remember this is wireless you are sharing thus you'll never get the advertised speeds unless you are the only person connected to the tower (which is impossible).

So if people are looking for 20 mbps + speeds fixed line is still our only hope

 

[SteveO]

Better than my ADSL...

However,

Don't stress over MTN. It crystal clear they just wanted to feel part of the crew and launched something they clearly know they not ready for.

I disagree. Yes speeds are horrific, but in terms of coverage no one can beat them at the moment.

 

[jannievanzyl]

My goodness, but our LTE speeds are underwhelming to say the least.

This is what it should be:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2S0-gQ87KtY&feature=plcp

With the right setup (2x10, MIMO) you'll get about 60Mb/s in SA (under ideal conditions).

Got this on my SIII: http://www.speedtest.net/android/265005108.png

 

[SteveO]

With the right setup (2x10, MIMO) you'll get about 60Mb/s in SA (under ideal conditions).

Got this on my SIII: http://www.speedtest.net/android/265005108.png

if you are the only one on the cell and you are in good radio conditions.....

 

[marine1]

if you are the only one on the cell and you are in good radio conditions.....

Real world reports are nowhere near from what people are reporting

 

[Roadrunner]

With the right setup (2x10, MIMO) you'll get about 60Mb/s in SA (under ideal conditions).

Got this on my SIII: http://www.speedtest.net/android/265005108.png

That is much better.

Do you top execs at Vodacom get a higher sync profile or priority on the network, Jannie?

 

[jmak]

In their defense, the 30 and 60Mbps speed tests will only be in ideal conditions with specific equipment. In South Africa mobile operators are only getting around 12-15Mhz of spectrum to roll-out LTE in the 2G spectrum. With the penetration of LTE devices compared to LTE devices it can't be justified to take everything for LTE, therefor limiting spectrum to between 5Mhz and 10Mhz. With MIMO capable LTE devices, as well as MIMO LTE rollouts at 10Mhz the 60Mbps can be seen in real-life on an unloaded network when you are pretty close to the tower.

As the LTE networks expand, and more spectrum is allocated by ICASA we might also one day see the 75+Mbps speeds, but until ICASA and government has removed the physics constraints we will have to be happy with 30Mbps to 60Mbps in best-case scenarios.

A good thing about LTE is that it is supposed to handle multiple users much better and allow for lower latencies. This combined with 1800Mhz deployments should give users a much better experience compared to 3G in less than a years time if you live in city and suburban areas, and if 2.6Ghz and/or 700/800Mhz becomes available. This should translate in users complaining about the 10Mbps download speeds, not about the 200Kbps to 1Mbps download speeds they are getting

My goodness, but our LTE speeds are underwhelming to say the least.

This is what it should be:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2S0-gQ87KtY&feature=plcp

 

[CeeBee]

wow... thats LTE? i expected a bit better... those speeds arent even good for 21Mbps connection, and this would be top of the range LTE...
was the MTN rep close by when the test was done? he probly hung his head... "awkward..."

or is this what we can really expect from MTN's LTE? We are used to wildly bad efficiencies, even from early days, when 1Mbps speed was considered 'really good' on a 3.6Mbps connection... keeping up the tradition?
still... its a start...

 

[Spinx999]

Wow that's poor

His spelling is even worse ............

 

[Centronix]

wow this is shocking. I guess this is what happens when you jump onto a moving wagon when you are not ready

 

[kingrob]

MTN has always been underwhelming and overpriced in South Africa.

Their nine top execs share R252 million in salaries, so life is just great for these nine people.

Why change anything now and become competitive?

The HUGE irony is that while they are the biggest in Africa, yet in South Africa they are playing second fiddle to Vodacom.

What a bunch of losers.

 

[jannievanzyl]

if you are the only one on the cell and you are in good radio conditions.....

Thus the "under ideal conditions" statement in my post

The real issue here is not the networks (who are rolling out LTE by stealing a bit of their own 2G spectrum - far from ideal), but our favourite regulatory body who must still assign proper LTE spectrum so we can all get going with next gen networks.

 

[OGroteKoning]

Thus the "under ideal conditions" statement in my post

The real issue here is not the networks (who are rolling out LTE by stealing a bit of their own 2G spectrum - far from ideal), but our favourite regulatory body who must still assign proper LTE spectrum so we can all get going with next gen networks.

So what stops them? (apart from the "african way")

 

[jannievanzyl]

So what stops them? (apart from the "african way")

That is the million dollar question.

 

[OGroteKoning]

That is the million dollar question.

But Jannie, I thought you knew everything!!??

 

[SteveO]

So what stops them? (apart from the "african way")

feasibility studies as to how to improve the flow of the gravy

 

[SteveO]

I'd definitely like to do more tests in Centurion and Johannesburg when the cap resets to see how well MTN fares against Vodacom.

Yeah, do tests away from the MTN and Vodacom HQs.... I would assume Lever Road isnt the best coverage area for MTN, for obvious reasons

 

[NoFear]

With the right setup (2x10, MIMO) you'll get about 60Mb/s in SA (under ideal conditions).

Got this on my SIII: http://www.speedtest.net/android/265005108.png

Jannievanzyl, any plans for reduced rate MVoIP on the cards from Vodacom with the increased availability of bandwidth via LTE?

 

[ThinkCentre]

I hardly get 3G in Cape Town CBD with MTN.