Neotel NeoGo tested
Neotel recently launched a broadband data card service called NeoGo. The NeoGo data card operates on CDMA Rev-A – the same as Neotel’s NeoFlex service – promising download speeds of up to 3.1 Mbps and upload speeds of up to 1.8 Mbps. These speeds compare favourably with current HSDPA offerings from Vodacom, MTN and Telkom.
The data card is a Huawei EC168C EV-DO Rev.A rotatable USB stick, and the installation and activation of the device is seamless. The service makes use of the generic Mobile Partner dashboard which often accompanies Huawei’s mobile broadband data cards. The NeoGo data card is currently compatible with Windows 2000, XP, Vista and Mac.
Pricing comparison
NeoGo has two purchase options: the first allows consumers to purchase the data card over a 24-month period with a monthly service fee of R 299.00. The second option allows consumers to purchase the data card upfront for R 1,499.00 (incl. VAT) with a monthly service fee of R 239.00. Both purchase options include 1.5GB of in-bundle data, a NeoMail Basic account, SMS capability and high-speed data.
At R 239 for 1.5 GB the NeoGo service is effectively priced at R159 per GB. This is cheaper than iBurst’s R 199 per GB, Vodacom and MTN’s R 195 per GB and Telkom’s R 175 per GB for its 7.2 Mbps HSDPA offering.
NeoGo’s major pricing advantage comes with out of bundle usage. Neotel’s 8c per MB is multiple times lower than Vodacom and MTN’s out of bundle rate of R 1.20 per MB, iBurst’s 95c per MB and Telkom’s 30c per MB.
Consumers can therefore expect to save money if they use Neotel’s NeoGo data card instead of one of the competing offerings in the market.
Speed Tests
While the theoretical download limit of 3.1 Mbps looks impressive, the real world performance of the service is nowhere close to this limit. MyBroadband tested the service in a few locations around Gauteng, and the speed differed significantly from one location to the next.
In areas of good coverage the NeoGo service had a fair performance. Local downlink speeds ranged between 500 Kbps and 700 Kbps while the upload speeds were in the region of 200 Kbps. International speed tests results were similar with an average downlink speed of 600 Kbps and an average upload speed of 210 Kbps.
MyBroadband also tested the device in more challenging environments. The speeds ‘deep’ inside a large building with a lot of metal were acceptable: around 200 Kbps downlink and 100 Kbps uplink speeds.
In these environments Vodacom and MTN will typically make use of technologies like microcells to ensure good in-building coverage, but Neotel’s 800 MHz frequency means that the company has better penetration in built-up areas than the cellular operators which use higher frequencies.
We further tested the service around 2 km outside of an official Neotel CDMA coverage area, and here the service performed surprisingly well. Local downlink speeds were in the region of 400 Kbps while local uplink speeds were around 360 Kbps. International download speeds ranged between 580 Kbps and 700 Kbps while uplink speeds ranged between 120 Kbps and 250 Kbps.
Overall the service performed fairly well, but did not reach the average downlink and uplink speeds experienced by Vodacom and MTN HSDPA subscribers.
Coverage
One of the biggest challenges for Neotel when competing against Vodacom and MTN in the mobile data card market is coverage. Neotel currently has patchy coverage in Gauteng, Cape Town and Durban, but is aggressively growing its CDMA network to cover more areas in the major metropolitan areas.
Vodacom and MTN have extensive HSPA (HSDPA & HSUPA) networks covering all cities and most large towns. The two cellular providers also have excellent country wide coverage allowing their subscribers to access the Internet via GPRS/EDGE if HSDPA access is unavailable.
It is impossible for Neotel to compete with the cellular providers when it comes to true mobility and ubiquitous broadband connectivity, which means they will have to aim the NeoGo service at a market segment who are focused on price and are mainly interested in using this service in a few areas which are covered by Neotel.
Overall the service provides performance levels at a competitive price. Poor network coverage means that it will not replace Vodacom or MTN’s HSDPA service as the premier mobile broadband offering, but if a person only needs connectivity where Neotel has coverage it can result in significant savings when compared to the cellular operators.
Neotel NeoGo tested – comments and views
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