DST 3G Go! Broadband Internet Experience

3G Internet Broadband have been increasing this year in Brunei. I'm sure that majority of you might already own it with the free laptop and modem promotions by both B.Mobile and DST Group. But is there any of you currently using the Erisson W25 Fixed Wireless Terminal? If you guys look closely to the brochure, that thing cost us B$600.00 each without contract subscription. That was hell lots of money for a simple 3G unit, even if it was mention that it made from Romania. I was quite worried and if a merely $20k firewall hardware could messed up. I wonder how long will this Erisson W25 last?

 

I was lucky enough to get the chance to play around with the W25 unit last weeks, from my customers, of course. ^^;; Trying out the internet is also my pleasure to find out if going to 3G internet broadband is the right choice migrating from eSpeed2 and most importantly, my experience with the customers service while I was experience quite a lot of problem.

 

Erisson W25 Fixed Wireless Terminal

On the W25 box, nothing much attractive bundle you might going to get from a B$600.00. Same like the others cheap wireless router, 1x power supply adapter and power cord, 1x quick installation guide and CD and 1x Ethernet cable including the W25 unit with a finger size GSM antenna.

 

 

The nice things about W25 unit are the hardware feature comes with four Ethernet LAN connectors (RJ45) port and two USB 2.0 connectors ready, which means you can setup either USB printer or external storage easily through the network. Even there are two telephone and telephone/fax connector ready. You will also find an empty slot inside the unit as it was meant to reserve for the backup battery (optional).

 

Ericsson W25 configuration web page is rather disappointed and the configurations are limited except the Internet page feature is quite new to me. Nothing special, really, at least the unit can monitor the 3G signal strength status in the webpage including the LAN ports status. Although configuration are easy as 123, but I feel like it should have offer more functionality to users forking out so much money on it.

 

DST 3G Performances and Problem

It depends on which locations you lived in according to DST. Since the 3G service just launched this month, you are going to expect lack of internet performance around in many areas like Tutong, Seria and Kuala Belait.

 

When I first received it, the W25 unit doesn’t even worked in my work area at KB, even I was one minutes away from DST centre. Don’t you find it weird they are still demo their product there? I give up without spending time waiting and call direct to 151 for enquiry about the problem. After that, I send to ODGC area, at Seria, to install at my customers place. It was lucky it worked and I am disappointed to say the internet performance is far worst you can’t imagine. It doesn’t actually last for few days and the internet green light is off in the unit causes completely bring frustration to my customers without any internet. The 3G signal strength is in excellent all time, so what went wrong?

 

Again, call 151 to report the problem and I have to go all my way down to the DST centre in KB to check the problem again including the SIM card to ensure everything works before I send back to Seria again. I do find it funny when I tried my second attempt testing the unit in my work place. The 3G suddenly works and run at full 7.2 mbps full speed. I tried not to get fool by numbers so I throw in an OpenOffice program (weight 256MB) download to my laptop using WiFi for a short test. I was really impress it can achieves over 262kb/s download without drop within less than 20 minutes. Good for torrent if the speed stays that way. It just doesn’t happen after I sent it back to Seria. Lucky the surfing is much better than few days ago after complained.

 

Customers Service is REALLY Bad

It works pretty badly for me when I call 151. The staffs are not well train when handling the situations for 3G problem and even provide wrong information on the cover coverage area. I encounter one staff in the phone even asking me to call the technician directly to their office. Why should I do that? Wasn’t the 151 handle all the call transfer? I don’t know what the hell with the managements. I guess recording all the conversations in the phone are useless after all if they do not listen it?

 

The technician also made an empty promise when he said he get back to you soon. Thanks to him, I wasted more than 40 min waiting for his call on the site and I have to made call back to HIM myself last weeks. What a great day having all these nightmare dealing with their lack of customers services. They were lucky the unit works in the end.

 

Conclusion

Is 3G broadband internet ready to go? Not yet. I will probably still stick with eSpeed2, no matter what especially for home users. It’s true that it were much better without using any Ethernet cable and DST or B-Mobile offering blazing fast 7.2 mbps internet speed. But I will still wait for two more years to start thinking migrating or even won’t. B-Mobile 3G internet is already having trouble surfing at night and afternoon. Do you think DST won’t be next soon? Unless you were only thinking about getting the free laptop promotion plans?

 

I have to say the price for the USB 3G modem and Ericson W25 unit are simply ridiculous expensive. Do you know that the 3G plans + USB modem selling in Singapore just cost you S$35.00+? I guess Brunei is the place to chop your money off, if you don’t subscribe for their two years contract plan.