Getting up to speed

TrueMove H’s 3G wireless broadband service is really fast, according to a recent test carried out by The Nation’s staff.
TrueMove H is the brand of Real Move, a subsidiary of True Corp, which has been licensed by CAT Telecom Plc to operate 3G service on the 850 MHz UMTS/WCDMA network using HSPA (High Speed Packet Access) technology.
Some Nation staff got to test the service last month soon after its official launch and we found that the 3G data connection service of TrueMove H was impressively fast. In most cases, we managed to connect to Internet at a speed of at least 6 Mbps, which is as fast as most ADSL baseline broadband services.
Most of us connected to the TrueMove H network using iPhone 4 phones. One of us used a netbook computer with a built-in SIM card slot. I tested it with ZTE MF668A HSPA+ air card made for the True Move H brand known as Power Surf II, which retails for Bt2,590.
My colleague, who used the netbook, tested the TrueMove H connection at Paradise Park, Jamjuree Square, the Government Complex and CentralWorld as well as his home in Nonthaburi and was impressed by the speed performance.
Another colleague tested the network with her iPhone 4 in Dusit district and in Pattaya. She reported that the fast speed allowed her to upload photos shot with her iPhone 4 to her Facebook impressively fast.
Another colleague connected to Internet with her iPhone 4 on the TrueMove H network in Min Buri and also reported high speed connection.
Real Move has announced that its 3G service is now available in Bangkok and 16 other provinces and will expand to all provinces soon.
According to the ads, the HSPA+ speed could rise to 42 Mbps at its peak. But to achieve that high connection speed, both fast receivers and fast 3G cell sites are required.
From what I’ve have learnt, so far Galaxy S II is the only 3G 850MHz phone that is capable of connecting to the 3G network at 22 Mbps. The Power Surf II air card that is also capable of connecting at the maximum speed of 22 Mbps. Most air cards and phones have a maximum speed of 7 Mbps.
I used the Power Surf II with my notebook computer and tested the speed at several places and mostly achieved impressive speeds.
In The Nation newsroom, I tested the download speed to a server in Thailand and got an impressive speed of 11.2 Mbps. The upload speed to the same server was 2.01 Mbps. The test found that the ping or server response time was 85 milliseconds.
When connected to a US server, the download speed was 7.39 Mbps, the upload speed was 1.28 Mbps and the ping time was only 65 ms.
Testing the speed at home on Soi Pattanakarn 65, I got the download speed of 7.39 Mbps from a server in Thailand and upload speed of 1.76 Mbps. The ping time was 85 ms.
When connected to a server in the US, the download speed was an impressive 6.77 Mbps, upload speed 1.88 Mbps and the ping time was only 53 ms.
If you want to use TrueMove H service, you must first check whether or not your phone or air card supports the 3G connection of WCDMA at 850 MHz. Most devices use 900/2100 MHz. Some models of Samsung mobile phones and tablet PCs use different network chipsets that support either 850 MHz or 900 MHz of 3G so check with the seller first.
Our staff said connecting iPhone 4 to the TrueMove H network was not complicated. But a Real Move PR officer said certain phone models would need to be manually set to connect to the TrueMove H network.
Customers are advised to go to www.TrueMove-h.com/helpsupport_apnsettings.aspx to check how to set the APN for different mobile phones to connect to the TrueMove H network.
TrueMove H has several 3G prices plans. If you download a lot of video clips and want to stay connected all the time, the best option is to subscribe to the unlimited 3G package at Bt759 a month.

          Key facts
_ Network: 850 MHz UMTS/WCDMA
_ 3G format: HSPA+ (High Speed Packet Access) with peak speed of 42 Mbps
_ Network coverage: Bangkok and 16 provinces
_ Supported phones include Samsung Galaxy SII, Samsung Galaxy Tab, Motorola Atrix, BlackBerry Bold 9700, BlackBerry Torch 9800, Nokia N8, Nokia C7-00, iPhone 4, iPad2 3G, Dell Aero, TrueMove’s Power Surf II and Spin.