[s4ch]

Have any of our Kolkatta guys tried out the LTE yet with the USB dongle? I'm itching to find out what kind of speeds and service are available, but guess Bangalore still has at least a few months to go

[Mr_Bean]

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

So what is 3.5g ? I thought that was 4G.

3.5 G is referred to as turbo 3G which is nothing but HSPA, HSPA+, a 2-3 fold increase in speed over a normal 3G connection.

What is being projected as 4G in India is not the actual 4G, it is nothing but 3.9 G. LTE was never considered as 4G because as technology it was just not able to achieve the speeds set by the 3GPP (3rd generation partnership project).

4G technology as per the standards refers to LTE advanced.

[k_ajay]

Originally Posted by Tats07

My experience with Airtel 3G has been very very poor in Bangalore. Average speeds are never more than 1 Mbps, video downloads are pathetic, let us not even talk about HQ videos. I find my Tata Photon much better.

There was an article in ET which gave an average speed comparisn of 3G between India and other countries - I haven't seen any country offering less than 5 Mbps, except for China perhaps. What could be the reason for us lagging so far behind?

Hi Tats07,

I'm surprised your Airtel 3G connection hasn't been satisfactory. Where in B'lore do you live?

I'm surprised because I'm living in a place considered remote by all ISPs in B'lore, sans BSNL [I live exactly behind the old HAL airport]. I've been using Airtel 3G datacard since Jan 2012.

I have no interest in promoting Airtel nor are they going to give me any benefits by declaring here that I've got awesome speeds on my 3G card here. HERE, where there are no fixed wire or wireless ISPs. Surfing and download speeds are blazing quick and the max bandwidth I've experienced is 6890 kbps. And this is at anytime of the day.

Have also tried my card momentarily in Koramangala and J.P. Nagar III phase with same astounding results..

I thought if 3G worked so well at my house, it should work anywhere else in B'lore city. lol..

[quadra]

My Airtel broadband has suddenly started giving issues and i am seriously thinking of buying a USB datacard. Airtel is offering the device for 4999 with data plans starting from 999 (6gb). The datacard comes on 2 modes (as per the 4G FAQ section on the airtel website):
1. Single mode - supports 4G network only
2. Multi mode - supports, 2G / 3G / 4G network

Is anyone using a 4G datacard here? Please do share your experience.

[rajesh1868]

Originally Posted by quadra

My Airtel broadband has suddenly started giving issues and i am seriously thinking of buying a USB datacard. Airtel is offering the device for 4999 with data plans starting from 999 (6gb). The datacard comes on 2 modes (as per the 4G FAQ section on the airtel website):
1. Single mode - supports 4G network only
2. Multi mode - supports, 2G / 3G / 4G network

Is anyone using a 4G datacard here? Please do share your experience.

I am also not-so-seriously considering this option but some reviews online weren't that good. Only concern is the 5k I need to pay. Also, the single mode option doubles up as a wifi router. So you can have multiple devices using it. The other one is a data card.
Please update here about your experience in case you go for it

[quadra]

Originally Posted by rajesh1868

the single mode option doubles up as a wifi router. So you can have multiple devices using it. The other one is a data card.

That is correct. The one that i am looking for is the multi-mode device(aka data card). The cost of the device is on the higher side so would wait for someone to post their experience here and then i will make a call.
Tasty food for thought: For 5k i can get a BMC conical filter for my car

[Rajeevraj]

Was looking for a thread to post a 4G update and came across this thread. Apt time to revive this old thread with multiple players now jumping into the 4G Bandwagon.

Vodafone has launched their 4G services in Bangalore. Just picked up a 4G SIM. As per the executive, network will be available across Bangalore from Feb 12th. Rates are same as the current 3G plans. In addition you get 1GB extra data free as part of 4G promotion.

In addition to Bangalore. Vodafone has rolled out 4G in a lot of towns in Kerala and Mysore in Karnataka, and has started the 4G roll out in Kolkota, NCR and Mumbai

Vodafone is offering the 4G services in the 1800Mhz Band (Unlike Airtel). This is a more prevalent band world wide and majority of the devices support this band. This includes the Motorola 4G phones and the Nexus phones made by Motorola.

In addition to Vodafone, Idea has rolled out the 4G network across South India (Not sure if All India Rollout is done). Reliance Jio is expected to launch across the country in March.

[thoma]

Anybody have a clue on which all are the 4g players in Kerala? Which among them are good? Or please let me know any sites discussing this?

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by thoma

Anybody have a clue on which all are the 4g players in Kerala? Which among them are good? Or please let me know any sites discussing this?

As far as I know, Airtel, Vodafone and Idea have 4G networks in Kerala. I think all 3 cover the major cities and towns.

No idea about the quality of service.

[thoma]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

As far as I know, Airtel, Vodafone and Idea have 4G networks in Kerala. I think all 3 cover the major cities and towns.

No idea about the quality of service.

Thanks. It was for my neighbors and they went for an Airtel 4G connection. The download speed from speedtest.net site is 13 MBps whereas my BSNL 3G connection is at 2.5 - 4 MBps.