racoma.com.phJ. Angelo Racoma on technology, economics, writing, problogging, and getting things done

The term “wireless landline” is now in vogue among Philippine telcos. While it’s certainly a nifty idea to bring your landline anywhere, it’s mostly a marketing gimmick for me. Isn’t it just a glorified unlimited calling scheme? But instead of being able to call phones within your own network only, you get to call landline phones within the same locality.

I, myself, use PLDT Landline Plus, which I keep plugged into my trusty ol’ Nokia 1112, and which I use for calling fixed lines while on the move.

But I think I may be switching to Globe’s Super DUO soon. It’s probably more practical, since I use Globe prepaid as my primary mobile number. Globe also upgraded DUO to Super Duo with one great feature. Instead of giving you unlimited calling capability only to landlines within your locality, you can also call other Globe and Touch Mobile phones anywhere in the country with no extra per-minute charge.

Wha’ts even better is that Super DUO is now available to all Globe subscribers, postpaid or prepaid. Previously, when the original DUO was introduced as a prepaid service, it was a bit expensive (P700 per 28 days), and was only available to DUO-enabled SIMs, which you had to purchase. Now anyone can sign up just by texting SUPERDUO (plus some keywords) to 8888. It’s also more affordable at P599 for 30 days.

To activate the service, you would have to text the following keywords to 8888.

SUPERDUO [area] [plan]

Areas include the following:

• MM for Metro Manila
• CEB for Cebu
• TAG for Bohol
• ROX for Capiz

You have two choices for a plan:

• 35 for P35, which is good for one day
• 599 for P599, which is good for 30 days.

I’ll be trying out this service soon. My primary concern is whether it interconnects well with other networks like Bayantel, PLDT, and the like. That’s one of my biggest gripes with my PLDT Wireless landline. I can’t seem to make outgoing calls to Bayantel.

I’ll post a preview and a review soon.

I’ve been on the lookout for a contingency connection for those times that my main Bayan DSL account lets me down (which is oftentimes these days). I do have a 3.5G (HSDPA) enabled mobile phone, which I can use as a modem via BlueTooth, but somehow I have found that option to be cumbersome. First, it causes my mobile phone battery to drain quickly, and so it’s not exactly an elegant solution as I would have to worry about notebook/netbook batteries _and_ mobile phone batteries discharging. Also, it’s a bit expensive when used heavily, at PhP 5 per 15 minutes on the Globe network. Sure that’s cheap enough for on the go browsing, but when you’re using your internet connection the whole day, you end up spending more.

Smart recently announced the availability of an unlimited plan that comes with a USB HSDPA modem for PhP 1,500 per month (about $30 per month) and so I decided to visit a nearby Smart Wireless center to inquire and possibly apply. As I submitted my application form I was told that the modem that came with postpaid plans was still the old white Huawei-supplied one, and this reportedly had many connectivity, compatibility and reliability issues. And I was told approval would take two to three days.

I decided to pick up a prepaid kit for the meantime, to evaluate Smart’s service. I’m primarily a Globe user, and so my 3.5G-enabled mobile phone runs on the Globe network. Best try out Smart’s service this time.

Great things about the prepaid kit are:

* It came with the newer, black USB modem that looks just like a pen drive. This means no dongles to mess up your otherwise wireless set-up.
* It’s cheap at PhP 2,800 net (you have to pay PhP 2,500 for the modem, which includes the SIM card and PhP 100 prepaid load, then you have to purchase a PhP 300 prepaid card).
* It’s prepaid, so there is no need for contracts, lock-ins, or proof of identity/income, as is usual with postpaid plans.
* If you have an existing Smart prepaid or postpaid SIM, you can also use these to connect. Standard rates apply.

So far, so good. It’s been a reliable mobile connection for me, for those times I need to connect while out of the office, or when my home-office connection is simply too slow.

I do get slow speeds when the cell site I’m connected to has non-existent or weak HSDPA signals. With this, it tops at 300+ Kbps. Where there are no 3G signals, it tops at 200+ Kbps (EDGE) or 56 Kbps (GPRS). It sucks, but when it’s your only option you will take it. So far I’m able to access most services and ports I need, including instant messengers, FTP, cPanel and the like, where previously these wireless networks imposed some prohibitions with non-HTTP ports.

The provided software was a breeze to install. The USB modem itself has read-only storage, so the drivers for Windows and OS X (Tiger and Leopard) are included. You may have to download drivers and do some tweaks for Linux, though.

You can always just dialup using your OS’s dialer, but the bundled software gives you more options, like the ability to detect what kind of signal you are currently getting, and the ability to lock connection to certain types only (the connection moves across HSDPA, 3G, GPRS, and EDGE depending on signal strength and availability).

Speedtest results

168 Kbps down on EDGE.

1.2 Mbps on HSDPA

Some photos

The retail kit:

Contents:

With the SIM card:

With a USB pen drive (to compare and illustrate size):

With the SIM card just peeking out:

Attached to an HP mini note netbook:

The main advantage, as I see it, is that this takes out the necessity to bring an extra phone or to use your extra phone just to connect. The main disadvantage is that you do have to shell out some money for the unit itself. But at PhP 2,800, that’s already a steal. A couple of weeks ago, this was still retailing at PhP 3,800 (PhP 4,500 farther back).

I do hope my unlimited plan gets approved soon. When that time comes I’ll really get to put the system to an abuse test–whether it can take sustained speeds, and whether it can serve as a reliable connectivity option full-time. Of course I cannot share it among my various computers simultaneously, but again my purpose is for backup connectivity that I can also use while mobile.

When I get that plan approved, I would use it instead with this black modem and I would probably sell the white one (along with the prepaid SIM) or keep it as backup.

Updates: From research, I discovered that the black USB dongle sold with this prepaid pack is the LongCheer WM66. I believe that’s a relative newcomer, compared to Huawei and ZTE, which supplies most other dongles out there. Huawei is usually un-lockable, while ZTE dongles are more difficult (if possible at all) to unlock. But at PhP 2,500 for a prepaid kit, these things are cheap already!

Also, I have a Globe Visibility prepaid kit review upcoming!

Some words of advice

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My Bayantel DSL connection has been slow lately, and I’ve been experiencing some intermittent connections. That would’ve been okay if my connection were just for personal use, but since I use it for work, then I can’t afford to be cut off just when timing is critical. I’ve had important chats, VoIP calls and upload cut off and it while it would usually take a few clicks to reconnect (via router) there are some cases when the connection would be down for five minutes or more.

One other thing, I can’t seem to download using bittorrent anymore. Files that used to take 30 minutes to 1 hour of download (like a 350+ MB Linux .ISO file) would now take days. This is disappointing.

I recently received a call from Globe telemarketers (I wonder where they get my contact info) telling me they have a package almost similar to my current Bayan DSL, but only faster. For PhP 1,295 I get a 1 MBPS connection, a landline subscription and some free gadgets like an inkjet printer, webcam and headset.

Personally, I don’t care for the gadgets. I already have an inkjet printer (which also serves as my scanner and copier), and most of my computers have built-in webcams and mics. What I have been looking for is a package that also gives free hours or minutes with local WiFi providers. Globe broadband does offer free one hour Globe WIZ access per month with the PhP 1,295 package. That’s not much, considering that only costs about PhP 100 or so prepad, and that I could connect using my HSDPA enabled mobile phone (thru bluetooth) for only PhP 20 per hour (P5/15 minutes x 4).

I’m not so sure about the reliability of Globe Broadband connection in my area (UP Village), so I would like to get inputs from those who do have experience with Globe. This might help me decide whether to stick to Bayantel or switch.

Last month I got so excited about the PLDT Wireless landine SIM that Jepoy sent me. I wanted to see for myself how “wireless landlines” fared. And what made PLDT Landline Plus attractive was that you can plug the SIM card into any GSM phone. No need to purchase a phone based on other technologies (i.e., CDMA).

However, my expectations were not met.

Signal was good. Registering for a monthly prepaid plan was simple enough. And voice quality is generally OK. My biggest gripe is the interconnection with other networks, namely BayanTel.

I know I’m considered to be a BayanTel loyalist, as I’ve often reviewed their services here, and I’ve been a BayanTel subscriber for more than ten years now. Our home landline (and that of my folks’) is BayanTel-provided, and guess what: with the PLDT wireless landline, calling BayanTel phones is really a bother. You would not only have to redial once, but in many cases, your call would never push through even after many tries. In my case I don’t even get a “network busy” signal or message. My phone just disconnects after trying to dial a Bayantel number.

Receiving calls from Bayantel and other landline networks is not a problem, though. I can receive calls fine from any landline. But it seems impossible for mobile phones try to call PLDT wireless landline numbers.

And the promised text messaging system is still not in place. Even PLDT-to-PLDT.

In mobility and telecoms, interconnectivity is the name of the game. I remember the mid 1990′s, when PLDT was still the dominant telecoms provider, interconnectivity was such a big issue. And the new entrants’ (e.g., Bayantel, Globe, Digitel) survival largely depended on whether their users could call PLDT users and vice-versa. This was the same when SMS started to become popular.

I’m not sure if the problem is on PLDT’s or Bayantel’s side, but if “wireless” landline providers want to succeed in the market, then they better work on this fast!

The _in_ thing in the Philippine telco market today is the wireless landline service. It’s somehow a mix of mobile phone service and landline service: the focus is on voice calls, but the service is usually not limited within a home or office.

There are various reasons why the Philippines is called the texting capital of the world. For one, text messaging is cheaper than voice calls (at least in the country). Secondly, Filipinos are known not to be a bit on the shy side when it comes to communicating. So we would rather text than call because the impersonal nature of texting serves as a veil between the communicants–one doesn’t have to worry about emotions or reactions. And for the forgetful ones like myself, I like keeping info (or agreements!) in my SMS inbox, so I won’t forget.

The recent upsurge of “wireless landline” services, however, goes to show that telcos are tapping that unused capacity of their networks in bringing about a new service–something I would call a “hybrid” one, but something that others may consider bordering on marketing gimmick.

Until recently, wireless landline services had to be exclusively subscribed-to, and required exclusive handsets. Some networks even use systems that are not same as the most widely used standard here, which is GSM. Bayantel, for one, uses CDMA. And until recently, using wireless landline services meant using a full-sized telephone apparatus, complete with the wired handset and the base with antenna. Portable, true. But one might look silly walking around at the mall speaking into what looks like a wired landline phone (at least that was what I thought when the service first came out a year ago).

But then the candybar-type handsets came to be popular, also. These were as portable as your usual mobile phone, but without the limitation of per-minute charged calls.

And for about a year after wireless landline services were introduced, these were usually postpaid plans with unlimited outgoing calls and SMS messages. But now the trend is going towards prepaid.

Hands on with PLDT’s wireless landline service

So I’ve wanted one for the longest time. My wife preferred the large apparatus type unit (if ever we were to go for one). But we didn’t feel the need for it yet. So it was way below our to-do / to-acquire list. But I got an offer from fellow blogger Jepoy, who was giving out prepaid PLDT Landline Plus SIM cards.

What was really great about the PLDT service was that it was no longer limited to specialized handsets. One could acquire a PLDT Landline Plus Prepaid SIM card, plug it into any GSM phone (Smart locked or unlocked), and voila! You have service!

I got my SIM card in the mail this afternoon (after much anticipation through the weekend) and tried it out. Here are some photos and my initial thoughts.

* The service functions much like a regular prepaid GSM subscription, albeit a basic one. There’s caller ID, but there are not much bells and whisltes (like wireless Internet, call waiting, call forwarding, etc.)
* Voice quality is good–I would expect this of the Smart network. It does have an echo sometimes, though.
* Coverage is good so far. I would expect this of Smart, too.
* Interconnectivity is good, so far. From my Bayantel landline at home, I could connect 100% of the time. Other reviewers, though, say that interconnectivity is iffy at about 75%.

I tried the SIM on my LG KU250 (the one stolen and recovered). And for one to use a “wireless landline” SIM on such a phone would be overkill, as Max Limpag would say. The data connectivity features of the phone would just be put to waste. So later this week I’m off to get myself a cheapo basic phone (much like what I use as my main phone).

I had no problems activating the SIM from my home office. Jepoy says you need to be in an area where the Smart cell site is already upgraded to handle PLDT wireless landline activation. No problem on my end, though.

Jepoy posts a comparison between two of the more popular prepaid wireless landline services here. I’m a loyal Bayantel user, so I initially wanted to get a Bayantel wireless landline phone. But then I would have to purchase a new handset altogether (which is incompatible with the rest of the country’s networks), and a dedicated SIM. The advantage, though, is that Bayantel has per-call charging, while PLDT’s is per-minute. But that’s for outgoing calls. Knowing how ingenious we can be at penny pinching, many users would probably just use the outgoing calls to ask the other end to call back.

Then again, as earlier mentioned, the telcos may have just found a really smart way to extend the use of their existing networks by marketing the service as a “wireless landline” service, when they could, in fact, just introduce cellular plans that are more focused on cheap voice calls rather than text.

I’ll be road testing this service soon, so watch out for more insights.