*Updated to add bmobile’s Macbook Air, Macbook, Viao offerings
So we people in Brunei finally have mobile broadband. For those who don’t know b-mobile launched their Zoom! service on the 4th April 2008 and now we have DST’s competing solution of GO! which was introduced on the 1st of May. Both are based on HSDPA which is a 3G protocol and require a 3G capable SIM card that allows voice, SMS and data.
When I first heard about Zoom! a month ago with its “up to” 3.6 Mbps connection I was intrigued and interested (which mobile warrior wouldn’t be?) so I went down to their road show at the Mall. So I went up to the guy to ask a few questions and he told me that there was 3 different speed tiers something like 1Mbps, 3.6 Mbps and something else that I can’t remember. After talking the one of the guys at their booth in the 2nd Brunei Consumer Fair last night I was told that they indeed do NOT have any tiers: just a single 7.2 Mbps (upgraded from 3.6 Mbps to meet the competition). Talk about misinformation. And the guy didn’t even want to tell me the prices plans. The guy was a bit unsure of the product as I asked if I needed to install special software for the device and whether it was cross platform and he said no. So I asked him if I were to boot into OS X or Linux would it work as well? Then he said something like no you need to install software from the CD. I take it, he was talking about the drivers but I honestly wonder how good is the Linux support as it does seem that they have Windows & Mac support which is nice but more on this later. So initially the Zoom! package is 3.6Mbps with 2GB of free data and $0.50/MB after the free usage. That how I read it until I went to the fine print or the FAQ page where it says that there is a cap of $40 on the excess data charges beyond which you are not charged, i.e. in other words for those who download loads of stuff it’s basically base price + $40 for unlimited usage. Now there comes to my other problem I had. What is the base price? It is not the listed on the website. Only after talking to them last night I found out the monthly charge just for the service is $59! So in total that would be $99 (at most) for unlimited data.
So come the 1st of May and GO! arrives and we get to see what offerings DST has up their sleeve has they had practically a month to see how Zoom! did and to strategize in order to compete. And after getting the details (all online I might add, as Jerudong Park Amphitheatre is a pretty long way to go just for the roadshow, and I just don’t have the time right now) I can say that they have indeed put up a great offer. 2 distinct plans: Basic and Unlimited (nice to see that they actually defined it properly). Prices for the basic: $38 with 2GB free data after which it’s $0.20/MB. The bill is capped at $88 (after which I assume it’s unlimited data) while the Unlimited package goes for $78. Both come with a free Simpur email account which is nice but nothing fantastic (Unlimited plan gets you Simpur Email Alert, which I guess is SMS to your phone?).
Now both solutions offer package deals with laptops and such but GO! even has a package with a wireless router (Ericsson W25 Router) that even has USB ports that support both print server and mass storage (and it better considering it cost’s $600)! b-mobile offers a Dell Vostro 1400 / HP Compaq V3700 / Asus EEE PC900. Yup that’s right the EEE PC900!! When I saw that In the papers on Friday I was estatic so I went there and only found a 701 so I was about to ‘scold’ them for getting my hopes up but decided not to. I asked them to show me how it work’s on the EEE but conveniently they didn’t have a modem to test it with. They didn’t have a modem to test it with? At a road show where you are supposed to be demoing the product? Perhaps the modem broke or something like that but still I doubt there is a good excuse for it. The guy did tell me that it does work in Linux but how true can that be if I dont’ see it before my very eyes. Now it has dawned on me I think they mean the 701 NOT the 900 because in specifications listed from a brochure they handed out it says “Intel Celeron 900MHz, 512MB RAM, 4GB SSD Drive, Display size 7″, Resolution 800×480”!!!!!!! Man and this isn’t the first time advertisement isn’t just right.
Here are the things I asked:
Me: Are you guys really giving out laptop?
b.mobile guy: Well, no actually, we’re loaning laptops. Meaning, you will have to purchase our laptop and modem when you decide to subscribe to our service.Me: (Oh. -_-“ Why didn’t I think of that? How silly I am. I forgot there’s NOTHING free in this world)
Me: So, why is it written free here on the leaflet? (Finger pointing to the leaflet)
b.mobile guy: That…errmm…well…Me: Never mind. Do I really have to buy your laptop when I subscribe? I mean, I already got one at home. Can I just buy the modem?
b.mobile guy: I’m sorry, sir. You really need to buy the laptop too.Source: DENCORPORATION
Unless of course this is just another case of the people with wrong information / bad communication. But anyway so I was suprised to see in the papers today b-mobile response to GO!
So finally they made a fine distinction between their Unlimited and Lite plans but what I don’t get is the “Local Data usage capped at $70” for the Unlimited plan. And there they show the “Asus EEE PC 900” which is a picture of the 701 as you can see the black bezel of around the screen that isn’t there in the 900…. (I’m sorry if I love the EEE too much but I did spark the current subnotebook / netbook revolution and I believe this form of mobility goes back to my PDA days, but I digress). But even with this new ad they still haven’t overcome one of their main problems clearly defining their costs and terms and this ambigiouty would cause me to sway to DST’s GO!. Also take note that GO! offers prepaid broadband with the following details
- $0.05 per Mb
- License Fees: $25
- Preloaded Balance: $10
- Validity 15 days
So all in all the following is a quick run down comparison of Zoom! and GO!
| Zoom! | GO! | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lite | Unlimited | Basic | Unlimited | |
| Max download speed | 7.2Mbps | |||
| Free data | 2GB | – | 2GB | – |
| Excess data charge | $0.50/MB | – | $0.20/MB | – |
| Monthly Fee | $30*? Local data capped at $70 | $60*? Local data capped at $70?? | $38 | $78 |
| Deposit | $50 (locals) / $100 (foreigners) | |||
| Annual License | $25 | |||
| Extras |
(only for calls between b-mobile and b-mobile / Telbru phones) |
(only for calls between b-mobile and b-mobile / Telbru |
|
|
| Simpur Email Alert | ||||
| Packages |
|
|
||
| OS Support |
|
|
||
| ‘Fine’ print | * prices based on a 60 month period by installments # prices based on 36 month subscription plan |
|||
Now b-mobile has a good offering for those who want an all-in-one solution for your mobile communications as it has both phone and data on the same SIM card (only problem) would be taking it out from the modem and put into a phone. However the free minutes and SMS/MMS are only applicable for communicating with other b-mobile / Telbru lines and, correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe most people are still with DST be it for familiarity or be it for cost effectiveness thus these free bonuses will not cover your entire monthly phone (non-data) usage. Thus I will guess I have to give the edge to DST’s GO! as I am currently still using EASI (~$25/month) and I’m strictly only looking for a data plan. But I have to commend b-mobile in it being the first to market and being quick in it’s response to the GO! prices. Indeed this is what competition is supposed to do and I’m glad that there is some. But with that if I had any advice to b-mobile it would be as follows
- Please make your terms clear because we all want to know as much as we can before committing to such a service (especially with 60 months installments!)
- Do not try to hide the facts this only adds suspician and confusion to your possible clients. E.g. prices: perhaps I can’t find a nice definitive monthly fee, so if there is one and I have missed it, my apologies. The brochure I got yesterday states that the Dell laptop is a “High Performance Multimedia Laptop”. Just give us the model number like the HP Compaq and Asus EEE PC (refer to last point). But this is nicely stated in the newspaper ad so why couldn’t it be in the brochure as well?
- Make sure your staff understands the service so that they do not give out wrong information
- Get your facts right. If you are offering an Asus EEE PC 900 I might be a customer, but if not please correct the details, misinformation will hurt your image and ‘cheated’ customers, who don’t get what they think they are getting, are not fun do deal with
Whoa super long post and that took quite a lot of my time but I guess it’s the technolust of wanting to be a true mobile warrior with my access on the go (on GO!… ok bad pun but whatever). My current toss-up between an Asus EEE PC 701 / Asus EEE PC 900 / HP Mini-Note 2133 / Macbook is making my head spin wanting good battery life but something small to carry. The Macbook is only there for easy video creation that’s all, unless Linux video editors have a major milestone (not that it is horrendous, in fact it’s pretty good what you can get for free, but there are some little annoyances that annoy me a bit too much).
P.S. I wonder if it is possible just to use a regular 3G phone as a modem via AT commands and sorts thus bypassing a need for a modem entirely. That would be the best so you can use just your phone and anytime you want it on your laptop/computer just use a USB datacacble / bluetooth.
The Wheat Field 
Great post!
I can’t believe they are offering a 60 months loan plan for a 48 month service
Me: Are you guys really giving out laptop?
b.mobile guy: Well, no actually, we’re loaning laptops. Meaning, you will have to purchase our laptop and modem when you decide to subscribe to our service.
In the brocure it says free laptop!!! They even said to me it was free!! Misleading. Loan sounds more feasible
Nice post!
I test Zoom broadband on 3 different OS, but I can’t get it work in Linux – Ubuntu 8.04 to be exact, as you need the software for that and Zoom dont have software for Linux. I did successfuully fidling around with *nix command and compiler which enable me to connect to the modem but haven’t manage to make a connection – due to time limitation on testing the modem. As for speed Zoom, sometimes in one cell you can get average of 500kb or worse 100kb.
As for Go broadband, actually you can connect your normal home handset to the router, since the router give you capabilites to make use of the sim card voice channel. As for speed, the staff told me that the antenna can cover up to 10km radius, but only up to 5km radius for better speed. Tested on a 6km radius, with only 1 bar signal, the speed is 1.8mb.
Just like you said, Go actually is a bit better because they have a clear-cut for their service. However, I dont know about you, but my DST 3G signal not that stable and often drop.
p/s no comment on the laptop as I can see it is only a marketing strategy.
Berakas Dude I commend you with all the speed test you are doing and getting some great comparisons between Zoom! and GO! Keep it up!
Thanks valiant for some feedback on the Linux front. Wonder if Berakas Dude could let us have some time with his modems to test it out =)
i tot im the only one complaining! (are u complaining ka? hehe)
bmobile’s advert is not sincere and misleading. u giv money to bmobile every month and with your generousity you will be given a free modem, free this and that. then wen dst launch their go! broadband…immediately 3.6mbps upgrade to 7.2. the capped prices are in tiny prints, so that people who dont know what 2gig of data per month is just keeps using their ‘free’ usage.
not forgeting jtb too reduce their service fee fm usual $98 to $68- but still at 512kbps….and im still wondering, broadband thru a telephone wire….
my vote is stil dst go! i’ll stick to a sincere marketing campaign.
Thanks for the comment wolfcry. I am complaining about the misleading (and wrong) facts. I’m not complaining about the fact that early adopters got the short end of the stick, because as early adopters that is expected. Probably the ads were trying to be a marketing ploy to mislead people, well at least I see it that way. But as I mentioned, you have to commend bmobile for at least upping their game in response to Go! So let’s just see how this plays out
i live in kg kilanas. using dst GO modem the signal is full. never try ZOOM broadband modem yet. im planning to buy their modem and test the speed here.
Y this make me slow to get ZOOM.
Because when i try to connect using n95 phone using phone modem to laptop the speed is slow. even surf from mobile also slow. is it possible faster if i buy ZOOM modem even i know it was already slow on the phone.
i wish someone will do a test on both modem and compare which is the most faster data transfer, at the specific area.
I cannot believe I am going to say this but if you are with Espeed now, dont switch. Like many of us, we have been with Espeed for so long and have complained about Espeed for so long, it seems like its expected. I have had the same experience as everyone else too, there has been good times and bad times.
I blame myself for not testing things out properly. I am one of the silly ones that got blind sided by the pretty shiny macbook. I paid in advance 30 months, brought the router home, and found out no port forwarding.Woo hoo!! for something called double Nat, this means that there is 2 firewalls in front of us… so good bye to gaming and good bye to torrents. Well the green faces in torrents anyways. I also notice that if you were to be torrenting at certain times, they also throttle you.
So I think i am going to chalk it all up being dazzled, and consider myself having paid for an expensive and crawl back to espeed… wonder if they will still have me… perhaps if i buy some flowers and chocolates…
suomaf I take it that you got GO! since you said that got the router. Thanks for letting us know of your experience. I have set up a location specific bandwidth comparison test here based on Berakas Dude results. Perhaps if we get more people to help we can get more location specific results =)
Great Post!
Just to add up, I’ve just collected my GO! Broadband (unlimited) from the counter about two days ago, and they told me that I got free 200mins voice usage per month, I didn’t get to asked them in more details though since I was in a hurry, but yeah I think DST might put up a new advertisement in response to B.mobiles Free voice mins etc. And also they told me that they’restll upgrading their 3G and Go! broadband coverage.
Oh and also, I’m no computer whiz but do you guys have any idea how do i forward ports on the go broadband modem? for torrent purpose, been having a hard time to make it work. if you do mail me.
Thanks
I just read david’s blog and I would like to respectfully disagree with him. DST does actively throttle you. I have done experiments where the ping rate to 202.152.64.28 Go! dns server being under 100 and as soon as you turn on the bit torrent program they shoot up to 1000, and then to 4000 then to 10,000 ms. They might say they dont throttle but they definitely do something. I tried using a seedbox, getbyte2u.com for the last few days and it sorted out the problem, and then guess what, they banned the ip so I am back to square one.
Speeds up to 7.2Mbs indeed. 0.2kbs is also “up to” 7.2 mbs
Hey wheat,
Sorry.. how do i let you know the location specific bandwidth test? I am in Jerudong, very close to where they did the initial road show.
Just email me tim_at_thewheatfield.org with the details. Thanks for your contribution =)
Hi, I was googling for DST Go and found this post of yours. There’s a new offer around (well at least I think it’s new), Omni. Espeed and Zoom merged together in a package.
I was wondering what are your views on it. Oh and I’m a bit confused now, does this mean that Go does not allow us to torrent?
Heehee. Sorry, I just want to make the right decision before I choose one.
Oh and thanks, you shed quite a light on the matter. :smile:
Thanks atul5353 I didn’t know about that. Been busy with work and life at the moment. Just found out that there is also a $20 unlimited WAVE (for 30 days only) offer. The new OMNI offer seems great especially since there are many E-Speed users. Just wondering if there will be an upgrade option for current E-Speed users. Looking at the monthly fee for OMNI, it’s just ~$20 on top of those current E-Speed rates which is a good deal. Looks like Telbru has done it again answering to DST’s GO! Student which I have yet to mention too. I’ll try get a write up as soon as I can.
2 thumbs up to this post. Veryinformative! But my question unanswered till now is..
Go!basic has a 2gb free access. Is it 2gb per month or 2gb forever?
Next, (answer carried forward) the basic long term subscription in which you obtain an acer, and router. Does that include the 2gb monthly / eternally as well? It’ll be great if i was informed=) i apologize for my inquisitivity. =)
Hi TylerPadfoot,
as far as i know the 2Gb is monthly and if you exceed it, you will get charged for $0.20/mb. This free 2Gb is applicable to the long term subscription as well.
:)
hi all,
great post!!!
i found mysef confused here..
newly arrive in Brunei, thought i need e-connection at my room…
friend of mine got the bMobile (the first promotion) and found that the speed really slow,, so now he went back to e-speed…
lucky i’m not yet subcsribe..
then i tried to DST, asked them bout how it will works,,
they said its depend on your signal reception (unfortunately in my house DST not really good, many time i got my conversation cut).
i asked them so which area is coverage by DST. They said, ‘better you try first, because some of customer coming back to us that they cant use this services’.. wheeew… i think they supposed to be have listing area for this,,, (what ever the name, maybe zoning of their coverage).. its preety expensive for trial and got our money lost…
so now, i found in newspapaer that bMobile has another offer….
what do u think, which one i have to subscribe……
thanks alot then….
An update everyone, I am based in Jerudong Park very near the place where they did the first roadshow. These few days I cannot even connect to google. I continued with my ping for the DNS and today i have seen it gone up to 20,000 ms !! I have called 151 numerous times and while I have to admit the customer service is top notch, they do not actually do anything. Nothing is ever done and “technicians” who are supposed to call you back never do. I have stupidly ask if i could get a refund for the laptop and the router, guess what the answer is :) Anyways they say they have applied to the govt for new repeaters and i asked them when do you think this might come about, they say no clue what so ever. So if you came here researching DST Go!, heres the facts,
HSDPA technology which is what Go! uses, signal will will shrink as users grow, this means speed will get slower and slower and connection will not be more and more inconsistent
DST Go! will not offer static IP so there is no way to do any web hosting or VPNs
NO BITTORRENTS legal or otherwise, ping rate to the dns will go from 100ms to 20,000 ms so you will be downloading at about under 10kb/s
There is no way to get a refund if you do not want to continue if you paid for a “laptop plan”
If I sound bitter, it is because I am angry at myself for not doing the research properly before committing to a non refundable 30 month plan. Hope this helps someone.
Cheers
@wd: As both Go! and Zoom! depend on 3G reception it is always best to try get a set and test in your place. Perhaps we/I should dedicate a page of Go! and Zoom! users in different areas of Brunei and perhaps we could get in touch with people near by to do site tests on reception and connection reliability =) If you really need a stable connection I would recommend just getting e-speed
@Suomaf: Thanks for sharing your experiences. Yes it is a sad fact that the more people use mobile broadband in a certain area the worse the connection gets. Apparently I didn’t to mention in my post that both Go! and Zoom! are shared connections and thus will speeds will degrade when more use it in a certain locale. I need to update this post with the new offers. It’s been a crazy few weeks for me, hopefully I can update this post.
Thank you all for your feedback and contributions to this post =)
I have purchase a DST Go Broadband with W25 Ericsson router. At first I am quite upset because of the poor internet connection performance in my area – signal available is only UMTS not the HSDPA. I have reported many times to DST care (151), until such I found out that my area is dead spot for HSDPA. At that time I am planning to buy a parabolic grid antenna to gain signals from far distance cell site. I have inquired DST care again about the frequency of HSDPA used here in Brunei because this is essential for the parabolic grid antenna ordering. I get very surprising reply from them (DST care) – they don’t know the frequency used for HSDPA. Maybe I myself is so dumb also that I don’t know this technicality of HSDPA center frequency. So I decided to have a DIY (do-it-yourself) antenna with my W25 Ericsson router. I put the router in the lunch box (of course I put ventilation holes) and place my router outside my apartment with an extension power cable, then I check the signal in the Windows User Interface (WUI) – it shows 1 to 2 bars – basically always shows UMTS. After fixing the lunch box with router I put some aluminum sheet used as a signal reflector to the rubber sturdy antenna. I studied many angles, until I get success I was able to connect the in HSDPA (it shows on WUI) – I was able to get solid 5 bars @ HSDPA mode. After the success I have found additional info while studying the behavior of DST GO Broadband – HSDPA full capacity is on-demand meaning the HSDPA will only be available if it is needed. Though I have found sluggish in connection during peak hours specially 6pm to 8pm – even if I got solid 5 bars signal, I presume this is due to network traffic. I hope that DST will get to the bottom of having solution to this issue.
I planning to host web site with limited users, but I don’t whether this is possible or not – Can someone please discuss to how we can host web at home using DST Go Broadband? Any possibilities?
Thanks and Best Regards,
Mark
Hey Mark nice hardware hack you’ve done. Perhaps you could get photos for us to see and learn from =) Regarding the sluggish connection, that’s just the nature of a shared connection, the more people use it the slower it will be for you.
I believe you could host your own server at home following this guide: WWW FAQs: How do I host my own website at home?. If it’s just a small website, for just getting simple information to people and not catering to the public, it should be fine, just that connecting to it may be slow due to the shared connection as I mentioned. Perhaps if I can borrow my sister’s Go! modem I could see whether it works =)
I will broadcast in my next post how I set-up my Go Broadband W25 Ericsson router DIY aluminum antenna (with picture). Right now I am planning to do experiment with Long Range Wireless Distribution System or Repeater with my WRT54GS but it is very difficult to find cabling and antenna accessories here in Brunei like the following:
1. 50 Ohms cable coaxial (i.e. RG58, RG8, LMR-400, and LMR295)
2. SMA (Sub-Miniature A) female and male connector
3. Antenna Mounting kits
Anybody please give me contact information to where I can buy the above accessories in Brunei or Miri.
I want to share what I have discovered some abnormality issues regarding the W25 routers supplied by DST, the following are:
1. Every time there is power fluctuation you need to hard restart meaning you have to unplug and reconnect the power supply when starting the W25 router.
2. If you want to read/send SMS you need to remove the SIM card and transfer it to any normal cellphone. In my case this is very funny because I have to get a ladder and climb in the wall to get my SIM out of my router and put in my cellphone and read my SMS. I already made a complaint to this issue to DST (151) if they have a graphic user interface (GUI) or windows user interface (WUI) so that I may able to read/send my SMS remotely or via WIFI– They reply me to use ordinary cellphone in order to read/send SMS. It seems they don’t know what I mean. Anyway I am on the research how to send AT command out of WIFI maybe this will work.
3. DST supplied router has an access level only to USER – means limited configuration, I inquire DST (151) what is the password for the ROOT (admin) – expanded configuration, they said they don’t know.
4. The advertised speed of 7.2 Mbps never be achieved – I don’t know DST have time stamp bandwidth monitoring since it is quite slow here in Kuala Belait and Mumong area specially in the Pandan 7 somewhere Soon Lee Mega Mart area where GO broadband is dead spot – We hope that this will triggers them to have roadmap in upgrade or additional broadband site. I have done random bandwidth test from the point of purchase till time, I was able to get a maximum recorded speed @ 900kbps (early morning) and a minimum of 16kbps (lunch time & 7pm), and the average is about 116kbps.
5. Automatic firmware upgrade in WUI seems not supported by the DST. Based from the original W25 router supplied by DST its firmware is version R10B meanwhile in the Ericsson web site the firmware version is R10C.
I did a google using the words ‘ericsson W25 router reception problem’ and up popped your forum. ‘Popped’ is the wrong word; arriving in such a crawl that a turtle would have had time to have grandchildren would be a more appropriate phrasing.
I also paid up my $3000+ for the laptop and 30 month deal. The technicians did come when I first complained and told me to keep a log. They would ‘ring me in a few days’!. No, they haven’t. No-one answers the DST number at Serusop, so I’ll visit them on Friday morning.
My router runs beautifully in Berakas at work – good speed, click the mouse and pages come up bang, bang, bang; at home, next to the Manggis roundabout and tunnel, only a stone’s throw from the tower on top of Hua Ho, it is very slow. Download speed tonight was 4 kB/s. Sometimes even google wont load.
I’m not up with the technical part of doing ping tests etc so I have a filetube file I test downloading and a specific youtube video that I time. The youtube is a 51 second clip which often takes over 5 minutes.
The internet would be great if it ran like it does when I take the router to work.
I have tried the router in all the rooms of the house; we get excellent phone reception everywhere; it’s just the router reception. Even powering up takes it some time.
I was looking for someway to use an aerial hence the aluminium idea might help. Anything might help!
PS
I should add that the three men who came around were perfectly friendly and pleasant; I just didn’t know what questions to ask them, nor was I sure if it was my house position or the router or my setup with my computers. I’ve eliminated the latter two now meaning it must be the reception from the tower to my house.
I’m learning as i go.
Hi guys,
Anyone here using WAVE in KB town area? Just wanna know how’s the speed like. Its mentioned in their website that they give you unlimited access for $20 with a bandwidth of up to 10Mbps…wonder how true is that. If it’s good, I might give it a go.
Hey Eric, I’m not sure how the speed is like, but as I mentioned in my post, “up to 10Mbps…” doesn’t really mean much as they is no guarantee on the actual speed you’ll get we you do use it. I haven’t personally tested it so I can’t give you any first hand experience, but at $20 I would think it would be a good investment to see how well it works. But of course you better ensure you have a WAVE access point in the areas you want to use it at or else it will be useless. =)
Hi guys, has any of you ever tried downloading from rapidshare using b mobile modem during night time ? I just couldn’t get any connection at all !!
Regards,
John
Hi John, can you access rapidshare during the day without issue? Also am not clear if you can’t access rapidshare itself or the Internet in general. Personally I that the Internet itself slows down at night, sites tend to load slower and I get timeouts. I haven’t done any specific network tests but I would suggest pinging and running a traceroute to start the diagnostics to see where is the problem area. Also take note that you are using a shared network so if there are people using the bandwidth you may get bad connectivity. Try call bmobile help line and see if they can help you too as you are a paying customer, see if they can work something out for you. Just hope that the customer service is good =)
hi thewheat,
can you tell me what is the AVERAGE speed for GO broadband, i plan to sub that plan ,
i am using e speed 512kbps,and i wan to switch to go broadband they said, it can run to speed up to 900++ kbps
@anoymous The connection is a shared connection so speeds will depend on the number of people using it your location. I have done some speed tests and have achieved over 1Mbps download speeds but the best bet is to do some speed test from a DST phone on 3G and see if they work. I like Bandwidth Speedtest at sijiwae.net because it doesn’t take too long to complete because it doesn’t download 1MB files like other speed tests sites do. It only gives you download speed though, which is what people are typically interested in. For better results try Speedtest.net
Hey guys. I have been thinking of switching from e-speed to dst go broadband since the connection of my e-speed is really slow. Been surfing at around 250 – 350 kbps for a month now. It takes a lifetime to load a 9 minute video on youtube.
Furthermore, is there anyone living in Bunut using Go broadband? What is the average speed of the internet at this area.
Thanks.
Justin
so sorry for the mistake on the post i have made earlier on. i am not surfing at 250 – 350 kbps. I have been surfing at as low as 4kbps to 80 kbps. i used http://www.sijiwae.net/speedtest/.
Its so slow that even google takes 7 – 10 seconds. I dont have this problem few months ago. Any thoughts?
Thanks.
Justin.
Hi Justin,
I would advise you to call Telbru and tell them about the problem you are having with your E-Speed. Try doing a local E-Speed bandwidth test here. I had issues in the past and they changed my phone wiring and speeds were much better. But that being said, recently I’ve been getting bad speeds and will give them another call soon. Not sure about Go! speeds there but there have been some recent complaints such a this so do be wary.
Does anyone ever tried using GO BRANDBAND USB modem but with Zoom simcard? Im a zoom customer, but I think I like the DST GO Bradband usb design.
@Mr Kujack I’ve tried DST SIM card on the b-mobile modem and a b-bmobile SIM card on a DST modem. Unfortunately neither work. Seems like the modem’s are locked to the ISP. I suggest that you ask them if they allow unlocking of the modem, it’s always worth a shot
Hi Wheat, love all the information you have posted and the reponses. I have Go Broadband and it’s excellent, but unfortunately it doesn’t always hold it’s signal – it connects at 7.2 and all is good, then a short time later it goes to 238kp or disconnects. I unplug and move around but think from reading different websites it’s a combination of black spot and modem power. I am goint to try the alfoil trick and see how it goes – thanks for the idea! I was looking at getting a clip on from UK but the cost is around $70!
By the way after searching for USB modems in Brunei I found that DST in Gadong were fantastic and sorted me out straight away with a modem, whereas B-Mobile have been out of stock since September and didn’t look like they were getting any in for a while which is unfortunate. Also B-Mobile seem to have better reception in Rimba where I live because I borrowed one from a friend when I first arrived in Brunei, but the student deal offered by DST is outstanding at $58 a month and you get a modem for $150 (plus you don’t have to pay the contract up front as with B-Mobile).
heyyy…..i think im gonna update my w25 dst ericsson router..the pasword is “user” while the username is “user” also.ive been figure the password and search at google for a day but found nothing until finally get luck by guessing the password..
i already update the firmware to the latest version :D..yayyyy
Matzz.. You have the password to unlock the W25 modem? I have been trying for ages to figure it out.. Would you mind sharing it with me?
the router username & password for dst ericsson w25 : user
oh that user name and password i know. I am talking about the sim lock. i bought a dst go with the router but unfortunately it didnt work in my area so i bought the b moile zoom. Fortunately for me it worked in my area so i was thinking of using the w25 rounter with the b mobile sim card but it seem that the router is sim locked to only accept dst sim card.
Yeah the router and even USB modems are locked (both DST and bmobile). Which is why it is good to get a 3rd party 3G router. Perhaps some Googling online needs to be done to find the unlock codes or we need somebody with the technical know how and time to figure out how to unlock it. Or just somebody who works at bmobile or DST to find out for us too ;-)
After so many tries, i now successfully unlock my dst ericsson w25 router.
i think you need to configure the apn…just insert bmobile sim card and use bmobile accesspoint..
i live at bebatik kilanas,last week b.mobile zoom when i downloading is very zoooooom…500kb/s but this week just only 30kb/s.y?????the huawei modem usually green colour but now is blue
is it got connection problem.
ahjohnlah: I’m also having connection issues in KB/Seria. The past few days the connection is very bad and I noticed that the modem no longer connects at HSDPA and only uses WCDMA. Guess they’re upgrading their systems now. Hope that after the upgrade we can ZOOM again :P
i live in SERIA kg baru. i use bmoblie zoom. The signal is 1 or 2 bar only. if anyone live in kg baru use Dst GO BRANDBAND The signal is how many bar can tell me. email me. Thank You
bmobile zoom speed is very slow
I believe they are doing upgrades. My modem recently got on the new IP network and also previously I was getting 1Mbps downstream bandwidth even though my eSpeed subscription is only 512kbps. Seems that they have also upgraded their Zoom! too
If anybody’s still wondering what the frequency bands Go! is using, and since its not stated on DST’s website, looking up the capabilities of the C120 USB Modem that came included with GO! reveals
GSM Band: 850, 900, 1800, 1900
UMTS Band: 2100
http://www.alibaba.com/product-free/100686725/Bandrich_Bandluxe_C120_Hsdpa_USB_Data.html
I had to look these up as I’m getting the mifi Huawei E5830.
Hey guys,
My plan was to switch from Espeed to Go!Broadband providers, since I’ve migrated from Bandar to Panaga. First of all, I need to know the average speed in Panaga. So, anyone who lives near Panaga area know the average speed for Go! Broadband? Cuz I’m fulfilled with boredom over the couple of weeks without internet :S
Siren: I’m also curious to know how Go! Broadband is performing in Panaga area as I’m using ZOOM! Broadband and the speed has been terrible the past few weeks. It used to be really ‘zoomy’ before the supposedly ‘upgrade’ done by TelBru sometime back in May.
If GO! is better than ZOOM!, then maybe I would have to say goodbye to ZOOM!!
There’s a DST tower at Jln Pandan 8, a stone’s throw away from Panaga. Bandwidth depends very much on time of day. It can be as much 3Mbps DL before sundown and as little as 1/2 Mbps DL an hour later.
Sryn
I’ve bought the DST Go! broadband starter pack including the Prolink USB modem (bought from NETcom) today, for temporarily use, to see if its any ‘better’ than Espeed.
I successfully installed the Prolink installation, then automatically detected DST’s reception. But when I clicked ‘Connect’, I keep getting this pop-up error message saying:
“Error Code: 628
The connection was terminated by the remote computer before it could be completed
IT is suggested to double check the profile setting under MENU/Profile”
I did checked the profile setting, and still the same problem occured :(
My current profile is:
Profile Name: DST Mobile
Number: *99#
User Name: internet
Password: internet
APN: dst.internet
Is there anyone having the same problem as me? Is there solutions for this? Like changing the password, username, APN or others.
Try blanking out the username and password. APN and Number looks fine.
Sryn
Anyone here at Panaga area having connection problems with ZOOM?? The speed is just horrible for the past couple of weeks and I can’t even sign in to live messenger. Even if it does, it does not stay connected for long. HELP!!!
stumbled into here while looking for gaming/DL solutions.
I could probably match the length of this page in my negative experience w/ B-mobile’s Zoom!, but there seems little point.
I live out on Jln Kota Batu, in what is apparently known as a ‘dead spot’ – although certainly no one told me at the time when I signed up, even though they filled in my resident/billing address.
I’ve tried to use net sites like speedguide.net, programs like TCP Optimizer, registry hacks from DSLReports, etc. No luck yet.
And I’ve tried customer service, both at The Mall and at Old Berakas Airport. Similar to what others said: they are very nice/pleasant/sympathetic, but absolutely useless. I’ve filled out 3 full pages by hand (one on each visit), and have gotten NO solutions/feedback over the months.
I have no idea if there are firmware updates available, as I can’t even find the company that manufactured the modem/interface program. 1/2 the time, I can’t even use the Pocketmodem Connection Manager to connect; I have to do it manually. And when it fails/disconnects, it is impossible to use Vista to repair it (like you could with the older model USB modem) – the whole thing has to be ditched; sometimes even a full reboot of the laptop.
it is apparently possible to set up a customized connection profile (using the interface), but B-mobile customer service has no idea what the base parameters are or the limitations of the network are.
If anyone has any suggestions, I’d be grateful. I can be reached at gajackson(at)gmail.com
As I’ve said to others so many times: there is NO excuse why Brunei should hover around 150 in the world for uploads/downloads. But it seems like it will take a titah to get things changed.
Ouch that is a bad experience. Customer service is generally bad and typically counter staff will not know the technical details (not just Brunei). It’s a sad truth that most of the times the customer has to do all the research him/herself so that they don’t get scammed or get into something that they will regret.
Is your Pocketmodem connection issue done at home where there is a “dead spot” or in general? I have the same modem and haven’t had any issues with mine on OS X, Windows 7 and Ubuntu. Perhaps it’s just faulty hardware, but if you’re trying to connect in a dead zone or a place that has very weak signal it could just be that the modem can’t find the signal because it’s just too weak.
Hope you can get something out of it, otherwise if you’re on contract you can ‘sell’ the subscription to a friend or somebody so you don’t feel it is a total loss
like cg.glen above, i stumbled upon this site while looking for solutions to my dl/gaming probs..
i live ard the batu satu area(next to utama bowling). I have been using my B-mobile Zoom with not much problems but finally bought a prolink USB router in order to share the internet around(the prolink modem is $60 in singapore btw)
set up the prolink installation, plugged in the zoom modem and shared the connection…with horrible results..web pages took ages to load,youtube videos failed to load at all and i dont even want to go into the ps3 experience..
So my question is: Is this a common problem? Didnt have any problems when i was just usin the usb modem on one computer..tried moving the modem around and for a few minutes it was actually fast,then slowed down again…is it just that B-mobile is ‘upgrading’ again? My friend a couple of floor downstairs uses GO broadband and shares it wireless with no apparent problems..
Any help will be most appreciated
Thanks
The speed no have 7.2 mbps
hello there, great post indeed :)
I’m having doubts on few matters about choosing between Zoom! and Go! broadband services. Currently I’m using DST Go broadband postpaid plan but I’m also planning to get the B-mobile Zoom broadband plan but without purchasing the modem since I have already got one modem from the Go! broadband.
I wonder if the dst go broadband modem will support open-sim card such as using B-mobile zoom’s simcard for internet usage.
Thanks.
@frostybite I’ve tried using bmobile SIM in a DST broadband modem and vice versa and the results were the same: they are not compatible as the USB modem/dongle is locked to the carrier. They will require an unlocking process. I’ve asked bmobile and they are unable to unlock their modems and asked me to contact the manufacturer of the device. However I didn’t get any reply after emailing them. I do not have a DST modem so perhaps best bet is you ask DST if they can unlock it for you, or if there is a price for unlocking. Or you could borrow a bmobile SIM from a friend and see if it works.
The Zoom! Unlimited package includes free Voice minutes & SMS and it’s quite clearly stated that these free minutes and sms are only for bmobile to bmobile/telbru. It does not mention anything about calling/sms DST phones. Anyone know whether this is even possible and if so what are the rates?
I was thinking that if this is possible then why go for the bmobile postpaid Smart plan ($65) if you could just get the Zoom! unlimited? What additional services does the Smart plan have over the Zoom Unlimited plan?
Does anyone knwo the root or admin password for the Ericsson W25 router provided by DST?
It is not the default ones such as {blank}, root, admin, etc.
The fucntions one the user:user menu are so limited. This is why I need to admin or root password.
Sorry man, I don’t know as I don’t have one. If they have configured it themselves they could have easily changed the password and probably locked it to the DST network. b-mobile locks their 3G modems to the b-mobile as well.
anyone notice when dial *100# on easi subscriber ada new feature the “add-on data package”??
hey ther,,anyone here from seria? Cos been planng to get a go!broadband basic n wonderng wether seria is a good place for the go!broadband or not..n if by any chance,do any of u guys play the game League of Legends?if u do n play it with go!broadband,is it laggy?
3G connectivity like Go! broadband usually has lower latency than regular wired connections and thus it could result it it being laggy. But as with lots of stuff you won’t know until you try. If you have a DST line, you can try tethering using your phone as a test case without having to subscribe to a Go! subscription
Anyone knows how to unlock Ericsson W25 router? Please contact me at rock_melon2003@yahoo.com We’ll make a deal.