Don't know about Mobitel but I hooked up with QB (cadcomms) 3G service last month.
$3 for the Simm card
$35 per month pre-paid
1.5 Gig download allowance per month but not sure yet how well that is monitored as QB states that more than 1.5 Gig may be considered excessive usage.
Speed is a consistent 400.8 kilobytes per second.
Connection has been pretty good so far.

Irvin

Can you keep us in the loop please ?

cheers it

further to the above, speed is actually 460.8 kbps and not the 400.8 I stated before

Irvin,
Can you please tell me where ;

Where are they located?
Do you need to wack down a deposit of $150++ like mobitel ?
Do you have to sign a contract for 12mths or can you go month to month ?
Is it simply a SIM card in your phone ? So...you ave to take out your cellcard SIM every time you go on the internet ?
Do they do all the configuring for you / is it an easy set-up process ?

I just want to plug a USB from laptop into my phone and get onto the net with a min' of fuss.

thanks

it

try to find a PCMCIA card for your laptop. you then do NOT need the extra telephone or cables as the SIM would be connected via the PCMCIA card

Hi,
QB head office is on Monivong Boulevard but you don't need to go there. I bought the Simm card from a hole-in-the-wall phone shop. This cost $3 as it was not a 'special' number i.e. one with some kind of Khmer numerological significance. No ID required...no receipt.
I did not pay any deposit...no contract. I bought $35 worth of QB recharge cards (from a phone shop near Central Market but available anywhere) and loaded them onto the phone. Total up-front cost then was $38. Each month I will load another $35 worth of credit onto the phone which will pre-pay for my internet access for the month. You can set up an account with QB if you want and I understand that this costs $30 per month.
For more info on plans, services, costs...QB's web page is here: http://www.qbmore.com/index.php
My phone is a Nokia and I used Nokia PC Suite to connect the phone to the computer and to the QB service.
The initial connection set-up was a bit of a pain in the bum but this was more to do with my lack of technical competence rather than anything too complex in the process. If you know what you are doing...or know someone who does, set-up should take under 10 minutes.

Irvin

Irvin,
thanks for the info. Am I right in saying I would have to take my Cellcard SIM out and put the qB one in when i want to connect my pc to the internet via my phone ?

Hi it,
I'm not very familiar with laptops so probably not the right person to ask. There would probably be some hardware/software work-around that would enable you to use the Simm cards without swapping them from phone to computer.
My 3g phone is fairly expensive and remains tethered to my desktop with its sole function being a modem. I use an additional el cheapo-crappo Nokia with separate Simm as my walk around phone.

Irvin

I'm on the $26 plan with mobitel and the missus had been on the original $40 plan when it first started. The original plan is unlimited, while the $26 is meant to be 100mb and then 25kb/sec which would supposedly make it the most expensive service in Cambodia. However, I have been using close to 1gb each month, and the most my bill comes to is $40 including calls/text etc.... The missus was paying $60 odd on the original, so we have changed hers to the $26 plan as well.
It aint a bad service - 460.8 kbps, fine for downloading from youtube, music etc... I had tried QB before signing up with mobitel, but found that they did not really know how to configure the 3g phones that they didn't sell. I had heaps of probs connecting, and their service was pretty shitty in helping me set up - I gave up in the end!
You can offer Mobitel a $100 deposit (I did), it covers your bill if you dont pay it for a month or 2, but they will disconnect if you dont pay after 2. Any you will get it back when/if you stop the service.
You wont have to change you sim as you can keep your number.
Anyway, just a bit of perspective from someone using this service.

Cheers
S

Damn,
Now I am confused. Again, I already have an 017 SIM in my 3G phone. If I get a 3G SIM for the internet, I have to swap them over every time I want to connect to the internet right ?

And the way I am reading your comment Simon is that on the $26 plan, if I am just browsing or emailing lightly ( maybe an our at night and a few hours on the weekend each day ) then I will still have a relatively low bill and the speeds are ok ?

: : : : : : :roll:

it

2nd question first - the $26 plan will be more than sufficient for what you need for emailing and general browsing.

If it is true that they are charging 1cent/25kb (once you have gone over the 100mb limit), then that works out to be about 40c per megabyte, but I aint seen that as all my excess over the $26 is my calls only.

As for the second question, as 017 is also mobitel, I presume that you can go into the mobitel office and say you want to upgrade your mobitel service to the 3g one, and they will give you a brand new 3g sim, and hopefully for you they will assign your present number to that sim. Then you wont need to swap sims as the one will do all! Don't quote me on this though, as I remember that the only numbers they offered when signing up in the first place (Feb last year) was 092.

Also, what phone have you got - the 460kbps are for phones that are in fact 3.5G (HSDPA). If you have the older 3G tech, you will get 320 kbps (I think) - but again, it is still good for what you need (I found that the 3G here is probably 10X faster than dial up). The newer 3.5G IMHO is as good as the broadband crap they dish up here!
Hope it all helps
Cheers,
SS

Simon,
My phone is a NOKIA 6120 Classic and google is telling me it is HSDPA.

Your info is great. Thanks

it

I have a 3G SIM, though I haven't activated it for 3G as I already have separate broadband. I have an 012 number - which makes just converting your 017 to 3G a real possibility. However, I heard when 017 was introduced that they were actually using a separate subnetwork or some such for it, separate to 012/092 which shared the original network; that may prevent you upgrading if you can't access 3G on 017. But as they have a large proportion of their available numbers on 017, and many 3G customers will be new customers, it makes sense that they've planned to have 3G on 017 too.

Short answer: a trip to Mobitel office on Sihanouk, not at lunch time, should let you do it on the same visit, waiting + tomfoolery + actual upgrading of your connection & SIM should be around an hour I'd say.

BC

PS I have a couple of friends who recently took up Qb on their 3G offer, they say it works really well with no hassles. Their phone was not supplied by Qb but they didn't say anything about connection or setup problems.

One of my colleagues has friends at qb. Supposedly qb will start offering 3G web service unlimited downloads per month for $35 (one of the original posters said the current limit is 1.5Gb). Does anyone using qb currently get this deal? And can users confirm the quality of qb 3G. I have heard really good things and really bad things (in terms of signal and speed, not necessarily set-up and customer service).

I picked up an LG KU380 last weekend at the QB headquarters. It's the cheapest 3G phone they have($129), and it works fine as a modem for the computer.

I would say that the speed is about the same as you'd find at an above-average internet cafe. That being said, I have heard complaints from friends that in some parts of the city the signal is not very strong, and the speed fluctuates a lot depending on where you are.

One thing to note about QB: The brochure stating the rates for the different services is deceptively color coded. It looks like the rate for calling across networks(a hefty $0.10/minute) is tied to the $35/month maximum charge for internet service. It is not.

A mate has QB unlimited for $35 a month,says that it is great.
Bugger,I had a phone line put in and went withe ezecom,not much chop.
They cut me off two days ago because i had exceeded the peak time limit and demanded a $50 deposit to reconnect,nothing about that in the brochure.
Service slow on mine,QB sounds good.

i took QB two days ago.
the speed seems ok (but slower than my 128K with PPCTV).
Sometimes the service is unavailable, but 35 USD for unlimited remains a very good offer.

does anyone knows how to set up the phone as internet modem with the macbook ?

EDIT
I found !!! now it works with my mac book pro (the phone is Sony Ericsson k660i). the solution was on http://www.taniwha.org.uk/
I've downloaded a script from there and now it's ok.

phone number qbweb
no user name and no password

that's really cool

A quick follow up after one month connected to QB:
Total up-download of 1.6 Gig over the month.
Good enough speed for Skype, Youtube, downloading programs etc.
Connection good and fairly stable once made. I'm about 1 kilometer from Central Market along Monivong
Ability to connect to the server a little bit patchy. Not bad for the largely recreational user but might be a source of frustration if running a highly internet dependent business.

QB advertizes with speed up to 1.8 Mbit, but that depends on your phone. You will need a phone with highspeed modem (HSDPA). At the moment you can get phones who can speed by at 7.2Mbit, but as qb cannot offer that speed, not need to go that fast. Find a 3.5 Mbit phone, and hope you live in an area with good coverage.

You can also choose to buy an HSDPA USB stick, then you dont need a phone at all, just insert the SIM card in the USB stick and plug it into your computer.

Hey Irvin,
i have a Nokia e65 and i have the last PC suite.
PLease can you explain the method to configure PC suite, allover the one touch access menu with qb settings?
As you said it s a bit of pain to configure.
Thanks!!
Bye
Germain

Hi Germain,
I have sent you a PM

Irvin

Hi everybody,
With Irvin permission, here is his right configuration to make your Nokia a 3G modem.

"In Nokia PC Suite, select/click top right icon Connect To Internet.
On the next screen, click the spanner icon at the bottom (Configure)
On next screen, select your phone from the available drop down list.
On the next screen (Select Network Operator) click bullet Configure Manually.
On the next screen (Configure The Connection Manually) under access point, type WAP
Leave Username, Password and Additional Initialization Commands blank
Click OK. That should be it. "

Otherwise, i would like to buy a USB hdspa stick in Phnom penh. If somebody already did it. Could he let me know how and where?
I saw a MD 300 Sony ericcson model on net. I think it will be ok.

Bye

Germouk

excellent folks...all you need to add now is the screen shots.... :twisted:

now that you guys have had another month or so to play around with the 3G services in town ... another question ...

has nayone tried using just a 3G modem and a USB sim card reader plugged into a laptop? that way don't need to bother with a phone at all? been having a few problems tracking down someone in PP selling a selling a sim card reader though ...

so is the mobitel 3G having unlimited download? hows the pricing? im looking for an affordable broadband over there. Will be going there to work after chinese new year...

Ok, so I've had Mobitel 3G for 8 months now (I think). Anyways, its been a while. I have the $26 plan. I only use it to get my emails and emergency web surfing. Here are some of my thoughts:

THE BAD:
-My cheapest bill to date has been $55 (I took a trip overseas for a couple weeks so I wasn't using it) but usually around $150 (That's when they shut it off so I have to go pay the bill, even if it hasn't been an entire month.)
-I CAN NOT get 3g outside of Phnom Penh or Siem Reap as they said. This was a prerequisite for me as I work in Battambang/Pailin/Banteay Meanchey/etc. I only get GPRS out here.
-If you start your contract in Phnom Penh you can't pay your bill in Siem Reap, etc. You HAVE to pay through ANZ or back in Phnom Penh. Can't make any changes to your plan either.
-You have to have post pay to have 3g with Mobitel, at least that's what they told me which means no cellcard top ups.
-You need more paperwork to get a sim card than to buy a house here. House lease, Passport copy, Visa copy and something showing your address such as a bill.

THE GOOD:
-It only took me an hour to get the sim in Phnom Penh
-Ummm......

I'm using an N95 8Gb but using JoikuSpot instead of plugging it in using it as a modem. If you're not familiar, JoikuSpot turns your phone into a "hot spot" so other computers/phones can connect to the internet via your phone using your 3G.

I'd like to hear more about qb, are you guys having the same problem with 3g?

Are you also making heaps of calls - probably help for you to post what you are being charged for your data usage.
I'm also on the $26 plan and been so for a long while - dont make alot of calls but use the internet a fair bit - probably 500mb - 1gb usage every month - and my bill is never over $50!!!!!!!!!!
You yourself said that your phone connection has become like a "hotspot" - could it be that others have also found that out???

Also, Mobitel were very transparent with me about coverage saying that beyond PP it will revert to GPRS. Have used it alot in Kep and Kampong Som and not had any issues other than alot slower.

You can go increase your cutoff limit by paying more deposit - they'll cut it off because you have reached over 80% of your deposit - or something like that.

Looks like a typical case of Cambodian business dealings here!

I needed the fastest unlimited internet for the cheapest I could get. I looked around and found that STARCELL offered unlimited for $40 a month. I had to buy a 3G phone (maybe could get a modem instead?) and they hooked the entire thing up for me in about 10 minutes using Nokia PC Suite.

Have been using for a month and a half now and is working fine.

Pros:
Easy to setup
Good Customer Service
Speed: 460.8 kb/s
Only $40/mo.

Cons:
Have to go in every month on the 1st to pay $40 for the month

I'm overall happy I went with Starcell. I needed a new phone anyways so I bought the Nokia E51 phone for $230. Works great.

what I can tell for QB is that the 3G is now working in Siam Reap and Kampong Cham.
You don't need deposit, but a lot of top cards.
35 USD / month max for 1.5 GB data

Pros:
- good speed in PP (haven't connect with laptop in SR and KPC, only checked emails on my phone)
- easy to start
- you pay what you use

Cons:
- sometimes you cannot connect
- not really unlimited anymore (1.5 GB)

the first price 3G phone is a bit more than 100 USD

Wow, $40 per month for unlimited access is a very good bargain, provided with decent speed as well.... looks like a wise choice for me to get it when I go over there

Mobitel at present do not have a HSDPA from my understanding

sjh, contact details for starcell office in PP, perhaps an address + phone number, would be great!

Cheers!

The Starcell office I have been to is just South of Independence Monument on Norodom. Around cross street 310 maybe. I've had to go in a couple times and they were really good at helping me with any questions/problems.

Phone number: +23 888 887 or +98 200 199

I don't know how good the service is outside of Phnom Penh. They claim to be going national by 2009, but we'll see.

Mobitel do have HSDPA - speeds are 460.8kp/s as well!

Roger that I stand corrected

Mobitel 3G bandwidth sped test. http://www.speedtest.net

PNH to BKK

PNH to San Fransisco

wow.... its almost 2MB, thats pretty fast

Yes jimmy. quite surprised when i saw this as well. Note the time i posted this was just after midnight so traffic may have been low. generally i use the 3g connections most days and have no problems with pages loading.

AG

Oh, so only after midnight u got this tremendous fast speed? But it seems like the upload speed is going nowhere but slow...
How much is the monthly fee again? And it is unlimited right?

would you be able to check it agin duing the day sometime, and let us know? thanks alot ... i'm still shopping aound for someting, but really need a reasonably fast upload as well ...

cheers mate

hi augustine,

i've just got my QB sim and new phone (nokia 63E) and i want to use internet on my macbook. do i need to ask for anything else from QB?

i've tried following the instructions on the link you provided but i can't make head or tail of it? any info you can give me would be much appreciated.

cheers,
hm the technophobe!

EDIT: no worries folks i have got it working now. thanks to anthony and QB customer service! woohoo!