Raficoo
did a scan(Saida) same thing.. MTC 3G but Alfa still 2G :/
babum
No 3G invite :S I guess I'll have to wait until october
Chup
he tested at speedtest -getting 1mbps download and 100kbps upload, streaming without hiccups at youtube.
You mind getting him to sign up to lebgeeks ?
I'm sure a lot of us here would love to ask him questions...
Plz ?
abougrej
I just called Alfa and they mentioned that they are still calling the randomly picked 3G Testers. So we all still have a chance until end of this week probably.
Most of the selected MTC users just started 3G Testin! For Alfa users, we'll (Randomly picked) have to continue waiting.
d3ad
I can ask him, but i doubt he would :), if you have any questions about the connection etc i can ask him though
ghaith
I got a call from MTC today saying i'm one of the lucky 4000.
They will send me an SMS tomorrow with the configuration.
It's 1 month free. 4GB Cap. Video calls (the ones from the service not the online ones) cost as much as a normal call.
Cheers!
<Edit>
There might be prank calls as well as we already did 3 here in my company.. So i'm hoping this was really MTC.
This is an excellent prank material for geeks btw..
</Edit>
Bassem
I'm attending Social Media Week at Berytech. Nicolas Sehnaoui and representatives from Alfa & MTC spoke about the 3G testing phase and there was a draw to select a handful of test users for each network.
Testing phase will be from 20 September to 20 October.
Regular customers can start applying for 3G starting 20 October.
At that time, only Beirut will be covered, with coverage steadily widening.
On MTC, testers will have a 3 to 4 GB cap. Right now there are 202 3G sites active; by end of October, there should be 300. Speed in Beirut should be between 5 and 21 Mbps (the threshold of the 3G site itself.)
Once 3G is open to all users, if you do not already have a data plan, you will have to call customer service and get an APN to activate 3G. It should be a hassle free procedure done over the air.
blabsters
does anyone know what the APN for the mtc 3G is? i tried 3g.mtctouch.com.lb but that didn't work
Koyaanisqatsi
What are the packages offered?
AvoK95
my simcard is still OOOLD cellis card (before Alfa)
will it effect on 3G ?
babum
It might not work, though you should change it anyway it is better that way (btw keep the old one as a souvenir ;) )
azife
any alfa users got into the test?
Sadus
I'm getting MTC Touch 3G and Alfa 3G here, Mar Elias, Beirut
patrickak
I was contacted by MTCtouch monday, saying that i was chosen to test 3G along with 20,000 others.
for 1 month free and 10GB cap
i just said ok and didn't actually pay any attention to the matter.
Last night, the EDGE on my phone actually did change to 3G !!
to make a long story short:
- internet speed is really faster, as i know 3.9G from abroad, it is almost the same
- it is still unstable as it switches back to EDGE depending on the 3G signal strength
- video streaming is seamless... just like watching tv
- i tried watching mtv online... excellent
- video conferencing is good.
that said, i don't know if it will actually be available for the public before the end of the year.
and if so, i expect phone companies to replace the GPRS packages they are offering with 3G and to reduce their prices, since the MoT has reduced ADSL prices.
nuclearcat
Not yet reduced.
patrickak
@nuclearcat
not yet but announced beginning october.
hopefully they will implement it, and it won't be delayed like everything else
i still don't know how to post images, i'm new at this so i'll email the new pricing to you if you haven't seen it.
The-MMMs
@patrickak: please can you confirm if tethering works ?
Thank you.
patrickak
@ the-MMMs
i tried it but it doesn't seem to work.
MTC hasn't given me the usr and pwd, so i tried using the one for gprs, and i tried no pwd.
if you have any advice or need me to try smthg for you, let me know
cheers
The-MMMs
In theory it should work given the fact if you had the user/pass
If MTC/Alfa will be willing to provide this (not now but later when the service is actually released) then this would be a huge plus to many
Another Question: You said that the edge changes to 3G and vice-versa - can you give as a result an approximate area of 3G coverage based on those observations - if you don't mind providing areas then please do so.
Thanks.
patrickak
Within Beirut, it's continuous 3G.
Metn on and off
i have also noticed that when i get in an elevator, it switches to EDGE and back to 3G when i'm out, this must be because the signal is still weak and needs amplifying.
i heard that they are testing in beirut and mount Lebanon this month, then north and south next month, then full coverage the month after.