There will always be claims of product/service superiority among competing companies and the one between Smart and Globe is a classic example. The latest one is the battle between mobile broadband services Globe Tattoo and Smart Bro.
I’m sure a lot of you have seen SmartBro’s latest commercial with Mo Twister in it. If you haven’t, check this YouTube clip:
In the commercial, Smart claims that 9 out of 10 times, SmartBro is faster than the competing brand. In this case it, was implying Globe Tattoo (the blurred footage of the Tattoo USB dongle is pretty obvious). In the trials made by Smart they used Speedtest.net as their benchmark tool of choice.
Not to be outdone, Globe Telecom wants to rebut the claim and says it isn’t so. So Globe commissioned NESIC to do a broadband test for them and showed the results to the media proving otherwise.
The methodology includes both an HTPP Speed Test using 2Wire.com as well as Direct HTTP Download from Download.com and an FTP Speed Test using a 12MB file from a local server. I am sure you know what the results of the study are and who came on top.
What is more interesting is the methodology of the benchmarking they’ve done. In my opinion, using SpeedTest.net is not a reliable way to test broadband speeds, despite it being a popular tool among users. My understanding is that Speedtest.net measures the burst speed of your connection and not the sustained speed or average speed. It means that during the test window, the tool will see variable speeds (that’s while the dial meter fluctuates) and will pick up the fastest it has detected. In some sense, it is a good way to measure the maximum achievable speed of an internet connection but that’s all it does.
Here’s an analogy — imagine a Javelin Thrower in a competition is allowed 3 attempts to get the javelin the farthest. His 3 attempts were 55 feet, 125 feet and 185 feet. If SpeedTest.net were the judge, it will score the athlete a 185 feet rating. If 2Wire.com were the judge, it will give the athlete just 121.67 feet (average of 3 attempts).
So why is Globe saying that Speedtest.net is not reliable? Because it does not take into account consistency. Let’s go back to the Javelin tournament — a second athlete throws with the following distances: 145 feet, 130 feet, 155 feet. If Speedtest.net were the judge, it will give the 2nd athlete a score of 155 feet while 2Wire.com would give it 143.3 feet.
Now, which of the two athletes is the better javelin thrower?
However, there could be a number of external factors that may affect speed test for mobile broadband:
- Location of the Test Site. The distance of the cell tower from the test site can affect the performance of the benchmark as signal degrades over distance.
- Signal Strength. This is self-explanatory. Factors include distance, elevation and barriers like buildings or thick walls.
- Connection Mode. Connection mode (GPRS, EDGE, 3G, HSDPA) sometimes switches depending on which tower is servicing the connection.
- Time of the Day. Networks could get congested depending on the time of the day when a lot of users are using the network.
Rather than using benchmark tools, I’d rather propose some real-world measurements:
- Download a movie file using Bittorent. A 600MB file downloaded in about 4 hours will give you a speed of 44KB/s or 350Kbps. Longer download times will give us a better picture of the network’s consistency.
- Streaming with YouTube HD. Streaming a 10-minute HD video on YouTube will also provide live bandwidth performance of the connection. This can be augmented with a YouTube upload of a 100MB file to see upstream speeds.
- iTunes Download. What I used to do is download 3 video podcasts simultaneously on iTunes and record the incoming bandwidth using NetMeter. This will show sustained download speeds (like the one shown below).
Who has the biggest subscriber base? Who has the widest coverage? Who has the fastest mobile broadband service? Any one of them can claim these but ultimately it is the users’ commulative experience that will decide which is more reliable.
I have no issue with Smart Bro. Make sure you select HSDPA 850 Mhz (if this is available in your area).
I can download torrents up to 200 kBps. Limewire can run smoothly at 130 kBps, which can reach up to 240 kBps.
Also, when comparing speeds, it would be best to compare similar signal types. HSDPA vs. HSDPA, or EDGE vs. EDGE, otherwise, results are not accurate. Also, another good comparison would be the availability of HSDPA signal.
Just like AT&T and Verizon in U.S. which Telco having more 3G sites smart or globe? If I’m Globe, there is a lawsuit for that Ad by Smart. LOL!
“I think Sun is the fastest and most consistent here in the Metro – going outside Metro Manila is a different case though.”
SUN is definitely more consistent and cheaper (for their postpaid)
That’s why SUN don’t advertise such things. They only advertise Metro-wide and 3 cities in Rizal province.
If people are able to get signal outside of Metro Manila and the 3 cities in Rizal, should just consider that as a ‘bonus’.
@Fred
SUN is consistently slow.
Another things:
SmartBro speedtest was done in its corporate building along Ayala. Isn’t they have a cell site on top of that buidling? As we all know, internet speed varies on your location.
And the winner is….
SUN CELLULAR BROADBAND @_@
@mindyq
@mindyq
I use a Sun plug-it as my backup and it never failed me. My sister bought both Smart and Globe plug-its and both perform like hell at our house. It could be our location but Sun has always been consistent where ever I go in Metro Manila.
i use BANDWIDTH MONITOR v3.4.
highly recommended for checking your realtime per second incoming/outgoing kilobytes from your pc.
per second ang metering nya at may graph pa.
speedtest.net may not be accurate but its close to kilobytes that you are getting from donwload/upload activity.
i also sync and compare bandwidth monitor to orbit downloader (downloading time stats). the stat figures were close to each other.
even ung (chrome,opera,firefox) browser downloading approx, ok din.
i dont know with wirelessbro/globe. but i am a happy bayanDSL customer. i do get max 90kb/sec averaging speed (for my 768kbps starter plan) for some sites. and 150kb/sec average download speed during offpeak hours (thats 1.2mbps maxed out).
“I think Sun is the fastest and most consistent here in the Metro – going outside Metro Manila is a different case though.”
too bad sun cellular broadband is not yet available in the provinces
interesting post!
i am using sun mobile broadband. I find its performance very decent and with unlimited internet, this service is far better than the other two mobile internet provider.
Parang Verizon vs ATnT war lang ah.
opo maganda ang sun broadband.
yung download ko sa internet download manager
umaabot ng 900kbps tapos yung download rate umaabot sa 3mbps.
meron pa akong test sa 2wire.com umabot ng 9.5mbps
check nyo videos ko sa youtube with tags of “sun broadband”.
@Andrew, have you seen the ads there states wherein directly tinitira ng Comcast ang Verizon Fios? I like it there in the states when it comes to Ads sa TV. Diretchahan ang tirahan and no law suits, unless you speak something for the other party which is not true. Pag subjective lang ang tira, lusot ka.
the ad by smart is unfair, they probably used the Smart/PLDT server in speedtest.net. Smart/PLDT, having no local peering with other telcos here in the Philippines means that Smart/PLDT’s broadband is on-net to their speedtest.net host and Globe’s will have to go around the international route to get to Smart’s server. PSRC as being mentioned there should have stated that in the test/Ad. Misleading kase.
Twitter: blankpixels
says:
I completely agree with you. I knew that SpeedTest is not reliable because it only measures burst speeds. That’s why when I first saw that commercial, I was like, they’re lying to everyone! Most probably, they used PLDT test sites, which obviously will give them faster speed because they’re in the same network.
From reports and observations from my friends and people I know, though, I’ve heard more complaints against Globe Tattoo than Smart.
And, yeah, it will really depend on where you are. In our place in Cebu, Smart Bro has better signal than Globe Tattoo.
sakin mas accurate ung 2wire and i lyk their new homepage. hehe depende yan talaga sa lugar e ang dami kasind interference now a days..
Sure, go for Sun. They say it’s upto 2MBps but the heck, akalain mong tama sila. 2MBps BURSTABLE SPEED. Inconsistent, it will just eat up your load. Like from 150kbps download speed, it will continue to deteriorate until it reaches 0. And kahit isang profile picture sa facebook di ka maka-upload. Iyak ang mga may DSLRs sa SBW.
At our province, (which happens to be Ilocos) Globe wins hands down. Although I think di pa ako nakakasagap ng HSDPA signal, malakas ang HSUPA signal and consistent given na our ancestral house is located on a valley, beside 2 mountains (who knows kung may cellsite ang globe sa bundok haha).
Never tried Smart Bro Plug-it. Aside from my bad experience sa Smart Bro Canopy nila, wala pang free unlitxt for every 30 load haha
Sun is not reliable. I’ve been using it for a month now and consistent speed that I get is only 200-250Kbps. Usually during the 1st few minutes, my speed is faster but after 20-30minutes of surfing the speed is consistent at 200-250Kbps. I tried calling Sun but the CSRs are always saying the same scripted answers for slow connections and that 200-250Kbps is a tolerable speed. Sabi ko akala ko ba up to 2Mbps plus I have full HSPA signal and they just kept on saying the same old script of the factors affecting the speed etc everytime I call. I think the telcos should not be advertising “UP TO” 2Mbps/1Mbps/512Kbps/384Kbps/etc because it is like fooling everyone. They should state the right speed that they could only provide. They should advertise “AS LOW AS” 1Mbps/512Kbps/384Kbps/etc.
Advertising and Gullibility are corresponding ends of the consumer meter. There is no such thing as “truth” in advertising. If ever, it only gets twisted and the celebrity endorser (BTW, I hate Mo Twister)has nothing substantial to offer save flashing his teeth.
User experience (mine)with mobile broadband hovers between stomping that dongle underfoot and impaling those advertisers along with their toothy endorsers. XD….XD….XD
When it comes to torrents Sun will fail, else its far more stable compared to the other two (using a Nokia phone as a modem Globe had pretty spotty connectivity while Smart often suffered from random times where no data would be flowing)
Sun > Smart Bro > Globe
Twitter: deuts
says:
Very well said Yuga. It all boils down to user experience. I have tried both (Smart/Globe), actually I own both, and depende talaga sa lugar.
@petken, 200-250Kbps, I think that’s already fast enough! Gusto mo ba ng 0?
Very informative Yuga. I’ve tested sun, globe, and smart… in terms of speed it will really vary on areas. There are areas where Sun will be faster that globe and smart. Bottom line, before buying those internet provider, you should survey your area, try asking your neighbor about there experience.
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This post was mentioned on Twitter by mponteres: Effectively Measure Mobile Broadband Speed – http://tinyurl.com/y85u57s (via @abeolandres) – nice article Yuga =)…
dapat talaga mobile broadband providers will give a money back guarantee pag di satisfied sa service.
oo nga pala, nice long post for somebody who’s in bicol. wala bang magawa dyan? hehehe.