Just realized that since all the telecom players (Sun, Smart and Globe) are now offering unlimited 3G internet and subsequently lowering the prices down, 3G is officially cheaper than DSL.
Let’s look at how much a 1Mbps to 3Mbps residential DSL costs nowadays:
PLDT myDSL 2Mbps: Php1,995 (DSL only)
Globe Broadband 2Mbps: Php1,995 (DSL w/ free Landline)
Bayan DSL 1.5Mbps: Php1,699
Sky Broadband 2Mbps: Php1,999
From the list above, we can see that all of the current DSL offerings that’s “up to 2.0Mbps” have prices ranging from Php1,699 to Php1,999. That should give us what’s the current market prices that’s acceptable to broadband consumers.
Now let’s look at a rundown of unlimited mobile 3G by the networks and see if the prices are cheaper or not:
Sun Wireless Broadband 2Mbps – Php799
SmartBro Plug-It 2Mbps – Php999
Globe Tattoo 2Mbps – Php1,200
It’s pretty obvious now — 3G internet is now way cheaper than DSL. Remember when unlimited 3G used to be Php3,000 per month? That’s a price cut of 60% in 2 years. It doesn’t even consider the fact that 3G speeds used to be 384Kbps. I’d say 3G internet has become 92% cheaper if we take speed and price considerations into account.
Even at current rates, a 2Mbps unlimited 3G subscription is 60% cheaper than an unlimited 2Mbps DSL line. The only reason why people still think it’s expensive is that they don’t use 3G internet as much as they do with DSL.
It’s amazing how much cheaper they were from before. Only problems are like 3G coverage isn’t that well covered… One time I tried plugging in a Globe Tattoo in my school and I couldn’t get signal… Or if ever I did get, it would be too weak and slow.
I did get good feedback on Sun Wireless Broadband. Problem is that someone told me that if too much people are online using the server, it gets really slow…
Right now I’m a Smart Bro user, the home based station one. I’ve had it for I think 3 years now and I still never get tired of their service. It’s pretty fast too…
Twitter: st3f4nm
says:
The only thing that I complain with 3g Networks are its Shared-IP Structure… (using Rapidshare requires “luck”).
I’m glad Telco competition in the Philippines are healthy and maybe that’s why the rates go plunging down…
wow, thats why i need to win one of those globe tattoos. =)
smartbro plugit 999 will be capped at 384kbps according to some csr.
sun broadband is also capped.
and globe is very slow lately.
for short dsl is still cheaper considering the price to speed ratio.
facts stated here are pretty much true. well at least for my part here in laguna, my 1 mbps dsl is still more reliable than my smartbro plug-it which maxes out at 2mbps. but then again, this may not be the case in the metro where 3g or even hsdpa signal is stronger.
Well, it is true that they are cheaper but if you put in reliability and consistency into the mix, I’d still pay for a fix line.
Cheaper and a lot of headaches.
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This post was mentioned on Twitter by abeolandres: Did anyone notice — 3G internet is now way cheaper than DSL: http://bit.ly/8gbyXt…
Wait.. The sky broadband speed listed above is for non-skycable subscriber, if you are a skycable user, it is 3Mbps..
Secondly, Tatoo is expensive! It is a prepaid plan and 3G in Manila is unreliable..
yep, how about coverage?
during typhoon Ondoy…we had no PLDT line, but I have Unli Sun Broadband that was working at that time…but sometimes hangin na malakas goodbye signal…
may kasama kasing Landline from PLDT or Globe.
well, Wired connection is 100x better than wireless and siyempre, hindi maikakabit ang USB Modems na yan sa network not unless kung bibili pa ng additional equipment.
3G is expensive for most people because the speed sucks. It is very inconsistent and not as reliable as a wired connection. There’s lot of capping policies even though Telcos do not admit this directly to its customers. Pangcover nila ung mga fluctuations, other variables etc. sa capping nila.
cheaper but slower.
been using globe 3mbps dsl (shared with the internet shop and 2 other laptops with torrent downloads) and it’s still faster than smart bro even if I’m the only one using it. we only signed up for smart because it took globe 2 months to restore the service in our area after ondoy. now we have additional P999 in our expenses and no one is using it.
better bargain….
but unreliable signal strength…….
Twitter: Sanctuarian06
says:
Much better, but still DSL gives the best ideals in terms of SPEED.
I’ve been using both a wired and wireless DSL and I should say that my wired one never fails as often and gives a consistent connection. Being wired, it works better for download sites, torrents and some of the more secure sites which don’t like shared IPs. Oddly enough, the wireless dsl gets disconnected more often at night, so I guess people use them to download a lot.
Also, shared IP is really difficult to use OpenDNS with since if someone grabs the IP before you, you’re at the mercy of that guy’s OpenDNS blacklist.
For the kiddies or those mobile a lot, wireless is gold but for most of us folks who use the connection for work, wired is still the king.
I’d appreciate it if the networks do not limit Torrent downloads. SMART works at speeds as high as 3.3 MBPS. It can maintain constant 1.8-2.0 MBPS. The problem now is that these speeds only work when downloading music. Downloading movies, games, TV shows can be slow because Smart limits access to Torrents.
This should be addressed so that 3.5G internet can beat DSL. Otherwise, connection stability of DSL is better. Non-music torrents run consistently at 60-80 kBps using DSL. For 3.5G, the same torrents run at 30-40 kBps. Although music albums can run at 180-200 kBps (almost maxing out the 2MBPS limit of the 3.5G network).
By the way, signals may also be inconsistent. Better make use of HSDPA 850 under Smart Bro band settings. These can guarantee speeds over 2 MBPS assuming the network isn’t congested.
HSDPA 2100/850 can be limited to 1.5 MBPS. Most indoor cellsite systems or in-building repeaters do not support HSDPA 850. If you like using Smart Bro inside buildings, better switch to HSDPA 2100/850 because indoor cellsites do not support HSDPA 850, meaning there won’t be any signal if you do not switch band settings. Also, a lot of indoor cellsites are still using GPRS/EDGE. Smart doesn’t really focus on upgrading their indoor cellsites (I guess).
@Glenn: You’re right. Both wired and wireless DSL have their advantages and disadvantages. In short, you can’t have everything in this world. It’s a choice between mobility and reliability (I guess).
Considering the P50/day unlimited for Smart and Sun, wireless would also be cheaper for those who do not use the internet on a daily basis. Unless, they invent “prepaid wired DSL” services.
Sharing internet connections and sharing monthly bills will make DSL cheaper than 3G. However, if you need more mobility and flexibility, 3G/HSDPA is best bet since you can optimize the use of unlimited internet because you can surf both on smartphone and on your laptop or PC anytime, anywhere. Even better, if you have smartphone wl 7.2MBps speed you can maximize the speed of HSDPA and use your smartphone as a modem for your laptop at max speed also.
Twitter: foodrecap
says:
much cheaper na sila kc ika nga “Nation Widest No Coverage”. Ibinababa nila para marami ang taong magscribe. Tapos in the end papasakitin lang ang ulo mo dahil wala ka laging signal. Tapos hindi mo naman sya maipaputol kc may locked-in period na 1 year or so. Okay lang siguro kung prepaid.
wired connection is more reliable for home or business use.
It may be cheaper than DSL, but the far less reliable especially in the provinces where you need to be in an area covered by a good 3G/HSDPA signal.
Otherwise, you’re back to dial-up speeds for the price of a DSL connection!
I used to be able to get 1.4mbps with Smart 3G in my area, but in the last 6 months or so, I’m lucky to get 100kbps, if I can connect at all. I’m guessing that’s due to increased usage. I had to disable 3G in my cellphone. They need to seriously improve their network coverage. DSL is a better deal if it’s more reliable and consistent.