Mobile WiMAX in Russia - October Results
Hello, hello. Please accept my regrets that the weekend is over.
Just over a month ago, I wrote a post about my first, at that time partisan, tests of Yota's WiMAX mobile technology, whose base stations began to slowly cover the centers of the two Capitals. Then I ran at night with a laptop and made a Skype call to distant countries, checked pings in various areas and alone drew a real map covering Moscow.
A month has passed since then. Technology has slowly entered my life, becoming a full-fledged tool both at work and outside it. But let's say, I have already “played enough for the future” and now I can soberly evaluate the technology, its promotion to the market, its potential and service, and therefore often my opinion about what is happening is rather critical. I follow all official comments and statements, which by the way are not so many, and plan to monthly sum up some results for those who are interested in the process of becoming a mobile WiMAX in Russia, but do not have enough time to monitor the development dynamics every day.
')
1. Testing, which Yota announced on September 2, still started in mid-October. I myself (this time officially) received a modem on the 16th, which I wrote about in my personal blog on Habré . I know that the entire second half of the month, the distribution of gifts went at an accelerated pace, so that several hundred testers in two cities should go to the fields at the beginning of November. And maybe more than a thousand, after all it was officially planned to distribute 2000 modems.
2. Testing method. It turned out that there is no single official mechanism for testing network quality. There is a set of external test sites that can be used, but a step to the left, a step to the right, raised the glass in the car, lowered it - you get completely different numbers. And in fact, the essence of testing comes down to whether there is a network or not. There are no web applications that would automate the process, turning it into a kind of social game, where the end user tester would see that he was actually involved in the progress - does not exist. Tasks are sent to the mail in a spreadsheet file, and are processed manually. Visually, you can see the results of your work only on an unofficial site , and there the formation of a coverage map is a manual process, no testers were given any program scripts for usability (while we are writing our own, but the process is long. Can anyone connect?).
3. At the presentation, during the issuance of modems, it was confirmed that drivers for Linux and Macs will be available until the end of the year. Nonetheless, enthusiasts, on one side or the other, permanently declare temporary solutions and persistent problems with searching and connecting to the network.
4. Feedback formats for testers - this is a call-center, a single mail for everyone (according to the Yota-champion program), and the official LJ . Strangely, for some reason, the idea with Yota Guru, the representative of the Company, who would lead a group of testers, control the process and answer questions, has stalled. The human approach, it is always closer and clearer than a call to the call-center. On the other hand, the Company, in principle, did not envisage the creation of a platform for monitoring feedback and supporting the enthusiasm of its testers, which in the era of socialization and web2.0 is not just a miscalculation in promoting the service, but a strategic omission. People accumulate a lot of questions, ideas and suggestions, but there is simply nowhere to ask them, and most importantly, to discuss. Currently, due to weak activity in the blogosphere and, in particular, in the LJ Company, it is clear that the efficiency of supporting an ordinary user tester does not hold water. With competent work, from 1-2 thousand free, distributed gifts, the response should be much higher. Now the “life” in the official commune is supported by representatives of the Company itself, often talking exclusively with each other.
5.HTC T8290 Quartz. In the middle of the month, Runet was flooded with information about the appearance in the near future of a new branded communicator from HTC, created specially for Yota, and carrying, among other things, WiMAX on board. It was possible just a minute to hold it in your hand, as you understand, several vehicles in Russia have been living for a long time. Subjective sensations that you hold in your hand - a coffin: sharp corners, a decent weight. Actually at work, watch TV or check WiMAX signal, it was not possible to check it. On November 12 there will be a presentation where Quartz will be officially shown, and then they will probably say when it will appear in retail. For various, unrelated sources, the price of the device will be 28-30 thousand rubles.
I sincerely want to see such a connection speed in reality, while the record of 9.1 Mbps is at its peak.
6. The dynamics of development. As a pioneer tester, I confidently state that the network is growing. No, of course, not in giant steps, but driving along one route week after week, I notice how the quality of the coating changes. Naturally, for the better. It is seen that include new stations, cover new areas. A point in Khimki was discovered in Moscow, I personally caught the excellent signal to Bibirevo. How things are going in St. Petersburg, colleagues will tell you in the comments or read info on the forum , there is formed a decent knowledge base on the topic. And the map (s), which we now form together, can already serve as a source of verified data. It should be noted that at the moment the coverage is fragmentary, and in the absolute majority of situations, it is exclusively “autonomous”. Separate respect, to enthusiasts who, at home, check and tune the devices, studying their capabilities and potential (I liked that - a photo of VKontakte ).
7. From November 1, in Samsung, the Samsung swc-u200 modems (the ones that were issued to testers) went to the open market at a cost of 4,500 rubles. The layouts are such that, having bought a modem, you get free access to the Network until March 31, 2009. No one guarantees the quality of services to you, but they will not take money for it. Then there will be an unlimited tariff for 900 rubles per month or daily (more on the official website of the Company ). It seems to be a fair deal, but it's sad that there is no money-back, as skylink did in its time. Paying 4500 rubles, you will not be able to return them, if suddenly the network in your home (or at work) is not the word. Mobile WiMAX itself is worth the money, but network coverage and a test period can ruin the whole experience. Voting with a ruble is a subjective thing, besides, I don’t know any practical layouts in the Northern Capital, and I cannot give any recommendations. When the modems are in retail Moscow - no information.
October Summary:
Now you can firmly say that mobile WiMAX came to Russia. At the beginning of November, the Network is quite a working tool with excellent development potential, and with a large degree of confidence I will assume that by the New Year, the coverage can already be called stable. Voiced tariffs with high-quality coverage can be considered reasonable, since Yota will provide not only access to the Network, but also a number of other services, starting with content services (music, movies, etc.). Technically, a company develops qualitatively and at a very good pace, but from a marketing point of view, the behavior of officials often causes confusion and a lot of unanswered questions in the ranks of testers.
Good luck to everyone in November.
I.V.
Just over a month ago, I wrote a post about my first, at that time partisan, tests of Yota's WiMAX mobile technology, whose base stations began to slowly cover the centers of the two Capitals. Then I ran at night with a laptop and made a Skype call to distant countries, checked pings in various areas and alone drew a real map covering Moscow.
A month has passed since then. Technology has slowly entered my life, becoming a full-fledged tool both at work and outside it. But let's say, I have already “played enough for the future” and now I can soberly evaluate the technology, its promotion to the market, its potential and service, and therefore often my opinion about what is happening is rather critical. I follow all official comments and statements, which by the way are not so many, and plan to monthly sum up some results for those who are interested in the process of becoming a mobile WiMAX in Russia, but do not have enough time to monitor the development dynamics every day.
')
1. Testing, which Yota announced on September 2, still started in mid-October. I myself (this time officially) received a modem on the 16th, which I wrote about in my personal blog on Habré . I know that the entire second half of the month, the distribution of gifts went at an accelerated pace, so that several hundred testers in two cities should go to the fields at the beginning of November. And maybe more than a thousand, after all it was officially planned to distribute 2000 modems.
2. Testing method. It turned out that there is no single official mechanism for testing network quality. There is a set of external test sites that can be used, but a step to the left, a step to the right, raised the glass in the car, lowered it - you get completely different numbers. And in fact, the essence of testing comes down to whether there is a network or not. There are no web applications that would automate the process, turning it into a kind of social game, where the end user tester would see that he was actually involved in the progress - does not exist. Tasks are sent to the mail in a spreadsheet file, and are processed manually. Visually, you can see the results of your work only on an unofficial site , and there the formation of a coverage map is a manual process, no testers were given any program scripts for usability (while we are writing our own, but the process is long. Can anyone connect?).
3. At the presentation, during the issuance of modems, it was confirmed that drivers for Linux and Macs will be available until the end of the year. Nonetheless, enthusiasts, on one side or the other, permanently declare temporary solutions and persistent problems with searching and connecting to the network.
4. Feedback formats for testers - this is a call-center, a single mail for everyone (according to the Yota-champion program), and the official LJ . Strangely, for some reason, the idea with Yota Guru, the representative of the Company, who would lead a group of testers, control the process and answer questions, has stalled. The human approach, it is always closer and clearer than a call to the call-center. On the other hand, the Company, in principle, did not envisage the creation of a platform for monitoring feedback and supporting the enthusiasm of its testers, which in the era of socialization and web2.0 is not just a miscalculation in promoting the service, but a strategic omission. People accumulate a lot of questions, ideas and suggestions, but there is simply nowhere to ask them, and most importantly, to discuss. Currently, due to weak activity in the blogosphere and, in particular, in the LJ Company, it is clear that the efficiency of supporting an ordinary user tester does not hold water. With competent work, from 1-2 thousand free, distributed gifts, the response should be much higher. Now the “life” in the official commune is supported by representatives of the Company itself, often talking exclusively with each other.
5.HTC T8290 Quartz. In the middle of the month, Runet was flooded with information about the appearance in the near future of a new branded communicator from HTC, created specially for Yota, and carrying, among other things, WiMAX on board. It was possible just a minute to hold it in your hand, as you understand, several vehicles in Russia have been living for a long time. Subjective sensations that you hold in your hand - a coffin: sharp corners, a decent weight. Actually at work, watch TV or check WiMAX signal, it was not possible to check it. On November 12 there will be a presentation where Quartz will be officially shown, and then they will probably say when it will appear in retail. For various, unrelated sources, the price of the device will be 28-30 thousand rubles.
I sincerely want to see such a connection speed in reality, while the record of 9.1 Mbps is at its peak.
6. The dynamics of development. As a pioneer tester, I confidently state that the network is growing. No, of course, not in giant steps, but driving along one route week after week, I notice how the quality of the coating changes. Naturally, for the better. It is seen that include new stations, cover new areas. A point in Khimki was discovered in Moscow, I personally caught the excellent signal to Bibirevo. How things are going in St. Petersburg, colleagues will tell you in the comments or read info on the forum , there is formed a decent knowledge base on the topic. And the map (s), which we now form together, can already serve as a source of verified data. It should be noted that at the moment the coverage is fragmentary, and in the absolute majority of situations, it is exclusively “autonomous”. Separate respect, to enthusiasts who, at home, check and tune the devices, studying their capabilities and potential (I liked that - a photo of VKontakte ).
7. From November 1, in Samsung, the Samsung swc-u200 modems (the ones that were issued to testers) went to the open market at a cost of 4,500 rubles. The layouts are such that, having bought a modem, you get free access to the Network until March 31, 2009. No one guarantees the quality of services to you, but they will not take money for it. Then there will be an unlimited tariff for 900 rubles per month or daily (more on the official website of the Company ). It seems to be a fair deal, but it's sad that there is no money-back, as skylink did in its time. Paying 4500 rubles, you will not be able to return them, if suddenly the network in your home (or at work) is not the word. Mobile WiMAX itself is worth the money, but network coverage and a test period can ruin the whole experience. Voting with a ruble is a subjective thing, besides, I don’t know any practical layouts in the Northern Capital, and I cannot give any recommendations. When the modems are in retail Moscow - no information.
October Summary:
Now you can firmly say that mobile WiMAX came to Russia. At the beginning of November, the Network is quite a working tool with excellent development potential, and with a large degree of confidence I will assume that by the New Year, the coverage can already be called stable. Voiced tariffs with high-quality coverage can be considered reasonable, since Yota will provide not only access to the Network, but also a number of other services, starting with content services (music, movies, etc.). Technically, a company develops qualitatively and at a very good pace, but from a marketing point of view, the behavior of officials often causes confusion and a lot of unanswered questions in the ranks of testers.
Good luck to everyone in November.
I.V.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/43960/
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