Webe is the next telco that’s set to get consumers’ hearts racing in the second half of the year. OK, maybe racing is not the best word. Based on Speedtest results from a tipster, webe’s 4G network speeds is far from what you’d call ‘stellar.’
The upcoming telco is currently undergoing internal trials and is only accessible to selected webe staff.
The Speedtest results show upload-download speeds of 7-8Mbps. Clearly far from what’s considered ‘4G.’ Nonetheless, that would be enough for you to stream 1080p videos without buffering.
If you didn’t know already, webe uses LTE Band 5 which runs at 850MHz. Other telcos like Celcom, Digi, Maxis and U Mobile run 1800MHz and 2600MHz bands.
In general, a lower frequency band would mean better coverage, but slower speeds and lower data bandwidth. Lower frequencies also have better penetration, with ability to better pass through walls with less attenuation. Of course it isn’t as straight cut as that as telcos will deploy a multi-band network to find the sweet spot between coverage, speed and capacity.
For the same reason, webe has its own LTE network, and it also has a domestic roaming agreement with Celcom to ‘fill in the blanks’ so to speak.
If you noticed, when the webe SIM is popped into an iPhone, only the 3G network is supported. In order for the iOS device to connect to webe’s LTE network, a software update will be required. This is similar to when Celcom and Maxis introduced LTE in the market a couple of years ago.
Let’s not jump the gun. Remember these are internal tests, so perhaps it’s way too early to judge. Let’s hope webe gets it act together and give consumers something good when it finally goes live in the second half of the year.
Source: Soyacincau.com
