Today I had a chance to play with and perform a comparison (Codetel) test of the new WiMax service that’s being rolled out by OneMax in Santo Domingo.
OneMax is a new company that was officially launched last night.
They appear to be well backed, good people and here for the long term, let's hope so
Currently OneMax is rolling out service in Santo Domingo, with plans to expand into other parts of the country starting 2008. They are sending me a coverage map, as soon as I have it I will post it. Also it should soon be available on their site. OneMax
At the beginning of next year (Jan 08) OneMax will have a dedicated 155 mega bit fiber connection from the Sprint NAP in Miami. Right now they are using a fiber from Codetel. This will mean they will be 100% independent from Codetel, unlike most of the other broadband suppliers here.
WiMAX is very similar to how a cell phone network works. If your in range of a cell, you can get service. You do not need a dedicated phone line or cable connection. For more info on WiMax and how it works, take a look at the link: WiMAX - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The modem (OneBox) has a few led’s for signal strength and service etc. It has a small footprint and the service is very easy to setup, just plug it in and go. Note the antenna on the left, just like a cell phone. You can plug an external one in to get a signal or more signal strength. In our test, the speed appeared to be the same despite moving the box around the building and getting varying signal strength levels.
Each client also receives a dedicated phone number. This allows you to plug a normal phone into the box and make and receive calls, it's cool! The rates are pretty good and on their website. They offer plans for call centers (up to 4MB up / 2MB down) and I believe each box can handle up to 96 simultaneous phone connections. I have a feeling that if this takes off, call centers will be beating at their door for service.
Speed Test:
For this I used dslreports.com and their Speakeasy NY Server.
It’s not the be all and end all of tests, but it allows you to make a pretty good comparison.
Connections used and costs.
Plan & Cost - Codetel: Plan Avanzado 2
1.5 MB / 728 kbps – RD$2,850 per month + tax (RD$3,648)
Codetel
Plan & Cost - OneMax: One Three
1.5 MB / 128 kbps – RD$2,990 per month + tax (RD$3,827)
OneMax
Speed - Codetel
1071 down / 102 up – 115 latency
883 down / 152 up – 139 latency
Speed - OneMax
1398 down / 105 up – 99 latency
1372 down / 78 up – 102 latency
1394 down / 104 up – 103 latency
Conclusion:
OneMax is very easy to set up, just plug the box in and away you go.
Right now you are getting what you pay in terms of speed, unlike Codetel.
Browsing appears faster than with our Codetel DSL. This might be due to the latency difference, slight improvement in bandwidth, not sure to be honest. Either way, it's a welcome change form the horrendous service Codetel has been offering of late and their continuing DNS issues etc.
We will continue to evaluate the OneMax service and keep you updated.
Hopefully in a couple of years we can roam around the country with our WiMAX enabled laptops and get high speed internet and phone service
OneMax is a new company that was officially launched last night.
They appear to be well backed, good people and here for the long term, let's hope so
Currently OneMax is rolling out service in Santo Domingo, with plans to expand into other parts of the country starting 2008. They are sending me a coverage map, as soon as I have it I will post it. Also it should soon be available on their site. OneMax
At the beginning of next year (Jan 08) OneMax will have a dedicated 155 mega bit fiber connection from the Sprint NAP in Miami. Right now they are using a fiber from Codetel. This will mean they will be 100% independent from Codetel, unlike most of the other broadband suppliers here.
WiMAX is very similar to how a cell phone network works. If your in range of a cell, you can get service. You do not need a dedicated phone line or cable connection. For more info on WiMax and how it works, take a look at the link: WiMAX - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The modem (OneBox) has a few led’s for signal strength and service etc. It has a small footprint and the service is very easy to setup, just plug it in and go. Note the antenna on the left, just like a cell phone. You can plug an external one in to get a signal or more signal strength. In our test, the speed appeared to be the same despite moving the box around the building and getting varying signal strength levels.
Each client also receives a dedicated phone number. This allows you to plug a normal phone into the box and make and receive calls, it's cool! The rates are pretty good and on their website. They offer plans for call centers (up to 4MB up / 2MB down) and I believe each box can handle up to 96 simultaneous phone connections. I have a feeling that if this takes off, call centers will be beating at their door for service.
Speed Test:
For this I used dslreports.com and their Speakeasy NY Server.
It’s not the be all and end all of tests, but it allows you to make a pretty good comparison.
Connections used and costs.
Plan & Cost - Codetel: Plan Avanzado 2
1.5 MB / 728 kbps – RD$2,850 per month + tax (RD$3,648)
Codetel
Plan & Cost - OneMax: One Three
1.5 MB / 128 kbps – RD$2,990 per month + tax (RD$3,827)
OneMax
Speed - Codetel
1071 down / 102 up – 115 latency
883 down / 152 up – 139 latency
Speed - OneMax
1398 down / 105 up – 99 latency
1372 down / 78 up – 102 latency
1394 down / 104 up – 103 latency
Conclusion:
OneMax is very easy to set up, just plug the box in and away you go.
Right now you are getting what you pay in terms of speed, unlike Codetel.
Browsing appears faster than with our Codetel DSL. This might be due to the latency difference, slight improvement in bandwidth, not sure to be honest. Either way, it's a welcome change form the horrendous service Codetel has been offering of late and their continuing DNS issues etc.
We will continue to evaluate the OneMax service and keep you updated.
Hopefully in a couple of years we can roam around the country with our WiMAX enabled laptops and get high speed internet and phone service
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