What is Globe’s Visibility?
Visited 1253 Times Published by Rico October 24th, 2006 in Internet, Tech and What.
Since last Monday, I’ve been trying out Globe’s Visibility service. Visibility is Globe’s 3G service (powered by HSDPA) that promises broadband access on-the-go, and before fully releasing it even though they’ve released it to the consumer market, they want to make sure they’ve worked the kinks out.
And this is where I come in. I’m putting Visibility through its paces, trying it out in different areas. Basically, I’m an independent reviewer, seeing if Globe’s efforts to upgrade its network to 3G are going smoothly.
Rest assured, I’ll do my best to tell Globe what the service needs to be a success. But I also need your help. Reliability and availability issues aside, what do you think Globe can do to make Visibility better?
Before I leave you guys and get back to work (I’ve quite a backlog to catch up with!), here’s what I can say:
Visibility was only offered to corporate clients because Globe thought that the consumer market wouldn’t be interested. Yes yes, but we all make mistakes, don’t we?I was mistaken. Apparently, it was Globe’s corporate division (Globe Solutions) who first thought of offering the service. Thus, Visibility was initially offered to the corporate market.- Abe is also trying out the service. Feel free to read his thoughts.
- ExpressCard laptop owners, prepare to cry. The 3G card won’t fit into Matus; it only works on PCMCIA slots! Luckily, Globe was willing to lend me a spare laptop. Hopefully, and I’ve told the company this, Globe will come out with a 3G card compatible with the ExpressCard slot, since most laptops nowadays use it. Update: But I also failed to mention that Globe also offers a USB modem for customers without PCMCIA slots, which is as big as a ten pack of Marlboro Lights.
- According to my contact, Globe will provide the
cardnecessary hardware to make the service work on your laptop for free. - Aside from the broadband service itself, paying Php 2,000 a month will also give an unlimited WIZ account. So if you’re in an area with no 3G coverage (in which case the card automatically reverts to GPRS speeds), but a Globequest hotspot is nearby, you’re still in business.
Update: Globe Visibility is great. It really is. But HSDPA, the technology it’s based on, has its limitations.
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39 Responses to “What is Globe’s Visibility?”
- 1 Pingback on Oct 29th, 2006 at 2:09 pm
- 2 Pingback on Nov 16th, 2006 at 11:32 am
- 3 Pingback on Apr 25th, 2007 at 8:03 am
- 4 Pingback on Aug 18th, 2007 at 11:13 am
Cathy Candano and Jeff Tarayao?
Yes, Ms. Dada Dyquiangco of Globe.
kelan kaya nila ipapa-test yan sa probinsiya? i-recomemnd mo ako. he he he.
I was reading your blog and i wonder if it will wrok for prepaid cards? BTW what’s WIZ? will this also offer EGDE or only GPRS for those people who want to attain this service in prepaid accounts? Do you know when’s the official release of this feature? thanks!!
What do you mean by prepaid cards? Being able to use the service only if you have the credits? Or are you talking about prepaid SIMs?
Inside the 3G card I’m using is a data SIM. If used in a phone, it won’t allow calls, only data services like texting and GPRS. I can suggest to Globe that they offer a prepaid version of Visibility, but I still think its cost-effective if you go for the Php 2,000/month, which gives you unlimited service.
Visibility is available as of last month (my saying it wasn’t fully available in the post was a result of a misunderstanding between me and my contect). I’m sure the nearest Globe branch will prove helpful enough…
i’ve been using visibility since Oct.18 of this month…
so far, i’m quitehappy with the service…
the Huawei USB Modem can give a bandwidth of up to 3.6Mbps… this is much faster than our PLDT DSL at the office, sharecd by 3 PC’s… i can watch live video streaming, and not affect internet browsing speed… unfortunately, international roaming for the visibility sim is not yet available…
here’s something i discovered… 2 weeks ago, i was able to send & receive SMS messages through my Huawei… I’m not sure if the globetrotter & huawei PCMIA cards have this feature of sending SMS through your computer… 2 days ago, when I inserted the data sim into my cellphone (w/c I also use as a much more portable computer for surfing) i was shocked when it accidentally dialed my sister’s phone… i’m not sure yet how much they would charge for calls, SMS & online banking (2331 messages)… but they charged me for WAP via GPRS… i thought this was supposed to be included in the 2000 charged for unlimited use… am trying to call their service center but i doubt that they would be able to give me a clear answer about this… globe’s customer service personnel are not very versed with the ins and outs of visibility…
Hi xenie, thanks for dropping by. I find it surprising that they charged you for your GPRS use, because like you said, it’s supposed to be part of the 2000/month. As far as I know, if your using a data SIM, you won’t be able to call anyone, but data services like HSDPA, GPRS, and yes, SMS are available.
Would you mind being more specific about the problems you have trying to reach Globe’s customer service (you said “am trying to call their service center…”)? I’ll forward your concerns to my contact in Globe.
how much total cash out for globe visibility?
Php 2,000/month. The HSDPA data card/USB modem comes for free.
Edit: Whoops, I forgot to mention that there’s a sign-up charge of Php 2,000.00, on top of what you’ll pay for the first month.
Im currently contemplating if i should go through with visibility. im glad i found this blog. Im just curious, would it be possible to ask globe to send me a copy of their 3g sites? I just want to know my limits.
Hey Mike, I think the Visibility site has that info. I dialed the number listed there (+632.730.1999) and they were willing to dictate over the phone where 3.5G is available.
Hope this helps!
i just got my visibility 2 days ago. i don’t feel like my connection is faster than the one my friend is using. he’s only using dsl 384kbps. i usually get 25 - 46kbps everytime i download. i rarely hit the 100kbps transfer rate. pls email me for any comment, [address deleted] tnx po.
Hey waja, where do you try to use Visibility? Globe is currently upgrading their networks so that more areas will have HSDPA coverage. Maybe you’re just surfing at GPRS/3G speeds, since the visibility card automatically switches to that when it can’t find an HSDPA signal.
I’m deleting the email address from your comment. You’re leaving it open to spambots!
Has anyone tried out Visibility’s performance lately?
I subscribed to this service several days ago and I got so dismayed with the utterly poor performance that I am being subjected to - frequently timed out while browsing, erratically fluctuating bandwidth speed, failed SMS transmissions… and the list goes on.
It made no difference that I was using my Visibility modem (Huawei E220) to access the internet in Makati, just a measly few meters away from one of several Globe indoor 3G antenna in our floor inside Tower One Ayala Triangle.
The promise of performance claimed in various Globe ads that I came across are almost criminal when you compare them to what one will actually experience in reality.
Consumers should be protected against such a scam!
I’ll admit Visibility isn’t perfect. I don’t know why the service seems to fail “frequently” for you though. Even if it’s sometimes hard to find HSDPA (3.5G) coverage, and the modem has to connect at lower speeds, I’ve never had issues with the consistency of the connection, but only the speed.
And would you believe we actually found HSDPA coverage in Punta Fuego?
Hi Rico! Thanks for your response to my posting.
I am equally perplexed why Visibility is not working for me. Being an IT and service person myself, I believe I have set my expectation levels reasonably.
The only possible reason I can think of as to why this is happening is due to network traffic congestion. It could be that Globe signed up more subscribers than the number of account that their system can provide decent service to.
That should explain why people are getting better service in other areas outside of the Makati business district.
It’s good to see you know that 100% uptime is impossible (IMHO). But I can imagine why you’d be frustrated.
I’ve never used Visibility in anywhere in Makati (would you believe?). So I don’t know how many Visibility subscribers use the network there. You may be right about the network congestion, though I don’t think Globe would like to provide poor coverage where their parent company is based (Ayala).
Can you provide more details about your experience with Visibility? I can forward them to my contact in Globe. She’s always interested in getting user feedback.
I would be glad to oblige.
I finally signed up for Visibility last Wednesday, after pretty much constraining myself from doing so because I just recently upgraded my Globe residential DSL to 1Mbps.
After having convinced myself that it will be useful for my job as an IT Project Manager, I went to the Globe center at the ground floor of Tower One (Ayala Triangle).
The waiting time for the account activation was impressively short, i.e., at less than half a day. So there I was all pumped up and excited to try out my new “toy”.
Being a techy person, I wanted to know how fast Visibility really was so I can boast about it to my friends. It was the start of my travails with my mobile broadband…
- I was getting timed out once every 3 attempts to browse my usual sites including Google and Globe Quest homepage
- I can not complete a round of test from speedtest.net or pldtplay (it got better lately, approximately 1 out of 5 tries succeeded)
- The connection type/speed shifts so actively between HSDPA, UMTS, EDGE, GPRS to no connection at all
(My testing was performed at the 23rd floor of a condominium in the vicinity of Buendia cor. Pasong Tamo where I reside. Using the same laptop connected to Globe broadband DSL, I don’t have none of these complains.)
I tried very hard to convince myself that I did not end up with a lemon. Hence, I looked forward to the next day when I can try out Visibility right under the very nose of one of the recently installed Globe indoor 3G antennas at my office building floor in Tower One. Unfortunately, the performance of Visibility did not improve at all.
My desire to get Visibility for my personal use was largely influence by the ongoing evaluation test I am conducting for PLDT’s WeRoam (Sierra AirCard) as a corporate solution for our bank. I found their bandwidth speed (300-500kpbs via speedtest.net) and connection stability workable enough for our purposes.
But being the true-blooded Globe subscriber that I am (mobiles, landline & broadband DSL), I opted to get Visibility for my personal use.
Sad to say, it is a decision whose wisdom is still under question.
Wow, all these notes just because of Globe’s Visibility! Something from technology that should have made our lives easier and things done quicker. Now it seems that you’re not only expected to spend Php2000.00 a month for such service. One has to blog out their nasty experience too. Didn’t Globe promise us that, with their services, we should be spending more time bringing the kids to the park? Well, look at these people. Now they have to spend their extra time blogging their complaints.
in the past week or two, I had trouble using my globe visibility… I thought something was wrong with my unit- i was suspecting burnt wires or ic’s due to overusage, but found out that my sister was also having difficulty in connecting.. our connection was set to HSDPA ONLY.. we asked a staff at SM Manila - but as expected, our question was left unaanswerd… we were instead informed that the Visibility’s monthly subscription has now gone up to 3000 per month, and a new subscriber would have to pay for the cost of the unit - around 11k.. we were relieved ‘coz 1: we only had to pay 2thou… and 2: we have been complaining about visibility’s network congestion- higher cash-out means less new subscribers - less network congestion..
now back to my problems with connection… yes I did experience TIME OUT’s.. I couldn’t even open my yahoo or g-mail.. but when I used the data sim with my phone.. i was connected immediately.. turned out that my phone was connecting to the GPRS network, not the HSDPA network… so I set my Mobile Connect to GPRS ONLY and was able to surf at a decent speed… last Thursday, I was unable to connect using the GPRS ONLY setting.. so I switched back to HSDPA ONLY and I’m back in business.. torrentz were loading at 120kbps/s.. I then came to a conclusion.. Globe is upgrading their networks.. they started with their HSDPA network, and now, their GPRS is being upgraded…
as Globe’s customer service people seem to be unaware of the loops and ends of the visibility (globe should ask their people to test run the Visibility.. a Binondo sales office staff admitted to me that they haven’t used/ tried the service yet.. at least they’d know what they are selling).. this blog somehow has become the venue for sharing subscribers’ actual experiences with the service.. knowing that other people are having the same problem as yours lessen frustration on this somewhat unfamiliar technology..
Renato Manalang, Gregg S. Lloren, xenie: Hmmm… it’s now becoming obvious to me that Visibility’s reputation is suffering, especially when you consider blog posts like these. I’ve forwarded all your concerns to my contact in Globe, let’s see what they can do about it. Thanks guys!
@xenie
The response we got was that the problem is network congestion. Some people can connect surf other cannot. You can read more here:
http://mobilityph.blogspot.com/search/label/Globe Visibility
Sorry, the link did not come out right. Just cut and paste it to your browser…
Yes, it is now P3000/month,now you have to pay for the data card which is more or less P11,000 that’s 1 year lock… Thank goodness they didn’t allow me to avail that service lol!( because of some reasons) base on what I’ve read here, their other services & my personal experience on them I have to say it’s not worth it. In my personal opinion it sux! That’s all
3000 per month is too much, might as well try smart bro wifly with airborne access… its not that fast but I can say its stable enough for surfing/gaming purposes…
For 3K a month, get a Smart 3G phone for the road and a 2Mbps DSL line. Smart 3G’s network signal is strong and reliability is impeccable.
I wouldn’t mind paying 3,000 for a faster connection, the downside is your total usage has limit of 5G a month, that’s crappy.
Quote:
For 3K a month, get a Smart 3G phone for the road and a 2Mbps DSL line. Smart 3G’s network signal is strong and reliability is impeccable.
Does Smart even offer such service? I didn’t know that…
I wouldn’t mind paying 3000/month as long as they have a good service like a real wireless unlimitted connection (24 hours a day 7 days a week) that has no limitations, no maximum byte consumption. But I doubt they have that kind of service atm…
Quote:
I wouldn’t mind paying 3,000 for a faster connection, the downside is your total usage has limit of 5G a month, that’s crappy.
For you to buy the P11,000 Data card just for you to use their service, and as you mentioned a limit of 5G a month that’s enough for me to say no thanks, it’s all theirs…
eto lang masasabi ko!
globe 3g
w/ HSDPA ============================ up to 25x slower
than dial-up and
up to 4x slower
than resedencial
( 384KBPS) DSL!
DSL =========
DIAL-UP ===
I inserted my smart prepaid sim into my huawie and found out it is not lock for globe it can accommodate also SMArt sims. i’m not from the city and all i get is a gprs connection for globe visibility. yes it is true that it only gave me 20 to 40 kbps up and download speed, not like when i used it in the city with my laptop it gave me HSPDA speed 3.6 on its mark and found out a very fast connection. Can anybody give me the correct settings or configuration for using smart sim for my Huawie?I can only recieve a signal but fail to connect because i know it needs proper settings just like for globe.
i’m thinking of getting globe visibility too, what i don’t know is the current rate of their service, initial payments, and if HSDPA would cover santiago city, isabela.
I dont think so. Don’t get fooled by GLOBE with this kind of innovation it’s a total gimik!
I’ve been a user for almost 11 months. Now I’m planning to terminate my account with them.
Their service was terrible the connection was way too low. Paying 2k for a dial-up connection? It’s the same as dial-up maybe dial-up connection much more faster.
Now I can’t connect on a 3G/HSDPA signal, always failed to connect. Your stuck with the GPRS only connection to get connected.
i was using the globe visibility last night on my laptop using a lg ku250 and globe plan sim card using gprs signal in 480KBPS. and i surf in i think in more than 30mins only. and today i was surprise when i check my unbilled balance. i was 8000 pesos and my internet payment is more than 2000 . 30 mins of surfing 2000 pesos??? wow. i think they are using the same rate on the phone.
@jayn
Globe regular rate for data service… is Php0.15 per KB. So if you download a 4MB MP3 or 4096 KB multiply that by 0.15 and you get YIKES! a tad over Php600.
i’m using huawie device for 11 months, i’m not happy with their service. it’s very disgusting. i can’t play video’s on youtube, the server is taking too long to respond, no network, time out’s and many others. i have no choice than to finish my 1 yr. contract or else i will pay 10,000 for termination fee. very expensive…i’m not satisfied with your service. sana bombahin tower nyo. abu sayyap go. bombahin nyo tower nila.