for other details read our detailed review earlier

http://review.com.pk/2009/06/worldcall-evdo-detailed-review/

http://review.com.pk/2009/03/ptcl-evdo-broadband-on-the-go-rates-and-subscription-details/

the issues we had were

1. Extra ordinary device price (6000 vs 3000 for Worldcall)
2. Only one Package

Seems they have listened and responded well

Here is the add that appeared in the local news paper. according to it

besides the older 2000 Rs fixed package they have introduced two more options plus also allowing the 2000 as pre paid. and the sweetest change of all is the price drop of 2000 rs for the device

here are the new packages all prepaid packages are unlimited for their said duration (Unlimited data)

Device price or installation in other words is 3,999 Rupees,the previous post paid package of 2000 still holds too.

Prepaid also means that now you can pick and choose your internet usage so mage 100 for weekends is your need than this solves it perfectly.

Worldcall its your move now

Wi-tribe has made a very strong come back. In our review of witribe we along with a lot of readers had shown issues with their pricing model. Seems some body up there is listening to the customer feedback and acting upon it.

Wi-Tribe has launched with full adds in print media and billboards, now coming out of their soft launch. continue reading for their packages

They have no become equals to Wateen still a bit expensive , for example wateen’s 512 kb with 5 gb cap is 599 where is wi-tribe is charging 750. I don’t clearly understand the difference between a modem for PC users and a separate one for PC laptop users, my assumption is the PC/Laptop one has a built in wireless router.  Wateen has a standard rate of 2500 for activation and device fees, wi-tribes modem for PC users is cheap how ever the other option seems expensive, you can easily get a wireless router for less than 2000 in market that would mean you can take the pc modem and take it wireless for about 2900, but then again every one is not happy to see too many wires going around, and with current situation of load shedding it’s good to have lesser devices.

How will it fare when users increase lets wait and see. if you have experienced it do let us know

Ohh by the way the 7 day tria

I have had the chance of using it for about 2 weeks now and here is a detailed review of how it fared from the purchasing experience to the usage one.

bye the way for those of you in Karachi Mohtashim at IT Tazee has done a detailed review here also for those of you weighing your options against PTCL techlahore has a post here

So how did it fare in Lahore hit the read more link for details

Getting on Board

Getting a connection of Worldcall Wireless Broadband is as simple as it gets, you need a copy of your id card and a copy of utility bill (I still don’t understand the need for this ) The will provide you with a box like a CD box which you can take home and start using). The box contains the sleek USB Device a USB Extension cable and manual. Introductory price of Worldcall EvDO device is Rs 3000. That’s all the cost you need to start using this connection

Installing and using the connection

Installing and getting up on the connection is also pretty easy, as soon as you plug-in the device it will automatically run the installer utility and all your drivers will be installed automatically, a new connection with the name “Worldcall EVDO” and a new Program “Mobile Partner” are installed automatically. You can use the mobile partner to connect and you are online !!

Device

Worldcall’s has provided a very sleek device to access the EvDO Network, the device itself is a HUWAEI EC168C EvDO USB Stick. It is a durably built device looks good, the USB Connection rotates and fixes in place to make it more secure for carrying in a pocket or your Laptop Bag

The rotable USB connection makes it very easy to connect to a USB Port on your computer and adjust it so it does not obscure your work.

Icing on the Cake

The most interesting thing for me (might not be important for every one) in the device was the ability to access a micro SD card, there is a hidden slot which appears when you open the device where you can insert a micro SD card, I had a 1 gb old Micro SD card which i inserted and viola!! I had a usb stick with me, I had been thinking of buying a USB device for some time but this really came as a savior, now don’t need to carry two separate things, also it will enable for quicker access to the Micro SD of my black berry for the pictures or videos i keep snapping. According to specs it should be good up to an sd card of 8 gb capacity which is enough for my needs. One caveat how ever would be how this device acts when connected to a computer which does not have all the drivers installed it will install the drivers for evdo before allowing the system to access the storage, however for me its a god send gift

Packages

We have already covered the packages in our previous post Worldcall EvDO coming to Lahore on 25th Of May

just reposting for new readers here

Introductory price for service activation is 2999/- (Its my assumption that it means the cost of device too) which is not a bad deal considering the device is being charged at 4500 in Karachi, and PTCL device costs 6000 rs

Comparing with PTCL EvDO Rates for 2000 you get an upwards of 1 Mbps connection with same unlimited downloads where as for 1800 worldcall gives you a 512 Kbps, and with the recent launch of USB Device from ptcl the competition would be stiff, the plus point PTCL also has is the continuous functioning of device even out of major cities, but Customer service of PTCL has been an issue for people having problems.

Some addition to our initial observations is that wordcall does have an edge of providing flexibility in packages where a user with a lower budget could go for the 1200 Package which is absent from the PTCL deal.

Speed and Connectivity

Speed of worldcall EvDO is as promised on speedtest.net I got this (the download never exceed the 512 though which is the speed of my package.

The browsing is fast and ftp downloads are also fast (will update with accurate speeds later).

I have so far have not faced any signal or connectivity issues how ever as one reader has suggested in his comment and on his blog its not working in Cantt area of Lahore

http://daudahmed.wordpress.com/2009/06/01/worldcall-evdo-not-available-in-lahore-cantt-yet/

similarly i have heard that there are some times (rare) issues of remote computer not responding type but they are still far and beyond.

Conclusion

For us consumer the advent of EvDO and Wimax present some very good alternatives to DSL which some times can be a night mare if your landline has noise etc (Try getting it fixed through PTCL). EvDO in itself presents a very viable options for people on road, allowing connectivity in small portable packages, also with the current load shedding if your laptop can withstand a 1 hour black out it would mean that you can stay connected through the load shedding which in itself was a major thought when i went for this. The competitor in its space is PTCL which has a better cost to speed ratio but a little less flexibility in packages and a considerable startup cost of 6,000 rupees (against worldcall’s 3000 )

Do let us know your experiences and comments

Ohh this month is proving to be good for broadband users, after the recent launch of WiTribe it seems Worldcall’s EvDO service is not fat behind, today I say this flyer at a local shop and upon inquiry was told that it is coming by 25th and they were booking orders 6%

another Image and details after the break

Tarif being offered is as follows

Introductory price for service activation is 2999/- (Its my assumption that it means the cost of device too)

which is not a bad deal considering the device is being charged at 4500 in Karachi.

Other discounts for advance subscription is as follows

Comparing with PTCL EvDO Rates for 2000 you get an upwards of 1 Mbps connection with same unlimited downloads where as for 1800 worldcall gives you a 512 Kbps, and with the recent launch of USB Device from ptcl the competition would be stiff, the plus point PTCL also has is the continuous functioning of device even out of major cities, but Customer service of PTCL has been an issue for people having problems.

So lets see how it goes

Update

We have a detailed update on Worldcall Service you can read here

Worldcall EvDO Detailed Review

I specifically remember about a month back when I tried to search for Wi-Tribe in Pakistan all that Google returned me were few posts on blogs which discovered the company launching like Greenwhite.org (Disclaimer : I also write on this blog) and on Pro Pakistan. There was another crazy link, where some one got creative and made a blog just to get attention here is the link.

After their massive hiring stints and big adds in local news papers, some time ago their launch was expected some time ago. With wateen and moblink infinity already started, wi-tribe does have its work cutout for them, but broadband does have a lot of potential in Pakistan specially for wimax because the wired connections do have limited availability and prone to blackouts and errors.

Does appearance of their website means that they are nearing to launch ? or do they still have more hurdles to cross we will only find with due time.

But in the end for us consumers more options means more competition and better rates and services.