Comparison of 3G v/s 4G in Qatar

QTEL had launched the 4G trial last year. Tfour.me was also part of the BETA testing. Below is a post by Mohamad Shawash – describing his experience of using the 4G network in Doha. 

I was lucky to be one of the first 100 participants to take part in this exciting new development in Qatar. Qtel’s 4G Network.

I received an amazing kit including:

• Huawei E392 dongle
• 4G SIM card
• Start-up instructions kit

To justify it, and show the difference. I decided to compare it with the existing 3G internet dongle from Qtel. Testing included downloading videos, music, chating, video calling, streaming and more.

Talking about the coverage, according to Qtel – the below map depicts the performance of the network:

My office is located at West Bay which has great coverage and my apartment is located at Al Sadd, which hardly has fair coverage.

To be honest, I’m comfortable with speed in both locations, I prefer 3G in my area, but 4G in West Bay makes a huge difference. I mean really huge.

Attached is a screenshot of the speed of my downloads:

Now going back into things, 4G LTE stands for “Long Term Evolution.” This acronym refers to the ongoing process of improving wireless technology standards. LTE technology is the next step in increasing broadband speeds to meet the demands of users.

Qtel was awarded the 800 and 2,600 MHz frequency bands by ictQatar in May 2012 to introduce its next generation mobile network called 4G LTE. Qtel’s teams are gradually rolling out and extensively testing this new network that will eventually offer as much as 3-6 times higher mobile data speeds than the 3G network.

Which is proved in the attached screenshots.

I can’t wait for the fully fledged launch of the network where people will be able to enjoy this great speed at great prices (or that’s what I heard at least)

Now, regarding the Huawei E392 MBB USB dongle, here’s a quick point of view:

• It’s great and stable, easy to connect to a whilst on the move.
• Automatically switches to 3G when out of 4G range
• Not that small, but slick enough to slip into your pocket.
• Plug and Go – No need for extra software
• Supports Windows & Mac (same old 3G Qtel software)

Overall

Qtel 4G has a theoretical speed of 100Mbps. However, the typical average speed to expect will be between 8Mbps and 12Mbps. that said; the typical maximum speed and peak speed are 40Mbps and 64Mbps, respectively. In my test I saw various speeds between 12Mbps and 69Mbps.

I think it is a great product and I will still subscribe to it, I honestly can’t wait for the offers and services.