Zain e-Go 21.6Mbps Mobile Internet
I got a phone call yesterday from a friend at Zain. He wanted me to try out their new e-GO which can hit speeds of up to 21.6Mbps. Sadly I couldn’t pass by to pick it up since I had to catch a flight to Lebanon but I was just catching up on some blogs and it seems some other bloggers managed to get the e-GO and try it out. So far the reviews have been positive. Here are some blogger reviews on the new 21.6Mbps e-GO:
zDistrict
Review: Zain E-Go 21.6 MB/s
4th Ring Road
Zain e-go 21.6 mbps…. we like.
Some Contrast
Exclusive: Zain’s latest E-GO 21.6 Mb/s
Blushberry
Review : Zain 21.6 Mbps Internet
I should get my hands on the new e-GO once I get back to Kuwait in a couple of days. The picture above is taken by zDistrict.
Update: According to Some Contrast, the new e-GO and 21.6Mbps connection is available right now at every Zain branch. The new e-GO sells for KD45 and the monthly membership is KD32 but if you sign up for 1 year you get the new e-GO for free.
Update2: 360Dewan tried his 7.2Mbps connection after Zain upgraded the network to 21.6Mbps and he was able to achieve download speeds of up to 758kb through a connection via his iPhone 3GS. So it looks like everyone’s connection has benefited from this upgrade. [Link]
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45 Comments, add your own...
1. BJ | September 4th, 2009 at 10:35 pm
Hmm, 4 to 9 mb connection. Not bad…maybe now service providers like quality net will lower their prices to realistic amounts. I mean this thing will probably be around 30KD per month maximum right? Thats much better than paying 41KD per month for a 5MB connection. I mean realistically speaking though I doubt anyone will actually reach a 21MB connection with this thing.
But still, 4 to 9 mb is pretty amazing. Now make a decent router that doesn’t conflict with devices such as the xbox 360 and ps3 and you have me sold Zain.
2. BJ | September 4th, 2009 at 10:41 pm
Sorry for the double post. But the fact that there is a 20GB cap per month makes having a connection like this useless lol.
3. moe80s | September 4th, 2009 at 10:44 pm
mark I reviewed all the guys link about Ego and according to my experience Zain will probably have no port forwarding, also they gave priority connection to the Ego 21.6 (easy to be controlled), now I wouldn’t advice the guys go ahead and say it’s gr8 and fast unless it’s in the market plus we all know very well there is a certain download amount if you exeed it you’ll be given like 128KB connection in the next month.
My question is:
1 – will Zain give unlimited download?
2 – will it be refundable for first month use? if they trust their merchandise the should make money back guarantee
3 – will it work all over kuwait? I know some ppl bought Ego and didn’t work this much at their areas
4 – Will it be with prot forwarding option? (I’m buying the product and I have the right to do what ever I want)
I hope you’ll be able to give me these feedback once you try it :)
4. wi-fi | September 4th, 2009 at 11:20 pm
one word ..
EXPENSIVE .
5. nxman | September 4th, 2009 at 11:51 pm
Zain = Liars
6. Jesse | September 5th, 2009 at 12:09 am
Download caps on broadband devices are ridiculous, especially if you are paying for “unlimited” use. Viva is the only cellular based internet provider in Kuwait that doesn’t have a cap (yet) and so far I’ve been satisfied with them (going on 6 months).
7. Lucky_Boy | September 5th, 2009 at 12:49 am
I don’t think there is cap on the internet, its listed as unlimited on their website, unless you really abuse it.
8. HeartBeat | September 5th, 2009 at 12:52 am
I don’t get it,, we have the 7MB e-go and myself I never got more than 1.5MB !!
21.6MB !! Zain you suck!
9. HeartBeat | September 5th, 2009 at 12:58 am
one more thing. Why not giving us the 7.2MB speed that they claim using the 7.2 E-Go and we would be more than happy! why to buy a new one capable of 21.6MB when we wont get more than what they are claiming of 4-9MB?!
RIPOFF
10. BiGBoYz | September 5th, 2009 at 12:58 am
After all, ViVa is using FASTTELCO as there Internet Service Provider and they are going to come out with something similar to E-Go soon……..
11. BiGBoYz | September 5th, 2009 at 1:00 am
One thing I wanna add here 21.6 Mbps will show you till the Tower only and this is a shared bandwidth and not dedicated. so some towers you will get good speed and some lower speeds.
12. Frankom | September 5th, 2009 at 2:41 am
LOL @ #8 HeartBeat
#10 VIVA announced it before Zain , but Zain placed their ads before VIVA in the press
13. Burhan | September 5th, 2009 at 2:42 am
This is the speed you should have been getting with the “7.2″ connection.
As others have stated, the claimed speed is not the speed to the Internet, it is the speed to the closest Zain tower. This speed increase will be most appreciated by those people using things like video chatting on mobiles.
The speed to the Internet will fluctuate just like it does now with the current setup.
There is no such thing as ‘unlimited’. This is marketing hype. Is it metered Internet. When you go and purchase it, ask the sales rep what is their FUP (Fair Use Policy). This is what really matters.
14. Ralf | September 5th, 2009 at 3:26 am
useless if you have a 21.4 mb USB with a 1mb connection speed…no wireless internet speed can reach that speed in the MENA region…
15. muTTon | September 5th, 2009 at 7:56 am
Well ever since i reached my download cap on zain 7.2 mbps connection … my speeds have been absolutely sad and pathetic ( the contract states if you download more than 20 GB a month they have right to decrease ur speeds , tho they havent mentioned to what speed they would be decreasing it to, they had brought down my connection speeds to 176 kbps ) … my connection is suppose to have been reinstated in the beginging of Sept .. unfortunately this has made no change to the speeds …. The customer service has been absolutely pathetic … as in one of the chappies even claimed that our contract specifies that zain has all the right to decrease ur speed at any pt of time according to their will … and im like i spend KD 27 every month to have them take me off my service when ever they please …. like hellooo where are my rights … and since im tied up to a contract i cant even get rid of it … as in i need to pay KD 50 to get this leash off of me .. and i dont mind paying the KD 27 if they were to provide me with a consistent worth while connection … but for a service which is absolutely not reliable … i doubt it …. most of my frnds have also had issues … as in initially when u purchase the connection u go thru a wow phase … as in the connnections are ridiculously awesome .. but in time the connections deteriorates…. IS zain reliable … are their future service / products going to be worth it …. hmmm im highly doubtful ….. mE
16. Name is Bond | September 5th, 2009 at 8:16 am
@muTTon:dude you have taken great pains to paste the same comment, in all the blogs..
17. Sfsa78 | September 5th, 2009 at 9:00 am
For some reason I’m getting 2mb-2.6mb forthe last couple of days on my wataniya router, which usually gives me 1.1mb-1.4mb.
Maybe wataniya are now updating towers following viva and Zain? However I do live in shamiya where Internet traffic is less. But 2mb and above is good. I’m not complaining.
18. Izzq8 | September 5th, 2009 at 9:20 am
hmm i hear soo much commotion on viva and zain but nothing from wataniya….
19. HeartBeat | September 5th, 2009 at 9:35 am
I recommend that you DONT buy the new E-Go usb device! .. just get the new service and use your current 7.2 e-Go or Zain Router and see how it goes!
Unless zain does not allow that which I very much doubt, cause I am able to use the current 21KD subscription sim card on my built in generic 3G module and any other 3G/HSPDA module and my mobile. But if they do that then it would be stupid!
20. Mark | September 5th, 2009 at 10:31 am
HeartBeat: if you do try that out post a mini review here so we know if it works or not.
21. Ali | September 5th, 2009 at 2:02 pm
What the use if u can not excessed 20 GB per month !!!!!!!
if u did , then they will cut your speed to less than half !!!!!!
THIS IS CALLED MA95ARAAA !!
22. blushberry | September 5th, 2009 at 6:50 pm
ive reached 6 MB with my Zain e-go and that really great !! u have to try it out !! i have both Viva and Zain and both are Great ! and impressive Results in both ! im getting the Adapter soon to share my connection but its out of stock !
23. BJ | September 5th, 2009 at 9:00 pm
Where do you live blushberry?
24. HeartBeat | September 5th, 2009 at 10:44 pm
blushberry: did u use the old e-go?
25. Shabby | September 6th, 2009 at 12:31 am
People, Viva also has a download cap, I had the same issue with them!
26. RubberChickenMan | September 6th, 2009 at 10:05 am
I already paind 6 months for my wataniya connection is it worth switching to zain for the 20 mb connection or should I wait for 6 months?
27. Burhan | September 6th, 2009 at 12:40 pm
RubberChickenDude:
No, its not worth it. Wataniya will upgrade their network as well. You are wise to stick with Wataniya.
28. Nasser | September 6th, 2009 at 5:28 pm
The question is , Do you get the full speed on a Mac?
29. Akbar | September 6th, 2009 at 6:01 pm
Still a loooong way to go before we can even dream of T1, T2 and T3 connections in Kuwait. I remember paying 280KD per yearfor a dialup =)
Reading all this hype about the new e-Go 21Mbps on all the blogs makes me think how long will be ripped off like this? Similar was the case with Mobile call rates until Viva changed the dynamics of the market or at least improved it.
T1, T2, T3 providers out there, Be our Angel – come and make it all right, Come and save us tonight…!
30. lensman | September 6th, 2009 at 10:26 pm
@ Akbar
Rightly said!
We need more internet providers…. more competition…
31. BJ | September 6th, 2009 at 10:38 pm
I couldn’t agree more guys. We also need a revamp of our phone lines…the government is too slow…at this rate we wont be a fiber optic nation before 2050…
32. moe80s | September 7th, 2009 at 10:47 am
Mark Habibi, it’s not the bandwith it’s the downloading limitation
33. Mark | September 7th, 2009 at 10:49 am
What are you talking about?
34. rg | September 7th, 2009 at 12:20 pm
Akbar, a T1 connection is 1.54 Mega Bits. A T2 is 6.3 Mega Bits. Whats soo special about that? I think you have been stuck in 2003, and have been repeating that statement ever since.
35. SSaMM | September 7th, 2009 at 2:01 pm
All you should know that 7,2Mbps or 21.6Mbps are just theoretical values and never meant to be real…This not only in kuwait but the whole mobile networked world. Your download speeds all over the world will depend on where you location is, how far from signal tower, and the time of the day…Also how many people using eaach tower…p.s. people at night time or on holidays use more internet and more downloads..all these fancy speeds are just some improvement
36. Akbar | September 7th, 2009 at 5:42 pm
rg, T3 operate at 44.6Mbps =)
A true T1 line operating at full capacity can accommodate up to 24 users working at 64 Kbps.
In addition to very fast Internet access, very high bandwidth and reliability, T1 and T3 connections also offer increased security.
More info:
http://hindi.blog.com/2009/09/06/t1-and-t3-connection-what-are-they/
Agree with SSaMM, what they offer is not what you get. We are charged futuristic rates and given past services, In rg terms, 2003 bandwith at 2010 rates!
37. moe80s | September 7th, 2009 at 9:45 pm
when i checked all blogs i noticed that everyone is happy with the speed although it should be faster, but what they forgot is that will Zain remove the 20GB dowload limit??? cause I had this problem last month and the connection went to almost 128KB
please if anyone have Viva Internet can you tell me if they have unlimited download?
38. Musti | September 8th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
Look guys give zain a break. I give the reason why they have the download limit.
They are not an Internet Service Provider, they have no connection to the internaional gateway. They get their internet from Kems and QualityNet and they get charged per byte. Thats why they are forced to have a download limit.
Also, the network doesnt really support 21.6 just yet, the network can only provide 14.4. The new e-gos supports both. Major hardware upgrades are needed on the network and are expected by the end of the year. So expect even faster speeds in January 2010.
39. Musti | September 8th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
One other thing, People mention if i am paying for 7.2Mbps why i get much less.
Thats the nature of the 3G/HSDPA technology anyways, and zain has nothing to do with it again. Many factors are involved:
1. Most improtant is that the 7.2 is shared between all users on that specific area. So its the basestation that supports a Max of 7.2 and is shared with all users covered by this basestation.
2. Coverage. You being indoors does effect your throughput alot. Try and go outside and see the speed you get. The speed you get depends on something called Channel Quality Indicator (CQI). The worse your CQI the lower your speeds.
Many other factors can effect why you get bad thourghput, its the nature of the technology and nots Zain’s fault.
40. Fibonacci | September 9th, 2009 at 1:08 am
Zain Network doesnt support 21.6 speed yet,while VIVA covered 10% of Kuwait already and speed has been registered in 60+ locations across Kuwait mainly in the residential areas and working on the other areas, and for other areas it reaches up to 14.4 speed, im not sure about the cap but VIVA has 100 GB cap i guess.
41. Zorro | September 10th, 2009 at 12:06 am
moe80s: Viva doesn’t have unlimited download. They have a 60GB cap according to their website
http://www.viva.com.kw/portal/page?_pageid=894,441102&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL
Fair usage policy: 60GB/month. After reaching download of 60GB per month a reduction in speed will be experienced. No additional charges will be applied.
Just like Zain and Wataniya
42. Iron Maiden | September 18th, 2009 at 6:01 am
Hi All,
I have my zain e-go (KD 13.5 / mo) and upgraded to (KD 27/mo) … yet download speed really sucks! –> living in Ras Salmiyah.
I used my friend’s Viva chip — excellent speed !
I use uTorrent to download some movies, and get only 1.5 – 3.0 KBps !!!
Do I pay KD 27 to get this poor level of service? I still don’t get it.
43. joe | September 23rd, 2009 at 10:39 am
i am using zain 386 kbps connection which seems ridiculous . i am simply waisting time in opening even a webpage for more than 3 minutes.i dont know all have same experience.
44. joe | September 23rd, 2009 at 10:42 am
zain 386
45. KuwaitiCrud | October 1st, 2009 at 3:30 pm
Viva is now turning your connection off if you torrent download
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