Stay-at-home-moms (SAHM) are so lucky these days. Online job and income opportunities such as a virtual assistant, researcher , problogger or web content writer now transforms them to work-at-home moms (WAHM). Moms get to balance family time, work and personal satisfaction. Now what is the main resource that online users need? A reliable, fast broadband connection, right? Slow connection means low productivity. High productivity means one is able to balance work load and mommy work. Mom’s work gets done fast. No connection at all might even cost loss of opportunities or risk getting replaced. I know of a web content writer working on rush job but missed a deadline because the internet connection died on her. That cost her to lose an income opportunity and reliability as a web content writer. That’s how bad our internet connection is in the Philippines.
Over six months ago, I wrote about my three new Broadband internet providers (Globelines Broadband, Smart Bro and PLDT Mydsl) for which I pay around 4,000 pesos (or $95.00) a month. Am I happy with my three internet providers? I wrote a brief review about these providers a month ago. The ratings I gave those three providers are as follows:
1. Globe Broadband (best)
2. Smart Bro
3. PLDT MyDSL (Worst)
I’m about to file a complaint at the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) for PLDT’s mydsl intermittent connection every 10 minutes or so. Come on, can you do better than that? I pay 1,520 pesos a month and I deserve a seamless connection at least 99% of the time. But what do they give me? Dropped connections every 10 minutes?
Smart Bro has really been so good to me ever since I threatened to report them to NTC for non-existent connection for 2 months. Since then, connection has been excellent for over two months now. (knock on wood)
Even if I rated Globelines Broadband as the best among the three, I am not quite happy with their up to 1 mbps connection speed since half the time, it’s 60% of 1mbps. I feel cheated that these three providers con us into :
1. believing that “up to” is substantial. “Up to” is the maximum possible bandwidth promised.
Why can’t you just say that your connection is 600kbps? You want us to believe that we can attain 1Mbps most of the time when in fact, it’s 20% of the time.
2. Their connection is faster than dial up.
Really now? Are we supposed to believe that we should continue to live in the dark ages of dial up? Stop using the byline line faster than dial-up when you promote your broadband ads . You can’t fool someone like me who has been using cable internet for 8 years now. Yes, you can fool the dialup users but how long can you fool them?
So let’s see, when a new internet provider will dispel all the above marketing gimmicks of our current internet service providers, what will happen now? These unhappy internet users will definitely move to the new reliable internet provider who will make them happy broadband users.
Who is this possible internet provider?
Happy Communications will offer consumer broadband in the first quarter of 2008. Right now, their services mainly cater to corporate users. Naturally, they want to know more of their potential users before their public launch. I happened to have a one-on-one discussion with John Marvin T. Cruz , Chief Marketing Officer of Happy Communications. I was eager to meet Marvin because I am always in the lookout for alternative broadband services. I must say their Happy Wireless Broadband is very promising. All I have to see and experience is if it promises to deliver.
What do they offer?
1. Happy is the first to offer 4G technology in the country- fully wireless Internet Protocol-based applications at speeds of 50 Mbps to 1 Gbpz.
2. Happy operates in a truly wireless platform, running on a next generation network that relays real-time information to literally any point within the metro-true connectivity without the need for wires or even fiber optics. The 4G framework allows for the delivery of Triple Play services- cost-friendly, mobile and simultaneous communication of data, voice and video with just one connection.
3. Happy provides dedicated bandwidth for each and every user. This means no more connection sharing with other users in the area.
Now if you didn’t understand that, that’s okay because the one thing I understood was that they provide flexible bandwidth options starting at 2mbps connectivity (and not the UP TO that most of our providers say). I will actually get the bandwidth I am paying for. Wireless signal fidelity and connectivity speed problems are things of the past, so they claim.
I was quite excited at the prospect that I can have wireless connection (similar to Globe Visibility) at least for Metro Manila. No need to buy those Airborne Access or Globequest wi-fi cards in coffee shops. Imagine working on your laptop while waiting for your kid’s dismissal from school? Nothing is definite yet but initial plans may start at 995 pesos.
I stressed the need for prompt and reliable customer support. There is nothing more infuriating than waiting for customer support to answer your call. Secondly, having dumb customer service reps who can’t answer your questions is just as irritating.
Indeed, I told Marvin that there is a large market for the mommies who have online jobs or business. If their promise to give speedy and reliable connectivity is true, expect happy internet users.
For more techie stuff, read Jayvee’s entry, Happy Internet to launch WiMax service in 2008
