here it is: @watchman, The questions you've raised are valid. Allow me to contribute(I believe Safaricom has an official response somewhere) * *

*1. What are the expected data connection speeds for the bundle? *

This is dependent uponthe bundle type.Safcom launched data bundles to suit the different categories of users.Choose the data plan the suits you here: http://www.safaricom.co.ke/mydataplan/. Unlimited plans are throttled. As to the actual throttled speed, you are better off tweeting @bobcollymore : http://www.kachwanya.com/2011/07/28/safaricom -unlimited-data-bundle-speed-at-256kbps-not-baaad-but/ In addition, the time-based bundle 2/- per min is also capped/throttled. My understanding and experience is that the throttled bandwidth has been adjusted with time in accordance with customer demands, many times via the power of Skunkworks :-). *2. What are the expected data connection speeds on 3G with Safaricom?

*

For the limited bundles and out bundle usage, I have managed an average of 800Kbps and a peak of 2Mbps on ftp and heavily seeded torrents.This is on the HSDPA(3.5G). For HSPA+, speed test shows a peak of about 5Mbps DL http://db.tt/EYcCIe0N.In other words, no fair usage policy applied. A disclaimer though is the prevailing environment conditions that are known to affect the quality of radio signal covering your area e.g. hilly terrain, diffraction due to forest cover, power lines/equipment that may cause frequency interference, etc. *3. Is there a limitation if i use a tethered device or a modem?

*

This is again dependent on the device and tethering mechanism. Tethering using bluetooth maxes out at 500Kbps -1Mbps. Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR should max out at about 3Mbps, which would practically give you a peak of about 2Mbps. While using a Nokia 5230 tethered via USB, and using Nokia Ovi Suite, the task panel indicated 460.8Kbps. This I believe is the max possible bandwidth, even though the 3G backhaul can offer me a lot more. The speed is affected by the USB standard for the cable/interface:1.0, 2.0,etc. The latest the USB, the better the experience. *4. Do i need specialized equipment with Safaricom sim's to get better

bandwidth?*

Any modem that conforms to 3Gpp standard is sufficient.The SIM is very generic. The actual policies reside logically per subscriber/number, again depending on the service subscribed as mentioned above. However, there are modems that offer better experience than others. Some are 3.6Mbps(Huawei E160), 7.2Mbps(Huawei E1750), 14.4Mbps(Huawei E1820),etc. Most are available in the retail shops. I suggest you visit and check out the actual specifications per modem.The range is 2k to 10k. Again, if the service subscribed will ultimately determine whether the speed is capped or not. Check out modem specs: Huawei 3G modems: http://www.3gmodem.com.hk/Huawei.html ZTE 3G modems: http://www.3gmodem.com.hk/ZTE.html On Thu, Nov 24, 2011 at 7:46 PM, Brian Rioba <rriobs@gmail.com> wrote:

I subscribe to weekly bundles and have also witnessed the capped speeds though i think it was discussed in a thread sometime ago...not sure if it was on this list

On Thu, Nov 24, 2011 at 7:42 PM, Dennis Kioko <dmbuvi@gmail.com> wrote:

...

I have noticed that one of my Safaricom lines cannot exceed internet speed of 30 kilobytes per second, or about 256 Kbps. <geektalk> I have even flashed my ZTE blade numerously, upgraded it from Generation 1 to Generation 2 firmware, just to make sure that the ROM I was using was not flawed and even losing my WiFi MAC address in the process (now recovered). </geektalk>

Today, I decided to do the test on two devices just to make sure that it wasn't my ZTE Blade. I used the line on a ZTE Blade and Huawei IDEOS S7 Slim tablet. In both devices, the line still maxes out at about 30 KiB/s. An Airtel line on my ZTE Blade hits 124 KiB/s (992 Kbps) while my other Safaricom line goes above 100 KiB/s (800 Kbps) on the tablet.

Question: Does this mean that Safaricom has throttled some lines at the speed of their unlimited bundles (256 Kbps)? I have never bought an unlimited bundle.

Anyone else experienced the same , or it is just some weird problem limited to my line and devices?

-- with Regards:

blog.denniskioko.com <http://www.denniskioko.com/>

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