Pinoy Reviews

Speaking of indoor signals, it's not to say that Smart's service is perfect. I still get a few deadspots indoors. That's why I'm thinking of getting a cell phone signal booster to improve my cell phone signal. I always use my mobile as a modem to browse the Internet and I don't browse the Internet unless I'm getting a 3G signal from Smart. Smart's GSM signal is okay but 3G signals are a bit harder to come by especially indoors.

The problem is that most of the cell phone booster that I see on eBay Philippines only supports GSM signals, not 3G. There are HSDPA/3G signal boosters that I've seen on the Internet but their prices are a bit steep, ranging from $100-$200. So, should I invest on a signal booster or wait for Smart to roll out their HSDPA services? I've already seen some ads for their HSDPA Smart Broadband services so that probably means they're improving their signal quality by adding more cell phone towers. I'll probably wait for Smart. I don't want to spend a $100 for something that would probably gather dust in our attic in a year or two's time.

I remember seeing an ad from Globe and how they boast that they have the strongest indoor signal. Well, I don't know whether it's due to their incompetence or Smart's aggressiveness when it comes to being the top wireless carrier in the country but it seems that Smart has surpassed Globe when it comes to cell phone signal, both for 2G and 3G.

Even in the provinces, Smart's signal is stronger than Globe that's why a lot of people in the province prefer Smart. My brother, who used to be using Globe since Globe was the first wireless carrier to put up a cell phone tower in our province, used a cell phone signal booster just to get a signal from Globe but ever since Smart put up their own tower in the province, he has switched providers and his cell phone booster is now gathering dust in their garage.

In fairness to Globe, in the Metro, they have a lot of HSDPA signals but sadly, it's unusable since every time I try to connect to the internet on my phone, internet browsing is SLOOOWWW. So whatever happened to Globe? They were the pioneers of mobile phone use and text messaging in the Philippines but they're quickly overshadowed by Smart. Even when they're always the first to introduce a new service, be it Gcash, HSDPA, etc, Smart is always able to surpass them. I'm sure they're probably thanking the heavens above that telecommunications services in the Philippines is limited to Filipinos or the entry of foreign players would probably leave them at the bottom.