Internet Service Providers Thailand
The great thing about consulting or owning your own business where you can work online is that you can literally do it anywhere. As I write this article I'm laying down in a bamboo hut in the middle of rice fields and sugar cane plantations, no one around for miles yet I'm still connected. Using AIS 3g I'm able to connect with all my operations make phone calls to clients all while drinking Sang Som and cranking the karaoke machine. Life is great.
What's in a picture?
Ever see those pictures of guys with their feet up relaxing on the beach while working online? I think the beach is the worst place and here's why. As good as those pictures look, it's almost always very humid and sticky. Few pictures will ever show the reality of what these places are truly like. People never seem to capture the hawkers that come and disturb you the heat that I explained earlier and the journey time to a bathroom that is reliably clean. Maybe I'm just cynical or just a realist in saying that Paradise is not always what it seems. So if you can ignore the hawkers and you can hook up a fan at the beach your biggest problem is reliable internet access.
The only truly reliable internet in Thailand I've ever had was through my phone. Just because you've rented a brand new condo or bought a new house doesn't mean that you're guaranteed to have good internet. A guy I met last week said that he's going around to all these apartments testing the internet speeds so that he can make the most "informed" decision. I just chuckled. While some people get lucky many people will suffer through service interruptions caused mostly by electricians cutting corners and using the cheapest gauge wire possible. Yes it's cheaper in Thailand, but cheap is almost always not better. Internet is one thing digital professionals should not be cheap about.
The reality is you need continuation plans to get uninterrupted internet access in Thailand, like many professional mostly for online poker players working here you MUST have more than one service or you WILL have service interruption.
Current 3g rates average around 800 baht a month for 4 gigs or more which is around the typical price for basic ASDL or fiber connection. Typically to get service simply go to the closest mall (or Big C depends where you live) which is where your local providers will have a sales shop. It's easy to prepay for 3g service but for a landline connection as a foreigner you'll need a contract. Most internet service providers require foriegners to pay up front 6months.
I recommend AIS (12Call) for 3g service, right now for 799 a month you'll get 12gb plus download per month (then a really slow connection for the rest of the month) you'll also get free wifi connections in certain locations (Mcdonalds and central malls have AIS wifi!). If you're lucky enough to live within range of the wifi connection you could get away with just that but the WiFi is unreliable . If you just want the WiFi connection it's 99 baht a month. Just go to your phone company for more information. (3bb, True, AIS).
Internet Connection Speeds
The fastest internet I've seen in Thailand is from a connection of a mate of mine that lives in Bangkok. He is using True Move Ultra Speed where he regularly gets 80mbit/s download speeds.
You will see the picture below how confusing and illogical pricing is. But like everything in Thailand nothing is done logically.
So you will see two different prices here one for xDSL and one for DOCSIS. The xDSL uses phone lines but the DOCSIS uses fiber. The fiber is faster and its cheaper. If you're looking for the fastest internet available look for the word DOCSIS.
Watch this video it will explain it better.
Fiber isn't available in all locations however fiber is the most reliable method of delivery so if you absolutely require fast internet then you need this service or fiber from another provider.
Most Internet service providers are linked to CAT's gateway for domestic and international content which I suspect but can't confirm is where the government can intercept and block illegal content. TRUE has it's own international gateway which when that happened really helped download speeds. TRUE also owns most of the telephone lines in Bangkok . CAT used to own a monopoly on the international gateway but in the past several years the government has allowed other operators including TRUE to setup their own gateways. Again TRUE has the most Coverage in Bangkok and was the first company to get 4g.
An interesting fact is in the early 2000's it would cost about 25,000 baht for a broadband connection that was slower than what you can get now for 600 baht a month.
Recommended Internet Providers in Thailand
CAT Telecom - Only company i'm aware of that offers up to 1Gbit/s downloads
TRUE - Leader in providing the internet which the most coverage in Bangkok
3BB - I've always used 3BB as my broadband connection, and without fail every month i'll have service interruption.
Commercial
If you own a website that only has Thailand traffic then you want it hosted in Thailand. CAT-IDC has the largest data center in Thailand actually several of them. They do have cheaper specs available you just need to call them. As you can guess from the design of their website customer service for small clients is not at all helpful.
If you run a business that requires staff to use the internet all day or even large guest houses with many users or you have money to burn and want the fastest internet available in Thailand then you need a leased line and I highly recommend you look at a a commercial provider like csloxinfo who offer leased lines.
If you have anything to add, or I got something completely wrong please let me know in the comments below.
Yea and good luck getting even half the advertised speed most of the time… Especially upload speeds which everyone seems to ignore, internet works 2 ways!
They just do so many things wrong with the internet here… A lot of apartments/condos your only option is to buy the shared wifi, which they will usually advertise as 10/1…. but then they have the cheapest router on earth, along with the shoddiest cabling and 20+ users on 1 line, which pretty much brings your speeds to a crawl from 5pm to 1am.
If you want a dedicated line in your room you have to get a minimum 1 year contract (maybe 6 months) +buy the equipment +pay your condo to allow them to install which was 1500 baht at my last place.. So your looking at around 3000 or 4000 baht right off the bat! You pretty much have to commit to living in the same condo for years to make it worth it!
All really good points, about the speeds. Unless you have a leased line you share the spectrum with all the other people on the same line so especially if you’re in a condo doesn’t matter even if you get a dedicated line to your room it’s still not dedicated to the provider so you’re still sharing the bandwidth with all the other people, unless you can get fiber to your room speeds will be all over the place.
Watt Up Chris!!
Was @ Truemove the other day. Guy quoted me:
iSMART899 plan $899 +VAT
includes: 500 minutes/month & 3G/month
Wrote 50% off, so according to him is $470+vat with a 2-month contract cuz I have my own smart phone.
Question is: TRUE or AIS
True and AIS are different companies. The iSmartplan you only get 5g downloads, the AIS one I mentioned you get 12gb download. Also if you have a smart phone why you need an aircard for? AIS has more regional coverage so unless you’re just in Bangkok I recommend AIS.
TRUE was my first and ONLY visit. Will visit AIS now.
Thanks for the 411
PEACE!
If you live in a condo or apartment block you have to be near to the router, otherwise a poor connection and maybe slower speeds plus most condos. only have the basic package of 6 or 10mbs as a service. Depending where you live. Also, taking from exprience you might get either the router hidden away in the office and no access to reset during the night or funny looks when you do.!
I just recently had SiNet install fibre service to my condo. 30/3 and it has been working really well so far. I was lucky that the building was in the process of switching over from TOT to SiNet at the time. They were installing the 30/3 service as shared wifi for the building with two routers per floor at a cost per user/unit of 650B per month. I got SiNet to run a dedicated line right into my unit and pay them directly 1200B per month, which to me is totally worth it. My backup is my mobile with True Move 4G but I have been thinking of switching to AIS as I never get 4G service anyways. True excuse for this is that 4G is not available in all areas of the city but truth be told I have never seen it light up and I move around the city a lot so I think it’s total bullshit.
Your in Chiang Mai or another area? I think anything to do with TRUE is great in Bangkok but elsewhere no, that’s what people have been telling me.
Ei Colin, is your fibre have a bandwidth cap?
Great advice; thank you everyone
as Im about to launch into this scenario myself
True is truly rubbish. As is 3BB in Northen Thailand.
The jumps in servers & also through the “Filter server” are ridiculous.
For example: Open your command prompt & type: tracert followed by the website or server you whish to trace.
eg: tracert http://www.youtube.com
The results speak for themself. I even contacted True tech department to change my route to a specific server i use. No joy. They sent three idiots to my house who had no clue what so ever.
Frustrating, yes. But it’s one of many things you must accept here.
TOT in Chiang Mai – occasional problems but largely their 8mg service is excellent
Been using AIS for years,and it is by far the best.
with aDSL, sometimes if you order the package 1 above the cheapest plan, that can make some difference. In my case with 3BB, I’ve been fortunate to have very little problems with the cheapest package (590/mo and I’ve gotten 10-12MB/s down, 0.5MB/s up). When I did this, f
For wireless, My by Cat seems to be a good deal. Their promotions have changed, but I have 4gb/mo for 590. After the 4gb monthly cap, it drops down to 384kbps/s which is still surf able.
Always good to have one wired connection (dsl/cable) and one wireless connection. My router just crapped out on me and I must buy a new one 🙁
I am a day trader of futures (Gold, Crude Oil, Nat Gas, etc) anyone out there trading? If so what Internet is the best, or is it even good enough for trading. Would like to semi-retire here in Thailand if I could get quality, fast, reliable Internet.
A lot of my friends are traders, just get the highest possible internet from True in Bangkok or 3BB in Chiang Mai
trader as well but work during US time,
if renting apartment/condo, can we request to install this True internet ourselves if its not alrd available?
Thx
You might have to pay a fee by the meter meaning the length of cable that’s required to get it to your place. This is typically available only in non-apartments and non-condo places.
A super important detail in regards to True Internet (cable), is that they perform what is known as DNS hijacking and using Transparent Proxying…
Their own transparent proxy is often overloaded making everything go extremely slow… You can use another proxy though, such as another True proxy at proxy.trueinternet.co.th, this is usually quite a bit faster than the transparent one.
DNS hijacking and transparent proxies will potentially give you problems in regards to gaming and working though…
Oh, and your friend might get 80 MBit, no problem, too bad he won’t get more than 3-4 to the US though, there’s no way even with the 80 MBit that he can get HD or Ultra HD from Netflix using True, he can, at times, maybe get 720p though.
I have used Sinet for a period of time now I can say their internet is the best I have used comparing to True and 3BB I have heard from too many people TOT is junk so I didn’t even try in my building Sinet offers 30mb service with no contract I am watching netflix in HD as well as watching live sports from north america, they even have english speaking people working for them which is a treat. I can tell from personal experience true’s and 3bb service will not come close to western standard because they can’t communicate to you not to mention trying to force you into a 1yr contract
What is a ‘period of time?’ I’m asking because there are suspicions, the Thai providers start with the real deal, then ‘dial down’ your speed. Also what router are you hanging off that service, and what do SiNet install in terms of hardware? Last wek they were in our Baan in CM, running fibre down the soi. Thanks, man.
As far as I know there is no contract for Sinet services in most buildings but for homeuse there still is a 1 yr contract I was using a 35/15 which I got a dlink router(plus fiber optic unit for homeuse) they charge you security deposit though 1000 baht for home/500 for condo which you get back when equipments are returned. Since then I upgraded to a 50/20 and got an upgrade on router to a dual band netis 2780. 5ghz channel rules because it will not clash with other people as much most still use 2.4ghz this of course your equipment has to support that as well. I am using ipad air/ iphone 5 and macbook so all supports that
Thanks for the reply nomad, I didn’t think I’d hear back!
Well, we got SiNet 25/8 using my own router, Linksys WRT1900ac of course the Macbook loves the 5ghz, as does a Samsung Tab 10.1 but were having major placement issues. With regards the signal. A router of that magnitude should blow 2.4Ghz to the border, but we have used Wifi Analyser app to confirnm the signal sucks upstairs, so we’re calling them back to reinstall the FTTH from the upstairs floor, and will run WiFi Analyzer before they ‘nail it down’ this time. I’ve spent a week on this already, so have eliminated all other signal depleting possibilities.
We just have too mutt clutter between the router high on the wall downstairs and the client devices upstairs. 5Ghz does have a problem with physical obstacles that the more common 2.4 Ghz does.
My gal signed the contract as a Thai national, we got everything installed for about THB 11,450 which includes 12 months 25/8 service pre-paid. If the repositioning of the router does not work, we will look into buying their ac Netis 2780 for THB 1500, and use that as a bridge. The Netis, though relatively unknown, gets a good rap on Amazon, and that price is way below the US$69 theyre asking on Amazon too BTW. Thanks for the heads up about your service upgrade, because if the math works out for us, we may go back to them and upgrade the speed to score the router as an dual band bridge. In other respects we’re pretty happy, I realized I should have made sure the router and fiber terminal box was optimally sited at install, I put too much faith in them (and the router) and they just installed it right where the old DSL router was, because the line access was easier for them.
Of course port forwarding helps with the data heavy apps, but we are getting unacceptabble buffering just listening to digital radio upstairs.
Does someone here knows an internet service provider (dsl or fibre) that has a pretty decent connection and does not have a bandwidth cap?
if you hotspot to a laptop what kind of speeds do you get?
Shared fibre optic will be quick enough to make good quality skype to mobile calls?
Looking at 3 months in a condo and need to make a ton of international calls so really need to ensure the internet speed is going to be stable and hold out and then need a plan b and a plan c?
can you buy like a wireless dongle or anything as well?
thanks
reliable calls use 4G.
True internet service is a pathetic joke now. AVOID. They used to be ok, but now their service is up and down like a prostitute’s pants, and rarely anywhere near the speed purchased. To add insult to misery, their phone service is also hideous – curteous staff, but not a clue what to say or do. If you ask for a reduction in charges, they put it through to their billing department, say they will confirm back to you, and of course then never call you. AVOID.
Hey, i’m looking at moving From Queensland, Australia to Bangkok (or Maha Sarakham depending on family) in a few years, And i’m doing some research into living costs. I need info on a good home internet provider with a plan that offers unlimited downloads and is fast enough for us to run online games (WoW) via the computer and Xbox (ESO) at the same time (basically allow for 2 people to play at the same time). Anyone have any knowledge or advice? Not too stressed on price, at this point in time i’m just crunching numbers. Cheers.
All depends where you live, some streets you only have one option (actually most places are like that).
howdy guys
Just moved to Hua Hin and wondering on a decent provider her as well.
Any heads up greatly appreciated.
Regards
honkin
DOCSIS is NOT fiber, it uses good old coaxial cables which were are still used in cable TVs or for satellite reception. It’s an obsolete technology for data. If you’re looking for fiber connection, the keyword is FTTx.
So it sounds like getting a sim card with a good data plan and tethering it to your laptop for work is the best way to go?
I’ll be in Pattaya in February for 2 months and I’m worried about the internet speed. If it’s so slow I can’t work or make client calls using Google voice I’m screwed.
I always experienced slow internet in the hotels there in the past so I was hoping to find a place with a good connection, but that doesn’t seem possible. Is there a plan you recommend for tethering? If I’m not able to work I’d have to cancel my trip and come home early and I know the girlfriend won’t like that since she’s there to visit family.
She’ll out a few of those baht you claim to have and stay in a resort or bungalow with a private beach. No beggars there. You act like a rich guy but live like a backpacker and complain about it.
This article is too out-of- date to be relied on.