WorldCall EVDO Broadband Service: The 3 month Usage Review
Broadband, Gadgets and Gear, Review Lab, Uncategorized Add comments
Everyone has been talking and raving/criticizing/talking about Worldcall’s new EVDO wireless broadband service. Techlahore recently talked about the rival PTCL service that just launched in competition. We had been using the service in my old company for the last 3 months and after using it regularly, I think its time to share the experience of using this product nearly daily in a full review.
First of all, any good wireless broadband service is a Godsend for techies, consultants, generally people on the road. If you travel intercity, then even more so. Worldcall EVDO is very usable though it has some ticks that could make it better. In light of loadshedding and power issues I think a laptop with this dongle attached makes you invulnerable to KESC. That in itself, is something to pay for. Should you pay for this each month instead of your electric bill? 
Read on more for the full review.
The technology
EVDO technology more or less competes with WiMAX, though WiMAX is newer and more powerful. Worldcall is backing EVDO (CDMA essentially , the same thing used by Sprint in the US) while both Wateen and Mobilink infinity have opted to use WiMAX for their networks, so they at the moment do have a technological edge. But lo and behold, technology not being everything, despite a very corny marketing campaign, Worldcall still seems to gaining on the sales of its EVDO Devices.
Setup
Simple and fast. Since its USB it self installs and starts to work. Your firewall might complain a bit if you have any one and running.
Speed
We got the RS 1,200 a month, 256kbps speed option. We got the speed promised consistently as long as we were in the Karachi metropolitan area and along shahraefaisal and clifton. I think as you get signal issues the speed will drop and become inconsistent fairly quickly. However, this is alot better than the “old” worldcall, seems like the Omantel buyout and management change might be helping. I can’t say much about the other higher speeds since I have not tested them. No upload or download cap, but in this day and age if any ISP even try impose a limit on broadband, dump them and move to another one.
Check out our speed test below:
Apps: Mail works well, we tested Yahoo mail and POP through outlook which worked well. At 256Kbps driving in Karachi, youtube just doesnt work well. But your basic browser apps, ie webmail, calendar and IMs like MSN, etc are good. Don’t expect this to be your connection for downloading tons of files from servers. It also disconnects every few minutes unless you’re actively using it, so really its just your “away from my real connection” connection….
Price : 3000 for the device, and 1200 and up for the service. Yes, home DSL is cheaper and faster, I agree but you do pay dearly for the mobility and to bypass KESC and PTCL all at once! 
And Yes, GRPS is half the price, at about rs 500 for unlimited, but all you can do on that is access your webmail on an static html interface, like the basic html Gmail interface. And you still have to pay the same price for the pcmcia card, and it wont work in one of those new little netbooks, whereas this usb option will.
Rivals : Mobilink (Wimax?), PTCL.
Here also is a decent overview of PTCL’s competitor to Worldcall’s EVDO.
Interested ? Here is the link to their website : http://www.worldcall.net.pk/wirelessbroadband.html
Popularity: 100% [?]
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June 1st, 2009 at 6:24 am
Thanks for posting this. Could you do a comparison using speedtest.net so that we have an apples to apples between my PTCL EVDO review and Worldcall? Would be helpful for people trying to make up their mind.
June 1st, 2009 at 6:50 pm
Good idea, I’ll ask one of my peers to do that in Khi
June 2nd, 2009 at 12:23 am
I’ve had their 1 mbps service since pre-launch and thought I’d share my input:
1)QoS varies greatly from area to area and time of day. The first 2 months (where I suppose user base was very low), I consistently used to get 80-140KB/sec (yes that’s a little above the rated speed limit)
2)As time went by getting closer to the speed I paid for became increasingly difficult. Today, I’m lucky to get 50KB/sec, even in the wee hours of the morning.
3)Worldcall claims to provide service in Lahore but I had no luck getting signals in the Cantt and Gulberg areas.
4)Signal strength as it relates to penetration is not as consistent as Warid’s EDGE USB stick I carry as a contingency for my product demos.
When I complained to my WC sales rep, he said the CDMA base stations had a cap of 4MB/sec each, and most base stations were now running at peak capacity. He even suggested I drop down a notch to the 512kbps package.
In conclusion I suggest people considering this go with the 256 or 512 packages, and if you do a lot of inter city traveling, consider the PTCL EVDO option, which I plan on evaluating shortly.
June 2nd, 2009 at 1:21 pm
Thanks for the input Imran..great feedback…
June 7th, 2009 at 1:42 pm
Ok…I have been using the eVDO service for about 6 months now in Karachi, mainly Clifton and Defence. I already have a PTCL connection in DHA and a Worldcall cable connection in CLifton, but wanted the eVDO for the reasons mentioned by Osama, courtesy of KESC.
The PTCL connection in DHA is almost as good as my broadband in the UK for uptime and connection. yes I did say almost as good as the UK. Maybe it is the fibre netwrok!
Initially the eVDo worked very well, I managed to get a full 256 speed, although in the evenings it did struggle to even load a basic webpage. I was pre-warned about this so it was no surprise. However, during the last 3 months I have basically given up using this service is DHA simply because the signal is weak and the speed is like harking back to the 56kbs modem speed. In Clifton (Bath Island) it is still usable.
There is no point in complaining to WorldCall technical helpline as they only have monkeys sitting there who do not have a clue as to even the basic knowledge of pc let alone the internet.
I dont know what the connection is like around Shahrefsaisal while on the move but certainly the connection while on the move between Clifton and DHA is, lets say, diabolical - non-existent.
So overall, in my experience, the service is diabolical and I would not advise anyone to waste their money on it. If anyone is thinking of going for this connection, then I have very cheap USB modem for sale, which cost me 4500PKR and not the 3000PKR mentioned above!!!
Another problem I faced but others may also have is that the installation software is very temperamental!!! It refused to load on to my wifes laptop running WinXP, despite tens of attempts, but it did load on to my desktop running Win XP!! It also worked fine on my Vista laptop, until my laptop crashed and I had to do an emergency re-boot. Since then I have not been able to run the connection software, despite many clean install attempts and no one at WorldCall has been able to come up with a solution.
On a side note but related, why has Worldcall not followed PTCL in increasing its connection speeds following the doubling by PTCL on March 23rd? PTCL 1Meg connection is 1100PKR while Worldcall is still offering a 256 connection for that price!!
June 8th, 2009 at 1:01 am
[...] the way for those of you in Karachi Mohtashim at IT Tazee has done a detailed review here also for those of you weighing your options against PTCL techlahore has a post [...]
June 10th, 2009 at 11:42 am
Im using WC wireless internet with ADU-520A device. what i want to know is that does WC allow port forwarding for p2p softwares. i called at their help line 4 times to ask them about PF, but they even dont know about port forwarding and call it call forwading instead of PF, and always says to me that we will call you back but i never received any call back from them. According to me what i faced, their customer care sucks. If anyone know port forwarding in WC then please share with me. Thanks
June 11th, 2009 at 12:52 am
Pls,can anyone advise me…i want to get a network connection in my office at Korangi Industrial Area urgently,so wat will be the best option 4 me,this eVdo service Or Mobilink Infinity??is signals will be available in Korangi for this wrldcall servie??
June 11th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
Out there from what I remember, signal coverage is an issue. i’d stick to mobilink just because they probably have enough towers in the area….but what you want to do is ask what the throughput is on the routers on those towers…if your mobilink sales guy knows that ofcourse
June 21st, 2009 at 5:08 am
PTCL EVDO is far better option!!!
June 24th, 2009 at 4:30 am
yess..signals r available in korangii
June 24th, 2009 at 4:32 am
for ptcl evo
June 24th, 2009 at 11:30 pm
[...] a review of the WorldCall EVDO Broadband Service for 3 months in Karachi, by Mohtashim of IT Tazee. His review is based on the 256kbps speed [...]
June 25th, 2009 at 12:36 am
[...] // Here’s a review of the WorldCall EVDO Broadband Service for 3 months in Karachi, by Mohtashim of IT Tazee. His review is based on the 256kbps speed [...]
June 25th, 2009 at 9:32 pm
your device is dialup device 6 months usage
no responce your service center
no responce your help line
my edvo device no.7746149
asif rahim
June 25th, 2009 at 11:14 pm
[...] by Here’s a review of the WorldCall EVDO Broadband Service for 3 months in Karachi, by Mohtashim of IT Tazee. His review is based on the 256kbps speed [...]
June 28th, 2009 at 7:19 pm
After the launch of ptcl evdo many customers of worldcall evdo might be thinking about the performence and changing there connection to ptcl evdo.. im also one of them
.. i have been using worlcall evdo for last three months.. it gives me avg downloading speed of 47kbps with 512kbps pakage.. signal strength is also good.. now if ptcl evdo’s signal strength is as good as worldcalls and if it gives even minimum 100kbps downloading speed ( though ptcl say it would give upto 300 kbps down speed).. than why not ptcl evdo which charges Rs. 2000 while worldcall changes for 512 pakage is Rs.1800 .. only Rs.200 difference.. but only will prefer it if its signal strength is as good as WC evdo and atleast gives avg downloading speed of 100kbps… if anyone using ptcl evdo plz post ur comment.. now enough for me..
July 5th, 2009 at 12:06 am
I got WorldCall evdo yesterday. 1Mbps connection for Rs. 2500/- a month or so. Speed is pathetic… something like 5kBps. I called their helpline but the guy didn’t know anything about speeds or stuff like that. I wasted Rs. 3000/- on device and Rs. 3000/- for 1st month advance payment. I feel like being cheated. This is Pakistan
My sincere suggestion: Don’t go for it. Get something real, that works and delivers what it promises. Omantel or Shomantel, they are going for bankruptcy soon.
July 8th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
kulachi.. b4 some days i posted my comments.. about worldcall and ptcl evdo.. i have not used the ptcl evdo so still waiting for someone to comment on it.. but as u talked about the worldcall so i have been using it for more than 3 months.. my connection is 512kbps.. and it gives me average downlaoding speed of 48kb/s .. sometime i even get the speed of 67kb/s.. although its strange.. u r not the first person who is having this prob.. someone other also told me that Wevdo gave him 1kb/s speed.. it might be bcaz of signal strength.. maybe the area where u live.. or probably the device fault.. bcaz they do sell used devices.. so my suggestion is to go for ptcl evdo.. but as u said again its pakistan and ptcl we all know about it.. u may get worse result from it.. or the other option to take ur device to any worldcall center and check it there.. one thing i agree with u is the service of worldcall.. some morons and jerks r sittig there.. ****anyone who is using ptcl evdo plz post ur comments****
July 9th, 2009 at 12:05 am
World-call eVDO is ok in terms of web browsing but when it comes to downloading videos or music files it is nothing shoert of curse. World-call evdo is probably the worst internet speed we have ever used. EVDO is so sluggish so slow, you guys can well imagine the downloading speed of mp3 file is only 1.7 Kb/s to 3.5Kb/s and some times it goes further down to a mere 0.45 KB/s this is unbearbly slow. At the same time we have to pay Rs 1800/per month for World call 512KB connection. We should appreciate if other evDo users could kindly comment as to their experiences so that we should be able to decide and select other options for better performance in terms of Internet downloading speed. Natasha, T. Ali, Faisal j, and Erum - karachi
July 16th, 2009 at 5:03 am
I have read many comments on WCALL EVDO… I’m also using the device from their launch…. I want to add some more comments I hange the device while the signals are coming its really embrassing for using the device and very slow speed if the signals are coming weak… Really shame on WorldCall…. They have always very poor in the Internet services…. CLIFTON KARACHI
July 16th, 2009 at 5:05 am
I HAVE ORDERED FOR THE WI TRIBE!!! Let’s see how they are…. I’ll post comments on it in future… Take Care All…. and AH.
July 18th, 2009 at 5:35 am
I WANT A CONNECTION OF WORLDCALL EVOD WIRLESS-USB.PLEASE GUIDE WHERE CAN I GET SERVICE IAM ALREADY WORLDCALL WIRELESS I LIVE IN ATTOCK AND A BOOSTER OF WORLD INSTALLED IN THE CITY
July 27th, 2009 at 1:36 pm
hey, tell me the usage of this device, besides other information about this device, send to my email address
Thanks !!!!!
July 27th, 2009 at 5:27 pm
No matter what anyone says about Worldcall’s evdo service, I just want to say that it SUCKS!! It’s unreliable, only works in some areas (at least in Khi as that’s where I’m using it and it does NOT work in Clifton near KTP underpass) and gets disconnected for no reason whatsoever every 2-3 days and stays down for almost 2-3 hours OR MORE! If anyone wants this peice of crap for a minimum of Rs. 1200/month, I suggest you should go and buy something better. At least it would be worth it. Worldcall evdo is NOT! Their servers go down frequently and when you try to connect, you get Error# 691: invalid username or password or Error# 734: the PPP (or PML-Q or something else) link control protocol was terminated and you just cannot connect for hours and hours and hours. Maybe the reviewer should’ve mentioned that as well…
July 30th, 2009 at 6:23 am
Sir,
Pls inform me.
may i retarned the internet USB but I dont like your service, my reffint number(858871) & my Ticket No(858868) pls sir inform me my reffent payment cheqe date.
Thanks & Good Regards
August 8th, 2009 at 2:20 pm
EVDO is a good device. Its better than cable net. But its subscription is too costly. I suggest WORLDCALL to reduce the monthly rent.
August 18th, 2009 at 6:26 am
what to buy what not to buy !!!!
August 20th, 2009 at 2:32 am
In which month EV-DO launched in Karachi?
Please let me know.
Thanks
Zafar
rajazafaralam67@yaho.com
August 23rd, 2009 at 11:45 am
Hi…
i am getting 150 to 200 Kb/s in lahore i have used all the Internets available in lahore but this world call is far batter then every one. lets see for how long it stays like that.
August 27th, 2009 at 12:11 am
i advice u pplz…if u r my like brother…so plz dont use or purchase worldcalll usb..please adervise u will cry if u purchase..thanks..
August 28th, 2009 at 6:42 pm
This is a long tale of woes so please bear with me: I believe someone said in their review of the WC (what an appropriate abbreviation) Wireless Broadband Internet that there were monkeys sitting at the Internet Provider’s Helpline. Let’s just say I think the gentleman was heaping praise on the WC Helpline guys and gals. What they are, are a bunch of brain dead id**ts who have no idea how to help you out on ANY issue whatsoever.
Three months ago my internet device malfunctioned almost a year after the use. The devise would simply disconnect itself from the internet five minutes after connecting and wouldn’t reconnect until i checked the “EVDO Only’ tab in device’s settings. When this became a permanent feature of my internet connnectivity through the device, i called the helpline where the monkey/id**t who attended my call told me with great confidence that my antivirus software was clashing with my device and so i should change the antivirus. Impressed with his ‘all-knowing’ ability to solve my issue so promptly, i switched from Norton to Mcaffe immediately, all set to sail through the www riding on my smooth operating wc evdo magic gadget. That of course did not happen and my e-boat sank at the banks of the internet a mere five minutes after i set sail. So i called the helpline again, this time a lot more agitated.
The female monkey/id**t who answered my call told me promptly to switch to another antivirus software because, “…the software quite evidently did not agree with the device”. I sighed, rolled eyes, knit brow, yawned, clenched teeth and installed AVG.
That of course was never going to solve anything and so it didn’t. So back to the help line i went. This time seriously angry. I was told by the monkey/id**t that i needed to disable my antivirus software altogether and see if the device worked. “Disable my antivirus?” i screamed, “who on earth gives an advise like that? It’s like telling someone to go around waving their iPhone in the streets in downtown Karachi.” “Please disable you antivirus software…it will solve your problem.” That there ACTUALLY exists a condition called “shared delusion” became apparent to me when i ACTUALLY disabled my software and ran the device. During the five minutes it ran, it infested my system enough to give me a migraine. Which is perhaps what cured my delusional mental condition. But not enough to keep me from calling the monkey/id**t lair. “Disable your antivirus? Who told you to do that?” This monkey/id**t on the other side of the phone chuckled. “one of your id**ts told me to do that. AND IT DID NOT HELP.”, i retorted angrily. After a stern reprimand for me to mind my language, the monkey/id**t sneered. “You need to reinstall your windows, that will solve your problem.” “WHAT?”, i shouted, “reinstall my windows? That means i reinstall it on my desktop at home, my laptop and my desktop in the office. Do you know how many softwares i would have to reinstall, not to mention download all my outlook files including cell phone numbers and all my torrent files?” But the monkey/id**t had spoken his mind (or the two neurons that represented it) and would not yield more. SO i reinstalled all that had to be reinstalled which wasted a whole day and gave me migraine again. The migraine was cured a day later but alas not my WC device.
By this time my own neurons had started to wither away. Which is the only excuse i can offer for having called the wc helpline yet one more time. The money/id**t who answered had apparently not been drinking at the same brook as his commarades. She heard my tale of woes with great patience and then told me quite pleasantly, “Sir, take your device to the nearest customer care center and get it checked.” This one was smart at least one one level. She did not even pretend to have any brains like her predecessor. Yeah, she was almost like a breath of fresh air…as fresh as the breath can get after a healthy meal of raw onions.
SO i sneaked out of my office the next day to take a trek across town to a place where care was sold without prescription. The WC customer care center i went to is located in the building right across Agha’s Supermarket. The guy there took one look at me, then at the device and then back at me again. “Why don’t you use the PTCL VDO? it gives you better speed…i use it myself….”, the caring wizard across the counter pointed proudly towards his PTCL magic gadget attached to his CPU under the counter. I looked a the guy with exclamation marks peeking out of my eyes. “You are using a PTCL device in a Worldcall customer care center!” The guy was quite evidently NOT a monkey/id**t. He shrugged at my naiveté/id**cy and took the device with him behind a door. A little while later he emerged and handed back my device. “I have checked it. It is working. But you should think about the PTCL option” , he smiled. i smiled back. Corporate loyalty died in Japan and this guy was its epitaph. Well, at least he wasn’t brain dead.
At home i jacked the device into my hp tx1000. Of course the device worked fine. of course for exactly five minutes. This time when i called the wc helpline with my blood a degree above the boiling point. I screamed a the top of my voice, and told the woman who attended my call that i wanted to do things to the wc team that Hannibal Lecter did to people in Silence of the lambs. And i said i did not want to do it silently. The woman seemed totally unperturbed at my outburst and without putting me on hold started asking someone for instructions. 15 minutes of this conversation later she told me her supervisor was going to call me. At that point i felt great sympathy for Anthony Hopkin’s character. Infact i decided that as far as WC was concerned, he was my hero.
Of course no one called me back. Lets just say that many calls, many outbursts and many many reprimands later i did eventually got a call from someone who introduced himself as a wc representative. I told him, how silent the lambs will not be once i smashed the wc device and put that smashing video on Youtube. “Aysi bayizzati ho ge ap logon ke kay yad kerian ge ap,” i barked. He laughed heartily. “Janab bayizati us ke hoti hai jis ke koi izzat ho!” I was beginning to wonder if wc’s hirirng policy included “no self-respect” clause!! “please help me” i begged, almost at the end of my rope and hanging on the knot i had tied in it. “Would you like me to refund your money…and take back the device?” he asked happily. I told him i had been using the device since the last 365 days and that the “money-back” offer no longer applied to my situation. “oh sir not to worry…i will make an exception for you…you will get your money back 20 days after you hand me back the device.” “I really hate you whoever you are. i want you to help me solve the problem, not KILL it”. I banged my nokia 6300 angrily on the table. Please don’t send me any texts regarding this post because my cell no longer supports that luxury of a service. Or wait until i buy a new cell.
For some odd reason, my device started working properly a few days later. I don’t know what helped but something did. Maybe it was my mother’s prayers that God answered. What didn’t help for sure was WC.
The saddest part of this tale of woes is that I am a willing victim of WC. I was working as the Creative Director of the Advertising Agency that launched WC in Karachi. And so i was one of those lab rats that Mr. Panni, Brand Manager of WC tested the device on. And then convinced me to buy it. Which i did in line with the Japanese tradition of corporate loyalty.
Today i hate my WC wireless broadband internet device, i hate Mr. Panni and i hate, hate, hate the monkeys/id**ts of the WC helpline. Had i not spent a great deal of money on the 1mb device and its monthly 2500 rupee, i would have thrown it down the Native Jetty bridge. Where it could have laid with the fishes bio degraded slowly for a million years.
August 30th, 2009 at 12:02 am
Adnan,
are you still ready to sell the worldcall device you no longer need? any one else offering this device? I lost mine and am looking for a good offer.
My experience with WC customer service was not much different initially… the folks sitting on the help line are mostly fresh graduates/students with very poor technical know-how and customer management skills. However, i worked that around by escalating my issue to higher management via email. Maybe people can try that?
September 4th, 2009 at 4:12 am
its also launched in lahore as well.. but the speed is too slow.. only offering 256k rite now
September 6th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
I have been using worldcall evdo 512 for the last 1 year and in addition to it I am also using warid broadband which costed me 12,200/- and another service by GO cdma. I would be pleased to share my experience about worldcall usb that it worked really great since the day I have purchased it and I am using it in Gulistan-e-Johar, Defense Phase 5, Shahra-e-Faisal and Landhi areas and I am not getting any problems any where. I am a forex trader and use it regularly for almost 14 hours a day not only for my forex business but at the same time downloading movies songs etc. it is a bit slow at the chore but it does keeps on working. Just today I was planning to shift on more expensive alternative for better results to PTCL evo devise and I came across to the experiences of one of my friends and happened to try it by myself, friends let me warn you of not waisting any of your hard earned oney on that piece of junk/ My worldcxall evdo is really far far better and cheap to operate. I always pay them 6 moths advanse and I also get a discount of 10% by worldcall.
September 25th, 2009 at 8:58 am
worldcall is nice
September 29th, 2009 at 3:07 am
both devices are useless…..it can tease you more than your wife can …..My worldcall never gives me a strong connection….it dc alot and i cant even check email with peace….ughhhhh i hate these things now…
October 11th, 2009 at 1:50 am
i want to sale my EVDO 256 device just only RS. 2000/=
0333-3266360
Rashid Ali
October 21st, 2009 at 8:54 am
I have been using WC evdo external antenna 256 kb device for around 8 months. first three months were great. i downloaded many movies. but 4 and 5th months were pathetic. i was complaining again and again but of no use. i went to their office and shouted like i was gone mad. then they said we will do something and your net will be in working condition by tomorrow but nothing happend then the bill came to me. i said what the hell is this i am not paying the bill ? i didnt pay my bill. then they discontinued my service. i went to their office again and this time i went with my 5 strong friends. i literally said to them either give me a waive of or ready for a mess here. they said please sir be cool we are sending a written complain to the head office and they will give u a waive off. but no waive off was given. i went to their office again and this time i was about to beat a man named “imran” at corporate office karachi. but he said sir this is our technician please take him with you he will identify your problem will sort it out. from that day my net is again working well.
this is my story with WC.
service is good
customer service is pathetic.
Ahmed
October 21st, 2009 at 3:33 pm
[...] Hi new visitor! At Green & White we discuss startups, business models, new media marketing, usability and more.You can subscribe to the RSS feed or subscribe for email alerts so that you keep up to date with the latest content. Now, on with the regular content…Check it out - http://www.ittazee.com/2009/05/31/worldcall-evdo-broadband-service-the-3-month-usage-review/ [...]
November 8th, 2009 at 8:39 am
aap ki usb sadiqabad main kab tak aaye gi
November 10th, 2009 at 8:28 am
is WC evdo available in sukkur or shikarpur and wt’s there range
November 11th, 2009 at 12:37 am
ur device is work in district Mnaserhara NWFP
replay me on my email id detailed please
November 18th, 2009 at 1:39 pm
ptcl evdo usb for sale just use 15 days
in just 3500
i got it in 6000 15 days ago
call for detaile 03334183382
December 5th, 2009 at 11:34 pm
ap loag apna network q nahi sahi kartay ap 1 week tak sahi service datay hay pher signal nahi aate hay ap divice costly day raha hay 03452153186
December 6th, 2009 at 11:46 am
Hey Guys,need urgent help. I have recently moved to DHA LHR from KHI. I plan to buy a internet usb stick and i am hell confused with details overload. I dont have to work with NASA, therefore anything which works at 50Kbps+ would work for me. Need urgent suggestions, should i go for PTCl, Worldcall, Wi tribe or sumthin else?
December 7th, 2009 at 2:54 am
i live in jund district attock,i want to know that your service is available there or not,as there is no ptcl landline available in my village,i want to take internet connection,what can be alternative options?reply me please at my id address.
December 7th, 2009 at 8:28 am
I need complete informations regarding package plan and coverage in karachi, waiting for reply. Thanks