Cyprus-Forum.com

[Sotos]

CyTA will launch the Vodafone Mobile Connect service from April 3 2006, offering wireless connection in Cyprus and extensive roaming facilities abroad on the 11th anniversary of the launch of GSM services in Cyprus.

CyTA Chairman Stavros Kremmos told a presentation in Nicosia that Vodafone Mobile Connect provides easy, wireless access to the Internet, to your e-mail and to your company's intranet without having to connect your laptop to your mobile or fixed telephone.

The Vodafone Mobile Connect service is supported by one data card, the Vodafone Mobile Connect Card, with the use of a Data SIM (a SIM card only for data), which connects to one of the Pay Monthly Data Plans of Cytamobile-Vodafone, depending on the needs of the user, offering flexibility and choice.

This datacard is the best solution for those who are looking for wireless access to the Internet, e-mail and to their company’s intranet through a connection speed that reaches up to 384 kbps.

The data card is connected to the 3G network of Cytamobile-Vodafone. If there is no 3G coverage, the connection is achieved through the GPRS network in which case the connection speed can reach up to 45 kbps.

The Vodafone Mobile Connect card retails at CYP 119 including VAT, while the SIM card costs CYP 10, but is free to those who become subscribers until June 4.

CyTA has introduced a competitive pricing policy, with the standard package at CYP 5 monthly rental, which includes up to 10MB and 30 SMS use. The Office package comes at a CYP 45 monthly rental for up to 1024MB or 1GB and 30 SMS use.

Roaming charges abroad when using the Vodafone network costs CYP 2.56 per MB use, while when using other providers, the charge is CYP 10.24 per MB use.

CyTA says the Vodafone Mobile Connect has a geographical reach of up to 70% of the population of Cyprus and is available in many EU countries including popular business destinations such as Greece, the UK, Germany and most Scandinavian countries.

Areeba offers the same service for 29 pounds instead of 45! But maybe the 3G coverage of Cyta will be better. The 3G coverage of Areeba is not that good.

[Sotos]

LAPTOP users can now access the internet from a craggy beach on the Akamas peninsula with the introduction of Vodfaone Mobile Connect service.

Vodafone Mobile Connect (VMC), which begins service on Monday, provides Internet connection for one’s laptop using the mobile phone network.

The wireless service allows one to send emails and SMS messages from anywhere where there is 3G network in place or Cytamobile-Vodafone roaming, which includes most areas in Cyprus. The service also offers international access.

The package includes the 3G/GPRS datacard Vodafone Mobile Connect Card (which goes into the PCMCIA slot of a laptop), the CD for installing the software and a quick start user guide.

One does not need to own a mobile to access the wireless service.

The service is targeted to all those who use laptops, work several hours away from the office or travel abroad frequently.

The cable-free and infrared-free connection is available anywhere that International Roaming Agreements for GPRS or 2G or 3G networks are in place.

3G is Cytamobile-Vodafone’s third-generation wireless mobile network (GPRS is the second-generation wireless mobile network), which delivers data speed connections up to 7 times faster than a dial-up landline connection.

The 3G network allows for connection speeds that reach up to 384 kps while the GPRS allows for connection speeds of 56 kbps.

A Vodafone Mobile Connect specialist told the Cyprus Mail yesterday that 3G is available in the urban centres and surrounding regions of Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca and Paphos.

In more remote regions like Akrotiri, the Troodos mountains, the Famagusta regions and Akamas, wireless connection is available through the GPRS network.

The only places where access is unavailable is wherever there is no mobile access. For this reason, there is no access in most of the north.

The service is available through two monthly plans, both of which first require a £10 connection fee and offer different fees depending on the total amount of megabytes transmitted per month.

One megabyte of data roughly equates to 50 browsed web pages, 200 text-only emails, 25 text-only Microsoft Word pages, or 2 minutes of an MP3 file.

The service also enables international wireless connection from anywhere in Europe, the United States, Canada, South Africa and Australia, among other places.

But the Mobile Connect specialist said that fees were much higher abroad than they were in Cyprus. Access abroad through vodafone networks costs £2.56 per megabyte of transmitted data and through other networks costs £10.24 per megabyte.

For information: www.cytamobile-vodafone.com

[blondophile]

You have the 3G but not yet the video ? now in france we can have video message on our answering machine !! its fun !! but the 3G network is a bit crap ..

[Mikros]

The company bought me cyta 3G card, I have just installed it on my laptop, but.... I'm not that impressed to be honest.... 384kbp/s and and the charge per MB... is not according to my webusage.... At least the company is paying!!!

[Sotos]

Mikros, if you use it a lot you can get the 45 pounds package that will give you 1GB transfer. How good is the coverage? Do you get 3G outside the cities or it drops to GPRS?

[Mikros]

Hello Sotos, to be honesy I havent used it much other than the office, as when my boss gave me the 3g card was when I was ready to go to the airport to catch a flight.... Probably will try it tomorrow at the Nicosia Hospital, where you will hardly get a signal

[Sotos]

Thanks Mikros. Let us know the results.

[Andry1977]

Actually Areeba's price is £27 for unlimited usage vs. Cyta's £45 a month!

And 3G coverage is very good in the centre of the main towns...

[J B]

And 3G coverage is very good in the centre of the main towns...

And what about in 'the villages'?

Particularly Tala, Paphos?

[Sotos]

From what I know Areeba covers only the main cities with 3G. Not villages. This is why I asked Mikros about Cyta 3G coverage. I think it should be better.