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Review by numbitfirst 
Posted: 2 days ago
member for 278 days, 13 visits, last login: 2 days ago
 Camas,Clark,WA
 $60 per month
 about 3 days
 "Beats upstream provider Sprint at service with no contract, faster than Wild Blue and Dialup"
 "Cost increased and saturation at tower at the same time made for inconsistent performance"
 "Comcast made it out to the sticks, time to try them out"
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I've worked for 20+ years on computers and have had access to the old bulletin boards of yesteryear. My home is located up in the hills north of Camas Wa and have had few options over the years besides dialup. Which with lousy Verizon local service was maxed at 22.6k They are a company that has no clue to investing in upgrading infrastructure, unless it is extremely high density. Modem bonding with dual lines was next, wow 44k was cruising, for awhile. Not many service providers were out there, none were reliable. WildBlue came up as my next option. Decent service until it rained or snowed, then their servicing policy when the modem blinked out was atrocious. The required a $99 no matter what and another year contract to send a tech out. Tested out Sprint, sent that back within 30 days and got Millenicom. At first i got about 868k down and 300-400k upload. Real decent when compared to bad latency WildBlue Sat or medieval dialup. Now that the service has been out for awhile our tower gets saturated at peak times and performance drops way down to at best 200k download and unbearable uploads, plus Millenicom raised the cost by 10/mo. Comcast finally dug lines down our road this month, time to try them out.
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 Review by hwy67
UPDATED: 50 days ago
member for 1.6 years, 245 visits, last login: 1 days ago
Madison,Dane,WI
$59 per month
"What isn't to like?"
"None"
"Excellent"
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I canceled the Sprint account 21 August and signed up with Millenicom the same day. The amount of time spent from filling out the application to activating the device amounted to 30-45 minutes. That's pretty incredible. Performance-wise--and this is probably just my imagination--this connection seems a lot snappier than 'mainstream' Sprint. Maybe I'll move the Franklin from the ctr-350 and then plug it into a usb port so that I can view some numbers (latency, etc.) but that can wait. Thank you, Millenicom. One final note: Activation was accomplished by simply updating my profile in the Franklin CDU-680. I did not call Millenicom support.
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 Review by netwire
Posted: 60 days ago
member for 7.4 years, 2319 visits, last login: 1 days ago
Mooresboro,Cleveland,NC
$59 per month
"Customer service and support is the best I have seen in a long time."
"There are no bad points that I have seen."
"Great service, no contract, you pay only $59.95 - no hidden or surprise fees!"
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I use to have Sprint Mobile Broadband, then I discovered Millenicom. With SMB I was charged taxes and other "cost recovery" fees; but with Millenicom I pay on simple amount month to month. Another reason for me switching to Millenicom was the download per month limit that SMB has, which is 5GB. Millenicom is still and plans to remain an unlimited mb per month provider. If you have SMB, and are likely to run over 5GB/mo you should consider switching.
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Review by michitucky0
Posted: 61 days ago
member for 1.5 years, 3 visits, last login: 61 days ago
Chaplin,Nelson,KY
$59 per month
about 2 days
"Low latency, unlimited bandwidth, great service, easy setup"
"-"
"After a year and a half with Wildblue, this service is like a dream."
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I have been a Wildblue customer for well over a year now. Dial up was so terrible due to line noise and we are 8 miles from the nearest CO. As an online gamer, things to consider were the latency, download speeds and bandwidth limitations. I was a Wildblue Pro user so the FAP wasn't too severe, but man the latency was.
Around the beginning of June I signed up with Sprint's MBB and was so thrilled to have such great speeds in my area. I chalk it up to the fact that I'm only 3 miles away from an expressway that is lined with towers. Sadly, though, I started reading the rumors about the bandwidth cap and no one from Sprint could give me a sure fire answer. So, within my 30 days, I returned my USB modem and continued on with Wildblue in hopes that something else will come up.
Thank you, Millenicom, for your BYOD package! Yes! I bought my modem on Ebay checking the ESN # and had it shipped overnight and voila! I was in business. As soon as I got the modem plugged in, I called Millenicom support and that had me going in no time. So easy!
To network my home I bought a Cradlepoint router. Since it is just me and my husband, I went with the smaller travel router CT500 and that works great too. Now we're both running happy and I can play my LOTRO on my laptop with no latency and no worries that the next update will kill my bandwidth allotment.
I'm not good with lingo like many other DSLreports.com members, but I'm not a dullard either. I can in all honesty and sincerity tell you that if you have good Sprint data coverage in your area, your best bet is to go with Millenicom. There is just no doubt in my mind I made the right decision.
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Review by ydoucare
Posted: 64 days ago
member for 5.5 years, 1727 visits, last login: 1 days ago
Rensselaer,Jasper,IN
$59 per month
"No contract, unlimited"
"Great alternative to Sprint's new 5 GB cap"
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Just cancelled my Sprint service without ETF due to the new 5 GB cap. Immediately made the switch to Millenicom with the Bring Your Own Device plan. From initial order to being online took less than 45 minutes. A quick call to Millenicom got my device activated over the phone in less than 10 minutes Can't really say I've had a better experience in customer service from any other company.
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Soonerfan
@spcsdns.net
| Millenicom I have been thinking about switching to Millenicom. I have been using the Sprint Mobile for about a week now and have used almost 4.5 GB.. so I know I am going to go well over the 5GB cap.
When you canceled your Sprint service, how long did it take before your modem went dormant? | |
| | ydoucare
join:2003-03-12
Rensselaer, IN
 ·Millenicom
·Sprint Mobile Broa..
| Re: Millenicom said by Soonerfan :
I have been thinking about switching to Millenicom. I have been using the Sprint Mobile for about a week now and have used almost 4.5 GB.. so I know I am going to go well over the 5GB cap.
When you canceled your Sprint service, how long did it take before your modem went dormant?
It should go on the last day of the billing cycle. In my case, it was Aug. 6th, which was about a week after I called CS to cancel. Since my card is attached to my server, I had actually been connected most of the day on the 6th because I leave it connected 24/7. I needed to reboot my server for a software update, and upon trying to reconnect, that's when I could no longer connect. So you may be able to squeak by with an extra day or 2 of service if you leave it connected during the time it's supposed to get cut off. | |
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Soonerfan
@spcsdns.net
| Re: Millenicom Thanks.. I should have thought have that.
I am connected 24/7 myself via a CTR-500 router. Sounds like I might as well cancel tomorrow, since it sounds like once Sprint finally shuts off access, it doesn't take too long to get it started with Millenicom. | |
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 Review by caribconsult
UPDATED: 72 days ago
member for 5.5 years, 723 visits, last login: a few hours ago
Mayaguez,Mayaguez,PR
$49 per month
about 7 days
"Excellent deal, good tech support, portable"
"none so far."
"The best WBB deal around, a definite alternative to satellite"
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I was a disgruntled Hughes satellite user, and to make a long story short, I finally got out of my contract with no penalty, and they gave me a partial rebate for what I spent on gear.
After trying out Sprint to see if I had enough signal, which I did, I switched to Millenicom.. Millenicom's offer was almost $20 month less, with no contract, and they also used a better device, the Franklin CDU 680 USB modem. MC is a sprint reseller so they operate over sprint's infrastructure. If sprint works, they'll work.
They sent the package (modem and router) via Post Office Priority mail and it arrived in 4 days, and everything was up and running that afternoon, and within one or two afternoons of reconfiguring computers and devices on my existing equipment, all wireless systems were operational and everything was working nicely on my 3 station network. My setup has had so many different types of IP connections that getting rid of the old tweaking was half the job.
Even before I owned their product, I had several good conversations with their tech support people and I was impressed by their desire to make it happen for you, with no BS.
So the choice was clear. Millenicom also offers a good deal on a compatible router, the Assent Wireless MBR-400, and they charge $50 less for it than if you bought it retail. So when you add it all up, it's a very good package for the money, it works smoothly and it's far superior to satellite in every aspect. Three cheers for Millenicom, and let's hope they grow and don't lose their personal touch.
UPDATE 8/1/08: MCom has raised their fee to 59.99/mo, but it is still uncapped and still works nicely, and still no contract required. They've also opened up their service to users who have their own devices.
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Review by Sifter
UPDATED: 88 days ago
member for 6 years, 153 visits, last login: 25 days ago
Ballwin,Saint Louis,MO
$59 per month
about 4 days
"works everytime, no hassle, no contract!"
"raised my price from 49.99 a month to 59.99 a month."
"If you dont have access to anything else, then its good."
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getting 1.5meg down, and 50KB up. Took about 4 days to get the cdu-680. easy install. 59.99 a month and no contract.
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Review by nuoldfast
Posted: 142 days ago
member for 142 days, 13 visits, last login: 112 days ago
Placerville,El Dorado,CA
$59 per month
about 7 days
"Price. Connectivity. No contract. BYOD."
"Tech response to particular setup issues. No followup calls after joining."
"Better than the competition."
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After many months of study, I began on what eventually became a failed attempt to acquire Sprint Wireless. I tried SERO. The price was attractive. Alas, they would not waiver from the two year commitment. I had/have doubts as to Sprint's existence in 12 months.
Found Millenicom.
I am probably the last customer that Millenicom allowed to join. I brought my own equipment- Airlink101 router and a Pantech PX 500 aircard. I have little tech experience.
The setup with Millenicom was a nightmare for both of us. My lack of sav vy, Airlink's lack of tech support, and Sprint's confusing and contradictory statements are the reason, I believe, that Millenicom will no longer allow new customers with BYOD.
To all of you that have your own devices- I apologize.
Kudos to Lou Anne and Rikee for their assistance.
I,too, am perplexed at Millenicom's not offering new service to those that wish it.
I use Skype Pro.
I hope to learn much here at the forums.
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 Review by T_Flight
UPDATED: 167 days ago
member for 286 days, 92 visits, last login: 81 days ago
undisclosed location
$49 per month (month by month)
about 7 days
"Very Fast, Very Stable, Low Latency"
"So Far None"
"Great Internet Service"
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The great part about this service was that I was finally able to game, and sim online which is something I had been wanting to do for years since moving into this house. Out here, Satelite is the only braodband choice other than EVDO Wireless. We are too far for DSL, the Cable company refuses to come out this way, and I've been told they are horrible to deal with if you have issues. There is no Fiber Optic, and T1-T3 lines are criminally expensive. Too expensive to be feasible.
I am extremely staisfied with my Service. I don't have a contract, the service is sompletely unlimited, I pay by the month, Millenicom has great service over the phone with no waits. I get to talk to a real human being who cares, and knows what they are talking about, and genuinely wants to help me. I have called them a few times for informational purposes to help improve performance, and they have been quite helpful. I got my MSL Code from them and it took all of 2 minutes. They explained to me how to set my HA and provided me with information on it. They have given me other tweaks to get the most from my service, and have explained the DEBUG in great detail via elevated support.
I have read of Sprints Billing woes, and horrible service, and the illegal fees they have ben charging, so decided it was best to avoid Sprint. They have good equipment, but it's not backed with any kind of service. They have long waits, they have reports of overcharging customers and being slow ro rectify the issue which sometimes takes mnay months for the user to get their money back, and I knew to avoid that type of thing.
I used to use StarBand, and had decent service, but over the years they have oversold their bandwidth, and speeds dropped, and the ping times were always very high which kept me from being ablke to enjoy streaming media, and my online flying I love so much.
Millenicom is a straight up company. They are professional, courteous, and they get it done when you make a request of them. They have made no mistakes on my Billing, and they bill me each month electronically, and send a coutesy letter notifying me of the transaction.
There are no strings, gimmicks, ripoff scams, or illegal charges, or hidden fees.
I paid 100 security deposit for the equipment, and 49 dollars each month. All that they ask of my is that I am not deliquent on my payments, and that if I cancel I send the Equipment back to them as it was received in working order with all cables, and accesories in the original packaging.
My Speeds Average about 2000 down and 350-400 Up. My lag times are genrrally around 100ms with spikes to 130ms, and I get about 80ms to our server we fly on. The Equipment provided is the Franklin CDU-680 Modem. It has worked nicely, and is quite small and thin compared to other units I have seen out there. It also has GPS, and a built in flash drive with the software, which makes it nice for travel as I can use a freinds computer and have Internet should something happen to mine.
For Wireless Internet this is as good as it gets. I couldn't ask for anything more.
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Review by RegGuheert
Posted: 209 days ago
member for 2.9 years, 267 visits, last login: 58 days ago
Berryville,Clarke,VA
$49 per month (month by month)
about 5 days
"Portable internet. Nice upgrade from T-Mobile EDGE"
"Drops to 1xRTT speeds and pings even when 'EVDO Only'"
"Millenicom Mobile Broadband NOT Replacing HughesNet!"
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I finally signed up for Millenicom Mobile Broadband Wednesday, 21 February 2008, after considering it for well over a year. Thanks to all the posters here for helping me learn about this service! There is a wealth of information in this forum!
My hopes in getting Millenicom included the following:
1) Replace HughesNet service.
2) Reduce ping times from 750 msec to ~100 msec.
3) Eliminate FAP.
4) Reduce monthly fees by $20.
5) Be able to take a fast connection with me on vacation.
Here is my experience so far:
Millenicom has been great to do business with so far! Web sign up was easy, terms of service are great, and I received my working modem three business days after signing up!
My home is not yet shown as covered by Mobile Broadband service on Sprint's maps, but I'm impatient, so I decided to go ahead and try it. I already have a Wilson 1900 MHz Yagi antenna and amplifier in my home that provides me with better coverage for T-Mobile voice and EDGE service. My expectation was to be able to repoint this to one of the towers with Mobile Broadband coverage in order to get service throughout my house.
In preparation for receiving this new modem, I read quite a bit on this forum and did one "tweak": I installed the Microsoft patch to stabilize the speed of wireless cards within Vista. This patch *really* improved the stability of EDGE connections, so I guess it changes something. I now get a consistent 200 kbps download speed with EDGE with only 2 bars!
I am thoroughly impressed with how simple it is to install the CDU-680! What a great idea to include the software in a USB flash drive inside the modem! Kudos to Franklin!
First thing I did after confirming 1xRTT service at home was to put a four-inch magnetic antenna I had bought for this modem and drive to find the towers that carry EVDO Rev A service. I found them where expected, about 6 to 8 miles from my home in a different direction than my 1900 MHz Yagi is currently pointed. (That is pointed at a tower about 4 miles away.) Unfortunately, I didn't see great download speeds, even right at the tower with high signal strength. No more than 600 kbps, and typically less than 400 kbps. I'm guessing lots of desperate people got this service before I did! On the other hand, upload speeds were consistently MORE than 400 kbps. To my pleasant surprise, I was able to maintain EVDO Rev A all the way home, including in my driveway!
Next step was to hook my 1900 MHz antenna to my CDU-680 and try to find EVDO Rev A. No luck. No matter where I pointed the antenna, I was only able to get 1xRTT. Go figure. So I came inside the house and set the laptop on a table in my living room, without any external antenna and I get EVDA Rev A! Signal strength for EVDO Rev A in this position is -86 dBm, while 1xRTT is only -95 dBm.
I decided not to tweak my HA (New York) just yet, even though ping times tend to be 250 msec and above. Instead, my son started some downloads using FlashGet. One was a torrent and the other was a normal http download. Unfortunately, the downloads failed within a couple of hours with a "System error, unable to sign in" message. My son restarted the service and we went to bed. Same error occurred again overnight. Speeds tend to vary between 0 kbps to about 900 kbps. Average tends to be about 300 kbps, which is just slightly faster than EDGE.
Bottom line: Millenicom Mobile Broadband is not currently stable enough nor fast enough to replace HughNet as our main internet provider. Hughesnet, while limited to 400 MB per day and having 750 msec ping times, is *very* stable and provides 1 Mbps whenever requested. We have learned to do our larger downloads during the 3:00 AM to 6:00 AM free period each day. I have decided to keep Millenicom Mobile Broadband as a replacement for T-Mobile EDGE service in the hopes that it will be generally faster and that more of the Sprint towers will become EVDO Rev A-capable in the near future.
So, looking at my original list of hopes I can write a list of realities to now replace it:
1) Replace T-Mobile EDGE service.
2) Reduce ping times from >1000 msec (EDGE) to ~250 msec.
3) Workaround FAP.
4) INCREASE monthly fees by $20.
5) Be able to take a fast connection with me on vacation. (We'll see. I will take the new modem on a business trip with me tomorrow.)
Thanks again to all who have provided information on Millenicom and Sprint Mobile Broadband on this forum. While I didn't quite realize my original goals, I did find a place for this service and will be keeping it for the foreseeable future.
I realize that I am a complete newbie here and that I will be able to improve the stability and speed of this service by fiddling with it, getting patches, etc. However, I don't think it will make it to HughesNet performance or stability any time soon, given the starting point. (FWIW, I'm an electrical engineer who has worked in wireless communications, both satellite and terrestrial, for the past 20 years. I'm also not new to cellular internet, as I've been using EDGE for about 2 years now.)
I waited a couple of weeks before posting the above comments as a review, just in case I have missed something. After nearly three weeks of use, my views have not changed materially, so my review stands as above.
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