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Review by zeddlar See Profile

  • Location: Jay, Delaware, OK, USA
  • Business customer Business customer
  • Cost: $70 per month
  • Install: about 3 days
No contract, Very fast shipping, Plug and play set up.
Low caps, but that is Verizons fault, not Millenicom's and to Millenicom's credit, their cap is double what you can get from Ver
Would recomend over satellite for anyone that can't get anything else.
Pre Sales Information:
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Value for money:

I had Hughesnet Satellite for 9 years and even though with 3G, the speeds are a bit slower, I have to say this is a much better service right now. The speeds are close to what I was getting on satellite and with the lower latency, I have to say this is much better. I ordered the early bird special with the Samsung Hotspot and I get 10 GB at 4G speeds and 10 GB at 3G speeds or 20 GB at 3g speeds since 4G isn't availible here. I average speeds of over 1 Mb/s down and 500 Kb/s up consistantly with pings running around 110ms real world and 130 to 140 in World of Warcraft. I loved the fast shipping on this, I used their cheapest shipping offer and still recieved my hotspot on the third business day after that. I have to say that if you have satellite and can get a signal from Sprint or Verizon then go with Millenicom, I don't think you could go wrong with em.

Oh and I might add that I have 4 Verizon phones and my phone gets as good or better reception than any of the others I have and the Hotspot from Millenicom gets a better signal than my phone does.

member for 16.9 years, 1196 visits, last login: 10.5 years ago
lodged 12.1 years ago


Review by travis5379 See Profile

  • Location: Rathdrum, Kootenai, ID, USA
  • Cost: $60 per month
  • Install: about 5 days
Verizon speed and 20 GB for 60 a month
The only billing option they allow is auto-recurring debit/credit card
Good so far
Pre Sales Information:
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This review is for Millenicom 3G high speed internet using the Novatel USB760 modem. At the time I signed up (June 2, 2011), they offered a 20 GB plan that cost 60 USD per month. This was the "Advanced Plan." They no longer have that plan and instead offer 50 GB for $70. My bill hasn't increased, so they must've grandfathered my plan. I'm not sure how much longer they will continue to do so. As part of the plan, I had to purchase the USB modem for $99. There was also a $50 (approx) set-up fee.

Before signing up for Millenicom, I was a Cricket 3G subscriber for about a year and a half. The plan I had was 5 GB for 60 a month. The great thing about Cricket was that they didn't charge you if you went over your cap. The service was passable, but not great. At peak usage times, my speeds were 200-300 Kbps down and 200 Kbps up. At non-peak times, it was 500 Kbps down and 300 Kbps up. Not great, but it was sufficient enough to play World of Warcraft.

A few months ago, Cricket adopted new pricing plans. The old plan, which I had, was $40 a month for 5 GB. And no overage fees. And then they changed it to $40 for 2.5 GB, $50 for 5, and $60 for 7.5. And just recently they've increased their prices yet again, this time adding $5 to each plan. So the (current) pricing is $45, $55, and $65.

To compare the old pricing that I had with the current pricing means that my bill would've went up 37% in less than a year's time. However, they did grandfather my $40 at 5 GB. Unfortunately, they decided to enforce their data caps right about the time they introduced new pricing plans. Probably to force the $40 people like myself to switch over to the more expensive 7.5 GB plan. So one day after noticing that my speed had been throttled down to 50 Kbps, I called them and they verified that my speed had been throttled due to exceeding my 5 GB cap. As 50 Kbps is quite unacceptable, I had them upgrade my account to 7.5 GB and my speed was restored to normal. Unfortunately, that also meant my bill increased by 50%.

Unhappy that I was paying $60 a month for what amounted to 300 Kbps and a 7.5 GB cap, I went searching for a new ISP. I considered the usual suspects (Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, even Virgin and T-Mobile), looking for a good value on 3G internet access. I didn't find any. Virgin used to offer 5 GB for $40 a month with no overage fees, but that was simply a bait and switch, as they have since gotten rid of that plan.

Cricket was barely a good value at $40 a month. At $60? Nah. No way. Not for that low of speed. The kicker is that when I called them to cancel my service, I was greeted by an Indian woman named "Michelle." Yeah, ok. Outsourcing debates aside, is it really necessary to insult the intelligence of your customers by pretending that your Indian tech support staff have American names?

Enough about Cricket. This review is for Millenicom, which I found by doing a simple web search for 3G providers. They seemed like a good value, so I came here to see what the cold, hard truth was on them. The reviews checked out, so I decided to give Millenicom a shot. I ordered the basic plan, not wanting to spend the $99 to purchase the modem until I knew whether the service was good. As I mentioned earlier, I ordered the service on June 2, 2011, the modem shipped the next day, and arrived on June 6. Setup was a breeze. I just plugged the modem in, and Windows XP took care of everything. I immediately ran a speed test, and was pleasantly surprised to see the results. 1.2 Mbps downstream and 500 Kbps up. A fourfold increase over my usual Cricket speed. Over the course of the next several weeks, I ran periodic speed tests, at various times of the day, and the results were between 1 and 1.5 Mbps down and 400 to 700 Kbps up. It should be noted that the plan I have with Millenicom uses the Verizon network. They have another plan that uses the Sprint network.

I've read DSL Reports for years (my account was created in 2005) but this is my first ISP review. I will keep this review updated if anything changes with my account or there's any drastic changes in speed. I've been using the service for a little over a month and so far, I'm pleased with it.

December 5, 2011 Update:

Service is running great. I've attached an image of the results of a typical speedtest, once again it's using Verizon's EVDO Revision A network. I'm not using anything to boost the signal.

Attachments:
Click for full size


member for 18.9 years, 800 visits, last login: 337 days ago
updated 12.2 years ago

ArizonaSteve
join:2004-01-31
Apache Junction, AZ

ArizonaSteve

Member

What's the Verizon plan called?

You are fortunate that you didn't waste money trying Virgin Mobile, here it doesn't work any better than Cricket. Both are so oversold and slow they can't even open a web page and I suspect Millenicom would be just as bad on Sprint and wouldn't want to spend $220 just to find out. How did you get a plan running on Verizon? They don't offer anything using Verizon on their web page, just Sprint.
travis5379
join:2005-03-28
Moscow, ID

travis5379

Member

Re: What's the Verizon plan called?

What's interesting is that a friend warned me about Cricket. But I was seduced by the prospect of getting high speed internet for $40 a month, with no overages. So I signed up and ultimately came to regret that decision, as Cricket's network is woefully inadequate. For the speeds you get, I can see them charging maybe $20 or $30 per month. But their current price levels are just insane. They charge $55 a month for 5 GB of data. You can go on Verizon's site and order directly from them and get 5 GB for $50. It's actually cheaper to use Verizon, despite the fact that Cricket has a significantly worse network and, according to logic and reason, Cricket deserves to be priced cheaper. Of course, the big difference is that Verizon requires you to sign a contract, whereas Cricket allows you to pre-pay. As does Millenicom.

You asked about Millenicom's service plans. They actually have 5 plans at the moment:

3G/4G Hotspot: $80 a month and uses Verizon's 3G and 4G networks.

Advanced Plan (which is what I have): $60 a month for 20 GB but requires the $99 purchase of the modem. Uses Verizon's 3G network.

Unlimited Plan: $70 a month and it uses the Sprint's 3G network. They say "unlimited" but it has a 50 GB soft cap.

Bring your own device plan: Same as the unlimited plan. Uses Sprint 3G.

Standard plan: $60 a month for 5 GB. Uses Verizon 3G. Doesn't require purchase of the modem.

Hope this answered your question. Thanks for the comment!

Review by davidhoffman See Profile

  • Location: Warner Robins, Houston, GA, USA
  • Cost Contract price not specified.
  • Install: about 14 days
The modem works as expected.
Shipping failure.
Bad shipping experience from a great company.
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I have recommended Millenicom for many months to others and finally was able to get out of my Verizon contract with no ETF so I could sign up myself. I waited to see if Millenicom would offer a LTE modem for use with Verizon. After a few months I decided to just get the USB760 Advanced Plan. Millenicom shipped the first USB 760 modem in a box too big to fit in my apartment's mailbox. So the mailman left it outside my door. It was stolen, while I was still at work. I called Millenicom when the scheduled delivery date passed and no modem was in my mailbox. After confirming what had happened with the Postmaster, they shipped a second USB 760 modem with a requirement that the package have a signature for delivery or be picked up with photo ID at the post office. I think Millenicom needs to rethink the outer package size used for postal shipping. I am thinking a weatherproof envelope with bubble wrap would have fit in the mailbox.

The Millenicom modem works the same as the Verizon one I have now. I definitely like the fact that Linux drivers are available so I can use it on my Asus netbook with Linux. Verizon was of no help in that area. Now I can watch a little more video when I am out in the country or download bigger files without worrying about going over my monthly limit. Hopefully in a couple of years there will be a LTE modem from Millenicom with the same kind of reasonable monthly limits.



member for 14.3 years, 4120 visits, last login: 3.1 years ago
lodged 12.4 years ago


compuguybna
join:2009-06-17
Nashville, TN

compuguybna

Member

Cost $4.85 yet charges $15.00

You'd think Millenicom charging $15.00, they could have a done a little better (especially when that shipment cost them $4.85).
Jim_in_VA (banned)
join:2004-07-11
Cobbs Creek, VA

Jim_in_VA (banned)

Member

Re: Cost $4.85 yet charges $15.00

Its not all about $4.85 shipping. You have the shipping to set up and pay an employee to pack it and label it. Not out of line to charge $15

compuguybna
join:2009-06-17
Nashville, TN

compuguybna

Member

Re: Cost $4.85 yet charges $15.00

It was a USPS label created online. At least they could check the "box" online that says "do not show postage amount on label".
That takes about 3 minutes to create.
Jim_in_VA (banned)
join:2004-07-11
Cobbs Creek, VA

1 edit

Jim_in_VA (banned)

Member

Re: Cost $4.85 yet charges $15.00

jus saying, $4.85 for USPS ain't all it takes to ship a package, you add 'Delivery Confirmation' and 'Insurance' cost goes up... do this daily

compuguybna
join:2009-06-17
Nashville, TN

compuguybna

Member

Re: Cost $4.85 yet charges $15.00

No biggie. In the orig post, Obviously Millenicom did neither.
You really CAN click the option to NOT show the shipping $ on the label. I would have felt better without seeing it on my box.

On another note. Anyone wanna buy a HP Touchpad?
said by Jim_in_VA:

jus saying, $4.85 for USPS ain't all it takes to ship a package, you add 'Delivery Confirmation' and 'Insurance' cost goes up... do this daily

mogamer
join:2011-04-20
Royal Oak, MI

mogamer to Jim_in_VA

Member

to Jim_in_VA
said by Jim_in_VA:

jus saying, $4.85 for USPS ain't all it takes to ship a package, you add 'Delivery Confirmation' and 'Insurance' cost goes up... do this daily

I buy a lot of stuff online and most vendors don't charge extra for packing the product their selling. As a matter of fact, many don't even charge for shipping. These guys don't use shipping as a way to make a few extra dollars.

And I can't believe that they sell and ship that much product. I bet they have office staff package and ship. And I do know a little about shipping. I ran a warehouse for 22 years!

Review by Clittlej See Profile

  • Location: Aurora, Beaufort, NC, USA
  • Cost: $60 per month
  • Install: about 1 days
$60/20gb is better than $80/10gb(what verizon offers) or $60/5gb(what us cellular offers)
Might have to buy extra equipment for a stronger signal.
Have a better monthly usage than most carriers available, no contract and does good enough for me.
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It had a better plan than verizon and uscellular plus they didn't require some credit check.

On a good day I would get 1.1mbs or 114kbs.

I plan on buying a booster or amp in the near future.


member for 12.5 years, 50 visits, last login: 11.3 years ago
updated 12.4 years ago







Review by nogaps See Profile

  • Location: Greenbush, Alcona, MI, USA
  • Cost: $70 per month
  • Install: about 4 days
much higher 3G cap than Sprint offers
terse info about plans on their website
higher caps make 3G as primary internet connection more realistic
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I'm nearing the end of a 2-year satellite provider contract (Hughesnet) and noticed recently that I had a new, strong roaming signal on my Verizon cell phone, where I used to get just 1 VZ bar and no roaming signal at all. Did some poking around and found that Sprint upgraded an old Nextel tower about 1/2 mile from my house to EVDO Rev A. I signed up with Sprint and found I was getting a workable (-80 dBm - 1.0Mb/300Kb 200ms) signal but wasn't happy with Sprint's 5GB 3G monthly cap.

So I canceled the Sprint trial and signed up for the Unlimited Plan with Millenicom. I received the Sierra 598U device from Millenicom 4-days later and popped it into my newly purchased CradlePoint MBR-1000 router. Pre-sales and install done! The only criticism I would offer in those 2 areas is that the information on their website about their plans in pretty sparse. I already knew what plan I wanted, by doing research here at BBR, but the lack of info would be pretty confusing to some potential new customers.

Connection reliability has been pretty good. Throughput is about the same as my Hughesnet connection, but of course the 3G latency, while not great, is much, much lower than satellite and SSL and IPSec connections are dramatically better (Hughesnet doesn't cache encrypted packets at their proxies on their residential plans). The 3G signal occasionally drops to 1x for a bit (no line-of-site with the tower due to trees), but I realize this is more an issue between me and Sprint, rather than Millenicom. I've purchased a directional grid antenna that I'll put up once the snow clears to hopefully firm things up.

3 weeks in and I haven't had to use tech support or any of Millenicom's other services yet.

Millenicom's 50Gb monthly cap vs. Sprint's 5GB at about the same price and no contract make Millenicom a pretty decent value if you have few other options.

Update 06/21/11

About 4 months in and all is going well. I put a directional grid antenna up a couple of months ago which increased my signal by about 17 dBm. I've lost much of that increase now that the trees have leafed out but am still seeing a darn good signal at about -70 dBm. Getting about 1.2Mb down and 400Kb up with latency of about 100ms.

member for 13.2 years, 1688 visits, last login: 4.3 years ago
updated 12.7 years ago

dgannon
join:2011-04-10
El Campo, TX

dgannon

Member

Agree

I completely agree. I have the same plan. As long as you have a high quality device and a good signal, you can get great download speeds at times and even though sometimes it is sluggish, its worth it for the unlimited downloads and overall reliability.
jbrewno
join:2010-01-21
Port Byron, NY

jbrewno

Member

Re: Agree

Yup bye bye satellite, hello 3g:)!

Review by OiCU812 See Profile

  • Location: Murray, Calloway, KY, USA
  • Cost: $59 per month
  • Install: about 3 days
Great value, very good customer service tech's
Modem's external antenna plug is easy to break, I broke mine! VZ software, not very Mac friendly
Excellent product, fair price
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Living out in the sticks, my only shot at high speed internet was gonna be Hughesnet, or some sat. service. While looking into that I read about some guy discovered he was now in a Verison coverage area (he pulled his dish out of the ground with his tractor and said it was the best day of his life!!) After reading that I decided to take a look and WOW.... I'm about 3.6 miles from a tower....The guy with the tractor mentioned Millenicom in his post and that's how I got to where I am now.....and that's HAPPY!!!!

member for 13 years, 53 visits, last login: 11 years ago
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Review by jbrewno See Profile

  • Location: Port Byron, Cayuga, NY, USA
  • Cost: $60 per month
  • Install: about 5 days
20gb cap a month
Blows Wild Blue out of the water!
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10 Month Review
Still going strong, oh and Millenicom upped the usage from 10gb to 20gb.

6 Month Review:

Millenicom is a great company. I am on the Verizon 10gb a month plan with them. Good for gaming too! Ping usually 70-100 on Counter Strike Source and games like that.

Here is a list of speeds users get on Millenicom Verizon based service.

»Post your VERIZON Novatel USB760 Speed Test Results

I use this service just for my desktop. If cable,dsl, or fios were to come along id definitely switch.

Oh and since i get my Verizon service through Millenicom i get twice the bandwith that i would get from Verizon itself! Yea pretty strange i thought to but im not complaining! Oh and $59.99 a month really is $59.99 a month. No hidden fees!

Bottom line. (If your using this at your house only!)

If you can not get cable or dsl out at your house and you like to play video games. Make sure you get this service over any satellite services.

Cable>Millenicom>Dial Up>Satelite

member for 14.1 years, 929 visits, last login: 7.5 years ago
updated 13.1 years ago

hottboiinnc4
ME
join:2003-10-15
Cleveland, OH

hottboiinnc4

Member

Shared!?

You don't expect them to give you a dedicated line do you? If you want that you better call your local telco and get a leased line.
jbrewno
join:2010-01-21
Port Byron, NY

jbrewno

Member

Re: Shared!?

What?
jbrewno

jbrewno

Member

Re: Shared!?

There is no lines. Its thru the air

Review by sam_j See Profile

  • Location: Wilson, Wilson, NC, USA
  • Cost: $59 per month (month by month)
  • Install: about 5 days
Pre Sales Information:
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My only option for high speed internet is this service or satellite. So far I like it. It isn't always as fast as I would like but it certainly beats the alternative.

member for 13.4 years, 536 visits, last login: 6.7 years ago
lodged 13.2 years ago







Review by coxzy See Profile

  • Location: Goochland, Goochland, VA, USA
  • Cost: $59 per month
  • Install: about 2 days
reliable
need better firmware updates
all around a good investment untill something better comes along
Pre Sales Information:
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Value for money:

better than dialup and satelite

novatel usb 760

member for 21.5 years, 581 visits, last login: 13.3 years ago
lodged 13.4 years ago







Review by Belinrahs See Profile

  • Location: Nashville, Barry, MI, USA
  • Cost: $70 per month
  • Install: about 3 days
Unlimited service (for $10 more a month), fast, low pings compared to sat
Simply doesn't compete with the reliability of hardwired internet, or even satellite
I'd rather have slower speeds and unlimited bandwidth than faster speeds and a cap
Pre Sales Information:
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Services:
Value for money:

UPDATE 6: Well, a WISP has come out my way and I signed up with them, so I've cancelled Millenicom. It was a wild ride but I think overall worth it. Thanks for all your help and I wish you luck in your future endeavors. You haven't seen the last of me in the Millenicom forum...

UPDATE 5: Millenicom sent me a new Novatel Ovation U760 and it's working like a dream. They called me and said they were sending a Sierra 598U, but my mantra that you can't trust a word they say, stands. Changing my ratings to reflect my new experience.

You should know that my ratings reflect MY experience. It will depend on your location and your setup, how well it works for you.

UPDATE 4: I'm reworking my ratings above. At this point, my connection is very, very sketchy at best. It'll switch from EVDO to 1xRTT without warning, and the Franklin device can't make a choice on which tower pilot it wants to connect to. I'm seeking a way to get a different device. I'm desperate here !!

UPDATE 3: Moved monthly cost to $70 (I upgraded to Unlimited) and I changed the Pros and Cons. Still very happy with my service, and until something like DSL or fixed wireless appears around here, I'll be sticking with Millenicom. Consider me a satisfied customer.

UPDATE 2: Just since the most recent update, I've been sent a new Franklin CDU-680, and connectivity shot up to something very fast and reliable - I'm quite happy with it now. Also, the "invisible caps" myth seems to be busted, they're releasing new packages, 60$ for 5 gig a month, and 70$ for unlimited bandwidth. Not so invisible, and there's a big difference between 5 gig and pretty-much-infinite gigs, only for 10$ a month. Definitely worth it, I'll be going with that! At this point I will be bumping Connection reliability from a 3 (middling) to a 4 (pretty darn reliable and fast).

UPDATE: I just had some pretty unique issues with Sprint and Millenicom which I'm fully documenting for all to see at »Speed cut due to usage . I have decided to bump the Tech Support rating on this review from 5 (best rating possible) to a 4, because while they are very friendly and do try hard to help out if they can, there is a marked lack of follow up when they tell you they'll have somebody call you back. Over the several times they've told me they would call back in a few hours, I've never, ever, EVER gotten such a call back.

Original review:

I had HughesNet for a long time before I found out about Millenicom right here on BBR, so I checked out their site and asked for a site survey. They said that I'd get excellent service here, and considering I get 4 bars on my Sprint phone around here, I thought I'd give them a shot (why not? no contract!). I received the Franklin CDU-680 USB aircard. At first it was pretty awful because I ended up getting pretty terrible signal (about -95dBm to -105dBm). I talked to the folks at 3Gstore.com who recommended that I get the 32" omni external antenna. I went for it considering it wasn't all that much, $80, and I installed it on an old Dish Network satellite dish mount. I now get about -72dBm constantly and top speeds of about 1.2-1.3 megabits down, which isn't bad considering I'm on a single T1 tower.

I'm pretty worried about the supposed "invisible caps" they're placing, but as far as I can tell I'm still unlimited...I've gone over 15-20 gig's in a month without a peep from the folks at Millenicom or Sprint. I'll be perfectly fine and will stay with this service, satisfied, unless they decide to impose those caps on me.

member for 16.5 years, 406 visits, last login: 6.5 years ago
updated 13.5 years ago


AEA
@direcway.com

AEA

Anon

Wireless provider for Millenicom is no longer Sprint

No longer Sprint....it is now Verizon

Belinrahs
I have an ego the size of a small planet
Premium Member
join:2007-09-07
Nashville, MI

Belinrahs

Premium Member

Re: Wireless provider for Millenicom is no longer Sprint

Uh, no. That is incorrect. Please get your facts straight . . . it depends on where you live, whether Millenicom gives you Verizon or Sprint.

CNC16hhh
@speakeasy.net

CNC16hhh

Anon

Bandwidth Cap

What is your source of information for the $60 5 gig cap and the $70 unlimited one?

Belinrahs
I have an ego the size of a small planet
Premium Member
join:2007-09-07
Nashville, MI

Belinrahs

Premium Member

Re: Bandwidth Cap

said by CNC16hhh :

What is your source of information for the $60 5 gig cap and the $70 unlimited one?
Straight from Millenicom's director, Dennis Castle, over the phone. If you don't believe me, people are talking about it on the forums, and Millenicom's website has a page: »millenicom.com/unlimited ··· uest.htm
Hellsent
join:2009-09-22

Hellsent

Member

Sprint is unlimited. Verzion is 5g

I have millen and i pay 69.99 a month for unlimited.

if i didn't have a sprint tower id be stuck on verizons 5g cap.

I like millencom. I would recomend a External antena to the OP. I just ordered one off ebay stuck it on my roof and it helped loads. no drops so far and i'm always 4-5 bars.
wirelessdog
join:2008-07-15
Queen Anne, MD

wirelessdog

Member

Why pay that when...

You can get Virgin Mobile (Sprint) for $40 a month???

Belinrahs
I have an ego the size of a small planet
Premium Member
join:2007-09-07
Nashville, MI

Belinrahs

Premium Member

Re: Why pay that when...

said by wirelessdog:

You can get Virgin Mobile (Sprint) for $40 a month???
Virgin Mobile is out of the question for me now but for anyone else, I wouldn't recommend Virgin Mobile - I've heard a ton of bad things.
wirelessdog
join:2008-07-15
Queen Anne, MD

wirelessdog

Member

Re: Why pay that when...

Most if not all the initial issues have been resolved. Glad to see you're using a WISP.