The üMobile Experience

A couple of weeks ago, I got my free umobile SIM delivered at my mailbox for free as well. Isn’t that amazing?

To get one, you only need to get an invitation code from someone who’s already an active subscriber, fill-up the contact application form, and just answer the required lifestyle questionnaires. Afterwards, it will evaluate your application and will send you a confirmation email that they had already processed it and had made you a umobile subscriber.

So how’s the umobile experience for me? I actually started testing its coverage during the week of the Y4iT event. After inserting the SIM card to my alternate phone, I tried sending an SMS right away. Unfortunately, sending text messages to Globe users was not yet supported or was still undergoing maintenance. This issue was also pointed out in one of their customer update emails and that they’re still working out on the full network interconnectivity.

How about 3G? The connection was fast – as fast as Smart’s? I have no idea if they’re now on the same network right after Smart Telecoms acquired Umobile Cure Inc. When I tried using 3G (or even GPRS) during the Y4iT event, I actually had a hard time connecting to the service which then results to my Nokia E90 not being able to live stream some parts of the event through the Qik service. Instead of live streaming, I just recorded the talks and had those uploaded to Youtube afterwards. I also tried the 3G at home but there was no signal detected. Perhaps, I should’ve loaded a Smart SIM from the very start.

Obviously, they’re still on the process of expanding their networks and facilities. The free Php100 load every month for the first 6 months sounds somewhat cool. I just hope that there’ll be more surprises for us consumers (and more free credits for a longer time!).