Before 5G, I’ve been using mobile data since 2003. It started being connected to GPRS, where I enjoyed browsing WAP sites on my Nokia 3530 phone. While it was slow, the ability to connect to the internet everywhere was a life-changing moment for me. I chatted with a friend on Yahoo! Mesenger’s WAP site while on vacation in Baguio and she thought there was an internet café at Mines View Park where I was chatting at that time. I also impressed my girlfriend by reserving movie tickets via SureSeats.com at Glorietta 4 just by connecting to GPRS on my phone.
From 2003-2005, I used my Telco Network’s GPRS and EDGE connectivity to check my emails, browse websites and chat with friends on my Windows Pocket PC. Then in 2006, a big change happened that made me even more connected to mobile data than the past 3 years. Entered the 3G era.
I was using an HTC Universal Windows Mobile Pocket PC Phone at that time which looked like a mini Tablet PC. It had 3G/UMTS connectivity, so I was ready just in case the networks started offering the service. Late January, I noticed that my signal intermittently changed from G to U. I shrugged it off until one evening in early February. My colleagues and I were partying in a hotel when I noticed my phone signal changed to U. I connected to my telco’s 3G network, and it was freaking fast! I was able to load websites on my phone in seconds! It was like using a DSL connection but using my mobile network. I found out that Smart Communications was conducting some tests on their new 3G/UMTS network every midnight. I stayed up late for several nights and took advantage of their fast wireless connection until I fall asleep.
In February 2006, Globe and Smart announced the availability of their 3G connectivity. Smart marketed their 3G connectivity more on the video calling feature while Globe focused on fast mobile internet especially when they launched their Super 3G thanks to their newly acquired HSDPA connectivity. Consumers purchased newer Nokia phones with 3G capability and front cameras for their video calls.
In my perspective, the use of the 3G video call feature was limited because, 1st not everyone has moved on to a 3G device, and 2nd networks started charging per minute after their free trial. Even when the free trial for 3G connectivity has ended, I used it and didn’t mind paying per kb on top of my postpaid plan. It was the convenience of having a mobile internet I can use anytime, anywhere.
Fast forward to April 2010, I subscribed to Smart’s first unlimited data plan exclusively with the HTC Magic, the first Android phone they’ve released the year before. Unlike other mobile operating systems available during those years, Android relies more on mobile internet. This somehow convinced Smart to offer unlimited data along with the device. My friend, Norbert Aquende and I subscribed immediately to the plan, not because of the free HTC Magic Android phone but more on having unlimited data we can consume.
Around July 2010, Smart introduced Free 3G usage every Friday. It was to encourage their Postpaid and Prepaid subscribers to use their 3G services to access Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo! Mail, Google Search and YouTube through their 3G phones anytime, anywhere. They’ve also changed their mobile data charging from 0.25 centavos per kb to 15 pesos per 30 minutes.
This was also to educate users that they don’t need to go to the office or home to check emails or upload pictures to their social networks. Not only that, but they also don’t have to look for a WiFi hotspot because they already have an affordable rate to connect to a fast mobile data internet.
Later that year, I noticed that Smart’s 3G services significantly improved. I was running late for a Skype call with my business contact in Taiwan. I decided to use Skype with my Android tablet that has my Smart 3G SIM card installed. Skype call was clear without any interruptions. We were able to discuss everything in several minutes – while I drove along Quezon Avenue to my office in Manila.
VoIP apps like WhatsApp and Viber entered the app market and we used it for calling our friends and loved ones anywhere in the world for free! Instead of sending text messages, we used DMs (Direct Messages) on Twitter. E-mails were pushed to my tablet or smartphone without subscribing to a Blackberry Internet Service. And if I was talking to a client and I had no idea what he was talking about, I would discreetly search for it on my phone’s google search and be able to relate with our conversation.
I was given an online gig which required me to work after office hours. This online gig became my full-time work a year after and made me realize I can work anywhere I please. With my 3G connection improving year after year, I booked a one-month stay in Boracay island and brought my work along with me. I officially became a digital nomad! I would wake up in the morning then take a tricycle to Station 2 to swim. Once I’m done, I would go back to the white sands, open my laptop and connect to my 3G WiFi device. In the afternoon I would stay in a coffee shop where I either continue to work or have a video conference with my partner for a tech start-up we were planning to build.
In 2013, LTE was introduced as a faster connection than 3G. True, it was fast, but it wasn’t widely available yet. I still relied on the existing 3G connection to blog during press briefings or while in a coffee shop.
Years passed and we were introduced to 4G in 2016 then 5G in 2020. Honestly, whenever I see 3G on my phone’s signal bar, I would switch to airplane mode for a few seconds then turn on the mobile data signal again hoping that my 5G icon would re-appear. It wasn’t that fast anymore. With all the apps we are using for social media, streaming videos or gaming, 3G speeds just doesn’t cut it.
Now that the DICT has ordered the shutdown of the 3G networks in the country, it’s time to move on and look at the brighter future of next-level connectivity that would benefit us consumers. However, I will never forget 3G on how it changed my habits as a mobile device user.
