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PNCC’s new 3G network, which has been available for free for all PalauCel subscribers, will officially launch on February 1, 2015.
Since switching over from the previous 2G network to 3G on January 16th, PNCC General Manager Paul Kingzio reports an average of 5 to 6 gigabytes of data are being used daily.
He says over 2,000 users are logged in or accessing data at the same time. The massive traffic he says is causing congestion, and makes it difficult for other users to experience the network. He says that once the network is launched, traffic will be balanced.
3G now covers Koror, Airai, and Melekeok, and has replaced the old 2G cell sites previously installed in these areas.
This new system not only enables mobile networking, it also allows services such as picture messaging, video messaging and video calls.
Although the upgrade is widely supported, many concerns have emerged. This includes the issue of privacy and protection, and content filtering to ensure that illicit sites are not accessible to minors.
The cost of mobile networking through this new 3G system is also a concern. During a press conference on January 20th, Kingzio disclosed that PNCC would be charging 20 cents per one megabyte chargeable through the existing $10 airtime currently used for HomeNet and pre-paid mobile subscribers.
Data usage will entirely depend on what the user is doing, but our research shows that an hour on Facebook for average status updates and surfing is estimated at about 10 megabytes, which would cost about $2.00. This does not include uploading or viewing photos and videos.
PNCC also encourages subscribers to turn off their data when it is not in use, otherwise the network would consume the entire card.
