Proud to be Ghanaian

CliQ powered by Expresso

I have always wanted to post a review of Expresso’s EVDO modem, CliQ. I have gotten a lot of great messages from people I suggested it to and I keep suggesting it to anyone looking at getting a USB modem.

What is CliQ?

CliQ is the new the new mobile broadband service Ghana’s sole CDMA operator, Expresso. 

How To Get A CliQ Modem

CliQ can be purchased from any Expresso Shop or authorised reseller at GHC60 with a valid i.d card or just call the Expresso Sales Team on 028  921 0055 and they will deliver it to your home or office. No jokes. The modem comes pre-loaded with 4.5GB of data. That is 500MB more than Airtel’s and 2GB more than MTN’s which sell at GHC 60. You get 1.5GB more data than Vodafone & Tigo’s USB modems which sell at GHC 55. 

What’s In The Box

• Expresso ZTE MU350 EVDO Modem
• A USB Cable
• Instruction Manual

Installation

The installation of the CliQ software is simple. Just plug the modem in the software pops up. All you have to do is just a click, click and click. I have realised that some of the earlier modems came with Windows only software. If you have or purchase a CliQ modem and can’t get to work with your Mac, contact the folks at Expresso for the Mac OS version.

Speed

In my speedtest.net test of CliQ, I averaged 1mb/s for download speed and 0.56mb/s for uploads. That isn’t bad at all. I downloaded a couple of files at 230kb/s. I haven’t tried any uploads yet but the download speed is convincing enough.

Reload Options

CliQ offers the best reload options for a mobile broadband service. 

CliQ (pay) as You Go | GH¢ 0.05p

CliQ a Day | GH¢ 2 | 100MB

CliQ GH¢ 15 | 30 days | 1GB

CliQ Regular | GH¢ 60 | 30 days | 4.5GB

CliQ Premium | GH¢ 80 | 30days | 6.5GB

CliQ Gold | GH¢ 110 | 30days | 10GB

Please note that CliQ doesn’t have an unlimited bundle. That would have been sweet.

Voice & SMS Support

CliQ supports voice calls and sms. In the CliQ software, voices calls can be made and text messages sent and received.

Coverage

Since the Expresso and CliQ websites are still under construction, (at the time of writing), I am unable to say what the coverage reach of CliQ is. I learnt from an Expresso staff that Accra and Tema have been covered. I guess so is Kumasi, Sunyani, Sekondi-Takoradi and everywhere there is Expresso coverage. You might not get EVDO signals in your neighbourhood since Expresso hasn’t completed the upgrade of its network from CDMA 1x.

Conclusion

Aside the data cap, I think this is a great product. I have recommended it to a couple of people and there is nothing like buyers remorse with CliQ. Expresso has poor costumer service but I can boldly say it is the best mobile broadband modem on the Ghanaian market.