Still no coverage in Nottingham, and ther doesn't appear to have been much in the way of updates on the map.
Im guessing that 4G on three has rolled out and thats that.
Where I have had 4G showing on my phone the speeds have been not much different to 3G, and in some cases lower.
At my current location im right on the edge of a 4G blue area, so my phone keeps going on to 4g then loses signal followed by going to 3G, then 4G and repeat.
With 4G speeds being around 6meg, and 3G coming in at 15meg, as a result my phone is on 3G only at the moment until the 4G coverage matches the 3G HDSPA+ ( or whatever it is ) coverage
The above would seem to suggest that new customers to Three can sign up to The One Plan 1 month or 12 month SIM-only and enjoy unlimited Personal Hotspot. "Three also confirmed that its popular One Plan "will no longer be available for contract handset sales"." according to Wired ( http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2014-03/17/three-ends-unlimited-tethering ).
Is there anyway I can keep my unlimited Personal Hotspot or “tethering”?
Yes. If you are a customer on The One Plan – the only plan that offers unlimited Personal Hotspot – then you will continue to enjoy unlimited tethering for the duration of your current plan...
At the end of the minimum term of your current contract, you have two options:
1) Continue on your existing contract on a “rolling” basis, with your existing allowance.
2) Downgrade to a SIM Only plan which includes All-you-can-eat data with tethering (The One Plan is still available on a SIM only basis).
However, this would seem to suggest that unlimited Personal Hotspot is only eligible for customers who are already on Three and migrating to The One Plan from a different tariff, and not eligible for new customers to Three who are starting their relationship by signing up to The One Plan.
This seems to be confirmed by a tweet I sent to Three:
Will new cust signing up to 1 or 12mth SIMO OnePlan stl hv unltd tethrng for foreseeabl futur @ unrstrctd LTE / LTE-A spds, @ThreeUKSupport?
@nickpolydor Hi Nicholas - AYCE data will still be available, but tethering will be capped at 2GB. >MJ
Only customers signing up to a new range of contracts are affected, and both existing customers and those signing up to SIM-only plans are unaffected. SIM-only contracts reflecting the new pricing structure will follow later this year, Wired.co.uk understands.
So, what's the *actual* situation for new customers new to Three who want to sign up to The One Plan??!
So, what's the *actual* situation for new customers new to Three who want to sign up to The One Plan??!
The tweet you received was incorrect.
New customers signing up to the One Plan (now only available as SIM only) still receive unlimited tethering and will continue to do so as long as they choose to remain on the tariff.
Existing customers on the One Plan (whether SIM only or if they had it with a phone from before the new tariffs were introduced) will keep unlimited tethering as long as they choose to remain on the tariff.
The only people to whom the 2GB tethering cap applies is for those who are on one of the new 24month handset plans with AYCE data (either who signed up recently or chose to switch to one mid contract, which Three have allowed people to do).
I'm in Bedford and in certain spots I'm picking up 4G signal on my S4. I noticed it about 3 days ago. It's extremely hard to pick up and only stays connected in very specific spots. I was stood on a bridge and managed to get this speedtest: http://i.imgur.com/VDJPXEP.png
I'm guessing I'm getting signal from a mast in Milton Keynes. Pretty impressive speeds for a mast so far away. It seems to pick up 4G in a lot of places if I airplane mode on and off but its got no bars and drops back to 3G almost straight away.
Just back from York and my experience was a bit mixed. As I said earlier, York has a mix of 3G, 4G and 2G. As I'm using a phone (Z1 Compact) with an EU ROM, I don't have a setting for national and international roaming - so I was somewhat surprised when my phone was showing an R to use '3 2G'.
I thought it odd that I'd need 2G given coverage for 3G & 4G, but soon found that there were places (small narrow streets, and even our hotel near the station) where it sat firmly fixed on 2G. Most annoying too, as there's no data!
The speeds were generally okay (but not fantastic - especially download speeds vs upload speeds on 4G), but I did have a time when my phone simply wouldn't get off 2G. My wife and parents (all on Three) all had 4G but I was still roaming. Even a flight mode toggle didn't fix it, so I had to do a very long network scan to manually select LTE and then I was back.
I really wish you could turn off 2G, as I'm sure things would have been a lot better without it being an option.
Oh, and to give credit where it's due, I took my Lumia 1020 to take photos and was pleasantly surprised at how good (and fast) O2 was everywhere. I think it was always 4G, even in shops/restaurants, and the speeds were really good. Yesterday we ventured outside of the city by taxi and there was even 4G there.
This isn't exactly 4G related, but I moved a couple of weeks ago and seem to be connected to a mast which provides no more than 3Mbps (even at 4am). The Nexus 5 shows full signal but constantly switches between "H" and "3G". Is this normal behaviour for certain masts? Three say they'll have an additional mast in the area "within three months", and there is actually an Orange site which hasn't been MBNL'd which might be it.
and thats Stoke on Trent covered for 4G job done for that area, next?
Joking aside it actually looks like it is that way. As they have had 10 weeks and nothing has changed at all. Honestly looks like Vodafone will turn on in Stoke properly before Three do there is a lot of work going on there at moment.
Still no coverage in Nottingham, and ther doesn't appear to have been much in the way of updates on the map.
Im guessing that 4G on three has rolled out and thats that.
Where I have had 4G showing on my phone the speeds have been not much different to 3G, and in some cases lower.
At my current location im right on the edge of a 4G blue area, so my phone keeps going on to 4g then loses signal followed by going to 3G, then 4G and repeat.
With 4G speeds being around 6meg, and 3G coming in at 15meg, as a result my phone is on 3G only at the moment until the 4G coverage matches the 3G HDSPA+ ( or whatever it is ) coverage
My friend who has an iphone 5 sat outside my house in Nottingham the other day and got over 50Mbs on his 4G speedtest. He was pretty blown away by it, but hasn't been able to repeat it anywhere else in Nottingham he says.
I haven't got a 4G phone (S3) so I can't check, but my wife is getting a note 3 next month so will be able to check then
Joking aside it actually looks like it is that way. As they have had 10 weeks and nothing has changed at all. Honestly looks like Vodafone will turn on in Stoke properly before Three do there is a lot of work going on there at moment.
Edinburgh's had at least two new sites activated in the last few weeks, so they are doing something. However with still single digit numbers vs. O2/VF and EE both exceeding 100, at this rate it'll be 2020 before they finish.
Edinburgh's had at least two new sites activated in the last few weeks, so they are doing something. However with still single digit numbers vs. O2/VF and EE both exceeding 100, at this rate it'll be 2020 before they finish.
Yeah I've noticed in some places they have turned some new masts like the outskirts of Manchester for example not sure why they are turning one mast on for entire city. Surely it makes more sense to just not turn any of than on just to turn one on. It just makes it looks like they don't care with just transmitting from one 4G mast.
Vodafone will be in stoke I expect within next 3-6 weeks I've noticed a lot of work happening on there masts.
..not sure why they are turning one mast on for entire city. Surely it makes more sense to just not turn any of than on just to turn one on. It just makes it looks like they don't care with just transmitting from one 4G mast.
I guess it's just to start filling up the map and showing that 4G is 'rapidly' rolling out, even when the reality is somewhat different.
Three seems to be doing the easy places first, planning to fill in the gaps later on (I don't believe it will just sit back and think that 1 or 2 sites will be enough for major towns and cities).
I also think this does make business sense, especially as 4G doesn't cost anything more for users. Thus, people experiencing poor or disappointing 4G coverage can't really complain. And anyone with a 4G phone probably has DC-HSDPA support and therefore has a pretty good backup.
Anyone that has bought a phone on Three for 4G specifically would have more cause for complaint, but might still prefer SOME coverage than none.
Personally, I think a patchy roll out is perhaps better than holding loads of sites back for a massive switch on - but don't expect everyone to think the same way.
The upside is that Three is adding 4G to a pretty strong 3G network. Users on other networks aren't just getting 4G, but in many cases getting essential upgrades for 2G and 3G services at the same time.
I guess it's just to start filling up the map and showing that 4G is 'rapidly' rolling out, even when the reality is somewhat different.
Three seems to be doing the easy places first, planning to fill in the gaps later on (I don't believe it will just sit back and think that 1 or 2 sites will be enough for major towns and cities).
I also think this does make business sense, especially as 4G doesn't cost anything more for users. Thus, people experiencing poor or disappointing 4G coverage can't really complain. And anyone with a 4G phone probably has DC-HSDPA support and therefore has a pretty good backup.
Anyone that has bought a phone on Three for 4G specifically would have more cause for complaint, but might still prefer SOME coverage than none.
Personally, I think a patchy roll out is perhaps better than holding loads of sites back for a massive switch on - but don't expect everyone to think the same way.
The upside is that Three is adding 4G to a pretty strong 3G network. Users on other networks aren't just getting 4G, but in many cases getting essential upgrades for 2G and 3G services at the same time.
True enough I guess still think it is kind of weird honestly hopefully as we progress towards summer hopefully they decide to turn on masts and fill in these weird gaps. Yeah DC-HSDPA backup is brilliant don't disagree with that one. Think honestly if they had turned on 5-10 masts in places that would be better.
Given I am able to use one of three 4G sites that are meant to be hidden until their activation in early May, I wonder how many people are getting limited 4G coverage in towns that aren't on the coverage map - and it's not because Three is behind on updating the maps, but because they're not actually supposed to be able to use 4G there yet?
Given I am able to use one of three 4G sites that are meant to be hidden until their activation in early May, I wonder how many people are getting limited 4G coverage in towns that aren't on the coverage map - and it's not because Three is behind on updating the maps, but because they're not actually supposed to be able to use 4G there yet?
interesting good point there don't think that is the case for stoke but some areas it could be.
I'm in Bedford and in certain spots I'm picking up 4G signal on my S4. I noticed it about 3 days ago. It's extremely hard to pick up and only stays connected in very specific spots. I was stood on a bridge and managed to get this speedtest: http://i.imgur.com/VDJPXEP.png
I'm guessing I'm getting signal from a mast in Milton Keynes. Pretty impressive speeds for a mast so far away. It seems to pick up 4G in a lot of places if I airplane mode on and off but its got no bars and drops back to 3G almost straight away.
Can't wait to get it properly in my area.
That's a decent speed for a low signal. I get a 2 bar signal at my bedroom window but fail to get anything above 1Mb/s upload.
This isn't exactly 4G related, but I moved a couple of weeks ago and seem to be connected to a mast which provides no more than 3Mbps (even at 4am). The Nexus 5 shows full signal but constantly switches between "H" and "3G". Is this normal behaviour for certain masts? Three say they'll have an additional mast in the area "within three months", and there is actually an Orange site which hasn't been MBNL'd which might be it.
3 have been telling me that I'll get an additional mast in my area within 3 months for the past year.
My friend who has an iphone 5 sat outside my house in Nottingham the other day and got over 50Mbs on his 4G speedtest. He was pretty blown away by it, but hasn't been able to repeat it anywhere else in Nottingham he says.
I haven't got a 4G phone (S3) so I can't check, but my wife is getting a note 3 next month so will be able to check then
4G is limited to 50Mb/s on 3. I only got over 60Mb/s before the cap was introduced but don't seem to be able to find my speedtest screenshot at the moment. Note to-self: clean out My Documents folder on laptop!;-)
Given I am able to use one of three 4G sites that are meant to be hidden until their activation in early May, I wonder how many people are getting limited 4G coverage in towns that aren't on the coverage map - and it's not because Three is behind on updating the maps, but because they're not actually supposed to be able to use 4G there yet?
I recently had a mast outage in my area and when called was told it was due to work being carried out. Since then my phone will occasionally show a 5 bar 4G signal, then fall back to either 3G or 2 bar 4G from a mast a few miles away.
4G is limited to 50Mb/s on 3. I only got over 60Mb/s before the cap was introduced but don't seem to be able to find my speedtest screenshot at the moment. Note to-self: clean out My Documents folder on laptop!;-)
I have a feeling I am being capped. It doesn't matter where I am, time of day, signal strength or any other parameter, I will never get more than 20Mbit/s up or down. I can currently only get 5-6Mbit but I am tethering and the signal strength is awful (-120dBm) so I'll excuse that.
I get better downstream on HSPA occasionally (although typically not in the same places where 4G is available)
I have a feeling I am being capped. It doesn't matter where I am, time of day, signal strength or any other parameter, I will never get more than 20Mbit/s up or down. I can currently only get 5-6Mbit but I am tethering and the signal strength is awful (-120dBm) so I'll excuse that.
I get better downstream on HSPA occasionally (although typically not in the same places where 4G is available)
I mentioned this a while back when 4G was first launched to the masses but it kept being dismissed. Speeds seem capped at 20Mb/s on 4G for me.
I mentioned this a while back when 4G was first launched to the masses but it kept being dismissed. Speeds seem capped at 20Mb/s on 4G for me.
I have often got speeds in excess of 20Mbps, but I must admit that I've not seen anything approaching 50Mbps for some time, and certainly not the near-70Mbps I got during the testing (but that was rare even then).
If I could regularly hit 50Mbps and see an obvious block, I would be quite content. I don't even get such speeds on EE now with double speed. Likewise, O2 4G speeds are pretty low - but still impressive in the grand scheme of things (more than ample for low latency video streaming and so on).
At home my best so far is 32Mbps, and also 31Mbps for uploading - which is awesome (given I have to put up with 0.7Mbps on ADSL for uploading).
Comments
No.
As in a hypothetical phone that does not care about battery life and is constantly scanning for 4G 100% of the time.
Im guessing that 4G on three has rolled out and thats that.
Where I have had 4G showing on my phone the speeds have been not much different to 3G, and in some cases lower.
At my current location im right on the edge of a 4G blue area, so my phone keeps going on to 4g then loses signal followed by going to 3G, then 4G and repeat.
With 4G speeds being around 6meg, and 3G coming in at 15meg, as a result my phone is on 3G only at the moment until the 4G coverage matches the 3G HDSPA+ ( or whatever it is ) coverage
The above would seem to suggest that new customers to Three can sign up to The One Plan 1 month or 12 month SIM-only and enjoy unlimited Personal Hotspot. "Three also confirmed that its popular One Plan "will no longer be available for contract handset sales"." according to Wired ( http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2014-03/17/three-ends-unlimited-tethering ).
However, this would seem to suggest that unlimited Personal Hotspot is only eligible for customers who are already on Three and migrating to The One Plan from a different tariff, and not eligible for new customers to Three who are starting their relationship by signing up to The One Plan.
This seems to be confirmed by a tweet I sent to Three:
https://twitter.com/ThreeUKSupport/status/446321346705121280
However, the Wired link went on to say:
So, what's the *actual* situation for new customers new to Three who want to sign up to The One Plan??!
http://www.speedtest.bbmax.co.uk/results.php?t=1398091729&v=22156566
New customers signing up to the One Plan (now only available as SIM only) still receive unlimited tethering and will continue to do so as long as they choose to remain on the tariff.
Existing customers on the One Plan (whether SIM only or if they had it with a phone from before the new tariffs were introduced) will keep unlimited tethering as long as they choose to remain on the tariff.
The only people to whom the 2GB tethering cap applies is for those who are on one of the new 24month handset plans with AYCE data (either who signed up recently or chose to switch to one mid contract, which Three have allowed people to do).
http://i.imgur.com/VDJPXEP.png
I'm guessing I'm getting signal from a mast in Milton Keynes. Pretty impressive speeds for a mast so far away. It seems to pick up 4G in a lot of places if I airplane mode on and off but its got no bars and drops back to 3G almost straight away.
Can't wait to get it properly in my area.
I thought it odd that I'd need 2G given coverage for 3G & 4G, but soon found that there were places (small narrow streets, and even our hotel near the station) where it sat firmly fixed on 2G. Most annoying too, as there's no data!
The speeds were generally okay (but not fantastic - especially download speeds vs upload speeds on 4G), but I did have a time when my phone simply wouldn't get off 2G. My wife and parents (all on Three) all had 4G but I was still roaming. Even a flight mode toggle didn't fix it, so I had to do a very long network scan to manually select LTE and then I was back.
I really wish you could turn off 2G, as I'm sure things would have been a lot better without it being an option.
Oh, and to give credit where it's due, I took my Lumia 1020 to take photos and was pleasantly surprised at how good (and fast) O2 was everywhere. I think it was always 4G, even in shops/restaurants, and the speeds were really good. Yesterday we ventured outside of the city by taxi and there was even 4G there.
If only O2 was anything like that 'dahn sarf'!
In Stoke this morning sadly the 4G coverage is identical to how it was 2 and a half months ago. Still just one mast turned on in city centre.
and thats Stoke on Trent covered for 4G job done for that area, next?
Joking aside it actually looks like it is that way. As they have had 10 weeks and nothing has changed at all. Honestly looks like Vodafone will turn on in Stoke properly before Three do there is a lot of work going on there at moment.
My friend who has an iphone 5 sat outside my house in Nottingham the other day and got over 50Mbs on his 4G speedtest. He was pretty blown away by it, but hasn't been able to repeat it anywhere else in Nottingham he says.
I haven't got a 4G phone (S3) so I can't check, but my wife is getting a note 3 next month so will be able to check then
Edinburgh's had at least two new sites activated in the last few weeks, so they are doing something. However with still single digit numbers vs. O2/VF and EE both exceeding 100, at this rate it'll be 2020 before they finish.
Yeah I've noticed in some places they have turned some new masts like the outskirts of Manchester for example not sure why they are turning one mast on for entire city. Surely it makes more sense to just not turn any of than on just to turn one on. It just makes it looks like they don't care with just transmitting from one 4G mast.
Vodafone will be in stoke I expect within next 3-6 weeks I've noticed a lot of work happening on there masts.
I guess it's just to start filling up the map and showing that 4G is 'rapidly' rolling out, even when the reality is somewhat different.
Three seems to be doing the easy places first, planning to fill in the gaps later on (I don't believe it will just sit back and think that 1 or 2 sites will be enough for major towns and cities).
I also think this does make business sense, especially as 4G doesn't cost anything more for users. Thus, people experiencing poor or disappointing 4G coverage can't really complain. And anyone with a 4G phone probably has DC-HSDPA support and therefore has a pretty good backup.
Anyone that has bought a phone on Three for 4G specifically would have more cause for complaint, but might still prefer SOME coverage than none.
Personally, I think a patchy roll out is perhaps better than holding loads of sites back for a massive switch on - but don't expect everyone to think the same way.
The upside is that Three is adding 4G to a pretty strong 3G network. Users on other networks aren't just getting 4G, but in many cases getting essential upgrades for 2G and 3G services at the same time.
True enough I guess still think it is kind of weird honestly hopefully as we progress towards summer hopefully they decide to turn on masts and fill in these weird gaps. Yeah DC-HSDPA backup is brilliant don't disagree with that one. Think honestly if they had turned on 5-10 masts in places that would be better.
interesting good point there don't think that is the case for stoke but some areas it could be.
That's a decent speed for a low signal. I get a 2 bar signal at my bedroom window but fail to get anything above 1Mb/s upload.
3 have been telling me that I'll get an additional mast in my area within 3 months for the past year.
4G is limited to 50Mb/s on 3. I only got over 60Mb/s before the cap was introduced but don't seem to be able to find my speedtest screenshot at the moment. Note to-self: clean out My Documents folder on laptop!;-)
I recently had a mast outage in my area and when called was told it was due to work being carried out. Since then my phone will occasionally show a 5 bar 4G signal, then fall back to either 3G or 2 bar 4G from a mast a few miles away.
I have a feeling I am being capped. It doesn't matter where I am, time of day, signal strength or any other parameter, I will never get more than 20Mbit/s up or down. I can currently only get 5-6Mbit but I am tethering and the signal strength is awful (-120dBm) so I'll excuse that.
I get better downstream on HSPA occasionally (although typically not in the same places where 4G is available)
I mentioned this a while back when 4G was first launched to the masses but it kept being dismissed. Speeds seem capped at 20Mb/s on 4G for me.
I have often got speeds in excess of 20Mbps, but I must admit that I've not seen anything approaching 50Mbps for some time, and certainly not the near-70Mbps I got during the testing (but that was rare even then).
If I could regularly hit 50Mbps and see an obvious block, I would be quite content. I don't even get such speeds on EE now with double speed. Likewise, O2 4G speeds are pretty low - but still impressive in the grand scheme of things (more than ample for low latency video streaming and so on).
At home my best so far is 32Mbps, and also 31Mbps for uploading - which is awesome (given I have to put up with 0.7Mbps on ADSL for uploading).