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Virgin Mobile - Network
Minardi
Posts: 503
Forum Member
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Apologies if this is covered elsewhere, I did do a search but nothing found.
I'm looking to move over to Virgin Mobile from O2, cost being the main driver. Their £12 1200mins/Unltd Txt/1GB SIM tariff suits my needs perfectly, at nearly half the price of O2.
My question is about the network. For those on it, how does the T-Mob/Orange roaming work. Is it like EE, seamlessly uses both networks, 2 and 3G, or does it only use Orange when it's out of T-Mob 2G and 3G?
I live in a strong T-Mob 2G/3G area, but I travel alot in the countryside, and knowing how poor T-Mob always was out in the sticks, I want my calls to handoff between the networks properly!
Data speeds look to have improved too. I posted here before about EE data speed improvements. T-Mob here have finally got their act together, delivering about 2Meg. Half of O2's 3G900 powered 4Meg but still a good enough effort! Orange.... Ha. Still dire!
I'm looking to move over to Virgin Mobile from O2, cost being the main driver. Their £12 1200mins/Unltd Txt/1GB SIM tariff suits my needs perfectly, at nearly half the price of O2.
My question is about the network. For those on it, how does the T-Mob/Orange roaming work. Is it like EE, seamlessly uses both networks, 2 and 3G, or does it only use Orange when it's out of T-Mob 2G and 3G?
I live in a strong T-Mob 2G/3G area, but I travel alot in the countryside, and knowing how poor T-Mob always was out in the sticks, I want my calls to handoff between the networks properly!
Data speeds look to have improved too. I posted here before about EE data speed improvements. T-Mob here have finally got their act together, delivering about 2Meg. Half of O2's 3G900 powered 4Meg but still a good enough effort! Orange.... Ha. Still dire!
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Comments
dpick
I did a speed test yesterday and found I was receiving 2.5mb down and 1.5mb up.
Incidentally, the label on your phone will say "Virgin" if connected to a T-Mobile base station and "virgin" for Orange.
Your phone will just pick whichever is the strongest signal and use that one. I have had no problems with my phone switching between the two. I am an Orange customer, but my phone now uses the T-Mobile 3G signal most of the time.
EE is just the name of the Orange and T-Mobile networks in the UK now.
That was probably an Orange cell with those speeds. Most MBNL cells deliver much faster speeds than this. It's also possible that Virgin handsets are speed capped.
Most Orange and T-Mobile users now have uncapped speeds.
Here's my speed test from yesterday in Totnes South Devon (I'm on the Orange iPhone extra plan)
http://www.speedtest.net/iphone/371098126.png
That last speed test was impressive, I always found Orange struggled to deliver more than a few hundred kbps. We'll see how things go!
There always seems to be more upload than download bandwidth available too.
It does seem as though there is a speed cap in place.
Another niggle is the lack of compatibility with HulloMail.
We weren't aware of this before placing the order.
I believe the speed cap has been removed, just ran speed test on my HTC desire and got 4.4mb down and 1.6mb up
Don't forget you have a 14 day satisfaction guarantee if not happy!
http://www.virginmobile.com/vm/mobileBroadbandProducts.do
My main reason is 3G coverage and speed, on O2 it is pretty poor but i get good coverage with my T-Mobile Mi-Fi, I assume this will be the same with Virgin?
Porting is fine, I've done this a month ago, purely because of the terrible data outages with O2/GiffGaff recently. Virgin is better fro where I am, better signal. And you can use it :-)
Fastest I managed in the two weeks was 9.8mbps down.
How did you port your number across?, did you get the virgin sim and then port in after?
looks like i'm staying with Tesco ..
Sorry to hear that, hopefully I won't have an issue.
Thanks, but it's all my fault really - I'm the only one responsible for getting my credit file in to such a state.
Although, rather bizarrely, I thought i'd give it one last try and applied through Virgin Mobile's website itself and it appears to have sailed straight through - I consented to the credit check and everything, and they've even taken the initial 99p payment for 'delivery' (and ID i suspect..).
We'll see - I don't doubt i'll get the email later on changing their mind
Perhaps Virgin's website likes me more than the carphone warehouse
We'll see though, i won't be entirely happy until I talk to someone when I port my number over..
Right on the edge of an O2 3G900 Cell, can only pick it up at off peak times (Cell breathing?)
Will let you know how Virgin Media treats me!
Used to get this on O2 occasionally but it seems to have cleared itself now!