Three 4G Rollout | Free 4G for ALL!

1214215217219220479

Comments

  • huwdwhuwdw Posts: 643
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    jonmorris wrote: »
    Essentially there's a text file somewhere on an Android device that tells the phone what to do for some things. On an Xperia phone, that might be whether to show the national/international roaming option or just a normal roaming option, to show the NFC icon or not, and of course to show settings to fix the phone to certain bands etc.

    Changing the ROM just means changing that file if you aren't rooted and can't edit it yourself. I've got a EU generic ROM on my Z1 (because UK updates are so slow) and so have all the options shown, but no national/international roaming option that someone with an EE ROM would have (from when you needed to roam from Orange to T-Mobile but didn't necessarily want to roam abroad).

    Seems Sony might be doing Over-The-Air updates right now anyway, but these can take a few days to filter through.. just like the 4G activation I guess. There's no way to force an update either, unless you get the .FTF file and use Flashtools (available for Mac and PC BTW).

    I have to assume it's virtually the same for other makes of phone. Not sure about Windows Phone and BlackBerry. No point mentioning feature phones, as I doubt there are any 4G feature phones?


    I think you're right. According to a post on XDA it seems the sim free HTC One will show different option depending on the SIM insterted. So intert a Three Sim and you only get GSM/WCDMA options. Insert EE sim and you get LTE options aswell.

    So this would suggest Three actually need to send a SIM update (or HTC release firmware that ignores the 3 sim provisioning)

    Incidentally I had my sim swapped for a new one in a Three store yesterday - no LTE options and no access to LTE network.
  • simon69csimon69c Posts: 1,423
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    But three can't update the software on sim free phones - can they?

    So whose doing it? The manufacturers themselves?
    It's not updating the software like a new version of iOS or Android; it is simply updating the settings information that the phone uses to connect to the network correctly - things like the correct MMS & Data APN, and hiding or showing particular options in the cellular data section of your phone's settings menu (like the 4G/LTE or tethering toggle).

    This sort of thing is normally handled by the phone automatically when you insert a SIM (as the phone knows which network the SIM is for and will have a database that tells it which settings to apply for that network's SIM), but occasionally "Carrier Updates" need to be sent out so that the phone does the right things when a SIM is inserted. I'm not entirely sure whether it is the manufacturer or the network who ultimately sends this sort of thing out - probably depends on the handset.

    For example my iPhone was bought direct from Apple so is completely network unlocked, but it will still hide or show certain menu items depending on which network's SIM is installed. It will show the tethering option but not APN details when a 3 SIM is installed, but when a giffgaff/O2 SIM is installed it won't show tethering but will show APN details (as these often need to be changed with O2 if you are using a different provider like giffgaff or Tesco). This automated behaviour is what is being changed with a Carrier Update and this is all Three means by "software update". Hope that makes it clearer? Sorry - a bit difficult to explain it!

    Oh and my iPhone did receive a Carrier Update a couple of weeks ago (version 15.6) so Three aren't only sending them out to phones bought from them.
  • Night HawkNight Hawk Posts: 170
    Forum Member
    Three don't send out iPhone carrier updates, Apple do. Interestingly, virgin mobile used to say they didn't officially support iPhones. But Apple did support Virgin Mobile, so if you inserted a Virgin Sim in an unlocked iPhone it would receive a carrier update!
  • Sphinxy1Sphinxy1 Posts: 216
    Forum Member
    Night Hawk wrote: »
    Three don't send out iPhone carrier updates, Apple do. Interestingly, virgin mobile used to say they didn't officially support iPhones. But Apple did support Virgin Mobile, so if you inserted a Virgin Sim in an unlocked iPhone it would receive a carrier update!

    Exactly. It's interesting how the 'cellular' settings usually vary for each mobile operator.

    If only Three had a 2G fall back. My life would be complete! Although at times, phones switch over to 2G when the 3G signal is still usable. Very annoying. 2G internet just annoys me!
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 10
    Forum Member
    Just thought I would clear up some confusion with regarding some sim free phones.
    Genuinely sim free phones like the Nexus 5 bought from the play store do not require any sort of firmware update to allow 4G on Three, it is totally down to Three to enable the user account and if it is not working then it is a problem on Threes side. The same will go with any genuine sim free phone. I'm not talking about a sim free phone from carphone warehouse because they still use their own custom firmware in a lot of phones.
  • JFCJFC Posts: 569
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    steslatt wrote: »
    Just thought I would clear up some confusion with regarding some sim free phones.
    Genuinely sim free phones like the Nexus 5 bought from the play store do not require any sort of firmware update to allow 4G on Three, it is totally down to Three to enable the user account and if it is not working then it is a problem on Threes side. The same will go with any genuine sim free phone. I'm not talking about a sim free phone from carphone warehouse because they still use their own custom firmware in a lot of phones.

    Ok that sounds about right, my experia sp was from phones4u, how do you find out if it has stock software or not?
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 10
    Forum Member
    JFC wrote: »
    Ok that sounds about right, my experia sp was from phones4u, how do you find out if it has stock software or not?

    Usually go into settings>about phone> at the bottom it will say build number. Search for the build number in Google and you should find the answer.
    I know that with Samsung phones you can easily change the firmware to the Three carrier firmware which should support 4G now.
  • JFCJFC Posts: 569
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    steslatt wrote: »
    Usually go into settings>about phone> at the bottom it will say build number. Search for the build number in Google and you should find the answer.
    I know that with Samsung phones you can easily change the firmware to the Three carrier firmware which should support 4G now.

    Cheers

    12.O.A.2.254

    Can't see much on Google...
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 10
    Forum Member
    JFC wrote: »
    Cheers

    12.O.A.2.254

    Can't see much on Google...
    Ok After a quick look on XDA forums, there are 3 variants of the Xperia SP C5302, C5303 and C5306. Do you know which yours is?
    It's in settings>about phone> model number
  • ThreeThree Posts: 1,160
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    moox wrote: »
    I'd argue that it's still vague - just says "we might slow down p2p and tethering", but I'd prefer to have more detail on that. Is it based on cell congestion? What you're doing? Time of day? How much you've used today/this week/this month? etc.

    It'd be even better if there was some sort of page that you could visit which would tell you if you are specifically being throttled for some reason (tethering/heavy user/whatever).

    At least Virgin (cable) tell you exactly what you need to do in order to be throttled.

    I've noticed that performance seems to drop when I use certain VPNs (nothing sinister, either to home or to work) and it doesn't recover when I disconnect. Is this because 3 know I was using a VPN? Is it just a bout of congestion? Who knows, because they don't tell you.

    Could just be different routes being taken for certain VPNs or bandwidth issues on the VPN side.

    The reason Three don't provide specific measurements for TrafficSense is that is varies all the time. Basically they will allocate a certain amount of the mast bandwidth to tethering, say 50Mbps. Once that 50Mbps is gone connections start to slow because the tethering pool is being fully utilised. If you're in an area where you'r the only person tethering you'll have the entire 50Mbps to yourself, if you're in an area where 20 people are tethering, that leaves 2.5Mbps each.

    Those figures are random figures mind and aren't actually used. That said it is odd how I can 60-70Mbps solid and then tether and I am right down to 3Mbps. Seems like TraffcSense ratios are being too heavy handed.
    Sphinxy1 wrote: »
    Exactly. It's interesting how the 'cellular' settings usually vary for each mobile operator.

    If only Three had a 2G fall back. My life would be complete! Although at times, phones switch over to 2G when the 3G signal is still usable. Very annoying. 2G internet just annoys me!

    3 don't have any 2G internet. When you're on 2G your data connection is cut.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 10
    Forum Member
    JFC wrote: »
    Cheers

    12.O.A.2.254

    Can't see much on Google...

    After a bit of research it seems you don't have the latest firmware and that there doesn't appear to be an easy way to tell if you have a phones4u branded software because they use the same build number for all carriers (Unlike Samsung). My advice would be to use the Sony update tool on the website and check to see if you can update.
    I believe the latest firmware is 12.1.A.0.266 (Android 4.3)
  • Sphinxy1Sphinxy1 Posts: 216
    Forum Member
    Night Hawk wrote: »
    Three don't send out iPhone carrier updates, Apple do. Interestingly, virgin mobile used to say they didn't officially support iPhones. But Apple did support Virgin Mobile, so if you inserted a Virgin Sim in an unlocked iPhone it would receive a carrier update!
    Three wrote: »
    Could just be different routes being taken for certain VPNs or bandwidth issues on the VPN side.

    The reason Three don't provide specific measurements for TrafficSense is that is varies all the time. Basically they will allocate a certain amount of the mast bandwidth to tethering, say 50Mbps. Once that 50Mbps is gone connections start to slow because the tethering pool is being fully utilised. If you're in an area where you'r the only person tethering you'll have the entire 50Mbps to yourself, if you're in an area where 20 people are tethering, that leaves 2.5Mbps each.

    Those figures are random figures mind and aren't actually used. That said it is odd how I can 60-70Mbps solid and then tether and I am right down to 3Mbps. Seems like TraffcSense ratios are being too heavy handed.



    3 don't have any 2G internet. When you're on 2G your data connection is cut.

    That's dead annoying, what speed do you get when tethering on 3G?
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 490
    Forum Member
    jabbamk1 wrote: »
    That's a huge variable. Some sites can take months where as others can be very quick. Just ask EE!

    What Three have said is the following.


    So that's a very fast roll out.

    It would really help if they released details of the cities that are getting 4G in 2014.

    I live about 15 mins from Heathrow Airport and J13 of the M25, but there's no 4G here.

    Having looked at their map, I could probably get it if I drove 4 or 5 miles, so it's close!

    [Edit] - In fairness, I'm not unhappy with their 3G service, so it's not the end of the world and that's why I re-signed with them for (just over) a year on the £15 per month One Plan tariff.
  • sb300869sb300869 Posts: 68
    Forum Member
    Three wrote: »
    Could just be different routes being taken for certain VPNs or bandwidth issues on the VPN side.

    The reason Three don't provide specific measurements for TrafficSense is that is varies all the time. Basically they will allocate a certain amount of the mast bandwidth to tethering, say 50Mbps. Once that 50Mbps is gone connections start to slow because the tethering pool is being fully utilised. If you're in an area where you'r the only person tethering you'll have the entire 50Mbps to yourself, if you're in an area where 20 people are tethering, that leaves 2.5Mbps each.

    Those figures are random figures mind and aren't actually used. That said it is odd how I can 60-70Mbps solid and then tether and I am right down to 3Mbps. Seems like TraffcSense ratios are being too heavy handed.



    3 don't have any 2G internet. When you're on 2G your data connection is cut.

    There is a good reason why three don't have 2g, that is not built for the internet.
  • JFCJFC Posts: 569
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    steslatt wrote: »
    After a bit of research it seems you don't have the latest firmware and that there doesn't appear to be an easy way to tell if you have a phones4u branded software because they use the same build number for all carriers (Unlike Samsung). My advice would be to use the Sony update tool on the website and check to see if you can update.
    I believe the latest firmware is 12.1.A.0.266 (Android 4.3)

    Ah thanks for that! Sony are currently rolling out Android 4.3 but i don't think it has reached the UK yet.
  • ThreeThree Posts: 1,160
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Sphinxy1 wrote: »
    That's dead annoying, what speed do you get when tethering on 3G?

    Around 4Mbps at home. At a relatives house I can get 20Mbps down tethering on 3G or around 3Mbps on 4G.
    sb300869 wrote: »
    There is a good reason why three don't have 2g, that is not built for the internet.

    Indeed, I wasn't criticising them for it. I mainly use data so not a problem for me, I hardly leave the city so again not a problem for me.
  • WelshBluebirdWelshBluebird Posts: 740
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    Really hoping that I'll be able to access 4G this weekend. Looking forward to seeing if it deals with a Cardiff football match better than 3G does! (during a game 3G data is just unusable, most of the time you will get full signal showing with data showing as available, but nothing will actually work).
  • enapaceenapace Posts: 4,303
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Why would you want data in middle of football match?
  • JFCJFC Posts: 569
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    enapace wrote: »
    Why would you want data in middle of football match?

    Tweeting, checking other scores, uploading photos
  • mogzyboymogzyboy Posts: 6,392
    Forum Member
    Really hoping that I'll be able to access 4G this weekend. Looking forward to seeing if it deals with a Cardiff football match better than 3G does! (during a game 3G data is just unusable, most of the time you will get full signal showing with data showing as available, but nothing will actually work).
    I'm going too, and hoping for the same. It's impossible to check scores etc. at half-time.
  • WelshBluebirdWelshBluebird Posts: 740
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    enapace wrote: »
    Why would you want data in middle of football match?

    Checking other scores mainly.
    I can't be the only one either since as I said, there are so many people using 3G that the network becomes essentially unusable.
  • DarreninessexDarreninessex Posts: 484
    Forum Member
    Def def no 4G on my nexus 5

    Sob sob
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 742
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    I don't think three have any idea how wide spread and a big issue this can be regarding customers with unbranded handsets with no 4G option.The only choice seems to be at the moment loading a custom rom.

    There seems to be a few people with the same issue on twitter as well.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 6
    Forum Member
    I don't think three have any idea how wide spread and a big issue this can be regarding customers with unbranded handsets with no 4G option.The only choice seems to be at the moment loading a custom rom.

    So could the fact I bought my iPhone direct from Apple be the reason for no 4G? Even if I have the correct carrier update (15.6)?

    That doesn't really make sense to me...
  • planetf1planetf1 Posts: 730
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    I have a totally unbranded S4 - a software update around November enabled my 4G, so working fine

    As for use of mobile at events - scores, commentary, replays.. all of the above. I'm an f1 fan and it would be superb there too (especially as kangaroo tv went away)
This discussion has been closed.