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Old 18-07-2010, 22:24
myromeo
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Hey,

Anuone any idea why when using speedtest.net app on iPhone 3GS on o2 I get without fail, full bars, 0.33mb download and upload speed when a friend on three sat next to me also with full bars can get 2.3mb? That's a good 7 times faster!!!

Is o2 limiting 3G or is something wrong?

Think I need to call o2 in the morning as using his iPhone is noticeably quicker at browsing, using maps and downloading apps.

This is not acceptable. Isn't 3G rated at up to 7.2mb?!!!
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Old 18-07-2010, 22:35
legends wear 7
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Nope 3g is a number of speeds umts =1.7mb hsdpa =3.6month and hsupa 7.2mb, afaik o2 are umts and sparse hsdpa
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Old 18-07-2010, 22:44
myromeo
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So either way 0.3mb is well below what there capable of?

I've been with o2 foemr 12 years and am sure over the last year data has got slower, think I'll ring them tomorrow and if I can't get a decent result think I will be saying goodbye, if three are so much quicker I can't see any incentive to stay.
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Old 18-07-2010, 22:54
belleville1
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Nope 3g is a number of speeds umts =1.7mb hsdpa =3.6month and hsupa 7.2mb, afaik o2 are umts and sparse hsdpa
When in 3G coverage I've never had anything other than HSDPA (well, my phone says 3.5G, so I presume that's what it means) on O2.

However, the 3G coverage is very sparse, so most of the time I get lovely GPRS, and not even EDGE, speeds...
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Old 18-07-2010, 23:03
legends wear 7
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So either way 0.3mb is well below what there capable of?

I've been with o2 foemr 12 years and am sure over the last year data has got slower, think I'll ring them tomorrow and if I can't get a decent result think I will be saying goodbye, if three are so much quicker I can't see any incentive to stay.
Well no, those speeds are only theoretical, actual speeds will be affected by the amount of end users, the landscape, the weather
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Old 18-07-2010, 23:16
makavelianz
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OP iv noticed that to. also tested t-mobile with my sisters 3gb android add on because she has an android device, that gives me 1.7mb. o2 are lagging well behind, or limiting us to peanuts when we want sugar canes.
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Old 18-07-2010, 23:32
legends wear 7
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=It's pretty well known o2 neglected network investment tment in favour of spending money on buying new customers and retaining their base. Makes you wonder just how much iphone exclusive cost them
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Old 18-07-2010, 23:37
psionic
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As far as I am aware, Three has much better coverage and signal then O2 in many parts of the country.
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Old 18-07-2010, 23:38
Daveoc64
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Very few places on O2's network are missing HSDPA now.
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Old 19-07-2010, 00:16
TheBigM
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3G has a maximum theoretical speed of 384Kbps so 0.33Mb is pretty good.

HSDPA (3.5G) on O2) is 3.6Mbps I think. Other than Vodafone, I'm not sure who else is doing 7.2Mb HSDPA. 3 does the 3.6 version. Anything above 2Mb is good though.

I'm on O2 who have the worst 3G coverage nationally (about 80%) and my phone defaults to Edge a lot. Also it only switches from 3G to 3.5G for bursts when absolutely needed.
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Old 19-07-2010, 09:49
belleville1
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As far as I am aware, Three has much better coverage and signal then O2 in many parts of the country.
Where I live, I get O2 3G at the side of my house that faces the mast. However, as soon as I pick up the phone to make a call, send a text or use the internet, it drops straight back to 2G as if the 3G signal's not really strong enough to do anything with.

I've only ever had a usable 3G signal in the very centres of major towns and cities, which is pretty poor in this day and age. 3 does seem to be much better rurally, although there are still plenty of big gaps. I was impressed with their promise of 98% population coverage by the end of the year - until I realised that was still 1.2 million people out of coverage!
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Old 19-07-2010, 10:38
myromeo
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well I rang O2, they said everything looks fine and I should be getting a 'good speed'. Suggested I get a new SIM card from O2 store and try that to rule out a sim card fault. This one is only 8 months old but that said, has always been slow.

Think I will call in to my local O2 store to pick up one of these new micro sim things, at least then im ready for iphone 4 later in the year when I can afford one!
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Old 19-07-2010, 11:15
moox
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3 does seem to be much better rurally, although there are still plenty of big gaps. I was impressed with their promise of 98% population coverage by the end of the year - until I realised that was still 1.2 million people out of coverage!
In my case, I have to lock my 3 phone to GSM. The 3G signal is there, but I am right on the border between good indoor coverage and outdoor coverage only. My phone likes to hang onto the 3G network even when there is "0 bars" (just before losing signal entirely) and the 2G signal is so much better.

I went into a 3 store as their coverage checker is better (it shows future works and where the masts are) and it seems there will be no improvement for a while. Both masts are about 1 to 2 miles away, too.

Having said all this, 3 are still the only network to be with if you want any amount of 3G coverage outside the very centre of the towns around here. Orange aren't too bad, as are T-Mobile (since they share their radio network with 3). VF and o2 are useless.
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Old 19-07-2010, 12:41
Flawed_Tactics
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I've just had a short stint on vodafone, crap! Gone back to three, from my experience three provide the fastest Internet. I can't get 3G on O2 where I live, tho in the town it is available but it isn't very good. I've tried everything and three genuinly seems to be the best for data speeds, coverage isn't the greatest but I haven't had any serious problems.
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Old 19-07-2010, 12:53
belleville1
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In my case, I have to lock my 3 phone to GSM. The 3G signal is there, but I am right on the border between good indoor coverage and outdoor coverage only. My phone likes to hang onto the 3G network even when there is "0 bars" (just before losing signal entirely) and the 2G signal is so much better.

I went into a 3 store as their coverage checker is better (it shows future works and where the masts are) and it seems there will be no improvement for a while. Both masts are about 1 to 2 miles away, too.

Having said all this, 3 are still the only network to be with if you want any amount of 3G coverage outside the very centre of the towns around here. Orange aren't too bad, as are T-Mobile (since they share their radio network with 3). VF and o2 are useless.
My house is right on the edge of a town and is a bit of a Bermuda Triangle for cell phone signals - the other day, I was walking home from the town centre chatting away to someone on Skype on 3 and as soon as I rounded the corner onto my road, the signal just dropped.

I'm just the wrong side of a small rise for signals to reach me from town, and too far from any rural masts. It's like being in the twilight zone. To 3's credit, the coverage checker does show a couple of squares of no coverage where it drops out in real life. I might go into a 3 Store and ask if there's any work due in my area at some point, although I wouldn't hold out much hope because it really is just a few hundred yards of no coverage that I happen to live in!

All the networks are annoying to use here, flitting between 3G and 2G, roaming on and off, calls dropping here, there and everywhere. I've tried them all except for Orange and T-Mobile, which I believe are the same as 3 nowadays anyway.
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Old 19-07-2010, 13:52
legends wear 7
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well I rang O2, they said everything looks fine and I should be getting a 'good speed'. Suggested I get a new SIM card from O2 store and try that to rule out a sim card fault. This one is only 8 months old but that said, has always been slow.

Think I will call in to my local O2 store to pick up one of these new micro sim things, at least then im ready for iphone 4 later in the year when I can afford one!
The micro sim won't fit into your current handset
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Old 19-07-2010, 14:32
psionic
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The micro sim won't fit into your current handset
It should do. When I got mine, it came on a credit card size holder. You can pop out the standard mini SIM from this, and when you need it you can further pop out the micro SIM from within the mini SIM. If this makes any sense.
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Old 19-07-2010, 15:23
legends wear 7
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Ah right I incorrectly assumed the card would be a single cut out
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Old 19-07-2010, 15:28
Flawed_Tactics
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It should do. When I got mine, it came on a credit card size holder. You can pop out the standard mini SIM from this, and when you need it you can further pop out the micro SIM from within the mini SIM. If this makes any sense.
Are micro SIMs available on PAYG and on all networks?
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Old 19-07-2010, 19:43
Scott_14
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Hey,

Anuone any idea why when using speedtest.net app on iPhone 3GS on o2 I get without fail, full bars, 0.33mb download and upload speed when a friend on three sat next to me also with full bars can get 2.3mb? That's a good 7 times faster!!!

Is o2 limiting 3G or is something wrong?

Think I need to call o2 in the morning as using his iPhone is noticeably quicker at browsing, using maps and downloading apps.

This is not acceptable. Isn't 3G rated at up to 7.2mb?!!!
Are you on a Pay & Go tariff by any chance? I've a feeling browsing speeds on O2 3G vary depending on which Internet APN you use. I have an iPhone 3G and I'm using the payandgo.o2.co.uk APN. I never manage to get a speed test result exceeding ~ 500-600 kbps. I know this is technically HSDPA, but I've seen iPhone users on Pay Monthly tariffs getting speeds of 2000-3000 kbps!

I haven't had the best experience with O2's network, so my number ports to T-Mobile tomorrow, where I will enjoy using my new HTC Desire!
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Old 19-07-2010, 21:34
myromeo
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Nope I'm on pay monthly and using the idata apn. Managed to hit 500kb today by it's so unstable, really poor.

I couldn't get a new sim today, well I could have but it was chucking it down so opted not to! Will try again tomorrow
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Old 19-07-2010, 22:54
psionic
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Are micro SIMs available on PAYG and on all networks?
I have no idea sorry. The only ones I've seen are contract ones for the iPhone and pre-pay ones (non-voice) ones for the iPad. These were on O2 in my case. Other networks do also have microSIMs (they should do if they sell iPhone 4), but I'm not sure about PAYG yet.

Mind you it's not very difficult to cut down an existing SIM into a micro SIM. Loads of videos on YouTube showing how.
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Old 20-07-2010, 17:25
myromeo
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Just picked up a new SIM from the O2 shop, its in an iphone 3g envelope, the last one wasnt, it was just loose on a credit card sized board. It also has a smaller contact area, only 6 sections rather than 8 on the current one. This mean anything?

Could a few of you iphone users on O2 do mea favor and run the speedtest.net app, post your findings and what signal level you have? Curious to compare.

Cheers
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Old 20-07-2010, 18:43
myromeo
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Well this is looking promising!

Earlier, 5 bars, 3G coverage. 0.5/0.3mbps on speedtest app

Just now on 2 bars 3G coverage and struggling to hold onto even that, 0.99/0.35mbps

So with 3 bars LESS it's TWICE as fast?! Shame I can't get full signal indoors as I would like to try it out but it's chucking down stil so I'm not venturing outside!
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Old 21-07-2010, 09:43
psionic
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Well this is looking promising!

Earlier, 5 bars, 3G coverage. 0.5/0.3mbps on speedtest app

Just now on 2 bars 3G coverage and struggling to hold onto even that, 0.99/0.35mbps

So with 3 bars LESS it's TWICE as fast?! Shame I can't get full signal indoors as I would like to try it out but it's chucking down stil so I'm not venturing outside!
It varies but at this moment 1.9 down and 1.6 up. Ping is high though 300mS.
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