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O2 3G, Is it a load of crap?
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Jaymitch1
16-09-2010
right i got my first 3G phone a few weeks back on o2 (samsung wave). and im not sure whether its the phone or a combination of the two, but the internet isnt very good when using 3G, when using WIFI its fine, but the 3G is beyond crap.
sometimes the pages will load properly, and somtimes they wont which is very annoying!
but the worst part is, youtube does NOT work!! it plays the sound but not the video! its just a black screen!
i have two friends with a samung wave, one vodafone, and youtube works fine etc etc, and the other is also O2 and has exactly the same problems as mine!

it o2 3g rubbish on every phone, or is it just the samsung?
psionic
16-09-2010
Originally Posted by Jaymitch1:
“right i got my first 3G phone a few weeks back on o2 (samsung wave). and im not sure whether its the phone or a combination of the two, but the internet isnt very good when using 3G, when using WIFI its fine, but the 3G is beyond crap.
sometimes the pages will load properly, and somtimes they wont which is very annoying!
but the worst part is, youtube does NOT work!! it plays the sound but not the video! its just a black screen!
i have two friends with a samung wave, one vodafone, and youtube works fine etc etc, and the other is also O2 and has exactly the same problems as mine!

it o2 3g rubbish on every phone, or is it just the samsung?”

What speeds are you getting on 3G?
Jaymitch1
16-09-2010
Originally Posted by psionic:
“What speeds are you getting on 3G?”

god only knows. how do i find that out?
i can tell you that its slow!
neil79
17-09-2010
Never had any problems on O2 3G. Can watch You Tube no problem.
lost boy
17-09-2010
Originally Posted by neil79:
“Never had any problems on O2 3G. Can watch You Tube no problem.”

Are you on a contract or pay as you go? I ask as I've found the YouTube experience differs between them on O2.
Lummo
17-09-2010
You may just live in an area where there are alot of people on O2 and it is overcapacity maybe?? O2's 3G network is not very strong unfortunately.
psionic
17-09-2010
Originally Posted by Jaymitch1:
“god only knows. how do i find that out?
i can tell you that its slow!”

Go to a speedtest website or download a speedtest app?
neil79
22-09-2010
Originally Posted by lost boy:
“Are you on a contract or pay as you go? I ask as I've found the YouTube experience differs between them on O2.”

Currently on a Sim free deal with O2 but have been on contracts with previous i phones. I get fantastic 3G where I live and also in a lot of other places. What I have found when visiting for example the Lake district where coverage is not so good it's also the same on the other networks.
neil79
22-09-2010
Originally Posted by Lummo:
“You may just live in an area where there are alot of people on O2 and it is overcapacity maybe?? O2's 3G network is not very strong unfortunately.”

O2 is the strongest network where I live as one of my nephews has recently found out after geting his i phone on Orange.
Adam Law
22-09-2010
In Loughton O2 is the strongest 3G network - Orange and Tmobile is unavailable but O2 3G is always available!
moox
22-09-2010
I wouldn't touch O2 if I was getting a data hungry phone - they really do lack in 3G coverage nationwide (so much so, they've been told off by Ofcom), speeds usually aren't great, and O2 seem to be forever trying to reduce the amount of data you get. All this is assuming that the network hasn't collapsed again.

I had an O2 broadband dongle once, never again.
_SpeedRacer_
22-09-2010
Yea I have to agree, I've travelled the country with my phone and been very disappointed by O2's general 3G coverage (though had no issue with it working properly when I've had a signal).
Gormond
22-09-2010
I also have no issues with O2 3G speeds with my iPhone, Videos & App downloads both seem fast.
fluffed
22-09-2010
o2 was rubbish for me when I tried it, 3G would constantly cut out.. ok for calls and text, but impossible to do anything else. This was at home and work - about 20 miles apart, so my whole local area must have a very congested o2 network.
some geezer
22-09-2010
The data (3G) side of o2 is in a bit of a mess at the moment to say the least.

Search twitter for "o2 data" or "o2 3g" and you'll read about everyone else's frustration there. Its quite a big problem for o2 and Tesco Mobile who use the o2 network. I wouldn't recomend o2 to anyone!
Anika Hanson
22-09-2010
I've had 3G on 02 and lived in 2 different areas and it has been fine in both areas. It is fairly speedy and reliable. I think it depends on the coverage where you are as my T-mobile 3G coverage has been pants where ever I am.
Thine Wonk
22-09-2010
Originally Posted by some geezer:
“The data (3G) side of o2 is in a bit of a mess at the moment to say the least. ”

Seconded it's a mess
call100
22-09-2010
It's the same for any network if you live in the wrong area.....T-Mobile around here is dire. Orange just about give a signal (3G) but O2 is strong and stable.....So I guess saying one or the other is crap based on local experience is a bit lame.
My O2 has been fine everywhere I've needed it except North Norfolk, which seems a dead zone to most things technical....
prking
22-09-2010
Originally Posted by moox:
“I wouldn't touch O2 if I was getting a data hungry phone - they really do lack in 3G coverage nationwide (so much so, they've been told off by Ofcom), speeds usually aren't great, and O2 seem to be forever trying to reduce the amount of data you get. All this is assuming that the network hasn't collapsed again.

I had an O2 broadband dongle once, never again.”

You keep mentioning the Ofcom thing, that was years ago. They have invested heavily in the network since then and nowadays are no better or worse than any other network.

As wiser voices have said, it all depends where you live.

They have reduced data allowances for new customers from unlimited to 500megabytes or 1gigabyte depending on your tariff.
Thine Wonk
22-09-2010
Originally Posted by prking:
“You keep mentioning the Ofcom thing, that was years ago. They have invested heavily in the network since then and nowadays are no better or worse than any other network.

As wiser voices have said, it all depends where you live.

They have reduced data allowances for new customers from unlimited to 500megabytes or 1gigabyte depending on your tariff.”

Why do you keep spreading this rubbish prking, we all know that O2's coverage and data speeds are way below that of other networks. My post in another thread put things straight with loads of information which you couldn't disagree with.

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/s...=#post44161709

Just to recap:

Of all UK speedtests done on speedtest.net (the biggest speed test site in the UK) for the O2 mobile network the average speed was:

0.90 Mbps

Of all UK speedtests done on speedtest.net in the UK for the 3 mobile network the average speed was:

2.10 Mbps

Here's an example of the same area on 3 different networks coverage maps, o2, then 3, then Orange.

In practice the O2 coverage map is very generous as you don't get 3G where it says you do in a lot of cases.

http://i.imagehost.org/view/0236/3333
http://i.imagehost.org/view/0645/comp

I always tend to use 3 as an example, but this is how much their coverage has grown in just 2 years, in 4 months time it will cover 98.5% population coverage 3G.

http://regmedia.co.uk/2010/05/04/mbgt_10.jpg

O2 is way behind, the coverage today is not a lot different to the Ofcom Map (which by the way on the image below it's O2 on the left and Orange on the right).

http://img.metro.co.uk/i/pix/2009/07...ge_450x350.jpg

O2 who are the biggest network by customer numbers has spent less money upgrading it's struggling network than the 4th / 5th networks.
moox
22-09-2010
Originally Posted by Thine Wonk:
“I always tend to use 3 as an example, but this is how much their coverage has grown in just 2 years, in 4 months time it will cover 98.5% population coverage 3G.

http://regmedia.co.uk/2010/05/04/mbgt_10.jpg”

They certainly have kicked into gear - I regularly have to take the train, and as of the last couple of months I'm getting HSDPA nearly all the way (about 30 miles, including through a large moor), it used to be 2G/EDGE almost all of the way. The other networks still haven't improved much.
Thine Wonk
22-09-2010
Originally Posted by moox:
“They certainly have kicked into gear - I regularly have to take the train, and as of the last couple of months I'm getting HSDPA nearly all the way (about 30 miles, including through a large moor), it used to be 2G/EDGE almost all of the way. The other networks still haven't improved much.”

You mean 3 right, not O2 right? I was on a coach to London the other day and had seamless HSDPA coverage all the way, which was great.

I do have an O2 sim card and I tried that, it is not a patch on it. It regularly falls back to 2G throughout most journeys and there is rarely HSDPA coverage on O2 outside of main towns and cities.

As I say I currently have an O2 data plan to compare against, so I'm not just making it up / being biassed. I'm just stating what it's really like. It's fine until you go out of a town / city and lets fact it you could use wifi at home so you want / need 3G when you are travelling that's the point.
moox
22-09-2010
Originally Posted by prking:
“You keep mentioning the Ofcom thing, that was years ago. They have invested heavily in the network since then and nowadays are no better or worse than any other network. ”

I'd like to be able to see this, but webmap.o2.co.uk says that their maps were last updated nearly a year ago. Does this suggest a lack of investment, or a clerical error?
moox
22-09-2010
Originally Posted by Thine Wonk:
“You mean 3 right, not O2? If so I agree it's amazing the difference now. Like you say you get continuous HSDPA in most places, I was on a coach to London the other day and had seamless HSDPA coverage all the way, which was great.”

Yeah, I did. That's why I only quoted the bit pertaining to 3.
Thine Wonk
22-09-2010
Originally Posted by moox:
“I'd like to be able to see this, but webmap.o2.co.uk says that their maps were last updated nearly a year ago. Does this suggest a lack of investment, or a clerical error?”

To me this is all you need to know. The money they have spent has mainly gone in to adding capacity, particularly in London 200 masts I believe it was to stop the network crashing. 9 months ago they had to make an apology to the shareholders in the city for the embarrassing situation with the network In London and pledged 200 new cell sites in London.

This wasn't really to grow the network, it was more about stopping service impacting events and to add capacity.

IF the coverage nationally was a lot better now than it was 1 year ago you would think they would be shouting about it and updating the maps on the site as new customers will check the map to see if they have 3G coverage and may not sign up if they don't losing O2 money.

So if you live in Dodford in Nothamptonshire (picked at random) you may not sign up. http://www.webmap.o2.co.uk/mapimage/...6034425922.GIF

Incidentally it's an area with a section of motorway and railway, but no 3G coverage on O2, however 3, Orange etc all have 3G coverage there.
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