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Orange/T-Mobile Shared Network Coverage


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Old 13-11-2010, 22:43
YingYang
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I'm an Orange PAYG mobile phone customer. Today Orange sent me a text saying: "I can now sign-up to receive signals from both Orange & T-Mobile". In essence this theoretically means that my phone can now roam between the 2 service providers within the UK at no extra cost to me. So, supposedly, I should experience an enhanced network coverage overall. Is this what actually happens? Or is it largely hype and hence, a tatic used to get you to sign-up? Has anyone signed-up to this service yet? If you have, have you experienced any off putting problems already? I've read the help & support/FAQ sections of both companies but neither provides detailed troubleshooting information that's device-specific. Any advice, feedback &/or personal accounts of this service will be gratefully received! Thanks.

Orange info: https://kareena.orange.co.uk/share/

T-Mobile info: www.t-mobile.co.uk/share/
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Old 14-11-2010, 00:06
Lummo
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I have signed up for it and has come in handy in the few places I have no signal as it just swaps to T-Mobile with no extra charges at all or anything. Not had any problems with it myself.
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Old 14-11-2010, 00:30
YingYang
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I have signed up for it and has come in handy in the few places I have no signal as it just swaps to T-Mobile with no extra charges at all or anything. Not had any problems with it myself.
Thanks for that. I can be a little over-cautious at times re: committing myself to new services. But I think I'll give it at try as it doesn't sound like I've got anything to lose.
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Old 14-11-2010, 01:08
DANCE OF DEATH
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I have signed up to it as it also helps me out when I don't have a signal in some places.
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Old 14-11-2010, 05:56
Resonance
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I signed up and it works well.
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Old 14-11-2010, 14:40
rj414i
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Yes I signed up, it works well. My phone has switched dozens of times in the last 2 weeks since.
No problems at all.
Next year i believe that you will have to opt out not in anyway, so might as well get the benifit sooner.
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Old 14-11-2010, 14:44
Resonance
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Yes I signed up, it works well. My phone has switched dozens of times in the last 2 weeks since.
No problems at all.
Next year i believe that you will have to opt out not in anyway, so might as well get the benifit sooner.
Next year the networks will be completely integrated, so you won't have a choice. At the moment you can't roam back to your home network mid-call. Next year you will be able to.
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Old 14-11-2010, 18:10
Russ_WWFC
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Hopefully this will solve my flaky reception at work. I am reluctant to turn on data roaming though, the bills would be horrendous if I took it abroard what with synching and emails!
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Old 14-11-2010, 22:41
hotmat3k
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Hopefully this will solve my flaky reception at work. I am reluctant to turn on data roaming though, the bills would be horrendous if I took it abroard what with synching and emails!
Data roaming is fine in the UK. It just enables the phone to switch between the two networks without any hesitation (as each others networks are seen as alien to each other). Slowly the networks are being migrated and I think later this year (when it gets closer to becoming Everyone Everywhere), data services can be shared across the two. Watch O2s and Vodafones mobile signals look feeble very soon .
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Old 14-11-2010, 22:50
ForestChav
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Data roaming only costs mega bucks when you're abroad.
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Old 14-11-2010, 23:55
jonmorris
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Yes, but it is worth remembering that because you've turned on data roaming for the UK (and without any charge), you are liable to be automatically ripped off when you step outside of the UK!

And even in the EU, charges for data are stupidly high.
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Old 15-11-2010, 00:10
ForestChav
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No you aren't.

Go abroad, turn off data roaming. simples.
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Old 15-11-2010, 10:55
radiosgalore
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i'm on t-mobile and it has worked a few times but usually when i'm in a bad signal area it's bad for both. Parts of Redditch where a number of my friends are have very well known blackspots for one. and strangely here in Birmingham my parents have a network rail tower nearby that tends to do a serious number on signals. I can only surmise the same general frequencies are used and the phone is getting front end overload or something to that effect
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Old 15-11-2010, 16:59
whackyracer
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I tried it and it was awful. Edge coverage in areas I had previously had 3G and no coverage in some areas at all. I opted out very quickly.
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Old 15-11-2010, 19:03
156418
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I opted into this yesterday, and my phone roamed onto "T-Mobile Orange" (with Edge) a few times on the train where I'd normally get No Service, also surprised to see it had roamed when walking along the Embankment at lunchtime.

AIUI at the moment phones should only roam when there's no coverage on the home network, rather than goto whatever is the strongest,
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Old 15-11-2010, 20:48
jonmorris
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AFAIK your phone will only roam when it loses your home network - which is always a priority. Thus it won't just swap around at will (mine only goes to T-Mobile when I'm at home where Orange is rubbish).

It's also important to remember that the roaming is only on 2G, so you won't get the benefit of 3G/HSPA until next year. But, for receiving voice calls or texts, it's better than nothing.

You don't have to opt-in, but I think fairly few people wouldn't be better off.
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Old 15-11-2010, 22:16
Daveoc64
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AFAIK your phone will only roam when it loses your home network - which is always a priority. Thus it won't just swap around at will (mine only goes to T-Mobile when I'm at home where Orange is rubbish).
AIUI at the moment phones should only roam when there's no coverage on the home network, rather than goto whatever is the strongest,
That depends on the way that the phone is designed.
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Old 15-11-2010, 23:48
jonmorris
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I did say that before, but I am pretty sure the GSM spec is still to seek your home network over anything else. Of course, usually when you're roaming the home network doesn't exist, so then it goes to the strongest network, or the highest priority PLMN.

Now, I seem to recall that Nokia handsets would re-order the priority by itself, based on a manual scan. Others would seek what was on the SIM card. Orange will and does reprogramme the SIM from time to time with PLMNs that are take priority, and the recent SIM update sent for this roaming no doubt placed T-Mobile (and Orange vice versa) as top.

But, all of my training is about GSM and not 3G. I am not sure if it is any different.
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Old 28-11-2010, 13:08
andy.saunders
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I'm on Orange and signed up, I have an X10, should the Network Operator should be set to Orange or Orange T Mobile?

Thanks,

Andy
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Old 28-11-2010, 13:30
Mike_1101
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Is there any chance of Vodaphone & O2 doing something similar, if only to cut costs?
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Old 28-11-2010, 13:42
156418
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They already are according to The Register, although its a Network Infrastructure Share rather than a merger
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Old 28-11-2010, 13:46
Mike_1101
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They already are according to The Register, although its a Network Infrastructure Share rather than a merger
That's good.
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Old 28-11-2010, 18:00
Appleseed
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I'm on Orange and signed up, I have an X10, should the Network Operator should be set to Orange or Orange T Mobile?

Thanks,

Andy
It should be set to 'auto' in order to wander between the two networks.
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Old 28-11-2010, 20:16
jonmorris
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If you select Orange T-Mobile then you'll be locked to 2G only.
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Old 29-11-2010, 12:49
Waffles
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I signed up to this a few days ago and ever since, my iPhone 3GS has just said 'No Service'.

Have the network selection on Automatic but it makes no difference if I choose Orange, it still says 'No Service'...

What happened?!
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