[Everything Goes]

O2 have made the first indications of what their 4G coverage plans are. Unsurprisingly they plan to concentrate on highly populated areas much like EE.

Britain’s second biggest operator said it will follow EE’s lead in focusing on large population centres first.

I would expect O2 to have coverage much like 3G until Ofcom give them a warning. Although im sure some people will disagree. But this certainly indicates how they intend to "progress"

[Step666]

I can't quite shake a mental image of a map of the UK and a load of darts being thrown at it

[Thine Wonk]

All we can judge them on is their past record, so I wouldn't hold out too much hope. This was quote "a map of the UK showing the expected coverage of the new O2 UMTS 3G network."

http://www.mobilecomms-technology.co.../gprs_uk1.html

I wonder if O2 will argue to Ofcom to try and take away the coverage obligation of the frequency lot they won for 4G like they did with 3G. Of course they never met that obligation and were sanctioned by Ofcom for it.

[clivers]

I see the white bits indicate the 02 coverage. i doubt we can expect any better of 4G. what exactly happens if they fail with the 4G coverage obligation?

[Everything Goes]

Originally Posted by clivers

I see the white bits indicate the 02 coverage. i doubt we can expect any better of 4G. what exactly happens if they fail with the 4G coverage obligation?

All Ofcom did was warn them and give them 4 months to improve or they would be fined £40 Million and have their licence shortened by 6 months.

The really funny thing is what the O2 Spokesman had to say about it.

A spokesman for O2 said the company expected to be at 80 per cent before the end of June. "We accept that Ofcom is enforcing the terms of our licence," he said.

"However, we are fully committed to growing our 3G coverage and customer base with the best-quality 3G service and are confident that we will have met Ofcom's requirement before June 2008."

He could get a job as the Iraqi Information Minister PMSL

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/bu...ts-788594.html

[wavejockglw]

Oh dear - same old, same old.... O2 bashing.

Very tiresome...... and they still top the Ofcom surveys for customer satisfaction, lowest escalted complaints and have been growing their subscriber base.

There were very good business reasons for O2 to limit 3G rollout but they don't have that option with the spectrum block they won for 4G. Just as 3 made a huge U Turn with Internet strategy a few years ago, O2 will have to do likewise with coverage. So rather than repeating the same tired old assumptions, lets wait and see how they do when they start selling 4G services.

[Thine Wonk]

Originally Posted by wavejockglw

Oh dear - same old, same old.... O2 bashing.

Very tiresome...... and they still top the Ofcom surveys for customer satisfaction, lowest escalted complaints and have been growing their subscriber base.

There were very good business reasons for O2 to limit 3G rollout but they don't have that option with the spectrum block they won for 4G.

Their 3G spectrum came with a coverage obligation too, which they didn't meet. That lead the regulator to threaten them with shortening their licence / a fine.

If their strategy is high prices and low data coverage then what will change with 4G?

[Everything Goes]

Originally Posted by Thine Wonk

Their 3G spectrum came with a coverage obligation too, which they didn't meet. That lead the regulator to threaten them with shortening their licence / a fine.

If their strategy is high prices and low data coverage then what will change with 4G?

Indeed.

Realistically it didn't do O2 any financial harm in delaying meeting their coverage obligations for 3G so they could probably save some money by delaying 4G coverage obligations.

[Step666]

Originally Posted by wavejockglw

So rather than repeating the same tired old assumptions...

What you mean is instead of judging a company on it's past record, lets pretend it's going to drastically change?

[wavejockglw]

Originally Posted by Step666

What you mean is instead of judging a company on it's past record, lets pretend it's going to drastically change?

Exactly..... 3 was a total basket case (£11 billion invested and a company worth a fraction of that) and has carved out a niche market offering unlimited Internet on mobiles despite being the last to offer unrestricted Internet access on 3G.

Companies have to revise their business strategies to survive in the market, that is normal.

Looking back doesn't always provide an accurate idea of how things will develop in the future.

[Thine Wonk]

Not always, agreed there are exceptions to the rule but we are talking about a company with severe debt issues and a history of lacking investment in 3G. It is a leap of faith to suggest that we should believe their 4G coverage will be ahead of the other networks, some of which have had a head start.

[Everything Goes]

O2's 4G coverage obligation is “indoor reception” to at least 98% of the UK population (i.e. 99% when outdoors) and “at least” 95% of the population of each of the UK nations – England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales – by the end of 2017 at the latest.

O2 have already stated they will mirror EE's initial 4G roll out so this is the likely rollout plan.

Year 1 Cities only (Summer 2014)
Year 2 Major Towns only (Summer 2015)
Year 3 Smaller towns (Summer 2016)
Year 4 Rural (Summer 2017)

[wavejockglw]

This is just another thread created to discredit O2.

The same O2 haters will post the same negative stuff they have being doing for months.

It will take some time to see if the sceptics predictions are valid.

[Thine Wonk]

Originally Posted by Everything Goes

O2's 4 G coverage obligation is “indoor reception” to at least 98% of the UK population (i.e. 99% when outdoors) and “at least” 95% of the population of each of the UK nations – England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales – by the end of 2017 at the latest.

O2 have already stated they will mirror EE's 4G roll out so this is the likely rollout plan.

Year 1 Cities only (Summer 2014)
Year 2 Major Towns only (Summer 2015)
Year 3 Smaller towns (Summer 2016)
Year 4 Rural (Summer 2017)

Is the Vodafone deal still on? Cornerstone has gone quiet recently. Surely with 1 company with a coverage obligation and another without, 1 company with 2600 Mhz and 1 without there's going to be some difference of needs / challenges.

[Everything Goes]

Originally Posted by wavejockglw

This is just another thread created to discredit O2.

The same O2 haters will post the same negative stuff they have being doing for months.

It will take some time to see if the sceptics predictions are valid.

They managed to discredit themselves just fine

Unless you want to dispute what Ofcom had to threaten O2 with

[Everything Goes]

Originally Posted by Thine Wonk

Is the Vodafone deal still on? Cornerstone has gone quiet recently. Surely with 1 company with a coverage obligation and another without, 1 company with 2600 Mhz and 1 without there's going to be some difference of needs / challenges.

I had pointed out in another thread there is issues over having to do different coverage strategy's for 2600MHz and 800MHz. O2 will have to use low power on 800MHz in highly populated areas to ease congestion. This is easier to do if you have 2 bands of spectrum to play with like Vodafone.

[el_bardos]

Originally Posted by wavejockglw

This is just another thread created to discredit O2.

The same O2 haters will post the same negative stuff they have being doing for months.

It will take some time to see if the sceptics predictions are valid.

It's not O2 hatred, its an extrapolation based on past facts rather than apparently limitless optimism based on a nonsensical ability to be oblivious to reality.

Having said that, since they'll be relying on Voda to do half the work via cornerstone, I assume there must be something surrounding coverage obligations that will be commercially enforceable between the two companies, which is likely to give them less wriggle room than a toothless regulator.

[wavejockglw]

Originally Posted by el_bardos

It's not O2 hatred, its an extrapolation based on past facts rather than apparently limitless optimism based on a nonsensical ability to be oblivious to reality.

Having said that, since they'll be relying on Voda to do half the work via cornerstone, I assume there must be something surrounding coverage obligations that will be commercially enforceable between the two companies, which is likely to give them less wriggle room than a toothless regulator.

Absolutely spot on and that is what makes the ridiculous predictions of the well known O2 hate brigade on here utterly nonsensical in terms of their future 4G coverage.

[Thine Wonk]

Originally Posted by wavejockglw

Absolutely spot on and that is what makes the ridiculous predictions of the well known O2 hate brigade on here utterly nonsensical in terms of their future 4G coverage.

How can you say spot on, the post was criticising your earlier point of view

Nobody made predictions, only thoughts or feelings about O2's 4G coverage investment based upon previous form, backed up with the information on what happened with that network on the last gen technology rollout. Even if you call it a prediction, there's nothing wrong with making one and using relevant information to make an informed one.

[wavejockglw]

O2 will do what they need to in terms of their 4G coverage obligation and in partnership with Vodafone are very credible in the mobile comunications market.

[Thine Wonk]

Originally Posted by wavejockglw

O2 will do what they need to in terms of their 4G coverage obligation and in partnership with Vodafone are very credible in the mobile comunications market.

As credible as they were when they didn't meet the last coverage obligation, which was much lower?

[Everything Goes]

Originally Posted by wavejockglw

O2 will do what they need to in terms of their 4G coverage obligation and in partnership with Vodafone are very credible in the mobile comunications market.

Vodafone and O2 a both poor performing when it come to 3G coverage

Two poor performers does not equate to one great performer

[moox]

Originally Posted by wavejockglw

O2 will do what they need to in terms of their 4G coverage obligation and in partnership with Vodafone are very credible in the mobile comunications market.

With a tin-pot network that collapses with surprising regularity and when it is managing to work provides the finest in 2G technologies, credibility is not exactly something O2 has a lot of at the moment.

[wavejockglw]

Originally Posted by Everything Goes

Vodafone and O2 a both poor performing when it come to 3G coverage

Two poor performers does not equate to one great performer

Aye right..... that's why both O2 and Vodafone deliver 6-8Mbps is my area and 3 can't manage 1Mbps!

Hmmmm... the proof of the pudding.... as ever.

My latest 3 performance experience using a 21Mbps capable dongle in an upgraded 'ultrafast' area:

http://speedtest.net/result/2562344588.png

[Everything Goes]

Originally Posted by wavejockglw

Aye right..... that's why both O2 and Vodafone deliver 6-8Mbps is my area and 3 can't manage 1Mbps!

Hmmmm... the proof of the pudding.... as ever.

My latest 3 performance experience using a 21Mbps capable dongle:

http://speedtest.net/result/2562344588.png

Well why don't you just go back to O2

Anyway I was talking about 3G coverage not about network congestion. You could always go for Virgin I suppose who aim to deliver a nice capped 2Mb