Big outdoor transmitter. Usually on top of poles or large buildings. They look a bit like these:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebit...ransmitter.jpg

As opposed to microsites - small transmitters that look like building alarms attached nearly invisibly to walls or lampposts - or picosites - tiny indoor units that cover a few rooms in large buildings. When I say "transmitter" some people may call them "masts" or "base stations".

how do you know where they located so I can check my area?

Personally when I live in an area I tend to notice them by observation. Otherwise there's Sitefinder which is somewhat out of date but still contains the vast majority of them (because macrosites don't usually move much)

So you're under the impression that macro sites aren't included on their coverage checker?

I think Three is like all networks is hit and miss for speeds depending on areas. You certainly get the best value for money though as even if the speed varies I still don't have to check how much data I using. Like last week I had an hour to kill and spent it watching various YouTube videos It worked fine and knew that it wasn't going affect me. This is why I think Three is good I can only see this improving as 4G starts to rollout.

Remember 2015 the year of fixed and wireless services.

What on earth makes you think that? Of course they're included, all sites are included.

What I said was macrosites that do not have DC-HSDPA are not included on their DC-HSDPA checker.

Lets try explain it differently.

In some cities (e.g. Edinburgh) you can see big gaps in the "Advanced 3G" (DC-HSDPA) coverage maps which aren't there in the "Standard 3G" coverage maps.

I already know that the area with supposedly no advanced 3G coverage is an area with very strong 3G signal and there is a big 3 macrosite right in the middle of the coverage gap. So weak signal or distance from transmitter cannot be the cause of that area having no "Advanced 3G".

I also know the basic characteristics of that macrosite as well as the locations and characteristics of all surrounding 3 sites. That gives me an idea of the primary coverage area of that site.

If you took the standard 3G coverage map, which shows excellent coverage throughout the whole area, and subtract the primary coverage area of that one transmitter, what you would get would look exactly like the advanced 3G map - a "blackspot" vaguely centered around that one transmitter.

That would suggest specific transmitters not being upgraded/enabled are the cause of the gaps in the advanced 3G map in places where there the standard 3G map shows good coverage.

Waste of time calling them they phoned me back twice all i got out of them was they are having issues.
As im locked in until Sept 2014 im going to take out another PAYG plan with another network until Feb when 4G is supposed to kick in.Its practically unuseable at work and to unreliable at home.Ive sent off for a virgin and giffgaff sim to test them at work.

Speed test at home and I'm not even in an advanced area.
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps527fa182.png

However 2-3 pages of Internet and it stops no option but to turn wifi on.

Something else happening now, whatever phone I put the sim in, it can only use 3G not 2G meaning fast battery drain.

I know Three dont have their own 2G but I thought they borrowed someone else's?

This has me wondering, incase the problem is the advanced function, is there a way to force android to only use basic 3G?

Yes, you need to access one of the hidden service menus to do it.

you can reveal more or you going to make me search for it?

*#*#4636#*#* on the keypad then select gsm only.
Sorry should be gsm auto prl.
GSM puts into 2g mode Three roam onto the EE 2G network.

done but get no signal.

so gsm only = no signal
gsm auto prl = whats looks like still advanced 3g, I still see the + symbol.

also neither sticks.

gsm only loses the signal, and when I go back its set to unknown.
gsm auto prl the signal stays although still advanced 3g and when i go back its set to wcdma preffered.

The code above is wrong.

What phone do you have?

I think they use Orange 2G but only in very limited areas where there is no 3G coverage. For the vast majority of the country 3 is exclusively 3G.

<deleted>

Like this guy said.

3 have been turning off 2G fallback area by area for a number of years. However I wouldn't say it's "very limited" - pretty much the whole of Scotland still has it on. Only the two biggest cities don't have it.

England could be another matter.

That seems to suggest big cities are the least likely to have it?

I am just outside the city centre. Probably half a mile and at the city centre.

No 2G fall back for the whole of the south east as far as I can tell. Hampshire, Surrey, West Sussex. All fall back was turned off in 2010 or so.

Im up in scotland and it roams onto the EE network.I might be roaming onto them for my 3G too soon

3 turn off 2G fallback in areas where they think their 3G coverage is "sufficient". What counts as sufficient is anybody's guess but suffice to say the better their 3G coverage is, the more likely it is 2G will be turned off for that area. So obviously yes, cities went off first.

Also from what I can tell "areas" are turned off on the basis of mobile network LACs (location area codes) - and won't correlate precisely with city boundaries, postcode areas, or anything else you're conventionally used to.

Do you mean 'roaming' when you say soon? care to explain?

As you're in Leicestershire this post from earlier in the year might help:


http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showp...2&postcount=16

The full thread is at http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1806088. Based on that, elsewhere in the UK It seems that the Orange 2G fallback isn't available in Northern Scotland but parts of Wales still have it.

As i said further up i will ditch three for a few months and join (roam) another network until 4G arrives with Three.Im sure i read 4G would be arriving up our way (Aberdeen) in Feb but cant seem to find any concrete evidence now.