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Vodafone have broken a new record (Sheffield Root Metrics)


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Old 03-12-2013, 20:10
Thine Wonk
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A massive 1 in 10 average call failure rate across all Root Metrics tests in Sheffield!

Full results:

On mobile internet EE&O2 the fastest, 3&EE best web performance with O2 and Voda taking several times longer to load content. Email success around 97% for EE & 3, but as low as 75% for Vodafone

EE&Three best for call reliability with Vodafone almost 10% of all calls failed or dropped.

Vodafone with the slowest Text performance, EE the best.

http://www.rootmetrics.com/uk/compar...-october-2013/
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Old 03-12-2013, 20:50
qasdfdsaq
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EE launched its double speed 4G service in Sheffield; however, its average upload speed declined from 12.0 Mbps to 9.4 Mbps since June.
Mhmm :s

[Currently writing this using my EE 4G connection because my "most reliable network in Edinburgh according to Rootmetrics" 3 connection has failed 17 times in the last 10 minutes]
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Old 03-12-2013, 20:51
jabbamk1
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EE comes top again eh...

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/r...ps75aca2bf.gif
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Old 03-12-2013, 20:53
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Old 03-12-2013, 21:01
enapace
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Wow it clearly also says something about Vodafone's 3G and 4G when Three can have a higher average download speed and only be using 3G.
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Old 03-12-2013, 21:04
sethpet
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Exactly...its no coincidence that since EE started paying Root Metrics their results have improved.

Also since Vodafone criticised root metrics their results are getting worse and worse.

When the real world experiences for Vodafone customers are vastly different.

I get 1 maybe 2 drop calls a year on Vodafone.
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Old 03-12-2013, 21:06
jabbamk1
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I get 1 maybe 2 drop calls a year on Vodafone.
Do you make 10-20 calls per year?

Dat 10% call failure rate!

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Old 03-12-2013, 21:07
sethpet
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Is it coincidence that Root Metrics are doing all the cities in order just as Vodafone and O2 will have disruption due to 4G rollout work.

Seems to me they are picking locations based on the knowledge that O2 and Vodafone capacity will be reduced as ssites are of air for upgrade works.
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Old 03-12-2013, 22:04
Thine Wonk
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Is it coincidence that Root Metrics are doing all the cities in order just as Vodafone and O2 will have disruption due to 4G rollout work.

Seems to me they are picking locations based on the knowledge that O2 and Vodafone capacity will be reduced as ssites are of air for upgrade works.
They revisit the same cities on a planned schedule.

Also the call failures here relate to Sheffield, do you live in Sheffield? at the call failures on Vodafone seem to be extremely bad, but only in some cities and fine it others. Cardiff was another shocker with 8-9% call failure rates. If I remember a number of people that lived in South Wales also said that tallied with their experience.
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Old 03-12-2013, 22:52
The Lord Lucan
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This the experience people in my office have experienced, many ditching them for an MBNL network and found it far better...
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Old 03-12-2013, 22:54
planetf1
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I switched three to vodafone due to large numbers of lost calls & slow or dropped data sessions. This wasn't in one location but pretty much all I visitied (IOW, bournemouth, bristol, birmingham, southampton). None of those troubles on three.

Of course that's purely personal experience....
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Old 11-12-2013, 15:30
12december1984
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I must admit I was sorely disappointed with Vodafone's 4G performance in London the past couple of days.

I've just moved over from EE (I'm aware they are ahead of the game with Double Speed etc) but the fastest signal I got was at London St. Pancras on the train home.

I hope they get better....
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Old 11-12-2013, 15:47
qasdfdsaq
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Rootmetrics thinks Vodafone 4G is the slowest in London but only by a third - still over 20Mbps average compared to 29Mbps on EE.
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Old 11-12-2013, 16:06
drivel
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Well done, Vodafone.
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Old 11-12-2013, 16:19
qasdfdsaq
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Yeah pretty ironic considering they won the most 4G spectrum in the auction.

But I wasn't really expecting any better, they had the most 3G spectrum prior to the EE merger and still delivered the worst service even back then.
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Old 11-12-2013, 16:21
enapace
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Yeah pretty ironic considering they won the most 4G spectrum in the auction.

But I wasn't really expecting any better, they had the most 3G spectrum prior to the EE merger and still delivered the worst service even back then.
In fairness they didn't have the most they had the joint most with Three both had 2x15MHz. But I agree with you that they never delivered a very good 3G service with Ofcom confirming they can't even boost 90% coverage in over ten years.

True they did win the most spectrum but in terms of who won the most usable spectrum I would say EE did

EE won 80MHz
Vodafone won 85 MHz with 25 MHz of it being unpaired.

So you have to weigh up on that one who came out better of I think it was EE as there's is all paired which at the moment is the better spectrum to have.
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Old 11-12-2013, 16:32
qasdfdsaq
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In fairness they didn't have the most they had the joint most with Three both had 2x15MHz. But I agree with you that they never delivered a very good 3G service with Ofcom confirming they can't even boost 90% coverage in over ten years.
Ah but 3 didn't have the ability to refarm 2x5Mhz of 900 - so Vodafone actually have 2x20 in use for 3G, which no other network had until EE, yet VF could also refarm further 900 if desperate.

True they did win the most spectrum but in terms of who won the most usable spectrum I would say EE did

EE won 80MHz
Vodafone won 85 MHz with 25 MHz of it being unpaired.

So you have to weigh up on that one who came out better of I think it was EE as there's is all paired which at the moment is the better spectrum to have.
EE had more of their own to begin with too, but given how much VF paid I'd say they won the most valuable amount.

As for useable - how is TDD not useable? Unlike 3G there's widespread support for TDD LTE, so most handsets today could use it. Even iPhones support it! Though from what I can tell VF plan on using it for backhauling masts.

Particularly given the disparity between upload and download speeds I'm seeing I have to say the 1:1 relation in UL and DL spectrum really isn't optimal at all. TDD gives them the ability to deliver higher download speeds at the cost of upload, which is what everybody really wants anyway.
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Old 11-12-2013, 16:40
enapace
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Ah but 3 didn't have the ability to refarm 2x5Mhz of 900 - so Vodafone actually have 2x20 in use for 3G, which no other network had until EE, yet VF could also refarm further 900 if desperate.

EE had more of their own to begin with too, but given how much VF paid I'd say they won the most valuable amount.

As for useable - how is TDD not useable? Unlike 3G there's widespread support for TDD LTE, so most handsets today could use it, though from what I can tell VF plan on using it for backhauling masts.

Particularly given the disparity between upload and download speeds I'm seeing I have to say the 1:1 relation in UL and DL spectrum really isn't optimal at all. TDD gives them the ability to deliver higher download speeds at the cost of upload, which is what everybody really wants anyway.
I think EE was formed by time that Vodafone/O2 were allowed refarm but don't quote me on that one it doesn't really matter either.

I would say that there is more use for it than was for 3G but not as widespread as FDD-LTE is so I personally think EE's 2x35MHz is better but as you say it is coming more into play allowing higher download than upload. We will see its likely a toss up between them.
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Old 11-12-2013, 16:57
qasdfdsaq
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I would say that there is more use for it than was for 3G but not as widespread as FDD-LTE is so I personally think EE's 2x35MHz is better but as you say it is coming more into play allowing higher download than upload. We will see its likely a toss up between them.
Well like I said it's supported by just about all current 4G handsets and equipment vendors.

I would disagree on EE's 2600 though. 2600 has so far not been proven to be very useful for anything other than CA. IMO it's great for fixed broadband access (which mast backhaul technically would be) but that's about it.

The 800 spectrum is super valuable and both VF and O2 have just enough of it to be useful, but EE don't. 2x5Mhz of 800 could be used for a reliable voice service but that's about it. At 1/4 of their 1800 LTE and 1/7th of their 2600 holdings, all you'll get from that is people complaining "My phone says 4G but my speed's slower than 3G!"

So really the only widespread deployments we're going to see are 2x10 of 800 or 2x20 of 1800. Which turns out to be more valuable we'll only find out with time. However 70vs65Mhz of 2600 is neither here nor there. With support as wide as it is either network could just flip a software switch to convert between TDD and FDD,
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Old 11-12-2013, 17:00
Quackers
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When the real world experiences for Vodafone customers are vastly different.
My real world experience of Vodafone had me running back to EE, awful data throughput, call quality not as good and i had more dropped calls, and an online customer area that was down more than it was up.
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Old 11-12-2013, 17:07
qasdfdsaq
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I think EE was formed by time that Vodafone/O2 were allowed refarm but don't quote me on that one it doesn't really matter either.
Consider yourself quoted!

Refarming was approved by the EU in 2009 and OFCOM in the UK at the beginning of 2011.

EE formed mid 2010 but took several years to integrate the networks (which is still an ongoing process) and didn't provide 3G roaming until the end of 2011.

In either case, Vodafone have IMO always been lets say, "inefficient" users of their spectrum holdings... And this makes me sad
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Old 11-12-2013, 22:14
uno
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I have been told that in my area which is Leicestershire that Vodafone have just started changing masts and cabinets to enable 2600 which looks likely as these masts are in high density places and masts are already broadcasting 800mhz
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Old 11-12-2013, 23:01
qasdfdsaq
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Told by whom?
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Old 12-12-2013, 00:03
uno
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By a family member who works for Vodafone in network operations , Was chatting at the weekend about Vodafone 4G and our experiences with it and speeds achieved.

He was spot on with launch dates in Leicester and gives me updates on masts being upgraded , Because of this I have no reason to doubt this information and having looked on the Roadworks org website it does show work on masts and being fully replaced. These masts are already broadcasting 4g 800mhz signal so can believe it is for 2600 MHz upgrade although I suppose that does not mean they will turn that frequency on straight away as previously just said 2014
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Old 12-12-2013, 01:01
qasdfdsaq
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Very interesting.

Particularly as someone else said the masts Cornerstone were installing for VF/O2 for initial 4G release included all current frequencies as well as supporting likely future frequencies they may obtain (i.e. 700Mhz). That can't have been true if they're "completely replacing" them again already.
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