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EE 2G/3G/4G Discussion Thread |
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#1 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Destination: Hard Brexit
Posts: 6,368
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EE 2G/3G/4G Discussion Thread
A continuation of the old "What happened to the Orange TMobile 3G share?" thread created over a year ago.
As the discussion no longer fitted the title (and it's New Year) I thought I'd effect a change. The discussion lives on here. Have asked for old thread to be closed. Old thread here: http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showt...5#post70547175 |
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#2 |
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Join Date: Jan 2007
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First.
And to protest I do not like this thread's existence. Long live the old thread. And happy new year. |
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#3 |
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Join Date: Mar 2013
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If we going have a new thread It should be a MBNL thread not just for EE with separate threads for EE 4G and Three 4G.
At least till end of next year when the 3G will have been fully upgraded. |
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#4 |
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Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: In the future....
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You forgot about 5G to make the thread more future proof
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#5 |
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Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Glasgow
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EE thread is more appropriate I think as the title details they have 2G, 3G and 4G services across the UK.
MBNL is a RAN sharing arrangement that only covers 2100MHz UMTS, EE have that as well as 1800MHz GSM and 800/1800/2600MHz LTE which is independent of any sharing other than site co-location. For 4G customers there will be differences in coverage and signal quality and there is also the small matter of the GSM fallback which still accounts for the widest coverage across the UK on all the networks that provide it. |
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#6 |
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Join Date: Jan 2007
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Quote:
MBNL is a RAN sharing arrangement that only covers 2100MHz UMTS, EE have that as well as 1800MHz GSM and 800/1800/2600MHz LTE which is independent of any sharing other than site co-location.
They're not simply colocating 4G equipment. While the cabinets are un-shared, that's about it, all other equipment remains shared between the two parties - including, or so I'm told, the backhaul, mast itself, and more importantly the antenna, splitters, combiners and amplifiers. In many (I'd even say based on my observations, most) cases, EE and 3 continue using the same single set of antennae on their sites for both networks' 3G2100 and EE's GSM and LTE 1800 services - they are using wideband antenna covering 1700-2200Mhz. There is no separate equipment for 4G other than the cabinets. Quote:
For 4G customers there will be differences in coverage and signal quality and there is also the small matter of the GSM fallback which still accounts for the widest coverage across the UK on all the networks that provide it.
VF+O2 claim "98% indoor 2G 3G and 4G" coverage target, how they'll achieve that I haven't a clue. |
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#7 |
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Join Date: Jan 2007
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Quote:
they are using wideband antenna covering 1700-2200Mhz.
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#8 |
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Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Devon
Posts: 146
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I have no signal here near Holsworthy did EE crash With everyone texting at once lol!
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#9 |
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Quote:
Probably the same as the Americans are using for their 1700 AWS band services now that I think about it. Explains why they look so "American" as well!
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#10 |
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Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: North West London
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Quote:
You forgot about 5G to make the thread more future proof
![]() i only just got over the fact that 4G is out as vodafone says (powered by you) really?
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#11 |
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Join Date: Jan 2007
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Quote:
. ,....... . . .. ..
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#12 |
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Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Totnes, Devon
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Bump!
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#13 |
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Join Date: Jun 2011
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The 4G coverage in Belfast can be quite spotty, even though the coverage maps basically cover the whole city
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#14 |
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Still no sniff of 4G near my parents, looking at the coverage maps it seems to be just the mast that covers their area, all the ones around have 4G, seems strange to miss out just one and leave a gaping hole in the coverage!
Old T-Mob mast has been removed as it was on a building that is about to be demolished however there is an Orange mast still in operation where I seem to be getting 3G from, anyone in know, know if they'd be upgrading that Orange mast for 4G? |
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#15 |
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Quote:
Supposedly, by the time EE's network upgrades are done, they'll only have around 20 non-3G transmitters in the whole of the UK.
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#16 |
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Quote:
Still no sniff of 4G near my parents, looking at the coverage maps it seems to be just the mast that covers their area, all the ones around have 4G, seems strange to miss out just one and leave a gaping hole in the coverage!
There was a lot of roadworks going on in that road, so it probably prevented the MBNL people getting to the mast to upgrade it, and they've moved on to another town. Hopefully they'll come back and upgrade them soon! |
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#17 |
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Quote:
And I bet one of those is in Blaenau Ffestiniog
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#18 |
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Think this fits here as well as anywhere.
I received a new T-Mobile sim as a replacement in November. The old sim I had said EE as the network name, whereas the new one has reverted to saying T-Mobile or T-Mobile/Orange. Normally this wouldn't bother me but I have a Moto G which displays the network name in the status bar all the time, making less room for notification icons. Is there anyway to force a sim update so it will say EE instead? EDIT: Never mind, found it as soon as I posted this thread. Had to text yes to 2121 to force the update. Last edited by tony le mesmer : 11-01-2014 at 00:40. Reason: . |
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#19 |
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I'm going to leave mine displaying the old network names. In a nerdy way it's interesting to see the spots where t-mobile (mbnl) fades and old orange infrastructure takes over. Usually find where O2/voda/3/T-mobile signal has gone, orange have good 2G coverage with a local mast to fill in the hole. Hopefully these orange base stations will remain.
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#20 |
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Quote:
Usually find where O2/voda/3/T-mobile signal has gone, orange have good 2G coverage with a local mast to fill in the hole. Hopefully these orange base stations will remain.
The MBNL masts give stunning performance on 3G/HSPA/HSPA+ for EE/Orange/T-Mobile and Three separately. After upgrade they gain EDGE and 4G for EE. Many also seem to provide EDGE support as a free benefit of the newer equipment supporting 2G. |
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#21 |
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Join Date: Jan 2007
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I think he's talking about areas where there are no MBNL masts anywhere nearby. There are plenty of places in the rural countryside where an Orange 2G mast is the only mast of any kind for a dozen kilometres usable by EE or 3.
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#22 |
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Quote:
I think he's talking about areas where there are no MBNL masts anywhere nearby. There are plenty of places in the rural countryside where an Orange 2G mast is the only mast of any kind for a dozen kilometres usable by EE or 3.
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#23 |
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Quote:
I think he's talking about areas where there are no MBNL masts anywhere nearby. There are plenty of places in the rural countryside where an Orange 2G mast is the only mast of any kind for a dozen kilometres usable by EE or 3.
Sounds like the area DevonBloke knows ?
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#24 |
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Quote:
Very likely as imagine there is no Fibre where you live. Though suppose it could be microwaved in if there is a nearby place which has it. Though with you might be involved in welsh BDUK which would allow the networks to get fibre to your local mast.
Trying to think where the nearest cab is to the mast in question though? Suppose when I see them digging up the road nearby I'll know somethings going on lol. I've asked about this mast several times before, to anybody and everybody in the know, and I can't get a even a rough date estimate as to when it'll be upgraded. Only that the EE network should have upgraded all the old 2G masts by end of 2014. This might be daft but I thought BT fibre in the area had no bearing on mast upgrades - I thought in areas without fibre they'd lay ethernet from the exchange or use microwave backhaul... My understanding of how they get bandwidth to the transmission site is limited, only that its delivered either by fibre, ethernet or microwave relay. Our 2G Orange site is microwave relayed. Can't believe researching the UK fibre rollout in general that we are fibre enabled, and I can have 80mbps delivered to my door, but theres not a sniff of 3G about lol - I'll be doing a speedtest indoors and get 80mbps over wifi, step outside and get 0.03mbps over GPRS. |
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#25 |
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Quote:
I still struggle to believe it myself, but the village was actually fibre enabled in September of last year, and I believe almost every cabinet is now live. I have actually just placed an order for FTTC 80/20, due to be installed at the end of the month!
Trying to think where the nearest cab is to the mast in question though? Suppose when I see them digging up the road nearby I'll know somethings going on lol. I've asked about this mast several times before, to anybody and everybody in the know, and I can't get a even a rough date estimate as to when it'll be upgraded. Only that the EE network should have upgraded all the old 2G masts by end of 2014. This might be daft but I thought BT fibre in the area had no bearing on mast upgrades - I thought in areas without fibre they'd lay ethernet from the exchange or use microwave backhaul... My understanding of how they get bandwidth to the transmission site is limited, only that its delivered either by fibre, ethernet or microwave relay. Our 2G Orange site is microwave relayed. Can't believe researching the UK fibre rollout in general that we are fibre enabled, and I can have 80mbps delivered to my door, but theres not a sniff of 3G about lol - I'll be doing a speedtest indoors and get 80mbps over wifi, step outside and get 0.03mbps over GPRS. Very surprising to hear you have BT Fibre in your area still can't get in mine they did the exchange back in October but most of the cabinets still haven't been done yet. Nice to see rural areas getting it done though. Completely agree with you about mast upgrades it is far better then it was now though nearly get same coverage as my friend gets on EE these days. Still waiting on some main roads in Cheshire to get mast upgrades though I expect blackspots on a couple of those roads will not get filled in till 4G 800MHz is used. |
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i only just got over the fact that 4G is out as vodafone says (powered by you) really?

