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Vodafone and O2 4G experience thread |
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#1 |
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Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 12
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Vodafone and O2 4G experience thread
As most of the conversation in this part of the forum seems to be centred on EE and Three, I thought it would be good to hear of experiences good and bad surrounding the Voda and O2 4G networks, including:
Current Coverage Indoor penetration User experience in cities eg London Experience of lower frequency 4G Etc, especially as there appears to be misplaced comments in other threads that should belong in here (to put it mildly!) Thoughts?.... |
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#2 |
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Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: London, UK
Posts: 8,759
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Good idea for a thread!
![]() One of my mates was in one of the launch cities (after London) for Vodafone and commented on there being pretty poor coverage at the beginning, which is to be expected. He said it was quite patchy and not quite everywhere, however the speeds he was getting were phenomenal and he was really impressed. He's now is very impressed with the service and says that coverage has got a lot better over time with it now being in his home location. He also told me he's happy with the data allowance (signed up and got 4GB extra) and the fact it comes with spotify which he uses on his way to work. Buffering on Youtube videos is non existent based on the experience I had when i used his phone for 5 mins. I haven't used Vodafones 4G service personally yet (apart from my friends) but it seems good, the offers at the moment are very good with an extra 4GB of data if you sign up before 31st of January 2014. The free Spotify (or Sky Sports) will appeal to some. Only complaint I have is that the prices are too high, but then that's all down to what you find value in. |
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#3 |
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Join Date: Mar 2000
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Posts: 3,388
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Quote:
Thoughts?....
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#4 |
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Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 901
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Quote:
As most of the conversation in this part of the forum seems to be centred on EE and Three, I thought it would be good to hear of experiences good and bad surrounding the Voda and O2 4G networks, including:
Current Coverage Indoor penetration User experience in cities eg London Experience of lower frequency 4G Etc, especially as there appears to be misplaced comments in other threads that should belong in here (to put it mildly!) Thoughts?.... While it seems to me that power output is quite low for 4g masts (you need to be reasonably close to get 5 bars) the 4g signal travels a long way even on the low power. Indoor coverage is nearly as good as outdoor which is a huge bonus. Call quality on Vodafone is excellent too. Its not HD but its as good as SD can be. I was on EE 4g before and if Im honest I very rarely got HD calls even calling other EE customers. SD EE call quality has gone downhill a lot in recent times. I really wanted to stay with EE and was a big supporter of EE but the network has deteriorated so much for voice. EE 4g data is brilliant , that there is no doubt and its 3g data network is very good too unless your on a shaky Orange mast. Forgot to mention that 3g 900 compliments the 2100 service very well. 900 has transformed the 3g network in towns. Yes, they need a lot more 2100 masts to compensate for cell shrinkage but its working well just now. If i lived outwith a big city I would be on EE as Voda/O2 can't come anywhere near them just now in rural areas. Two years time and it will be very difficult to choose between any of the networks. |
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#5 |
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I really wanted to stay with EE and was a big supporter of EE but the network has deteriorated so much for voice. EE 4g data is brilliant , that there is no doubt and its 3g data network is very good too unless your on a shaky Orange mast.
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If i lived outwith a big city I would be on EE as Voda/O2 can't come anywhere near them just now in rural areas. Two years time and it will be very difficult to choose between any of the networks.
Interesting, that must be the Orange legacy. Up on the north east of scotland (Inverness to Elgin) the only real choice for years was Vodafone, but I saw T-mobile installing masts just before the EE merger.For those that travel around the country, you really need quad SIM phones. Or maybe nowadays an MBNL SIM and a Cornerstone SIM would be enough
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#6 |
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: UK
Posts: 14,217
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I'm on O2 and I've been on 4G since launch last year. It's been pretty good so far. I live in Essex and work in SW london and Kingston. Coverage has been pretty good on my commute to and from work and in the areas that I work. It's also been pretty good in other areas of London that I frequent, mainly East and West London. Speeds vary, places like Kingston have the best speeds often above 50 mbs. It's more variable around London. When it first Launched I could get it in the area that I live in but not inside my flat. I'm now able to get it indoors and I'm getting around 30 mbs, which is better than my home broadband. I've also noticed that places in Essex where it didn't work on launch it now works. It also works well at work and inside big indoor shopping centres.
The ceiling in our flat collapsed 2 weeks ago after the flat above us had a water leak ![]() We had to stay in a hotel for a few nights whilst repairs took place. The wifi in the hotel was a bit crap, ok for surfing and email but nothing else. I was able to tether my phone to our laptops/tablets and stream videos over 4G. The quality was good and we didn't experience any buffering. I do pay £5 extra a month for my 4G and I think it's worth it as it's a big improvement over 3G. Whilst O2's 3G coverage was great and reliable for me, the speeds were never more that 5Mbs so the speed increase alone is worth it and I now get a lot more data to use. I was getting 2 GB a month on my old plan and for just £5 I'm getting 6GB more. O2 don't offer unlimited data and if you wanted more data it was £5 for 1 GB ![]() O2 are pricey but they have the best customer service (been with 3 and T-mobile) and the best coverage where I've lived. My OH is on 3 and he can't get a signal at home, he also says his data connection is rubbish outside, he often doesn't get a signal. He pays less than me and has unlimited data but it's hardly worth it as he can barely use it.My parents are also with 3 and they do nothing but moan about them. O2 get a lot of stick on these forums but I wouldn't touch 3 with a barge pole
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#7 |
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Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Manchester
Posts: 1,114
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Used O2 for a period of about 18 months both via O2 directly and giffgaff. Did struggle to get any decent service whilst on a holiday in Dorset, full signal but no data connection at all. I moved away from O2 when I started sixth form, there was no signal at all in our sixth form room where I spend a lot time. Then there are the HLR outages that O2 had back last year. My auntie is currently on O2 and has a very poor signal at her home, she used to have a decent signal. O2 website has been reading the following for a while now. Quote:
Originally Posted by O2 Status
Sorry we are experiencing high service demand in this area
A mast close to your location is experiencing a high level of demand for service. This can cause intermittent service for calls, texts and data. We’re working to improve it as quickly as we can. Sorry for any inconvenience. Updated 22:00 (refreshed hourly). Recent faults might not show yet. Customer service is good too, is good being able to speak to someone in a UK call centre.I have an Ovivo SIM which uses Vodafone. Often see poor speeds with my Ovivo SIM, less than 2Mbps 99% of the time, average around 1Mbps. That is with a decent signal. Not much more to be said there. Was with Orange for a few months too. Only ever used Orange with a 2G only BlackBerry though so not really a chance to test their 3G network. Their customer service is appalling. |
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#8 |
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Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Scotland
Posts: 4,965
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Our company recently trialed switching us to O2 4G as they offered a massive discount. Didn't find speeds as realiable and consistently able to provide for the service we required. (Video & multipule Large graphics file uploads) so they stuck with EE despite for them being nearly 1/3 extra cost. Sticking with them for Voice too.
Over 100 accounts. I've not personally used Vodafone 4G yet, I have an active sim in my office just not got my hands on a spare phone yet to try it. Should really test them all up here when Three launches. Seen a few speed tests/coverage on my mates phone.. Seems from that limited view less of a product than O2 and EE. |
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#9 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 509
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I've used Vodafone 4G in both Liverpool and Manchester.
So far it seems to be much better in Liverpool over a larger area. However, in Manchester near the mast is where I've seen it at it's quickest. In Liverpool I've been seeing an average of 25-30Mbps download, and 15-20Mbps upload. In Manchester, I've seen average of 15Mbps down and 15Mbps up. However, when right near an active 4G cell site in Manchester, I've achieved 60Mbps. Penetration is excellent, as is overall coverage, but I know they're only using 800Mhz at the moment to get the coverage they need. |
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#10 |
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Join Date: Mar 2000
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The Vodafone website tells me that "4G has not arrived in this area yet. We're committed to providing 98% indoor coverage across the UK by 2015."
Does that mean 98% 4G indoor coverage by 01/01/2015? |
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#11 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 509
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Quote:
The Vodafone website tells me that "4G has not arrived in this area yet. We're committed to providing 98% indoor coverage across the UK by 2015."
Does that mean 98% 4G indoor coverage by 01/01/2015? |
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#12 |
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Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Glasgow, United Kingdom
Posts: 414
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Quote:
The Vodafone website tells me that "4G has not arrived in this area yet. We're committed to providing 98% indoor coverage across the UK by 2015."
Does that mean 98% 4G indoor coverage by 01/01/2015? |
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#13 |
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Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: the wild world web
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With EE suddenly becoming the most complained about network(4G and dropped calls) is it 'go 4G if you want lots of dropped calls'?
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#14 |
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Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 1,662
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Yeh 98% indoor coverage for 4G, 3G and 2G by or before 2015
In summary the public claims by the networks for 4G are: EE: 98% outdoor by end 2014 Three: 98% outdoor by end 2015 Vod/O2: 98% indoor by end 2015 |
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#15 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 3,286
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I have a few annoyed colleagues who signed up last year with new handsets (mostly iPhone 5s) and thought the coverage map would expand rapidly outside the M25. The guess is O2 will get the next ring out (Crawley, Guildford, Bracknell, Basingstoke, High Wycombe etc) service first. We've all had the @800 letters saying its coming
![]() Someone supposedly even got it just outside Newcastle. In Edinburgh it's expanded considerably further outside the city than EE have, despite EE's one year headstart. Full indoor coverage throughout Musselburgh, Bonnyrigg, and Mayfield, where EE have none. |
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#16 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 3,286
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Quote:
While it seems to me that power output is quite low for 4g masts (you need to be reasonably close to get 5 bars) the 4g signal travels a long way even on the low power. Indoor coverage is nearly as good as outdoor which is a huge bonus.
Bars are just harder to get on 4G because the scale goes further. |
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#17 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 3,286
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For those that travel around the country, you really need quad SIM phones. Or maybe nowadays an MBNL SIM and a Cornerstone SIM would be enough
![]() EE 4G SIM gives me access to all of Orange and T-Mobile's 2G, 3G and 4G coverage estate, which is really a superset of 3's coverage, O2 4G SIM gives access to around 90% of O2 and Vodafone's combined sites around Edinburgh right now, and should eventually be just about all of them. One thing I notice is around Edinburgh, O2/VF/CS are rebuilding their entire network, replacing all the 2G & 3G kit, and adding new 4G kit, but also replacing the entire radio path including poles, cables, cabinets, and antennas. The rebuilt network is using consistent, identical kit across the city, with every street pole of whatever history having been replaced with a single type of new pole with identical cabs for both networks. EE/3/MBNL on the other hand have been holding on to a veritable hodgepodge mix of old equipment, keeping all their existing poles which was originally put up by a combination of 4 different entities (T-Mobile, Orange, 3, MBNL). There's at least 4 different types of 4G pole in use by EE right now, whereas O2/VF have standardized on just one type across the city. I suspect this will make network maintenance and repairs a lot easier going forwards than EE having to manage training and inventory for all their existing legacy kit. |
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#18 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 3,286
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Our company recently trialed switching us to O2 4G as they offered a massive discount. Didn't find speeds as realiable and consistently able to provide for the service we required. (Video & multipule Large graphics file uploads) so they stuck with EE despite for them being nearly 1/3 extra cost. Sticking with them for Voice too.
Over 100 accounts. I've not personally used Vodafone 4G yet, I have an active sim in my office just not got my hands on a spare phone yet to try it. Should really test them all up here when Three launches. Seen a few speed tests/coverage on my mates phone.. Seems from that limited view less of a product than O2 and EE. Not sure what the hold-up is, maybe a shortage of cabs Though I see O2's coverage map has been updated to match Vodafone's to the west of the city (Livingston, West Calder, Falkirk) I've not yet tested the network(s) there.Oh, by the way, it seems some of the local bus fleet (mainly the airport buses so far) have also been switched from Vodafone 3G to EE 4G for their onboard wifi system. |
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#19 |
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Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 383
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Anymore who can offer feedback on their experience?
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#20 |
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Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 572
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I'm still waiting for Vodafone 4G to launch in Derby.
However I've found 4G speeds in Central London acceptable on Vodafone; however phoning my friend on Tesco Mobile often lead to a significant loss of quality to the point the call terminated on several occasions. |
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#21 |
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Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 149
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Hope we hear some news soon about next roll out cities.
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#22 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 3,286
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They're turning on a lot of places outside the original launch cities but haven't said much about it, particularly south of London, Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton/Eastbourne/Maidstone got coverage on O2 about a month ago but they haven't announced anything.
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#23 |
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Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 14,541
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How often to do O2 update the coverage map? to me it looks like it's not very often.
qasdfdsaq where you say the signal scale on 4G goes further could you elaborate? are you saying that at -120dBm or below 4G still works due to better error correction, or are you talking at the other end of the scale, not quite sure what you mean. |
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#24 |
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Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 383
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From the coverage map Scarborough has 4G!!!!
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#25 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 3,286
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And Newcastle!
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Customer service is good too, is good being able to speak to someone in a UK call centre.
Though I see O2's coverage map has been updated to match Vodafone's to the west of the city (Livingston, West Calder, Falkirk) I've not yet tested the network(s) there.