Vodafone and O2 4G experience thread

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beans0ntoast

09-02-2016

Originally Posted by Pedro_C:
“After the EE/3 New 4G Mast Antenna setups/schematics vid, I bring you: New Vodafone and O2 4G mast Antenna setups explained. With Schematics!

On another note, I was digging through Planning App'ns last night and I can safely say they are going to make headway in 2G only areas sooner rather than later (the applications for new panels got approved)”

Oh, that's a nice surprise! I wonder if the 15-20 mile stretch of road between Stanwick and Peterborough (including Raunds, that still has no Vod 3G) will finally get 3G?

Pedro_C

09-02-2016

Just had a quick look at the planned 4G on the coverage checker...
New 4G areas:
Friskney
Alfreton
Sutton in Ashfield
Newark on trent
Holme on Spalding Moore
Shrewton
Broadway
Mickleton
Pershore
Kineton

And that was just a quick look; they're working at pace!

mrMick

09-02-2016

Think I may have just found the smallest island of 4G here in Cambridgeshire... CB25 9PD, Cambridge Research Park. Looks like O2 are setting up residence on the existing Vodafone monopole.

Stereo Steve

09-02-2016

Originally Posted by Skippy2005:
“Could they not just be made to offload x amount of customers whether it's early mid or late part of their contacts, or allow x amount to leave penalty free? I'm sure there will plenty that will take them up on it.

Let's face it after the merger they won't have no where near as much spectrum as EE, although it maybe valuable spectrum. I think an offload of customers is an acceptable approach??”

I don't see that happening. Maybe a condition would be that existing contract customers would have a break put in but how does that work when the phones are subbed by the network? If you've just put down £20 for a 6S and are a month in, you can walk away and go PAYG? Do you have to hand back the hardware? I can't see how they could work that to be honest. I think in time, it would even out.

japaul

09-02-2016

Think I could see smoke coming out of the O2 base station after this speed test! I have to say, where they're doing it, carrier aggregation makes quite a difference. I wonder if a ton on O2 is possible?

http://www.speedtest.net/my-result/a/1729881856

Pedro_C

09-02-2016

Originally Posted by japaul:
“Think I could see smoke coming out of the O2 base station after this speed test! I have to say, where they're doing it, carrier aggregation makes quite a difference. I wonder if a ton on O2 is possible?

http://www.speedtest.net/my-result/a/1729881856”

What did the base station look like?

japaul

09-02-2016

Don't know how to describe it! It's not a typical mast since the antennas are on the side of a tower. I'll try and get a photo some time. All networks are present and it used to have 2G 1800 for O2 and Vodafone. That's now gone. O2 have added 4G 1800 (obviously) but Vodafone don't have 1800 on it at all now.

clewsy

09-02-2016

Originally Posted by Stereo Steve:
“There are plenty of big companies who have made huge investments and pulled the plug. It's the nature of the beast. What else are you going to if there is no light? Hang on until you go bust? I'm sure we can all think of a few firms who have paid big bucks for something and then offloaded it for nothing a few years later. It's just the way it goes.

The regulator's first job is to ensure a competitive market and prevent monopoly / oligopoly situations. That's what they will do here. I'm sure the end network will be divested of some spectrum but it is in the best interests of everyone (British jobs included) that a third network is created that can compete fairly with EE and VOD. I assume at the end of it all there will be enough spare spectrum for another upstart to come in, like 3 did. Win Win.”

Lol you don't just jack in something like this. They market is totally different as your dealing with a commodity that is expensive to acquire and sought after.

Let's be honest there would be loads of companies wanting aobile network, if the price was right. The problem is that the networks up got sale are not being sold cheaply. Telefonica want out so rumours say, however if this deal fails you can bet they won't be offloading on the cheap.

David_bl1

09-02-2016

Originally Posted by Pedro_C:
“Just had a quick look at the planned 4G on the coverage checker...”

Is there any way of seeing just the planned coverage, without also showing the current coverage?

In some places it's getting harder to spot in-fill masts being upgraded when there is already 4G in the area.

DevonBloke

09-02-2016

Originally Posted by japaul:
“I wonder if a ton on O2 is possible?

http://www.speedtest.net/my-result/a/1729881856”

You'd be getting pretty close to the theoretical maximum if you did.
That's 112.5Mbps for 15Mhz in total (I assume we are talking 10Mhz 800 and 5Mhz 1800 here?)
You were probably close to the limit there to be honest although there is 20Mbps headroom so maybe a little higher?

camer_000

09-02-2016

Originally Posted by David_bl1:
“Is there any way of seeing just the planned coverage, without also showing the current coverage?

In some places it's getting harder to spot in-fill masts being upgraded when there is already 4G in the area.”

I think only Vodafone have a planned coverage part of their coverage map.

https://www.vodafone.co.uk/explore/n...-map/index.htm

Put your postcode in and click planned coverage, and look around!

DevonBloke

09-02-2016

I wonder if they'll EVER have planned coverage in South Devon?
I mean ever ever ever???
I am convinced they have a grudge or something.
What other explanation can there be?

hammy_y

09-02-2016

I wonder if there will ever be planned coverage in Quorn, it's a very noticeable gap between Loughborough and Leicester.

japaul

09-02-2016

Originally Posted by DevonBloke:
“You'd be getting pretty close to the theoretical maximum if you did.
That's 112.5Mbps for 15Mhz in total (I assume we are talking 10Mhz 800 and 5Mhz 1800 here?)
You were probably close to the limit there to be honest although there is 20Mbps headroom so maybe a little higher?”

That's right. The trouble is if the area has 1800 then it means it's a busy area so it's difficult to come across a quiet moment. I can check on whether the signal is suitable for the very high speeds but I can't do anything about all the selfish people who wish to deny me 100% of the cell's resources! I do try though.

DevonBloke

09-02-2016

The complete b**tards!!

DevonBloke

09-02-2016

Originally Posted by japaul:
“That's right. The trouble is if the area has 1800 then it means it's a busy area so it's difficult to come across a quiet moment. I can check on whether the signal is suitable for the very high speeds but I can't do anything about all the selfish people who wish to deny me 100% of the cell's resources! I do try though.”

Everyone probably remembers my 134Mbps off the Caton mast on the A38 a while back.
This one https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@50.53...7i13312!8i6656

I had to be the only one on it. Max for 20Mhz is 150 so I got closer than you.
Within 16Mbps in fact.
So if we say I was 4Mbps short per 5Mhz of spectrum, you need to get 100.5Mbps to match me!!!
That challenge is on!
http://postimg.org/image/bof4gex6n/

japaul

09-02-2016

Originally Posted by DevonBloke:
“I wonder if they'll EVER have planned coverage in South Devon?
I mean ever ever ever???
I am convinced they have a grudge or something.
What other explanation can there be?”

Out of interest (if you can remember) did they take a long time to get 2G down there or was it just a case of adding it to existing analogue sites?

DevonBloke

09-02-2016

Originally Posted by japaul:
“Out of interest (if you can remember) did they take a long time to get 2G down there or was it just a case of adding it to existing analogue sites?”

I have no idea.
I was an Orange fanboy I'm afraid.
But an educated guess would be they just turned off analog and turned on GSM, yes.
Extra sites came later. Not their own of course, oh no. that would have meant bothering to do something here.
No, they just bolted onto Orange and TM masts as they appeared.

japaul

09-02-2016

Originally Posted by DevonBloke:
“Everyone probably remembers my 134Mbps off the Caton mast on the A38 a while back.
This one https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@50.53...7i13312!8i6656

I had to be the only one on it. Max for 20Mhz is 150 so I got closer than you.
Within 16Mbps in fact.
So if we say I was 4Mbps short per 5Mhz of spectrum, you need to get 100.5Mbps to match me!!!
That challenge is on!
http://postimg.org/image/bof4gex6n/
”

You're forgetting this Vodafone one (theoretical max 225) I posted a while back. This was with the phone in Ludicrous Mode.

http://www.speedtest.net/my-result/a/1494555724

DevonBloke

09-02-2016

Originally Posted by japaul:
“You're forgetting this Vodafone one (theoretical max 225) I posted a while back. This was with the phone in Ludicrous Mode.

http://www.speedtest.net/my-result/a/1494555724”

Yeah but that's cheating.
That's VOD CA and they are bound to be able to get much higher.
I meant, can you get O2 with CA to the same throughput per 5Mhz chunk as EE with no CA?

But it is an impressive speed nonetheless.

EDIT: Oh wait, that VOD test was within 15Mbps wasn't it!
Which is only 2.5Mbps per 5Mhz
Damn!

japaul

09-02-2016

But the Vod one is still the highest per MHz (which is what I thought you meant). Or are you changing the rules now? Look, I already said smoke was coming out of the O2 base station so what's the chance of getting more...

Edit: I see you've now realised

DevonBloke

09-02-2016

Originally Posted by japaul:
“But the Vod one is still the highest per MHz (which is what I thought you meant). Or are you changing the rules now? Look, I already said smoke was coming out of the O2 base station so what's the chance of getting more...

Edit: I see you've now realised ”

Yeah.... well....er..... well the the EE one was without CA so "Nerrrr" and other childish sounds.....

Oh wait (again?), CA must have overheads so in theory should be slower per Mhz than a single carrier.
Damn, bloody damn and dammit again!!!

japaul

09-02-2016

Originally Posted by DevonBloke:
“I have no idea.
I was an Orange fanboy I'm afraid.
But an educated guess would be they just turned off analog and turned on GSM, yes.
Extra sites came later. Not their own of course, oh no. that would have meant bothering to do something here.
No, they just bolted onto Orange and TM masts as they appeared.”

I've just scanned an old Vod 2G coverage map from 1996 so you can check. It actually looks like you would have been OK (I think).
http://i.imgur.com/iQugBlt.jpg

And on the back, analogue coverage!
http://i.imgur.com/kHcyPcc.jpg

DevonBloke

09-02-2016

Originally Posted by japaul:
“I've just scanned an old Vod 2G coverage map from 1996 so you can check. It actually looks like you would have been OK (I think).
http://i.imgur.com/iQugBlt.jpg

And on the back, analogue coverage!
http://i.imgur.com/kHcyPcc.jpg”

That to me looks like just the existing analogue masts activated and the coverage map rather exaggerating the coverage somewhat.
The real coverage would have been nowhere near as good as that.
When I think about it now, most of the masts around here are EE (Orange or TM) and most didn't go up until 95/96.
In fact apart from my mast (which was an original Vodafone site) and the TV transmitters at Marldon, Ivybridge and Plympton, none of the others were either Vodafone or Cellnet sites.
They are all either Orange or TM.
The vast majority have Vodafone or O2 bolted on afterwards.
Amazing. They were just as crap back then!

Gigabit

09-02-2016

Originally Posted by DevonBloke:
“That to me looks like just the existing analogue masts activated and the coverage map rather exaggerating the coverage somewhat.
The real coverage would have been nowhere near as good as that.
When I think about it now, most of the masts around here are EE (Orange or TM) and most didn't go up until 95/96.
In fact apart from my mast (which was an original Vodafone site) and the TV transmitters at Marldon, Ivybridge and Plympton, none of the others were either Vodafone or Cellnet sites.
They are all either Orange or TM.
The vast majority have Vodafone or O2 bolted on afterwards.
Amazing. They were just as crap back then!”

I think it was the complete opposite here. O2 and Vodafone came first. Three and EE were (and still are), pretty naff.

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