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Vodafone and O2 4G experience thread |
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#351 |
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Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: a land filled with trolls
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GPRS is often unusable in many locations, until the site is upgraded. And once you have 3G and 4G you don't need GPRS!
(I doubt anyone with a 2G only phone really uses data much). |
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#352 |
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Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Totnes, Devon
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Yes, I feel that GPRS used to be a bit faster but that's probably when we all had WAP phones and weren't trying to pull down full web pages.
Isn't it supposed to be good for around 20Kbps though. When ever I test it now it's either 1-3Kbps or doesn't connect at all. |
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#353 |
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Join Date: Mar 2000
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Quote:
Yes, I feel that GPRS used to be a bit faster but that's probably when we all had WAP phones and weren't trying to pull down full web pages.
Isn't it supposed to be good for around 20Kbps though. When ever I test it now it's either 1-3Kbps or doesn't connect at all. But the problem with most modern websites is the sheer volume of scripting, which needs to be transferred and then executed in the browser. Makes the average web page about 200k when they used to be 10k to 15k when GPRS first arrived. |
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#354 |
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Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: United Kingdom
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O2 GPRS just doesn't work in my experience. EDGE is fine-ish.
Vodafone GPRS and EDGE seem to work okay however. EE is the same. |
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#355 |
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O2 GPRS just doesn't work in my experience. EDGE is fine-ish.
Vodafone GPRS and EDGE seem to work okay however. EE is the same. vodafone 4G is now quite good in Farnborough for those who have the right phone and price plan. |
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#356 |
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Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: United Kingdom
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Oh so there's 3G900 in Farnborough now? I didn't know about that.
I don't think there is any in Aldershot. |
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#357 |
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: South Wales
Posts: 312
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Although it very much depends where you're based, I'd generally say Vodafone 2G data doesn't work well. Many many places where there is no data throughput at all.
EE is also fairly poor. O2 on the other hand seems to work fine. Whatsapp is the best test - it uses such a tiny amount of data it nearly always works, so if whatsapp doesn't connect then you've no hope of email or iMessage which seem to require slightly more data. |
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#358 |
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Oh so there's 3G900 in Farnborough now? I didn't know about that.
I don't think there is any in Aldershot. |
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#359 |
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Join Date: Aug 2014
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I don't think Winchester has much 3G900, if any. I only know of one place (Odiham) that has 3G solely at 900MHz.
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#360 |
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Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Portsmouth
Posts: 787
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Yes the red layer on the Vodafone coverage map is just dishonesty. At least in NE scotland the Vodafone GPRS and voice signal is very good, and works everywhere, but GPRS is still horribly slow, for corporate emails :-/
Before the Tmo/Orange merger and MBNL, for 2G overall coverage round here it would be Voda, then Orange, then O2, and T-Mobile was hopeless |
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#361 |
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I don't think Winchester has much 3G900, if any. I only know of one place (Odiham) that has 3G solely at 900MHz.
There is a similar one on the Costco roundabout, which I think is 3G only at the moment. |
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#362 |
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Join Date: Aug 2001
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Tavistock in Devon (pop 11,000) appears to have VF 4G, but Exeter/Plymouth (100,000 and 200,000 ish) are not yet deemed worthy
IIRC there was some place in Devon that was a not-spot but one of the networks installed a mast and went straight to 4G while doing it. I can't remember if this was Vodafone and Tavistock though (I wonder how long it will take to do Devon/Cornwall/Somerset - they seem to have otherwise blanketed Dorset in 4G - I know Cornerstone has been busy submitting planning permission applications to Cornwall Council) ![]() Their 4G rollout seems very strange. Not following the usual paths.... Personally I'd be happier if they sorted out their 3G. |
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#363 |
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Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Totnes, Devon
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Yeah I noticed that Vod seem to just randomly activate masts just anywhere. Perhaps where backhaul is easiest? Having said that EEs can be a bit random probably for the same reason.
EEs coverage map is becoming increasingly inaccurate as well. The recently activated mast near Harbertonford shows the whole village covered which I can assure you is not correct at all. When the Arqiva TV relay goes live then it will be. Good to see VO2s 4G nearly rivalling EEs though in Jon Morris's Vid. I think, down here at least their 3G is relying too much on 3G900 which is pants in anybody's book. |
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#364 |
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: South Wales
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The 3G900 that gets activated at the same time as 4G is a different ballgame to the random rural 3G activations over the last year or so, which only do around 0.3-0.5meg.
The newer 3G900 coverage seems super powerful with a huge footprint per cell, and giving speeds around 6-7Mbps. I hope VO2 keep up the good work - I think in a few years they will be very different. |
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#365 |
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Join Date: Jul 2002
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Yes, for all my criticism of O2 and Vodafone on this forum and elsewhere, about having such a terrible 3G network, resting on its laurels for so long and falling WAY behind as a result of a lack of investment, things are now changing quite rapidly.
A year from now (and possibly sooner for a lot of people in major towns and cities) both O2 and Vodafone will be nothing like they were just a year ago. It's about time, but I have to hope that once they do build a solid 4G network with upgraded 2G and 3G off the back of it, they don't then sit still and fail to invest in 4.5G and beyond or we'll have the same discussions in ten years from now. Mind you, who knows if BT will maintain the level of investment that we saw with EE in ten years from now or just do the same thing; rest on its laurels and just watch the cash roll in without spending it on keeping up with demand and future technologies. |
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#366 |
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Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Midlands
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I notice that in Stoke / Staffs things are moving on Vodafone improvements bow as the Mono van is outside my local mast now and they have been working on it for 3 days laying the foundations. Assuming once all has set things will move daily quickly.
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#367 |
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Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: United Kingdom
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Vodafone installs 4G and O2 should follow shortly after, right?
Well, wrong. Alton has had 4G from Vodafone for a solid 6 months now and O2 still has nothing. Same with Alresford and Four Marks. What's up with that? |
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#368 |
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Join Date: Mar 2000
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Yes, for all my criticism of O2 and Vodafone on this forum and elsewhere, about having such a terrible 3G network, resting on its laurels for so long and falling WAY behind as a result of a lack of investment, things are now changing quite rapidly.
Given the need for a relatively new handset (lots of Moto G 3G handsets out for example) and a higher priced subscription - the poor 3G and lack of 3G coverage from both operators is still dramatic compared to the MBNL operators. |
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#369 |
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Join Date: Jul 2002
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3G should be improved once the site has gone 4G though, unless it's just a congestion issue because Vodafone might still have a lot more 3G only users.
That's another reason why networks, including EE, should have been working quicker to move people over to 4G. By rights, they should have just given people 4G access without making them upgrade - but of course, they want some more money for giving people 4G access even if it is more spectrum efficient. O2 should be better though. Half of its users don't even have a smartphone! |
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#370 |
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Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: London, UK
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3G should be improved once the site has gone 4G though, unless it's just a congestion issue because Vodafone might still have a lot more 3G only users.
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#371 |
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Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Midlands
Posts: 2,860
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Quote:
Vodafone installs 4G and O2 should follow shortly after, right?
Well, wrong. Alton has had 4G from Vodafone for a solid 6 months now and O2 still has nothing. Same with Alresford and Four Marks. What's up with that? |
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#372 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 2,875
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I have a question about Vodafone. My phone will connect to EDGE in my house and when the signal weakens a bit it will switch over to GPRS.
My question is, why? They're both running over the same frequency right? I don't see why the phone would choose to switch to GPRS for no reason? |
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#373 |
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Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: London, UK
Posts: 8,759
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Quote:
I have a question about Vodafone. My phone will connect to EDGE in my house and when the signal weakens a bit it will switch over to GPRS.
My question is, why? They're both running over the same frequency right? I don't see why the phone would choose to switch to GPRS for no reason? |
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#374 |
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Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 499
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Probably like stoke as Vodafone are doing it as not part of the cornerstone agreement.
https://planning.stoke.gov.uk/online...ILS-146237.pdf Ive found 28 applications for CTIL/MBNL mast upgrades/ new installs on Stokes website! |
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#375 |
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Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 3,985
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