RCS to me sounds like a solution being implemented for feature phone type devices when long ago smartphones and internet applications took the users. (Facebook messenger, WhatsApp, iMessage, Facetime, Skype etc).

Vodafone and Verizon are pushing RCS - and I just can't see it taking off I'm afraid; all these things need everyone to adopt to be useful and so I can see it failing quite easily.

Vodafone's Guildford store has a 2600MHz 4G femto providing ~10-20 down and 45mbps up. Any idea why this may be? Also, the store staff said the store's internet was provided by BT, which would be a little odd, with Vodafone owning C&W.

I guess O2 can only use 5Mhz of the 1800, They have 5.8 I think.
10Mhz of 1800 on EE used to do about 40 meg I think so it should be good for 20.
Good move!

Voda 4G confirmed in South Cornwall near Fowey with another site nearer to Plymouth possibly live too

I was in Fowey only two weeks ago, no Vodafone signal in the actual place itself. EE was an old Orange 2g mast. Three was on backup I think. Is it the mast to the North East of the town up the River?

I'm not sure how long it's been there but O2/GiffGaff show as certified LTE networks for the iPhone 5 now so I guess it must use the refarmed 1800 spectrum for 4G on its own.

http://www.apple.com/iphone/LTE/

O2 are using refarmed 1800MHz 4G around London at the moment. I've personally used it on the M25.

That's pretty quick work by o2 it was only announced on the 20th of August.


http://www.techweekeurope.co.uk/netw...overage-175194

I guess its a customer satisfaction question. If call volume is still dropping, and customers are using data more, then dropping some 2G voice capacity and swapping with data capacity is a good move, especially as packet switched LTE can handle the spectrum a lot more efficiently then the old circuit switched protocols.

Anyone know how much 1800 O2 has? Is it 5mhz?

5.8Mhz.

http://www.analysysmason.com/PageFil...ts_Mar2013.pdf

Thanks.

It was actually in use and installed at least a month before that.

It might be BT last mile, handing off at the local exchange. Very common. With the discount they get for buying so many circuits from BT, it's sometimes cheaper to get BT to do it than lay fibre.

What sort of speeds are you getting on 1800?

Any sniff of rumour of Vodafone doing the same?

Props to o2, they did actually upgrade my local mast, full 4G now from what used to be flaky 2G. Credit where credit's due

I didn't have a lot of time to test it I'm afraid

When I'm next up there I'll let you know.

I don't know how widespread their LTE-A network is in London as I don't use O2 but for info, the 4G+ screenshot I mentioned here yesterday was taken in Manchester Square (a few minutes walk from Selfridges) if anyone is near there and wants to give it a go.

I suspect 1800 will mainly be used as a secondary carrier for carrier aggregation with 800 and most people without CA capable phones won't see 1800 at all as I doubt it will be set up to drag people off 800. The only phones that will see it on its own are 4G ones without 800 support like the iPhone 5.

Morning, engineers have been on site at my nearest mast everyday since Tuesday, they have replaced the Antennas with new ones added all the cabling, etc... Yesterday they switched on the mast and I had speeds all over the place on 4G, 3G was pumping out anything from 20-30mb and 2G well just changed to Edge as far as I can see. Then around 6pm it was switched off again and have had nothing from it since, back down to 1-2 bar 4G and the same 3G.

What could be the reason for this testing or waiting for backhaul! I'm on Vodafone. I live in Wakefield and I'm sure I fall under o2 for the upgrading part of Beacon or cornerstone whoever they call themselves these day.

Any thoughts would be great, thanks.

Can't find the link to the screenshot. If you kindly repost it. Also I'm guessing it will work as 2600MHz on its own too. The reasoning behind it because I own an S5 which is Cat.4 only.

Sorry, I didn't have a screenshot to post but it was only the homescreen with 4G+ showing anyway. See the post here
http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showp...postcount=1148

No chance of 2600MHz on O2.

Yeah, I posted it in post #1153......
Honestly, dunno why I bother sometimes......

Well to be fair they could be using 3MHz for the 4G 1800MHz spectrum leaving the rest for 2G, but admittedly unlikely.

I'm quite interested in what O2s rollout plans are, if they are aiming on just upgrading the existing 2G 1800MHz sites or are they also going to upgrade sites which never had 2G 1800MHz.

Update the site I was talking about seems to be live now... All happy here.

Doesn't seem to be linked to existing G1800 sites - mainly rolling in areas of high traffic on L800 which is causing congestion to give 15MHz CA as already mentioned on this thread.