O2 4G in NI testing

davybhoy · 03-05-2014, 18:24

Just drove past an upgraded mast there and my friends phone went to 4G. Must be testing!

qasdfdsaq · 03-05-2014, 20:46

Wow, that's very early.

That said... shouldn't be testing. Testing is done on a closed network.

jabbamk1 · 03-05-2014, 20:53

Quote:

Wow, that's very early.

That said... shouldn't be testing. Testing is done on a closed network.

I agree. Very early and good news for NI customers.

But I have to say that I've seen a lot of live 4G areas when they're supposed to be testing. So the real world evidence seems to suggest that some testing is done whilst the public can access 4G.

davybhoy · 04-05-2014, 14:23

My younger brother went past the same area and also got 4G so.it wasn't a fluke on her behalf. Very few if the masts have the 4G cabs installed though, I'm told the ones I posted previous are just covers. This particular mast now has 2 massive big white cabs now and it's the only place I have seen them...

jclegs · 04-05-2014, 17:02

Any speed tests? What area?

davybhoy · 04-05-2014, 18:01

No speed tests mate but there's a mast on the Kings Road outside Tullycarnet which has the new cabs installed and it's there where the 4G was picked up.

jclegs · 04-05-2014, 20:59

Thanks for the info, it's getting close to contract renewal time and I was hoping that O2 would pull their finger out and start the upgrades in NI. EE seem like the better option at the moment.

davybhoy · 05-05-2014, 17:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by jclegs

Thanks for the info, it's getting close to contract renewal time and I was hoping that O2 would pull their finger out and start the upgrades in NI. EE seem like the better option at the moment.

I wouldn't change from EE at the minute given the coverage that they have. It will take O2/Voda a good while to catch up.

I gave you the wrong location from the upgraded mast too. The mast is upgraded where I told you previously but the cabs aren't. The upgraded mast with the 4G cabs is the 1 just before you reach the Ice Bowl, opposite Dundonald Enterprise Park.

qasdfdsaq · 05-05-2014, 18:24

EE do have a full year's headstart and even if O2/VF were to build out twice as fast they still wouldn't catch up until next year at the earliest.

jclegs · 05-05-2014, 20:25

Have you seen any planning applications for mast upgrades? I've checked Belfast city, Lisburn, Craigavon and Armagh with no luck.

bigpete15 · 05-05-2014, 21:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by jclegs

Have you seen any planning applications for mast upgrades? I've checked Belfast city, Lisburn, Craigavon and Armagh with no luck.

Planning applications for 4g and the cornerstone O2/Vodafone sharing upgrades started in April, Londonderry, strabane & Omagh areas so far, details are on the planning service website.

davybhoy · 06-05-2014, 08:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by jclegs

Have you seen any planning applications for mast upgrades? I've checked Belfast city, Lisburn, Craigavon and Armagh with no luck.

I have checked before but couldn't find any either so I'm not sure what's going on and how they upgrade without planning permission.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigpete15

Planning applications for 4g and the cornerstone O2/Vodafone sharing upgrades started in April, Londonderry, strabane & Omagh areas so far, details are on the planning service website.

So how have they fully upgraded the mast I refer to with full 4G capability? There is extra cabs all over Belfast so don't know how they're getting around it...

Redcoat · 18-05-2014, 23:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigpete15

Planning applications for 4g and the cornerstone O2/Vodafone sharing upgrades started in April, Londonderry, strabane & Omagh areas so far, details are on the planning service website.

In the village I live in, there is a Vodafone mast (2G GPRS only) while a mile outside it is an O2 base station (2G EDGE & 3G 900). About a couple of weeks ago I noticed a planning application made for the Vodafone base station by Telefonica UK for it to be upgraded for joint 2G/3G/4G use by both Voda & O2. I was a little surprised by this, as I assumed that with the O2 site having been upgraded for 3G it was the going to be the local area site for Cornerstone integration while the Voda mast would be decommissioned. Apparently not it seemed and it looked like it would be the other way around. I guessed that the current Voda's mast being very close to the local BT exchange (has been FTTC enabled since 2011) was the reasoning, as that makes doing backhaul a lot less complicated.

However checking out the advertisement of local planning applications today I see that Telefonica have sent in applications to have the current O2 site in the village also upgraded in a similar way for both operators! I'm not sure if there's a backup plan here in case one site is refused permission to upgrade but I have noticed on O2's site that there has been ongoing capacity issues locally (not really surprising, I'd say over 80% of mobile users in the area would be on O2's net with nearly all the rest on Voda). For both operators to use both sites here for no more than potentially a couple of thousand people seems odd, but it could be I'll end up with firm, blanket coverage locally for 4G from O2 and Voda (as well as some sketchy but very usable coverage currently from EE) at the end of this year if the planning process goes smoothly, leaving only 3 to catch up.

Makes a change from this time two years ago when O2 had only switched on their 3G coverage here and the rest were still struggling away on 2G GPRS.

From a few other applications I've seen in the Omagh area from Telefonica UK, one of them is currently a Vodafone 3G 2100MHz only site in a retail park in the town - the Planning NI site doesn't have extensive technical details at the moment but it looks like a similar O2 & Voda 2G/3G/4G conversion to me if other local applications are to go by.

It looks like to me that Cornerstone, through O2's 4G coverage obligation, are going to go balls out in Northern Ireland to meet the 95% minimum indoor coverage requirement (as specified for NI) by using alongside sites where O2 and Vodafone currently co-occupy also upgrading sites where it is either O2 or Vodafone at present and enable both operators. Bearing in mind that at the moment no operator currently provides better than 94% outdoor population coverage here (MBNL claim 93% 3G outdoor coverage) via 2G. Could be the case that not as many O2 or Vodafone sites could be decommissioned as maybe I thought at first.

davybhoy · 07-06-2014, 12:59

Update. I have noticed a lot of masts upgraded and a lot of 4G cabs installed. I still pass the odd 1 that isn't upgraded or hasn't got the cabs installed but there is a lot that look ready to go.

I imagine in city centre they're on the building rooftops which is why there are no apparent masts but right out to where I live have the upgrades done and it took EE 3 or 4 months to get out to there. I think O2 and Vodafone are going to have a very rapid 4G rollout in the greater Belfast area.

Some masts only have 1 4G cab and others have 2. I imagine the ones that have 2 are shared and the ones that have 1 aren't??

wavejockglw · 07-06-2014, 13:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by davybhoy

I think O2 and Vodafone are going to have a very rapid 4G rollout in the greater Belfast area.

Some masts only have 1 4G cab and others have 2. I imagine the ones that have 2 are shared and the ones that have 1 aren't??

They probably will be fast if their previous rollout areas are anything to go by. Only one of the companies is actually installing the equipment in each area with the country being divided into 2 regions, East and West. Both Vodafone and O2 are currently installing 800MHz LTE so they should need fewer masts to cover the same area as 1800MHz and 2600MHz would. Some of the cabs being installed will also include updated 2G/3G equipment with 900MHz 3G being rolled out for the first time in many areas as part of the 4G upgrade process.

Good to learn that NI is getting coverage and customers will have a choice of companies to buy 4G from.

The Lord Lucan · 07-06-2014, 16:01

Great to see that the upgrades in NI are now widespread. Some have been in place for awhile though!

Shame they have not spread in Scotland, absolutely nothing from O2 or Voda North of Edinburgh since the initial roll out. Even Three has 4G in Aberdeen & Dundee now!

John_Patrick · 07-06-2014, 19:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by davybhoy

Update. I have noticed a lot of masts upgraded and a lot of 4G cabs installed. I still pass the odd 1 that isn't upgraded or hasn't got the cabs installed but there is a lot that look ready to go.

I imagine in city centre they're on the building rooftops which is why there are no apparent masts but right out to where I live have the upgrades done and it took EE 3 or 4 months to get out to there. I think O2 and Vodafone are going to have a very rapid 4G rollout in the greater Belfast area.

Some masts only have 1 4G cab and others have 2. I imagine the ones that have 2 are shared and the ones that have 1 aren't??

Nope. But close.

They are Ericsson RBS6000's that are been used in NI.

One cab has the GSM900 and U900 which share the same RF modules. The second cab has the U2100 and the 4G RF Modules.

Its likely that if you saw just one cab, then its either:
A/ U2100 only site
B/ U2100/LTE site
C/ All technologies, but one of the old cabs have been retained and retrofitted to house smaller versions of the RBS6000 kit

Each set of equipment is used for both O2 and VF, its not like they have a unit for each of them, the sharing is built in as it were.

Friends of mine have been over there for a few weeks now

davybhoy · 08-06-2014, 13:08

Sorry, I should have explained better. The 3G combiner equipment is there too but is much smaller than the 4G cabs I speak off. They have been installed all over for many, many months.

I imagine some of the super vulcan cabinets that were already there in some cases have 4G equipment in them then where I only see 1 4G cab.

So to clarify - They all have the smaller 3G combiner equipment (approx 2ft x 2ft x 5ft at a guess) but some have 1 4G cab (about 3ft x 2ft x 5ft at a guess) and others have 2 of the 4G cabs.

Where I only see 1 3G combiner and 1 4G cab then the existing cabinet (which they all have) has the 4G inside it?

jclegs · 24-06-2014, 00:23

Vodafone have announced 4g in Belfast this summer - http://www.vodafone.co.uk/cs/groups/...ftst052110.pdf

davybhoy · 24-06-2014, 01:20

Good to see that. Hopefully O2 will make a similar announcement soon...

Redcoat · 24-06-2014, 03:01

O2 are responsible for the roll out of Cornerstone in Northern Ireland, and any planning applications locally I've seen to upgrade current Vodafone sites for 4G have been made with O2 as the applicant, so I can assume that wherever Vodafone are launching, O2 will be there as well.

O2 3G coverage isn't too bad (though it could be better) in rural NI, but Vodafone's is completely pants - also even their 2G network seems to be badly creaking. They need a major network overhaul.

jclegs · 01-07-2014, 00:30

O2 coverage map updated - shows 4g coverage in Belfast and Lisburn. Good start, wonder how quickly it'll spread to more rural areas.

Magic Cottage · 01-07-2014, 10:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by jclegs

O2 coverage map updated - shows 4g coverage in Belfast and Lisburn. Good start, wonder how quickly it'll spread to more rural areas.

Ha ha Hee Hee Hee

OMG! I just can't stop laughing, my sides hurt. I am pi**** off reading about 4g this and 4g that and when is it coming to rural areas.

I wouldn't mind a proper signal of any sort where I live without having to resort to that half-a**** app they rolled out called Tu Go to try and sweeten those of us they couldn't be bothered with.

O2 are a farce! I cannot believe I allowed myself to get conned into a 2 year contract with them at the temptation of a flagship smartphone and didn't properly check how poor coverage is all around where I live. I'm 7 months in now and I still kick myself every time I try to use the damn thing at home. I just don't normally do this sort of thing. Massive, huge lesson learned.

Redcoat · 01-07-2014, 15:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Magic Cottage

Ha ha Hee Hee Hee

OMG! I just can't stop laughing, my sides hurt. I am pi**** off reading about 4g this and 4g that and when is it coming to rural areas.

Whereabouts in Northern Ireland are you located?

Where I live, which can be easily described as a 'rural area', O2 are the only network which can give me consistent indoor 3G coverage as well as 2G. They also have applications in to upgrade both the local Vodafone & O2 mast sites for 4G operations so they're certainly putting in the effort. OTOH Vodafone is still 2G GPRS only,while EE do offer 4G, indoor penetration is poor and not even 3G or 2G is robust enough. Same goes for 3 on 3G. No network can provide 100% population coverage in the UK to be cost effective. Unless O2 sold you a contract under false promises (I'd get to Ofcom on that if that were the case), and you still had a cooling-off period to return the phone on the basis of a lack of coverage, then the burden of ensuring that there was adequate coverage for where you plan to use the mobile lies with yourself.

Back on 4G coverage, at least O2 have now started the ball rolling here, and hopefully will increase coverage across the place without major delays.

03-05-2014, 18:24	#1
davybhoy Forum Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Belfast Posts: 1,241	O2 4G in NI testing Just drove past an upgraded mast there and my friends phone went to 4G. Must be testing!

03-05-2014, 20:53	#3
jabbamk1 Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: London, UK Posts: 8,759	Quote: Originally Posted by qasdfdsaq Wow, that's very early. That said... shouldn't be testing. Testing is done on a closed network. I agree. Very early and good news for NI customers. But I have to say that I've seen a lot of live 4G areas when they're supposed to be testing. So the real world evidence seems to suggest that some testing is done whilst the public can access 4G.

03-05-2014, 20:46	#2
qasdfdsaq Inactive Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 3,286	Wow, that's very early. That said... shouldn't be testing. Testing is done on a closed network.

04-05-2014, 14:23	#4
davybhoy Forum Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Belfast Posts: 1,241	My younger brother went past the same area and also got 4G so.it wasn't a fluke on her behalf. Very few if the masts have the 4G cabs installed though, I'm told the ones I posted previous are just covers. This particular mast now has 2 massive big white cabs now and it's the only place I have seen them...

04-05-2014, 17:02	#5
jclegs Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 16	Any speed tests? What area?

04-05-2014, 18:01	#6
davybhoy Forum Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Belfast Posts: 1,241	No speed tests mate but there's a mast on the Kings Road outside Tullycarnet which has the new cabs installed and it's there where the 4G was picked up.

04-05-2014, 20:59	#7
jclegs Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 16	Thanks for the info, it's getting close to contract renewal time and I was hoping that O2 would pull their finger out and start the upgrades in NI. EE seem like the better option at the moment.

05-05-2014, 17:55	#8
davybhoy Forum Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Belfast Posts: 1,241	Quote: Originally Posted by jclegs Thanks for the info, it's getting close to contract renewal time and I was hoping that O2 would pull their finger out and start the upgrades in NI. EE seem like the better option at the moment. I wouldn't change from EE at the minute given the coverage that they have. It will take O2/Voda a good while to catch up. I gave you the wrong location from the upgraded mast too. The mast is upgraded where I told you previously but the cabs aren't. The upgraded mast with the 4G cabs is the 1 just before you reach the Ice Bowl, opposite Dundonald Enterprise Park.

05-05-2014, 18:24	#9
qasdfdsaq Inactive Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 3,286	EE do have a full year's headstart and even if O2/VF were to build out twice as fast they still wouldn't catch up until next year at the earliest.

05-05-2014, 20:25	#10
jclegs Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 16	Have you seen any planning applications for mast upgrades? I've checked Belfast city, Lisburn, Craigavon and Armagh with no luck.

05-05-2014, 21:14	#11
bigpete15 Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Ballymena Posts: 237	Quote: Originally Posted by jclegs Have you seen any planning applications for mast upgrades? I've checked Belfast city, Lisburn, Craigavon and Armagh with no luck. Planning applications for 4g and the cornerstone O2/Vodafone sharing upgrades started in April, Londonderry, strabane & Omagh areas so far, details are on the planning service website.

06-05-2014, 08:41	#12
davybhoy Forum Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Belfast Posts: 1,241	Quote: Originally Posted by jclegs Have you seen any planning applications for mast upgrades? I've checked Belfast city, Lisburn, Craigavon and Armagh with no luck. I have checked before but couldn't find any either so I'm not sure what's going on and how they upgrade without planning permission. Quote: Originally Posted by bigpete15 Planning applications for 4g and the cornerstone O2/Vodafone sharing upgrades started in April, Londonderry, strabane & Omagh areas so far, details are on the planning service website. So how have they fully upgraded the mast I refer to with full 4G capability? There is extra cabs all over Belfast so don't know how they're getting around it...

18-05-2014, 23:45	#13
Redcoat Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: The wilds of West Tyrone Posts: 2,122	Quote: Originally Posted by bigpete15 Planning applications for 4g and the cornerstone O2/Vodafone sharing upgrades started in April, Londonderry, strabane & Omagh areas so far, details are on the planning service website. In the village I live in, there is a Vodafone mast (2G GPRS only) while a mile outside it is an O2 base station (2G EDGE & 3G 900). About a couple of weeks ago I noticed a planning application made for the Vodafone base station by Telefonica UK for it to be upgraded for joint 2G/3G/4G use by both Voda & O2. I was a little surprised by this, as I assumed that with the O2 site having been upgraded for 3G it was the going to be the local area site for Cornerstone integration while the Voda mast would be decommissioned. Apparently not it seemed and it looked like it would be the other way around. I guessed that the current Voda's mast being very close to the local BT exchange (has been FTTC enabled since 2011) was the reasoning, as that makes doing backhaul a lot less complicated. However checking out the advertisement of local planning applications today I see that Telefonica have sent in applications to have the current O2 site in the village also upgraded in a similar way for both operators! I'm not sure if there's a backup plan here in case one site is refused permission to upgrade but I have noticed on O2's site that there has been ongoing capacity issues locally (not really surprising, I'd say over 80% of mobile users in the area would be on O2's net with nearly all the rest on Voda). For both operators to use both sites here for no more than potentially a couple of thousand people seems odd, but it could be I'll end up with firm, blanket coverage locally for 4G from O2 and Voda (as well as some sketchy but very usable coverage currently from EE) at the end of this year if the planning process goes smoothly, leaving only 3 to catch up. Makes a change from this time two years ago when O2 had only switched on their 3G coverage here and the rest were still struggling away on 2G GPRS. From a few other applications I've seen in the Omagh area from Telefonica UK, one of them is currently a Vodafone 3G 2100MHz only site in a retail park in the town - the Planning NI site doesn't have extensive technical details at the moment but it looks like a similar O2 & Voda 2G/3G/4G conversion to me if other local applications are to go by. It looks like to me that Cornerstone, through O2's 4G coverage obligation, are going to go balls out in Northern Ireland to meet the 95% minimum indoor coverage requirement (as specified for NI) by using alongside sites where O2 and Vodafone currently co-occupy also upgrading sites where it is either O2 or Vodafone at present and enable both operators. Bearing in mind that at the moment no operator currently provides better than 94% outdoor population coverage here (MBNL claim 93% 3G outdoor coverage) via 2G. Could be the case that not as many O2 or Vodafone sites could be decommissioned as maybe I thought at first.

07-06-2014, 12:59	#14
davybhoy Forum Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Belfast Posts: 1,241	Update. I have noticed a lot of masts upgraded and a lot of 4G cabs installed. I still pass the odd 1 that isn't upgraded or hasn't got the cabs installed but there is a lot that look ready to go. I imagine in city centre they're on the building rooftops which is why there are no apparent masts but right out to where I live have the upgrades done and it took EE 3 or 4 months to get out to there. I think O2 and Vodafone are going to have a very rapid 4G rollout in the greater Belfast area. Some masts only have 1 4G cab and others have 2. I imagine the ones that have 2 are shared and the ones that have 1 aren't??

07-06-2014, 13:09	#15
wavejockglw Inactive Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Glasgow Posts: 10,276	Quote: Originally Posted by davybhoy I think O2 and Vodafone are going to have a very rapid 4G rollout in the greater Belfast area. Some masts only have 1 4G cab and others have 2. I imagine the ones that have 2 are shared and the ones that have 1 aren't?? They probably will be fast if their previous rollout areas are anything to go by. Only one of the companies is actually installing the equipment in each area with the country being divided into 2 regions, East and West. Both Vodafone and O2 are currently installing 800MHz LTE so they should need fewer masts to cover the same area as 1800MHz and 2600MHz would. Some of the cabs being installed will also include updated 2G/3G equipment with 900MHz 3G being rolled out for the first time in many areas as part of the 4G upgrade process. Good to learn that NI is getting coverage and customers will have a choice of companies to buy 4G from.

07-06-2014, 16:01	#16
The Lord Lucan Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Scotland Posts: 4,966	Great to see that the upgrades in NI are now widespread. Some have been in place for awhile though! Shame they have not spread in Scotland, absolutely nothing from O2 or Voda North of Edinburgh since the initial roll out. Even Three has 4G in Aberdeen & Dundee now!

07-06-2014, 19:18	#17
John_Patrick Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Newcastle Posts: 904	Quote: Originally Posted by davybhoy Update. I have noticed a lot of masts upgraded and a lot of 4G cabs installed. I still pass the odd 1 that isn't upgraded or hasn't got the cabs installed but there is a lot that look ready to go. I imagine in city centre they're on the building rooftops which is why there are no apparent masts but right out to where I live have the upgrades done and it took EE 3 or 4 months to get out to there. I think O2 and Vodafone are going to have a very rapid 4G rollout in the greater Belfast area. Some masts only have 1 4G cab and others have 2. I imagine the ones that have 2 are shared and the ones that have 1 aren't?? Nope. But close. They are Ericsson RBS6000's that are been used in NI. One cab has the GSM900 and U900 which share the same RF modules. The second cab has the U2100 and the 4G RF Modules. Its likely that if you saw just one cab, then its either: A/ U2100 only site B/ U2100/LTE site C/ All technologies, but one of the old cabs have been retained and retrofitted to house smaller versions of the RBS6000 kit Each set of equipment is used for both O2 and VF, its not like they have a unit for each of them, the sharing is built in as it were. Friends of mine have been over there for a few weeks now

08-06-2014, 13:08	#18
davybhoy Forum Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Belfast Posts: 1,241	Sorry, I should have explained better. The 3G combiner equipment is there too but is much smaller than the 4G cabs I speak off. They have been installed all over for many, many months. I imagine some of the super vulcan cabinets that were already there in some cases have 4G equipment in them then where I only see 1 4G cab. So to clarify - They all have the smaller 3G combiner equipment (approx 2ft x 2ft x 5ft at a guess) but some have 1 4G cab (about 3ft x 2ft x 5ft at a guess) and others have 2 of the 4G cabs. Where I only see 1 3G combiner and 1 4G cab then the existing cabinet (which they all have) has the 4G inside it?

24-06-2014, 00:23	#19
jclegs Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 16	Vodafone have announced 4g in Belfast this summer - http://www.vodafone.co.uk/cs/groups/...ftst052110.pdf

24-06-2014, 01:20	#20
davybhoy Forum Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Belfast Posts: 1,241	Good to see that. Hopefully O2 will make a similar announcement soon...

24-06-2014, 03:01	#21
Redcoat Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: The wilds of West Tyrone Posts: 2,122	O2 are responsible for the roll out of Cornerstone in Northern Ireland, and any planning applications locally I've seen to upgrade current Vodafone sites for 4G have been made with O2 as the applicant, so I can assume that wherever Vodafone are launching, O2 will be there as well. O2 3G coverage isn't too bad (though it could be better) in rural NI, but Vodafone's is completely pants - also even their 2G network seems to be badly creaking. They need a major network overhaul.

01-07-2014, 00:30	#22
jclegs Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 16	O2 coverage map updated - shows 4g coverage in Belfast and Lisburn. Good start, wonder how quickly it'll spread to more rural areas.

DS Forums

O2 4G in NI testing

01-07-2014, 10:06	#23
Magic Cottage Guest Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 2,663	Quote: Originally Posted by jclegs O2 coverage map updated - shows 4g coverage in Belfast and Lisburn. Good start, wonder how quickly it'll spread to more rural areas. Ha ha Hee Hee Hee OMG! I just can't stop laughing, my sides hurt. I am pi** off reading about 4g this and 4g that and when is it coming to rural areas. I wouldn't mind a proper signal of any sort where I live without having to resort to that half-a** app they rolled out called Tu Go to try and sweeten those of us they couldn't be bothered with. O2 are a farce! I cannot believe I allowed myself to get conned into a 2 year contract with them at the temptation of a flagship smartphone and didn't properly check how poor coverage is all around where I live. I'm 7 months in now and I still kick myself every time I try to use the damn thing at home. I just don't normally do this sort of thing. Massive, huge lesson learned.

01-07-2014, 15:37	#24
Redcoat Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: The wilds of West Tyrone Posts: 2,122	Quote: Originally Posted by Magic Cottage Ha ha Hee Hee Hee OMG! I just can't stop laughing, my sides hurt. I am pi**** off reading about 4g this and 4g that and when is it coming to rural areas. Whereabouts in Northern Ireland are you located? Where I live, which can be easily described as a 'rural area', O2 are the only network which can give me consistent indoor 3G coverage as well as 2G. They also have applications in to upgrade both the local Vodafone & O2 mast sites for 4G operations so they're certainly putting in the effort. OTOH Vodafone is still 2G GPRS only,while EE do offer 4G, indoor penetration is poor and not even 3G or 2G is robust enough. Same goes for 3 on 3G. No network can provide 100% population coverage in the UK to be cost effective. Unless O2 sold you a contract under false promises (I'd get to Ofcom on that if that were the case), and you still had a cooling-off period to return the phone on the basis of a lack of coverage, then the burden of ensuring that there was adequate coverage for where you plan to use the mobile lies with yourself. Back on 4G coverage, at least O2 have now started the ball rolling here, and hopefully will increase coverage across the place without major delays.