I have two phones, my Vodafone smartphone which I use for calls and an identical model, but with a Three sim which I use purely for the internet (£15 a month for unlimited 3G internet - listening to Five Live football coverage while driving - plus calls and texts is a good deal in my book). I suppose I could just use the Three but I've had the Vodafone number for donkeys' years,it's the number everyone rings and it's just easier to do it this way. Yes, I could transfer it, but life is too short.

The other day I took off an a two-day trip around the South and South-West of England, and forgot the Three (I play it through my car radio), so I had to rely on Vodafone phone for 3G - and Lord is it so bloody awful. When you can get a signal it doesn't last long, streaming is abysmal and it is also pretty pricey. What really pisses me off, though, is that Vodafone is now on a big 4G push. Well, you idiots, get your 3G coverage way, way better first before you try to sucker us into spending more moolah with you. And 4G will not be available in my neck of the woods for years.

So I thought I would log onto the Vodafone site and leave feedback saying exactly that. But it is more or less impossible. Yes, I could ring them, but I want to send an email which might register a bit more. Under the 'contact us' you are more or less filtered out of existence: 'what's you question about? Coverage? Well, look at Sure Signal' you are merely sent to another page in the welter of pages they call their site. There was once a facility for sending emails but I can't find it anywhere, and assume it's been aboished.

I don't want to sound paranoid, but it's as though the whole system is designed to keep us, the public, at arm's length, not to bother them.

It takes no time at all to transfer a number over to a different network.

I think its fair to say Vodafone have scraped by on minimal 3G coverage at least what their license dictates. I have to admit my experience is somewhat contrary to yours but then I live in the suburbs in south Manchester, coverage has been pretty solid for me since October last year. Vodafone is easily doing the most aggressive upgrades of all the networks....places that will get 4G should have similar 3G coverage as well. I know they are shit in some parts of the country, MBNL EE/Three definitely have the lead on that.

I know its no use at the moment, but in the not too distant future Vodafone will arguably have the best network setup given its choice to broadcast 3G over 2100 and 900 spectrum, and 4G over 800 and 2600. They have small allocation of 1800 although I am unsure if they could use just that for 2G as I don't know how much allocation 2G needs.

I also have two phones, a work Vodafone and a personal EE, and have the same experiences as you with Vodafone and Three.

Its not unheard of, both Voda and O2 seem to have rested on their laurels and not invested in 3G - compared to EE and Three. The conclusion is that Voda/O2 have had a lot of corporate business, which is often at very low rates, and corporates don't complain, and just want voice calls.

The world has changed, Voda/O2 have noticed, they are upgrading, and the 4G projects will improve 3G as well. It makes no sense to visit every cell site to upgrade to better 3G, and then come back to do 4G, you should do both together - and they are.

However as they are so far behind EE and Three, it will take years to show much improvement; and EE and Three started in 2008, so could be 5 or 6 years ahead. It will be interesting to see where EE and Three are in 6 years time in comparison.

Once you have 4G-800 then surely there is no reason to worry about 3G-900 ? Unless 4G remains a premium priced add-on, which we suspect isn't sustainable (networks need customers to use 4G to spread the load on all the spectrum).

Surely EE will have the advantage in the future?

That wasn't quite the point of my post though, was it, and I thought that someone would come up with that. The two points I make are:

1) It's taking the piss pushing 4G SO big when 3G is so bloody awful

2) Actually getting in touch is a complete pain. And ringing them won't help because the guys on the end of the phone can't do anything except take flak.

One would think that, however judging by the upgrades they are doing round where I am 3G over 900 seems to be expanding widely. I think all upgrades Vodafone are doing will be part of the 98% indoor coverage they have committed to. 2600 has only now just started to be rolled out.....(which I find puzzling given they could have done this from the off). If I am honest I am not an expert regarding network infrastructure, I only know by what I read and also kindly informed from the people of this forum

But rather than complain about service why not move to a network that works for you? That was kind of my point.

Unless in your OP you meant Vodafone provide better call quality or something? Hence why you're sticking for Vodafone for calls.

I don't really understand why you'd have two lines as one for calls and one for data unless the above was the case.

Thats the part I am unsure of, EE is actively targetting 4G over 1800 at the moment? They haven't released any plans for their small allocation of 800 as yet unless I stand to be corrected? I think 2600 is being used as part of the 300Mb tech city setup? However no further plans as yet for it to rollout around the country.

The point I am making is that Vodafone have access to spectrum which is both good for distance (800/900) and also capacity in dense areas (2100/2600), EE is similar to a point but their 4G coverage isn't as strong arguably due to 1800. Admittedly they use far more mast I think than Vodafone and thus would have better overall capacity.

I see your point.

EE will be using 800Mhz by the end of the year as well as launching 2600Mhz publicly so that's why I said that in the future EE will have the biggest advantage followed by Vodafone. It's also due to the year headstart they had that leads me to believe EE have the bigger advantage, they're already at 70%+ population coverage with plans to expand to 90% by the end of the year by using 800Mhz in rural areas.

I understand what you mean now

I didn't realise EE had plans as yet for 800 or 2600 other than what is publicly communicated (Tech City for example). To be fair to EE the headstart has paid dividends for them.

I think its remarkable as well how fast the network upgrades are taking place there must be some kind of record surely? I don't know if anywhere else in the world or Europe has experienced similar aggressive rollouts.

What puzzles me though is why do they wait in which to use certain spectrum? They will have to pay contractors to go to an already upgraded site to do more work again?

One would think once networks got their spectrum allocation they would upgrade sites using all available frequencies?

Back on topic.....

To the OP if you google ceoemail you will find the boss of Vodafone who can take a look for you.....worked for me when I was experiencing crap coverage (last year) gave me a sure signal.......

In fact here we are

http://www.ceoemail.com/s.php?id=9635

Interesting discussion about who may have the edge in the future - I agree with previous posters, it looks like EE and Voda will be the ones to watch over the next couple of years. It'll be particularly interesting to see what Vodafone do over and above the cornerstone/beacon project - which takes us to O2.

Surely o2 are the ones in potentially the weakest spectrum position for 4G? How would they solve spectrum capacity issues with only their 800 allocation? Hope to win 700 at the next auction? I wouldn't have thought they've anything to re farm either.

Possible 2300Mhz acquisition as well


A lot of planning is involved not just from the network but from the equipment suppliers as well. Hence why sometimes it's not possible to start rolling out straight away. Three for example are probably waiting for VoLTE before rolling out 800Mhz.

EE are planning to launch 2600Mhz + 1800Mhz LTE Advanced soon but there is no UE to take advantage of it just yet. Just one Huawei Mi-Fi which has yet to launch.

I think O2's strategy is to just restrict the amount of data they allow users to use. I really can't think what else they an do, until the next auction.

I live in Birmingham, and the Voda 3g service deteriorated to the point where I had to switch my iPhone's 3G off just so I could make Calls and do texts. I've now been with 3 for 15 months, and the service is incomparably better in every way.

Root Metrics did 27,000 tests in Birmingham between the 15th and 18th of February 2014 and the results put Vodafone ahead of 3 in every respect.

Examine the results as they may prove how the local market has changed in the last couple of years:

http://www.rootmetrics.com/uk/rsr/birmingham

Yes so I saw and that's good because the service was appalling. However, they'll have to work a lot harder to prise me back from 3 who I find are excellent here.

Isn't this the same Rootmetrics report where Three were tested on 3G and the others on 4G?

I'm sure it was discussed previously on this forum .

Complain all you like - Vodafone don't really seem to care.

I left them in 2011 after having a contract with them for 7 years. They really didn't want to give me a PAC, but had no answer when I said that their lack of 3G was my reason for leaving. Except for a free sure signal box, why would I need that? I have wifi at home... It's on the move that you need data...

Vodafone's 3G footprint has not increased up here since 2005. I don't think O2's has either.

The 4G upgrade process includes 3G at the same time. So they should improve dramatically over the next few years, the trouble is, it's 4 years too late.

Their 2G coverage is second to none overall, however. But those masts are old now and GPRS barely works on them.

Also remember who has 4G coverage in some of the smaller and other areas to the very major cities that Root Metrics visit. Where you get very reliable data all over on EE and Three, but extremely patchy data coverage from the others.

That is correct.

Wavejock is still pushing the biased agenda that he has been for years, hence why he says it includes 4G when I and rootmetrics (the guys that actually wrote the report) have evidence that proves him wrong.

Corporates did just need voice in the past but not anymore. You have the likes of BT moving all of their employees from Voda to EE. Part of the reason is due to Voda's 3G coverage being rubbish.

It's a game of leapfrog really. For a while some remain on top then new entrants challenge and the older networks have to regroup and invest to match or better the service provision. That is competition and it's good for delivering more services to more people, more quickly. No business including Vodafone can afford to ignore it's customers and it's likely that what was once poor will become better when the rollout schedule reaches your part of the UK. What you should end up with is a better range of choice and better performance from all the networks which is exactly what recent large scale surveys have been reporting.

PS: I have ignore on some that persistently post personalised responses after me. It's been happening for a long time and has become a 'mission' if one looks at the pattern of activity. Excuse me if I choose not to engage the repeated taunts, I prefer to remain on-topic.