[Everything Goes]

Ever wanted to easily compare 3G and 4G coverage for all 4 networks in one go but were unable to? Well fret no more. Here is a snapshot of 3G and 4G coverage for all networks as of June 2014. EE has the best followed closely by Three. O2 and Vodafone coming in last by a very wide margin showing what a decade of minimal investment will do!

http://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php...g-roaming.html

The article is about National Roaming and is worth a read.

[d123]

Vodafone is absolutely awful on those maps, even compared to O2.

[KesterK]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Everything Goes

Ever wanted to easily compare 3G and 4G coverage for all 4 networks in one go but were unable to? Well fret no more. Here is a snapshot of 3G and 4G coverage for all networks as of June 2014. EE has the best followed closely by Three. O2 and Vodafone coming in last by a very wide margin showing what a decade of minimal investment will do!

http://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php...g-roaming.html

The article is about National Roaming and is worth a read.

Amazed at how patchy Vodafone and O2's national coverage is! However, not been following the 4G roll outs of anyone other than EE, surprised at how fast Vodafone and O2 are catching EE up, but what's going on with three's 4G?

[Zebb]

Are there any mobile phone aerials in that mast in the first photo?

O2 have started with 4G coverage in a little village around here not in the major cities or towns, very strange.

Those maps should change dramatically when the 4G DD coverage gets going next year.

[Everything Goes]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KesterK

Amazed at how patchy Vodafone and O2's national coverage is! However, not been following the 4G roll outs of anyone other than EE, surprised at how fast Vodafone and O2 are catching EE up, but what's going on with three's 4G?

The problem for O2 and Vodafone is they only belatedly met Ofcom's 3G coverage obligations and did little beyond that. They both have a huge amount of work to do to even get remotely near EE. Three and EE continued to invest in their data networks beyond their coverage obligation's while O2 and Vodafone did nothing.

[Step666]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KesterK

Amazed at how patchy Vodafone and O2's national coverage is!

The most amazing thing about Vodafone, IMO, is how frequently I can have decent signal but not actually be able to do anything - full bars H+ yet webpages won't load, apps that require data access don't update/refresh.

The problem isn't the handset, I go through them too quickly; nor is it the location as I've experienced it all over Scotland and a bit more - from Berwick to Dingwall.

[jonmorris]

I find the same (good signal, no data) on O2 and Vodafone, and before the merger, it was just as bad on Orange. Perhaps worse in many places.

Orange clearly gained an awful lot by merging with T-Mobile, and the additional benefit of T-Mobile having already teamed up with Three. Both T-Mobile and Three had been investing heavily in 3G with data in mind.

Hell, Orange was so bad for me that when I could roam onto T-Mobile early on but 2G only, I did so because T-Mobile 2G data worked when Orange 2G or 3G data often didn't!

The question is whether O2 and Vodafone will now spend the money to rectify all the problems, with the added benefit of improving both 3G and 2G coverage at the same time. If it can, we can hopefully forget that three networks were happy to get so complacent and got away with it for years.

Problem is, history has a tendency of repeating itself.

[The Lord Lucan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Step666

The most amazing thing about Vodafone, IMO, is how frequently I can have decent signal but not actually be able to do anything - full bars H+ yet webpages won't load, apps that require data access don't update/refresh.

The problem isn't the handset, I go through them too quickly; nor is it the location as I've experienced it all over Scotland and a bit more - from Berwick to Dingwall.

You are not the only one.. I sometimes see a stronger signal with Voda than any other network. For it to only be in giving data of less than <1mb on 3G and 2-4mb on 4G with huge latency or nothing at all..

[PencilBreath]

it'll be 6G by the time o2 pulls their finger out of their ass & provides 4g for Aberdeen

[1saintly]

Take no notice of those maps. The O2 one shows i can drive from Hull to Liverpool with a 3g signal all the way. yeah right whatever, i know from experience, you wont get that. and same for drive up to Newcastle New phones at xmas will not be withO2 signal is crap, its a embarrassment the state of mobile phone network in the uk. Same goes for broadband.
rip off uk again, and dont get me started on kevin bacon!
Weve got sky go, iplayer etc etc, but you try using them on a mobile device and if you are lucky to get a signal, youre data usage screws you.
Rant over

[de525ma]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PencilBreath

it'll be 6G by the time o2 pulls their finger out of their ass & provides 4g for Aberdeen

Well the O2 mast on St Machar drive was replaced last week, and is now providing Vodafone 4G, so I'd expect O2 to be along very soon. The cabinets are there.

[moox]

Those Vodafone (and to a slightly lesser extent O2) 3G maps look utterly woeful.

3's 4G coverage map looks broken. I know that they're way behind compared to the other networks but I'd bet that it's a lot better than almost 0%?

[maverickjesus]

Ofcom have refused to use Three's coverage/metrics data for 4G, because they aren't happy with how accurate it is (its on one of the ISP review articles, something to do with Three being quite opaque as to how the figures are calculated). Thats why there is no 4G on there.

[moox]

Quote:

Originally Posted by maverickjesus

Ofcom have refused to use Three's coverage/metrics data for 4G, because they aren't happy with how accurate it is (its on one of the ISP review articles, something to do with Three being quite opaque as to how the figures are calculated). Thats why there is no 4G on there.

That would make more sense. Hopefully 3 aren't trying to embellish their pitiful 4G coverage and impending failure to meet that end of the year target

[Resonance]

Tallies with my experience. O2 (Tesco) forget it for data outside of towns/cities. EE is so much better.

When visiting Scotland O2's coverage is a joke (as the maps confirm).

It amazes me that O2 keep managing to add customers. I just don't get it?

[moox]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Resonance

It amazes me that O2 keep managing to add customers. I just don't get it?

Because people don't know better. I have been on a train multiple times where people accept horrific GPRS performance and assume it's the train or that it is a rural area that is making it bad, when other networks perform so much better in the same spot - such as 3, where I can stream netflix while they struggle to get email.

e.g. David Cameron suddenly thinking rural coverage is bad because he couldn't use his (probably Vodafone or O2) phone in Cornwall, when 3 or EE would probably have been so much better

O2 also has the iPhone legacy where people moved to them to get the iPhone when it was exclusive and can't be bothered to move elsewhere

[Everything Goes]

Quote:

Originally Posted by moox

Because people don't know better. I have been on a train multiple times where people accept horrific GPRS performance and assume it's the train or that it is a rural area that is making it bad, when other networks perform so much better in the same spot - such as 3, where I can stream netflix while they struggle to get email.

e.g. David Cameron suddenly thinking rural coverage is bad because he couldn't use his (probably Vodafone or O2) phone in Cornwall, when 3 or EE would probably have been so much better

O2 also has the iPhone legacy where people moved to them to get the iPhone when it was exclusive and can't be bothered to move elsewhere

It had been reported on another thread that it was indeed Vodafone that David Cameron was using

The iPhone tie in with O2 is an interesting one. O2 has by far the lowest Smartphone penetration at 50% which it just reached this year while other networks are a lot more. Even Vodafone are at 63.8%. Perhaps O2 tied in some initial customers who didn't leave but they have since then pretty much stagnated. Probably due to useless data network.

Where is Wavejock to defend O2's wise lack of investment

[Thine Wonk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Everything Goes

Where is Wavejock to defend O2's wise lack of investment

He's banned again.

[Everything Goes]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thine Wonk

He's banned again.

That must be about a week now.......

[Thine Wonk]

What a pleasant week it has been too, just nice discussion and we've all got along.

[Everything Goes]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thine Wonk

What a pleasant week it has been too, just nice discussion and we've all got along.

Its been great people have been having proper discussions

[Gigabit]

To be fair, in my experience all networks are equally crap on the train (at least South West train routes). Number one: there are massive areas with no masts at all, as there are no people living in these areas and Network Rail hasn't given mobile phone companies access to the land (don't know why).

The trains also block the signals - what a fantastic idea that was.

[Gigabit]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Everything Goes

That must be about a week now.......

Permabanned?

[The Lord Lucan]

Network Rail is to become a bit more open shortly regarding train coverage..

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gigabit

Permabanned?

Mibby..

However It's good entertainment to let him come back occasionally to then get banned again..

[moox]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gigabit

To be fair, in my experience all networks are equally crap on the train (at least South West train routes). Number one: there are massive areas with no masts at all, as there are no people living in these areas and Network Rail hasn't given mobile phone companies access to the land (don't know why).

The trains also block the signals - what a fantastic idea that was.

I use First Great Western between Cornwall and London and it isn't that bad on 3 or EE, but awful on VF or O2, which mirrors the situation for most people.

NR is trying to improve data coverage but one hurdle is that their masts were typically built without planning permission, which they are entitled to do because they host a safety critical network for railway use so reliability trumps aesthetics, but putting equipment to host a public mobile network will need permission and could be denied due to NIMBYism