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No 3G on Three - I can still text? |
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#1 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,581
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No 3G on Three - I can still text?
I've had Three for about a year now and I always assumed if I had no 3G my phone was useless but it turns out I can change my iMessages to text and send them that way? I guess I've been dim for a while but I assumed it was 3G or nothing...?
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#2 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 720
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In some places Three have an agreement with EE where you'll fallback to their 2G network. Data isn't allowed but calls and texts are. This is only available in some parts of the country though.
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#3 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 14,640
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Quote:
In some places Three have an agreement with EE where you'll fallback to their 2G network. Data isn't allowed but calls and texts are. This is only available in some parts of the country though.
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#4 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 2,876
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I have a theory that it's only former Orange masts that Three customers can (occasionally) use.
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#5 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 1,458
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Quote:
I have a theory that it's only former Orange masts that Three customers can (occasionally) use.
I was under the impression that these orange 2g masts were the only non-mbnl 2g masts left. Havent Tmobiles all been decommisioned or turned into MBNL shared masts? Though maybe the EE 2g from the MBNL masts are unavailable for three customers even were the extra distance from 1800mhz would allow coverage in blackspot areas. Does anyone actually know? |
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#6 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Woore, Cheshire/Shropshire
Posts: 1,675
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Do you get much extra distance or better indoor coverage from 1800 vs 2100? Not a massive Difference in frequency or is it that the 2g tech is more robust then 3g?
2g backup has largely been removed in all but some rural areas around me, although often irritating add there was no data, that loss coupled with the orange 3g masts which are not integrated into MBNL leaves three which worse coverage around here in Staffordshire then EE. |
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#7 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,581
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Quote:
In some places Three have an agreement with EE where you'll fallback to their 2G network. Data isn't allowed but calls and texts are. This is only available in some parts of the country though.
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#8 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 14,640
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Quote:
Would it not show an icon for 2G though? I only get a signal bar, the 3 icon, but nothing else. Yet I can text but can't use iMessage.
IIRC that's the reason why it shows 3G or 4G, because it has connected to the data network, not because you are picking up a signal |
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#9 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 720
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Quote:
Would it not show an icon for 2G though? I only get a signal bar, the 3 icon, but nothing else. Yet I can text but can't use iMessage.
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#10 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,581
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Quote:
The "2g icon" actually means data. iMessage uses data. As I said, data is not available when using the 2g fallback.
Oh that's where I'm getting confused then!
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#11 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 1,458
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On Iphone you get the 3 symbol alone, on vanilla Android you get the r roaming data signal (but cant actually use data)
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#12 |
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Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 720
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Quote:
On Iphone you get the 3 symbol alone, on vanilla Android you get the r roaming data signal (but cant actually use data)
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#13 |
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Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 1,458
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my nexus 5 on kitkit always showed the roaming r, not checked it on lollipop.
I was shocked when I first saw the r, as previously I have always seen just the signal strength and no letters on previous phones, pretty much seem all androids behave differently with this. |
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#14 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 720
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Quote:
my nexus 5 on kitkit always showed the roaming r, not checked it on lollipop.
I was shocked when I first saw the r, as previously I have always seen just the signal strength and no letters on previous phones, pretty much seem all androids behave differently with this. |
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#15 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 95
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I find the 2G fallback oddly inconsistent. Every time I get the train to Britsol Parkway, my phone switches to 2G fallback in a tunnel near the station, and often won't switch back for ages without me toggling airplane mode, leaving me with no data. I would guess the signal in the tunnel is ex-Orange due to this project.
When I went to the Yorkshire Dales over summer, there was no 2G fallback even though 3 had no signal in the village I was staying but EE did have 2G (not sure if it was ex-Orange or not). To be honest the fallback then would have been much more useful than in the train tunnel! I can't see the logic in where they've turned it off and where they haven't. |
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#16 |
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Join Date: May 2012
Location: South Wales (Brecon Beacons)
Posts: 489
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I live in south wales and haven't noticed any 2G coverage fall-back as the 3G is very good around here. I have experienced it once or twice though where all the networks only have 2G.
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#17 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 720
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Quote:
I live in south wales and haven't noticed any 2G coverage fall-back as the 3G is very good around here. I have experienced it once or twice though where all the networks only have 2G.
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#18 |
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Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: This forum
Posts: 3,389
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Quote:
The iPhone would show a degree symbol
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#19 |
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Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Scotland
Posts: 4,966
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The iPhone shows nothing other than the operator name when data is not available.
On a side note it's not just Orange sites that Three are able to use, it's upto Three to select which regions get 2G and which that do not. The Three sims may identify the site as Orange but strangely that doesn't mean it hasn't become part of the Borg ie MBNL & upgraded. |
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#20 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Suffolk, East Anglia
Posts: 665
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What i am interested in is how 3 allow access to certain Orange masts for 2G voice/text? Is it just as simple as a specific list of authorised cell sites?
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#21 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Leicester
Posts: 897
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Quote:
What i am interested in is how 3 allow access to certain Orange masts for 2G voice/text? Is it just as simple as a specific list of authorised cell sites?
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#22 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Bristol (BBC1 West)
Posts: 15,143
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Quote:
What i am interested in is how 3 allow access to certain Orange masts for 2G voice/text? Is it just as simple as a specific list of authorised cell sites?
I've seen people speculate on here that it might not be technically feasible to allow/deny access on a site by site basis, and that it's done on an "area by area" basis. |
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#23 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Scotland
Posts: 4,966
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Area but site is possible.
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#24 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Shropshire
Posts: 641
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Even though 3G is good in shropshire, I sometimes go onto 2G fallback in Telford & Shrewsbury
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Oh that's where I'm getting confused then!
