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No 3G on Three - I can still text?


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Old 03-12-2014, 09:52
roadshow2006
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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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Old 03-12-2014, 09:58
WelshBluebird
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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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Old 03-12-2014, 10:29
moox
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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.
I'm not sure what areas got turned off but it still seems to be on for great amounts of the south, including all of Devon and Cornwall (even though the 3G coverage in general is actually pretty good)
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Old 03-12-2014, 10:29
Gigabit
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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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Old 03-12-2014, 10:41
corf
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I have a theory that it's only former Orange masts that Three customers can (occasionally) use.
Most/all of wales seems to have Orange 2g fall back.

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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Old 03-12-2014, 11:05
jaffboy151
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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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Old 03-12-2014, 11:06
roadshow2006
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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.
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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Old 03-12-2014, 11:16
moox
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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.
The iPhone would show a degree symbol, but that's only if the phone is connected to GPRS, and as 3 doesn't let you use data when roaming on EE it won't display that as it is not allowed to connect to GPRS

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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Old 03-12-2014, 11:17
WelshBluebird
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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.
The "2g icon" actually means data. iMessage uses data. As I said, data is not available when using the 2g fallback.
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Old 03-12-2014, 11:18
roadshow2006
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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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Old 03-12-2014, 11:24
corf
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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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Old 03-12-2014, 11:29
WelshBluebird
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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)
I'm seeing something slightly different. My Moto G 4G (running Motorola's stock OS) will initially show the R symbol for about 1 second and then it will disappear. My Galaxy S4 (running cyanogenmod) never shows any symbol when on 2g. Not sure what the stock behaviour of the S4 is.
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Old 03-12-2014, 11:46
corf
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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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Old 03-12-2014, 11:58
WelshBluebird
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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.
Guessing its something the manufacturer can modify as part of their stock ROM. Similar to how different ROM's (and different networks even) show different things for 4G (my Moto G 4G shows "4G", my Galaxy S4 with Cyanogenmod shows "LTE").
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Old 03-12-2014, 12:44
voodoofish
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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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Old 08-12-2014, 11:42
Jwhiterz
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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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Old 08-12-2014, 12:10
WelshBluebird
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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.
2G fallback certainly is available in the valleys at least, presumably because Three does struggle with 3G in the upper valleys (anywhere north of Pontypridd in my experience).
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Old 08-12-2014, 19:47
jchamier
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The iPhone would show a degree symbol
iOS 7 replaced the degree symbol with the label "GPRS" for er, GPRS, and in the US and other CDMA markets for 1xRTT. (essentially the same thing on CDMA).
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Old 09-12-2014, 21:18
The Lord Lucan
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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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Old 09-12-2014, 22:26
rasseru16
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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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Old 10-12-2014, 12:37
Dan 8t1
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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?
I'd imagine it's done on the network side, 3 asking Orange to only enable roaming for their customers on certain cell sites. Then when your phone is scanning, it just asks the individual cell site and gets a yes or no.
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Old 10-12-2014, 12:39
Daveoc64
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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?
I don't think anyone knows exactly.

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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Old 11-12-2014, 15:30
The Lord Lucan
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Area but site is possible.
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Old 13-12-2014, 09:24
pepstar
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Even though 3G is good in shropshire, I sometimes go onto 2G fallback in Telford & Shrewsbury
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