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Three has drastically reduced coverage in France
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Phat Kev
12-01-2015
Since the new year Three has changed it's French network provider from Bouygues Telecom to 'Free'. Coverage in France is now only available around large towns leaving rural areas (most of the country) without coverage. When I called to complain I was told that Free will improve when it has finished building more masts. (several months) This is totally unacceptable and I would urge Three customers to complain if they have similar problems in France
Gigabit
12-01-2015
"Building more masts" - because Three UK know all about a French network providers' network plans?
exterra
12-01-2015
free's coverage map for france:

http://www.sensorly.com/map/2G-3G/FR/France/Free/gsm_20814#|coverage
binary
12-01-2015
Originally Posted by exterra:
“free's coverage map for france:

http://www.sensorly.com/map/2G-3G/FR/France/Free/gsm_20814#|coverage”

I was just looking at a particular small town in rural part of France and I was about to say how bad the Free coverage looks (just along the main roads), but then I looked at the other networks and they all look equally as bad - and of course then I realised I was looking at a crowd sourced coverage map, in an area where people seemingly have better things to do than spend their time running network tests (though maybe saying such a thing on this forum comes close to cellular blasphemy!).

Meanwhile, here is Free's official coverage map (as found on their website):
http://mobile.free.fr/couverture/

(...and unsurprisingly the coverage of that same small town looks rather better!)
omnidirectional
12-01-2015
Does Free still rely on Orange in places where it has no coverage?

If Three customers can't access Orange then there may be large gaps in coverage.
Thine Wonk
12-01-2015
To be honest international roaming is offered 'as is'. I wonder if you can add the addon for EU roaming and get access to the other networks that you don't get under the feel at home default. If not it may be best to change networks if roaming in France is a key issue, they all offer different things and if Three only allow 1 roaming partner because of 'like home' they aren't going to change that.
Icaraa
12-01-2015
When I briefly passed through Paris CDG airport last month my phone roamed onto Bouygues and showed 3G but I had no throughput. At my final destination (the US) all worked well though.
rasseru16
12-01-2015
Originally Posted by Phat Kev:
“Since the new year Three has changed it's French network provider from Bouygues Telecom to 'Free'. Coverage in France is now only available around large towns leaving rural areas (most of the country) without coverage. When I called to complain I was told that Free will improve when it has finished building more masts. (several months) This is totally unacceptable and I would urge Three customers to complain if they have similar problems in France”

If you look at 3's roaming agreements in France you can also roam onto Orange Fr, this is probably the best network in France
Phat Kev
12-01-2015
Originally Posted by rasseru16:
“If you look at 3's roaming agreements in France you can also roam onto Orange Fr, this is probably the best network in France ”

Don't think so - it's Free or nothing and nothing isn't much worse than Free
squawkBOX
12-01-2015
Are you sure?

If you are in France at the moment, can you reboot and try to manually select Orange France?

Three have changed from Bouygues to Orange France (Dec 2014). Free has always been a 2nd roaming partner since Feel At Home started in France.
Old Endeavour
12-01-2015
Originally Posted by Gigabit:
“"Building more masts" - because Three UK know all about a French network providers' network plans?”

I'm convinced that Three know exactly the same about French masts as they do those in the UK as whatever the question, the answer is always the same: "errrr ummm yeah, it's coming soon, sometime, maybe, never.".

Ask them about 4G roll out and that's always the answer.
Old Endeavour
12-01-2015
Originally Posted by squawkBOX:
“Are you sure?

If you are in France at the moment, can you reboot and try to manually select Orange France?

Three have changed from Bouygues to Orange France (Dec 2014). Free has always been a 2nd roaming partner since Feel At Home started in France.”

Strange as I live in Folkestone and if I go up to the top of town over-looking the channel, I can pick up an Orange 4G signal from France, but it won't let me connect with it.

Do I have to switch roaming on or something?
GeorgeMC
13-01-2015
Who wants to go to France anyway? There are much friendlier places in Europe.
call100
13-01-2015
Originally Posted by GeorgeMC:
“Who wants to go to France anyway? There are much friendlier places in Europe.”

You don't know much about the place obviously....
rasseru16
13-01-2015
Originally Posted by squawkBOX:
“Are you sure?

If you are in France at the moment, can you reboot and try to manually select Orange France?

Three have changed from Bouygues to Orange France (Dec 2014). Free has always been a 2nd roaming partner since Feel At Home started in France.”

Agreed, a manual network selection should let you select Orange Fr.
Kal El
13-01-2015
Three's website states Free and Orange
Batch
13-01-2015
Originally Posted by binary:
“Meanwhile, here is Free's official coverage map (as found on their website):
http://mobile.free.fr/couverture/”

I don't trust it. Look how the predicted coverage stops exactly at the borders


moox
13-01-2015
Originally Posted by Old Endeavour:
“Strange as I live in Folkestone and if I go up to the top of town over-looking the channel, I can pick up an Orange 4G signal from France, but it won't let me connect with it.

Do I have to switch roaming on or something?”

It works both ways. Perhaps the higher power cell site in France can get to you, but perhaps the small power output of your phone isn't enough to cross the channel, so the French network can't actually "hear" your phone.
jabbamk1
13-01-2015
Originally Posted by Old Endeavour:
“Strange as I live in Folkestone and if I go up to the top of town over-looking the channel, I can pick up an Orange 4G signal from France, but it won't let me connect with it.

Do I have to switch roaming on or something?”

Three don't have 4G roaming.
oilman
13-01-2015
Originally Posted by GeorgeMC:
“Who wants to go to France anyway? There are much friendlier places in Europe.”

I'll bet you are a "If I speak loud enough in english, they will understand me" person!
Old Endeavour
13-01-2015
Originally Posted by jabbamk1:
“Three don't have 4G roaming.”


That could be the problem then!

Today I did another network search over-looking the channel and picked up another French 4G service so now two French 4G services I can find but not one on any network in my own town.

Je Suis Pissed Off!
Gigabit
13-01-2015
Three don't have 4G roaming because 4G would work better in other countries than on the home network.
plymouthbloke1974
13-01-2015
Originally Posted by moox:
“It works both ways. Perhaps the higher power cell site in France can get to you, but perhaps the small power output of your phone isn't enough to cross the channel, so the French network can't actually "hear" your phone.”

Yes, in the same way that just outside Plymouth there is a beach which I can pick up Orange France 3G, SFR 3G, Bouygues 3G, Sure and Vodafone Jersey but I cannot log onto any of them as my phone isn't as powerful in the other direction.
Old Endeavour
13-01-2015
...but you just know that I'm going to try it though!
japaul
13-01-2015
Originally Posted by omnidirectional:
“Does Free still rely on Orange in places where it has no coverage?

If Three customers can't access Orange then there may be large gaps in coverage.”

Yes, Free use Orange for a lot of 3G coverage (and all of their 2G). I think the Free coverage map includes the Orange roaming that their own customers can use.
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