What will be the best network to be on in 2016? This is a tricky question at the best of times and is wholly dependant upon how you use your phone. However with potential mergers Hutchison (Three and O2) and acquisitions BT and EE it makes it ever more complicated. It must be noted that these deals are subject to shareholder and regulatory approval and are far from done deals. But lets assume they get the go ahead. Things will start to change in 12-18 months from now. So if you are signing up for a new 24 month contract you may have to think ahead!

1. Networks notably Three and O2 may have to give up some spectrum. Plus it has been said on other threads that such a large operator may have problems with bandwidth and will need to acquire additional spectrum in forthcoming auctions. Something that may worry skin flint BT (its not so much acquiring spectrum its rolling it out that's the issue here).

2. There are potential technical issues notably roaming between networks may be problematic to begin with which may be a worry for Three and O2 customers.

3. Three customers will be able to use O2's legendary 2G network which is only really useful for texts and calls using O2's amazing half rate audio codec. However this may be better for indoor usage. Some customers may want to switch to 3G/4G only mode! Plus O2 customers will be able to enjoy a proper 3G network.

4. BT hate investment and it does make me wonder what their long terms plans are with EE. While im sure 4G will be completed 5G may well take a much longer time to roll out. Ofcom hope 5G will start in 2020.

5. BT may have to divest themselves of Openreach. I can only see this as a good thing.

6. Price wars or price rises? Less competition may mean higher prices however it could also mean a price war as BT are interested in Quad play. Whether customers are interested or not is an altogether different matter.

7. Vodafone is the only really independent network left. They have a decent amount of spectrum but lacklustre 3G rollout is hardly inspiring. Vodafone are a premium network who have been resting on their laurels for the past 10 years. Their 4G roll out has been faster. They have a lot of potential but will they use it?

It's going to be Vodafone or EE.

Neither of them are merging with another network plus they own plenty of spectrum and Vodafone even has their own fibre network. They've already launched LTE-a as well.

The problem with Vodafone is that it still has a lot of catching up to do but in 2016 they'll be a good way there.

EE's danger is getting stuck back haul wise or saying that's enough at 90%.

Vodafone seem to be heading in a very positive way.

I was a customer with them for years but it got to the point where the network just felt so archaic and their prices were awfully expensive. I moved to EE for two years.

I have since moved back to Vodafone and the service has been fantastic so far. Definitely better than EE for me personally. And there seems to be a daily improvement.

Voda are still way behind in rural areas - just their old 2g network. I think it's too much work to catch up with EE over the next 2 years.

I believe 3 and EE, its been proof for the last few years, especially Three, with EE (or Orange then) when orange was crap before they started using Three/T-Mobile masts.

I think Three will be pumping a lot of money into upgrading O2's 3G masts if the deal goes through and with around 19,000 masts before the end of summer, even before the O2 deal goes through I think it'll be excellent.

The new spectrum will soon be available (2300MHz) and I believe when Bt/EE become BT Mobile Three will get some of that 2600 spectrum, if not all of BT's.

We'll just have to wait and see.

That's a lot of maybe's.

Regarding o2 and Three it's a big uncertainty, at the moment they don't have much 4g spectrum, which could change with all of the deals going on. If they play their cards right then they could develop a good network but while they are faffing around with it it doesn't stop EE and Vodafone expanding at a massive rate.

Btee...

Three if they have sense will halt their 4g now and let o2 and voda do the work. This gets them an all in one package upgrade and then just fill in the 3g gaps with the MNLB of those "few" remaining orange masts that are meant to be done by the end of the year?

Definitely Vodafone for someone like myself who spends most of their time inside the M25. I've lost count of the number of times friends have had solid 3G/4G signal in places I've had no service on EE (always inside, EE is great outside!).

If I spent more time in other parts of the country it'd be 3 for me. EE's decision to not use 800Mhz on anything but rural masts is baffling to me. 3 by all accounts won't be so shy with their 800Mhz rollout *and* they're merging with o2. As long as I have usable data I'm happy. It can be 2Mbps or 100Mbps as long as the pings are decent and it's reliable I couldn't care either way. I'm sure 3 can deliver this.

Depends on where you fall in the great Russian Roulette of Vodafone roll out. Around here the rural areas are crap for 3G from every network bar EE / Three, the nearest 3G coverage from Vodafone and O2 being about 7 miles distant, and still the years tick by and the void from these two networks doesn't seem to be narrowing.

EE and Three have had 3G in most of these areas for years, and now EE has 4G in some very remote spots within the area, yet Vodafone can't even bring outdoor 3G coverage to it.

I'm sure that Vodafone works great in the major Cities, and larger Town centres, but i'm not sure that i'd recommend them for anybody who needs regular 3G data access outside of a Town


Locally to where I work its EE who are faffing around, painfully so. O2, (regardless of any spectrum limitation) has just brought 4G into the Town, whilst EE / Three don't even have a date set and struggle massively with 3G speeds and heavy congestion. This isn't a rural Town in the middle of nothingsville either, its on the main arterial A34 link between Stoke and Manchester.

Out of all of the networks, O2 was the last one which i'd have ever believed to be the first with 4G to this Town. But actions speak louder than marketing

God, you do like to type and type don't you..
You only needed 5 characters, you could've saved two of those full stops!!
Hahahahaha

Yeah Btee but hope it's still just EE with Swantee in charge.
If not, we're screwed.

Isn't the combined o2/3 2x15 800mhz and 2x20 1800mhz more "good" 4g spectrum than vodafone?

i.e. vodafone with their bigger/fewer masts are better philosophy will have to install thousands of new masts to use their 2600mhz holdings effectively. Which they didn't do for the 2100 3g holdings.

It depends what good spectrum is. At the moment non of their 800 and 1800 is next to each other frequency wise so I think they'd have to reorganise the spectrum (which is probably going to have to happen anyway). On the other hand Vodafone and EE won't really have to worry about that (except maybe EE selling some 2600)

You make a fair point about Vodafone not doing it with their 2100 3g but it depends how much they are willing to invest. If they are willing to significantly upgrade their network by installing as many masts as they can and utilising that 2600 to its full extent then they will do well, but their 800mhz network isn't doing too bad at the moment so it's possible that it will just be used in congested places to relive strain.

But my point was that they may end up with lots of spectrum but they will have to sort it all out before they can utilise it, during this time EE and Vodafone will be able to continue with their rollout.

There's also the question of with the number of subscribers that they expect to have, all wanting a premium service presumably will the spectrum be enough to cope? Probably yes but it's a long road and it's possible that with careful planning and a bit of luck it'll come through but it looks as though it maybe cheaper and easier for Vodafone and EE to deliver a quality service both speed and coverage wise.

Well it will be 2x15MHz of 800MHz and 2x15MHz of 1800MHz at first as the combined entity would have to start refarming there 1800MHz they currently use for 2G to 4G won't be an overnight thing.

The coverage will likely be identical on 800MHz LTE but you have to factor in that O2/3 will have far more customers than Vodafone around 30/31 million where as Vodafone is nearer 20 million. So you need factor that in as well so speeds might be around the same amount.

Of course Three/O2 combined entity might need give up 2x5MHz of that spectrum because they would have too much low band spectrum to EE.

In regards to 1800MHz LTE it would be good if Three actually deployed it properly but clearly by there current rollout it won't be can see it like what happened with Vodafone on 2100MHz only used in cities. Probably even less used.

Plus you have to factor in how long it will take combine the two networks they won't likely get regulatory approval until early next year so will be a surprise if the networks start to integrate before end of next year.

I think next year EE will still be ahead of the others I think Vodafone will have start to catch up though as they clearly have a strong network plan at moment.

idont think Three/O2 will have to give up anything, only because they will have about 5 million more customers than BT/EE

Technically they have similar 800 mhz spectrum per customer as e/02 would hold 50% more spectrum. (point noted about potentially having to give some of that to EE - but I guess that would be part of a much bigger spectrum equalisation project) (edit - I misread you original comment and am agreeing with it.)

I'm just not as convinced by Vodafone as many of you are - its still 2g or really crappy 3g wherever I go. (My GF is on voda and it really is terrible)

Its going to be hard to beat EE if they put their 1800mhz spectrum on every MBNL mast - it should match their 3g coverage, be super fast and not require any new masts.

Not saying it's a certain they will be forced give up some of that spectrum but think it's very likely they won't be allowed bid for a 2x10MHz block of 700MHz as they definetely will have the most lowband spectrum of anyone. They currently have 2x27.4MHz of Lowband spectrum the combined company would have 2x32.4MHz a lowband spectrum cap is happening in the U.S. For networks that don't have a lot of lowband spectrum can't see why same can't happen in UK,


Ive seen a lot of Vodafones work recently in Stoke it is a massive job they are doing but it is going well from what I've seen. Plus things like they are planning to launch WiFi Calling and VoLTE shows that they have a strong plan in mind.

Vodafone of the past is still there and not saying it won't be a long process to fixing that but towards end of this year I think you will start to see what me and others are at moment.

Regarding Vodafone I have been quite surprised while playing about with the PAYG Sim I picked up a week or so ago. 4Mbps on 3G while sat in the living room of my parents house in a small villiage in South Wales where no other network gets any indoor signal (and the landline broadband speed is 1.9Mbps) and 15Mbps on 4G while passing through Cardiff on a train. Not amazing by any means, but not the "you will not get any data throughput" I expected! Still got some way to come though as I did hit areas where despite strong 3G signal, data speeds were less than 1Mbps.

You must BT Congletion then. Vodafone is also live there ..done just after the 2 sites they did in Stoke.

They have only done 2 sites in Stoke haven't they? That coverage map doesn't suggest much more is planned either. Hope they do just like I hope EE get a move on and bring those old 2g masts into MNLB and 3g offering.

There is definitely more than 2 sites in Stoke going on i've seen quite a few masts being worked on.

Really? Only 2 showing on the map and o2 are warning one of them will be worked on tomorrow. I'm impressed with my improved 3g so can't moan myself but still loads of half complete sites.

o2's map doesn't get updated as often as Vodafone's does it? I know Voda's was updated today so it might be a bit better to check for Cornerstone rollouts there?

i meant there is far more than 2 being upgraded in Stoke i've seen several in various stages of upgrades. Most are waiting on backhaul I believe.