It's an improvement that my iPad can access 800 even if it goes back to 3G.

Previously it would often be stuck in no man's land as it would try to access 800 after searching because it thought it should be able to and on an initial search it's designed to prefer 4G networks. However after being given the brush off from Three it would sit there and sulk for a bit either with the network name showing but no 3G/4G indicator or sometimes 'No Service.' After a bit it would log on to 3G. Now it's much smoother as it isn't getting rejected.

Can't see EE having 800mhz set to a higher priority then 2100mhz 3g at least in the short term while 1800mhz 4g is on low power, the small 5mhz bandwidth would just get swamped quickly as almost everyone indoors would switch to it when the weak 1800mhz drops off instead of the stronger 2100mhz 3g.
It seems to me with three, the priority levels of tech are about right it's just the cut off level which the phone switches between them that's screwing things up, then it should stay with 800mhz 4g signal permitting until the call ends to avoid other signal related issues creeping into the mix.

EE 800 priority is above 3G (in London at least). The cells I've seen have all been on 4 which compares with 3 for 3G and 6 for 1800 4G.

Yeah, they're going to do it properly.
800 will be higher.
Indoors not a problem.
It will be mostly calls and most phones will be on WiFi.

Is 2600MHz 7 ? Assume that would be the highest priority as they have so much of it.

Yeah, all 2600 is on 7 including the 15MHz carrier.

Thanks figured that would be the case. 800MHz has great potential if used properly I'm really hoping EE doesn't mess it up like Three have so far.

Well chaps i managed to get onto 4G 800 this morning. I forced the bottom of the phone into my belly and then cupped the top with my hands. BINGO, 4G 800 3 bars.

So if they do prioritise it, it will certainly fix my call issues where most of my house gets 1 bar and the phone call quality really is ropey. So really this whole "3g priority line" is all well and good but in practice its a bad implementation for quality at least.

I wouldn't care if they somehow could make it switch when it gets to 1 bar, but i don't know how these things work.

Its obviously very useful if it connects but so far today its been as useful as a chocolate teapot.

2 stores in the local town have no coverage in doors. Neither time did it hook onto 4G.

See, you were just holding it wrong before!

Why have they set it up like that?
Is it not possible to get an idle phone to switch to 800 at a useful 3G signal level?
Is it the case that the higher 3G priority will always cause the phone to switch to a virtually non-existent 3G signal and there's no way around it?
Since the phone decides when idle as you have taught us!
If so, what a **** up. Must be loads of people indoors with 1 unusable 3G bar in a sea of strong 800!
They gotta change the priority otherwise it's pointless.
Do they actually know what they are doing?

EDIT: It's exactly what an EE phone does between 3G and 2G.
The phone will sit on a useless 3G signal when you know 2G is there but only when idle.
During a call the network will push the phone to 2G (most of the time).
I don't think they can do anything about it.

Yup that's how it is. I can get an unusable 3G signal and it happily camps on it rather than switching to completely usable 4G 800.

Although the phone gets to decide what to do when idle, it's only using parameters the network has given it and these include thresholds as well as priority so yes, they could do something about it.

I think though that Three don't actually want a lot of users on 800 at the moment. The current 800 cells mostly cover big areas and there aren't that many of them. If they were to let more users on them then they wouldn't be able to be as big. They resemble the days of the analogue rollout or perhaps Cellnet's original 2G network. Fine when you don't have many subs and want to build coverage quickly but not the rollout you would normally see in a more mature network.

Remember Three have to hit the 90% geo voice requirement but don't have the luxury of an existing 2G network that gets them most of the way there already. Volte is a perfectly valid way of making sure they reach the requirement but to do that at a reasonable cost it has to be based on 800 and large cell sizes which means not many users on them.

Thanks. yeah I had speculated about that a few time here. Not enough capacity.
They are a bit stuck really as what they should really do is get a UK wide 1800 network first but I spose they'd be doomed to be on low power for ever since there's no 2G to CSFB to.

I remember you saying about the idle mode parameters being sent by the network now.
Can't the active call threshold be different though?
A few here saying an 800 call jumps onto the slightest whiff of 3G and drops.
Surely that can be changed? Maybe a local glitch.

I've been out with Huawei tonight and apparently there's a firmware update coming for Q1 that will enable VoLTE for the Nexus 6P for Three users.

I know it's not a Huawei device but surely the 5X should be able to get it too as they run almost identical software?

Quite possibly, yes.

In Glasgow West End, with the latest carrier file 23.1 on iOS 9.2, I still don't get to connected to the 800 band, and stuck at 1-2 dots of 3G when indoor... Disappointing really

I'm starting to wish that now mupet!!

If you have even the slightest whiff of 3G you won't see 800.
To get 800 you have to lose the 3G signal altogether.
In other words, where it would normally say no service (before we had 800).
The instant the phone smells 3G it will switch back.

Basically Three don't want you on it if they can help it.
Sparse masts and only 5Mhz would mean swamped network.

Thanks to pointing it out, this thread is getting way too big haha

Also the 800 band must be very very low powered. I remember for Vodafone and O2, you can get 3G900 at the Hillhead subway station, but my phone never pick up 800MHz band on 4G, and Still showing no service.(and I see no changes in most places as well, like inside malls in central Edinburgh) Anyway, I really don't see the point of this low frequency band in urban areas at the moment ..

This is incorrect.
On Three (and eventually EE) 800 is/will be running at full power with maximum reach.
It extends beyond 3G. However 3G is still pretty good coverage wise so in a lot of places it's hard to find somewhere where there's no 3G whatsoever.
Once you fond a place where there's absolutely no 3G but there is 800, then the device will select 800. This is because 3G is a higher priority then 800 on the Three network.

On EE we think it will be different (and better) as they are almost certainly going to have 800 at a higher priority than 3G, as it should be.
This will mean that when 4G1800 gets too weak you will move to 4G800 and in areas of good 800 coverage will never see 2G or 3G again.

And that's why this is not a good strategy for Three. If you live in a good 800 area but an even better 3G area then you won't see 4G until they deliver 1800 in your area. Given that they have just "Super Pumped" your area that could be at least a year away. This is the case for me. As we head towards 5G people in my town on Three will not see 4G despite every other network having it here. We will be stuck on 3G.
Don't even get me started then on how inaccurate the coverage checker then is. Anyone typing in the postcode and handset will think there is strong 4G coverage in my town only to find that's cobblers because it's something they will never get. Bordering on a trades description violation.
Still, work in my area (again) today so let's see what today brings.
Now I see that EE have probably (silently) enabled VOLTE and 800 let's see how they do it.

So i'm back on Three finally after raging at being forced off The One Plan.... :P

Couldn't resist AYCE.

800MHz 4G not only travels further, it has the advantage of working at much lower signal levels, as 4G works at much lower signal than 3G.

It should (I hope), provide some really excellent coverage when more masts are actually using it.

In work it's made things much worse, used to get 3G all the time. Now it's swapping between no signal, 4G then 3G. Just taken mobile out of pocket and it's got no signal