As is there will be few 800 users due to its priority (or lack of). QoS will help ensure that voice gets priority over data, and there would have to be a hell of a lot of 800 users on the same cell site, all wanting to make calls, before capacity becomes a concern

VoLTE works again if i re-flash the Three KDZ. I think the ROM needs the VoLTE settings, i can still access 800MHz when i flash a custom ROM it's just VoLTE that doesn't work.

Updated my unbranded LG G3 this evening to M via the LG desktop software, if you have an unbranded G3 it's available, but not OTA only through the LG desktop software. Makes no difference to TiT / settings ' VoLTE or anything by the way! So there goes any idea that M has any better carrier settings pushed or anything, or at least Three aren't doing it even if it does.

Apple started using Carrier Updates in 2009. It took Google 6 years to catch up. I guess they didn't feel it was that important which explains why they have done such an appalling job. Android fragmentation is another screw up.

To me it's the biggest screw up for Android. It puts me off buying one just because I know when EE turn on their 800mhz, I won't be able to use it as I definitely wouldn't be buying the phone from EE directly and I see it being a while until VoLTE is standardised to a point that any phone is "plug&play".

One thing that annoys me about the 800mhz, I can lock my phone to access it. But I always seem to roam onto vodafone/O2 800mhz even if I'm in a covered area and to get onto it is have to force band 20 then restart my phone

The thing that annoys me the most is that EE has WiFi calling in AOSP and Nexus devices and presumably will get 800Mhz support and VoLTE in future. I'm sure if Three contacted Google and asked for help implementing these features in Android they'd happily oblige.

Native WiFi calling shouldnt be too hard anyway as the Three in Touch app uses the same technology as WiFi calling in android anyway!

Its certainly made me think twice about my next phone. Sadly Apple are the only safe bet.

A 5Mhz cell has a capacity of 200 active handsets. Data and/or VoLTE. All sharing a maximum data throughput of about 35Mbps.
Unlikely to see that many on Three 800 at the moment.
Precisely why the priority is low.

http://oi66.tinypic.com/30cq89z.jpg

Pretty epic speeds for 800mhz, while streaming radio! Strange I can access the 800mhz, but if I leave band 20 mode or airplane mode that's it, I can't get back on it unless I re force band 20 and restart.

I assume VoLTE doesnt work though?

No just ends the call straight away

Who was it that did the before and after Three coverage maps? Was interesting to see how much progress they were really making. Haven't seen one posted in a few months (unless i've missed it).

Dose any one know if the uk/ofcom has allowed 4g on the 2100mhz band yet I know three use it for 3g ?

Yes, any network can run 4G at 2100MHz if they want to. The licences were changed a few years ago.

What band would that be?

2100 would be band 1.

That'll be me, and yeah it has been a while, I do try to check for updates every couple of weeks but there wasn't any updates for a long time.
It's probably been about 3-4 weeks since I last checked, but there are some update showing now:

1800 4G: http://gdurl.com/yMNO
800 4G: http://gdurl.com/60yL
Blue = 21st Jan, Red = 3rd April

Has the 4G rollout slowed to a crawl now?

Haven't seen any more 4G around here. (Had real trouble with that sentence for some reason)

I've seen some 4G fill ins around me, which has filled some gaps - but still hasn't been enough to stop it dropping to 3G in my parents house. They're just a few hundred metres from a site, which I guess didn't get 4G.

That's still a major problem for Three. Not all sites are done, so there are still gaps.

There's obviously a chance these sites will have 800 too (or some of them) but with 3G being quite strong, it's still not going to help!

I was in Hedge End town centre yesterday and was surprised to see phone hopped on to 4G even though it's weak there.

I can't make sense of the rollout. There are no 4G sites here but Botley (smallish village a mile or so down the road) has a 4G enabled site.

I can't help but think the O2-CK thing is slowing the rollout.

That actually started happening before the potential deal was made public. Hutchinson told Three they would be changing strategy. Slow 4G roll out, increase prices, shaft customers. So much for #makeitright

They claimed the 4G 1800 roll out slowdown (which fell way behind schedule) was to enable the 800 work. That was also late, and given the priorities is pretty pointless in a lot of places.

While I can't use 800 yet, my belief is that I'll cling on to 3G that offers ridiculous timeouts, ping times and slow speeds, rather than switch to 4G that even with poor signal can usually offer a fairly usable experience.

I suppose Three can change the priority at any time, but for now I'd just like to have access to it at all.

I see Three are claiming that "we are making network improvements in your area" for me, tomorrow


Where I am, they installed an 1800MHz cell site that basically only covers the next village, while the two largest towns in the county had no 1800 at all. One of those towns has only started to get coverage, the other doesn't seem to have any still (and it's the largest)

Makes total sense.

For a long time it seems Three was only doing certain types of site, such as those high up on a building, and presumably others without any planning hold ups.

But surely there will come a time it has to do the more difficult ones?

At home, EE has done more sites nearby so 4G is pretty much continuous everywhere. Such a difference! Especially as it will now go back to 4G during data transfers so not get stuck on 3G if you're streaming.