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Three 'Feel at Home' Data Speeds |
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#301 |
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Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: a land filled with trolls
Posts: 12,010
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Quote:
On the £5 a day I agree. On the Feel at home I'm not so sure, because it has to be viable for the network otherwise surely it's not worth them doing.
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#302 |
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Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Surrey, UK
Posts: 660
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I'm much more happy to pay Vodafone £3 a day and be able to use my 10GB a month at full speed to be honest.
My brother found feel at home alright for pure text emails and google maps, though his phone is pretty old so he's probably used to waiting a massive amount of time for things to happen. |
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#303 |
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Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 620
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It's clear that Feel At Home is throttled. I was roaming on Three ITA, they had really great speedtest results yet I couldn't buffer a single YouTube video or even stream music on Spotify. Skype didn't seem to be throttled, or at least not as bad, so I was able to Skype video call around the streets.
It also seemed as if anything HTTPS was throttled. It did the job of getting me around using Google Maps but using data like at home wasn't the case. It's very deceptive of Three to lie and claim they don't throttle abroad, it's extremely obvious they do. |
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#304 |
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Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: a land filled with trolls
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Three has now responded. http://jmcomms.com/2015/11/02/sort-i...-like-at-home/ Quote:
Three was the first UK network to allow customers to use their phones abroad at no extra cost, to prevent bill-shock from roaming charges and improve peoples’ holiday experiences. We set out to deliver national coverage for our customers in Feel at Home destinations, so we partnered with foreign operators to achieve that. Just like using your device in the UK, the network experience will also vary depending on location and time of day as well as which foreign operator a customer is roaming on at a particular time.
We have put a number of steps in place to ensure the majority of customers are able to fully enjoy the most popular services when on holiday abroad on their handset like Facebook, Instagram, Google Maps and web browsing. There are certain usage limits for All You Can Eat customers and personal hotspot is not supported. Customers can use VPN, stream or download large files, but that will be a slower than the UK. This also applies to the Euro Internet Pass services. This is all clearly set out for customers on our website. We believe we’ve struck the right balance with two million customers now using their phone abroad at no extra cost on Three in the last two years. This has saved those customers £1.3 billion since launch. |
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#305 |
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Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 2,921
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I am currently in Italy staying in Lake Garda and am connected to both WIND and 3 Italy and data speeds are great, with the former being the faster of the 2. The coverage is impressive as well had constant HSPA+, better than some places in the UK. Has anyone else had good experiences in any of Threes other Feel At Home destinations?
I don't know which Spanish mobile company I was connected to because the connection to carrier was set on automatic. And I can well believe some are better than others. I was also in a pretty remote area, so perhaps that had something to do with it. But bearing all that in mind I wasn't impressed. In fact, I went on DS here to ask advice and there were suggestions that Three 'turned down the speed' of the net connection (if you get my drift, I don't know technically what might have gone on) to give access, but to ensure everyone could connect rather than a few clogging up the system streaming films etc. |
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#306 |
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Join Date: Jul 2002
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Three should say it doesn't want people watching movies abroad and impose a tougher limit on data, or create a daily add on for unhindered access.
Then everyone would be happy. |
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#307 |
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Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 164
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Well, in September I was in Spain for a week, and the speeds were not very good at all. For example, listening to Radio Four on my smartphone and iPad (both of which have Three sims) wasn't possible using either the iPlayer app or Tunein Radio. Surfing the next, looking up emails etc, was OK, though not fine.
I don't know which Spanish mobile company I was connected to because the connection to carrier was set on automatic. And I can well believe some are better than others. I was also in a pretty remote area, so perhaps that had something to do with it. But bearing all that in mind I wasn't impressed. In fact, I went on DS here to ask advice and there were suggestions that Three 'turned down the speed' of the net connection (if you get my drift, I don't know technically what might have gone on) to give access, but to ensure everyone could connect rather than a few clogging up the system streaming films etc. It is a blatant manipulation when Three blames slow speeds on the network. To test this is quite easy: run a speed test, if you get more than 3mbps that's perfectly fine to watch any youtube video, stream radio, or download apps. If next you can't do any of those things, THREE is blocking your conection. |
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#308 |
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Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 13,091
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I've just come back from two weeks in Florida. I was expecting to be on here after a few days begging for the VPN, but I was pleasantly surprised. I was able to browse, use all the usual social networks, watch videos on YouTube, use FaceTime, stream songs from Apple Music in the car, update apps etc. It all worked very well.
My iPhone 6 used T-Mobile and AT&T. On a side note, my mum's iPhone 5 never got a data signal when connected to T-Mobile. Eventually, I changed her phone to manual network selection and chose AT&T, after which it worked fine. Since my phone worked absolutely fine when connected to T-Mobile, I wonder if they've started using a frequency that isn't supported by the iPhone 5. Although, would that be the case with 3G? Anyway, it was a minor mystery. |
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#309 |
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Join Date: Mar 2000
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Posts: 3,388
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Although, would that be the case with 3G? Anyway, it was a minor mystery.
Also what they call 4G is what we call HSPA+ and what they call LTE we call 4G. (arrghh). |
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#310 |
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Join Date: May 2011
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I'm almost in favour is a two tier system.
-Keep the current system free/low cost. -Offer unrestricted at a higher rate. Jon is spot on, again, some of us don't mind paying. We just want great service when we need it. I'm probably going to leave Three, even though I'm actually very happy (in most respects) with their service. But when I travel I don't really want to carry an extra MiFi just to be able to remote access servers from my phone. Choice and transparency is all I'm looking for. I'm not even after streaming video. |
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#311 |
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Join Date: Feb 2015
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I'm almost in favour is a two tier system.
-Keep the current system free/low cost. -Offer unrestricted at a higher rate |
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#312 |
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Join Date: Jul 2002
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I seem to recall that T Mobile USA and maybe Sprint had done this. Edge speed roaming free in many countries around the world. Pay for high speed data.
It's only Three that has the problem because it offers unlimited data (albeit not unlimited abroad and whereas it was once a FUP of 25GB a month, and no more than 6 months of usage, it appears that's been cut to 12GB - did anyone else know this?). All the others make you pay to use your own allowance OR buy a specific (usually very limited) allowance. Three's scheme sounds fantastic and for most people it is, but there's a clear need to restrict and the responses from Three make it clear they're slowing things down to give everyone a better experience. The thing is, if they weren't routing all the traffic through their own servers then it wouldn't be a problem for Three anyway - but rather the foreign networks. I suspect Three gets a VERY favourable rate from the operators by basically putting all of us on its own VPN and controlling usage. It can then guarantee it won't have a heavy impact on the foreign network, which will in turn allow the 'unlimited' data. Three is trying to be seen as transparent and single me out as an exceptional user, but the most recent response is the clearest admission yet that, yes, it is slow and it's to stop abuse. |
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#313 |
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Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 2,875
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Yes and Yes with T-Mobile USA. A 5s would be a bit better, but a 6 is really needed to get T-Mobile USA 4G support in many places.
Also what they call 4G is what we call HSPA+ and what they call LTE we call 4G. (arrghh). |
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#314 |
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Join Date: Mar 2000
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Some of the recent marketing suggest that they now call LTE, 4G LTE. Haven't heard 4G being HSPA+ for a few years now.
They did need to separate out the UMTS/HSPA 3G versus the CDMA 3G since the UMTS platform was vastly faster and more capable (average speeds similar to UK) where CDMA was average speeds less than 1meg in busy areas. LTE changed the game, Verizon now claims national population coverage, AT&T is close, and T-mobile is investing hard. |
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#315 |
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Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 466
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The thing is, if they weren't routing all the traffic through their own servers then it wouldn't be a problem for Three anyway - but rather the foreign networks.
I suspect Three gets a VERY favourable rate from the operators by basically putting all of us on its own VPN and controlling usage. It can then guarantee it won't have a heavy impact on the foreign network, which will in turn allow the 'unlimited' data. I think that the roaming deals between providers are all based on usage. So Three buy x number of minutes and y number of MB each month. I think that Three are still paying for each MB of roaming data used. Which means it's a balancing game. Heavy users probably cost more than they pay for which is balanced against those that use less. Offering unlimited is very useful for enticing new customers, so it has a value that makes it worth this hassle. I wouldn't be surprised if they were paying ~£5 per GB for us to use Data on a partner network. Therefore this is all to ensure that they don't make a heavy loss. It certainly seems to work. I use far less data abroad than in the UK workout modifying my behaviour (because their network is adjusting what is happening and how quickly. I just wish that the main thing I want to use it for worked. It is especially annoying that it isn't particularly high bandwidth! They actually seem to do a pretty good job of reducing data usage without appearing to for general web browsing and social media. |
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#316 |
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Join Date: Jul 2002
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So here's my follow up story. Three has at least had the guts to admit it slows traffic, which is good.
Of course, it's quite likely nothing is going to happen - but at least people might stop being told by Three customer service that everything is unrestricted and any bad experience likely down to the foreign network and just 'bad luck' and a one-off issue affecting just you... http://jmcomms.com/2015/11/05/three-...-go-from-here/ The question is, what do people do now if they want to use data unhindered on Three? Changing network would appear the only option, which means Three does need to pause for thought here. |
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#317 |
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Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 13,091
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Quote:
So here's my follow up story. Three has at least had the guts to admit it slows traffic, which is good.
Of course, it's quite likely nothing is going to happen - but at least people might stop being told by Three customer service that everything is unrestricted and any bad experience likely down to the foreign network and just 'bad luck' and a one-off issue affecting just you... http://jmcomms.com/2015/11/05/three-...-go-from-here/ The question is, what do people do now if they want to use data unhindered on Three? Changing network would appear the only option, which means Three does need to pause for thought here. I'm in Spain at the weekend so I'll report back on how I get on there. I like how O2 say they don't block anything or control how you access certain things, but then go on to clarify that if you use more than a paltry 50MB on streaming, you'll be slowed down. |
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#318 |
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Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 14,541
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Well I don't know about you, but I don't go on holiday to sit and watch iPlayer or Youtube. I'd be perfectly happy with web browsing, maps etc when I'm abroad, but at least people know now, they have ALWAYS said it might not be as fast as at home, but now they have repeated it for you Jon.
I can't help thinking that nothing new has been discovered here. Nothing has changed in the last year or two and Three have always been upfront about the speed of the service not necessarily being the same as at home. WHen you route all traffic across countries it does cause issues with latency and streaming often. |
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#319 |
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Join Date: Jul 2002
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You do keep saying the 'not as fast as home' bit, despite the fact it's actually blocked. It's not that video streams slower, or at a lower bitrate, it actually doesn't work at all. Saying it's just slower is in fact a lie.
So the discovery is that Three can no longer say it doesn't throttle, as it has admitted it does. Thus, it's not like at home and if you pay for unlimited data, it's restricted and potentially generates an issue with regards to net neutrality. But as you don't want to watch video abroad, you don't need to worry. And those that do want to watch video know to go on another network. |
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#320 |
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Join Date: Mar 2009
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You do keep saying the 'not as fast as home' bit, despite the fact it's actually blocked. It's not that video streams slower, or at a lower bitrate, it actually doesn't work at all. Saying it's just slower is in fact a lie.
So the discovery is that Three can no longer say it doesn't throttle, as it has admitted it does. Thus, it's not like at home and if you pay for unlimited data, it's restricted and potentially generates an issue with regards to net neutrality. But as you don't want to watch video abroad, you don't need to worry. And those that do want to watch video know to go on another network. My main use of data abroad like any other holiday maker (the audience in the ads, as Three aren't really a business network) is posting holiday tweets or uploading a few pictures, not sitting on holiday watching Youtube or Netflix like you could at home. Hotels have wifi, for mobile data abroad I think it suits most people, but obviously doesn't suit everyone, especially people that are really into phones, speed tests and spend all day writing about them etc. That isn't a typical user. Just a couple of years ago 1GB would have cost hundreds or thousands of pounds to use abroad. Three are offering the ability to use your allowance at home for data abroad, they say things like streaming might be slower etc. It seems to work for some but not for others, it probably depends on whether people are trying to tether (not permitted), or what quality of stream people are using too. |
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#321 |
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Join Date: Jul 2002
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The irony is that if you use certain VPNs, you can bypass the throttling and stream fine. Indeed you could even start file sharing - and Three has said to me that it's okay to use a VPN.
So the people who might want to abuse things currently can anyway! I don't regard playing a few episodes of Peppa Pig to keep a 3 year old occupied at an airport or whatever is excessive, or abuse. Wi-Fi is always an option, but often very slow and works poorly if you move around. And at airports, it's often not free. |
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#322 |
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Join Date: Mar 2009
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The irony is that if you use certain VPNs, you can bypass the throttling and stream fine. Indeed you could even start file sharing - and Three has said to me that it's okay to use a VPN.
So the people who might want to abuse things currently can anyway! I don't regard playing a few episodes of Peppa Pig to keep a 3 year old occupied at an airport or whatever is excessive, or abuse. Wi-Fi is always an option, but often very slow and works poorly if you move around. And at airports, it's often not free. My point is that on an unlimited international data plan you can probably expect throttling, or speed reductions, in fact I'm sure they even said the speeds might not be as good abroad and really sold it in the ads as people posting holiday pics, facebook posts etc. I think that's what the majority would use it for. |
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#323 |
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Join Date: Aug 2001
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I that case, they shouldn't be calling it "Feel like Home"....
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#324 |
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I that case, they shouldn't be calling it "Feel like Home"....
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#325 |
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Join Date: Apr 2005
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I that case, they shouldn't be calling it "Feel like Home"....
I think people have unrealistic expectations. As I say, my experience in Florida was pretty much flawless. I wasn't streaming films over the mobile data network and I never tried it, but I don't think I'd expect to be able to do that anyway. I was able to do pretty much everything else. (On a side note, the wifi was so poor that I actually had to switch it off to use FaceTime.) I used nearly 10GB of roaming data for absolutely no additional cost. |
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