[Synthetic42]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CheshireBumpkin

Is anyone else finding the EE status checker is down today?

Seems to be working fine here - If you still can't get it to work let me know your postcode and I'll have a look see

[CheshireBumpkin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Synthetic42

Seems to be working fine here - If you still can't get it to work let me know your postcode and I'll have a look see

Thanks for the offer - it's very kind, but it seems to be working now.

There is a fault, but it's on a mast that has been in a continuous fault state for approaching two years...

Hopefully they'll leave the 3G element fully broken and switched off until they upgrade it properly next year!

[meirion_jones1]

Looks like EEare officially selling volte (below)

Sharon Meadows, Director of Devices EE
The LG G5 is shaping up to be one of the most sought after handsets of the year, which is packed with a wealth of innovative new features. It’s a superfast handset that deserves a superfast network – and with a 4G network that is 50% faster than our major rivals and offering WiFi Calling and 4G Calling built-in - EE is the number one network for those wanting to make the very most from their G5 experience.


How long until 800mhz? Cant wait for that! Any ideas how manny sites are ready to be switched on?

[Minardi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by meirion_jones1

Looks like EEare officially selling volte (below)

Sharon Meadows, Director of Devices EE
The LG G5 is shaping up to be one of the most sought after handsets of the year, which is packed with a wealth of innovative new features. It’s a superfast handset that deserves a superfast network – and with a 4G network that is 50% faster than our major rivals and offering WiFi Calling and 4G Calling built-in - EE is the number one network for those wanting to make the very most from their G5 experience.


How long until 800mhz? Cant wait for that! Any ideas how manny sites are ready to be switched on?

Still not showing as avaliable on the 4G calling page. Bummer.

[jonmorris]

It may offer it built in, but only when the software update comes. And I am not sure the G5 turned out to be as successful as many people hoped?

[japitts]

Well it's now coming on 2weeks since ex-Orange 3G has been "blocking" virtually every call attempt (in and out) in these parts, there's complete ex-Orange & MBNL 2G & 3G although given the length of time this has been going on I wouldn't be surprised if something ex-Orange is being MBNL'd.

The frustration is, I've got an IM fault reference since a week but TS don't seem in any hurry to update me - I've got to be calling in every couple of days since the status page is as much as use as a one-legged man...

I have to force 2G-only during the day to have any reliable service (I mainly work from home at the moment), otherwise dual-mode has me camping on ex-Orange 3G before too long, and for all intents and purposes all calls/texts/data attempts in and out refuse to connect.

Planned works I totally get, but lack of communication and follow-up is something else. Rant over.

[Minardi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonmorris

It may offer it built in, but only when the software update comes. And I am not sure the G5 turned out to be as successful as many people hoped?

I really like mine, it's a cracking phone. That's about all I can offer!

[GavinAshford]

Certainly not as successful as LG hoped...
http://www.androidpolice.com/2016/07...ting-g5-sales/

[jonmorris]

No surprise at all. The marketing was terrible. The phone just slotted in amongst all the 'others' in most stores.

So many bad fitting bases that would annoy customers and prompt a return for replacement, or just a refund.

And yet such a great camera (well, two great cameras). Doesn't matter one bit if you can't sell them.

[Minardi]

Well if they cut the price to shift them, grab one, it really is a great phone.

[meirion_jones1]

https://twitter.com/royalwelshshow/s...65413882253313

Interesting how this new permanent mast ^^^ will perform with existing/temporary ones in two weeks time - 250,000 people over 4 days expected.

Once i get there in two weeks i'll run some tests. I'm guessing 2600mhz would be a must.

[packages]

Quote:

Originally Posted by meirion_jones1

https://twitter.com/royalwelshshow/s...65413882253313

Interesting how this new permanent mast ^^^ will perform with existing/temporary ones in two weeks time - 250,000 people over 4 days expected.

Once i get there in two weeks i'll run some tests. I'm guessing 2600mhz would be a must.

They may use the some of the same COW's from Glastonbury. 6 sectors/55mhz total bandwidth.

[Minardi]

I bet some of those Glasto CoWs are headed for Silverstone next weekend too for the F1, not there this time so can't report on performance for you all!

[beans0ntoast]

Still think that EE need to do something about Eye Village, Cambridgeshire (outskirts of Peterborough)...

Checked again on the way to Kings Lynn and 3G signal strength was very poor along the A47 next to Eye, barely reporting -111dBm on 2100MHz.
4G1800MHz is also very weak and I couldn't comment on 2G1800, but again I doubt it will be that good.
CTIL on the other hand, are using the ex-O2 mast on the outskirts of the village, so have very good signal there.
Are EE going to put a new mast up one day in the future, to cover that area? Or are they just going to rely on 4G800? Because 5MHz of 800MHz 4G won't be enough to provide a good capacity to quite a densely built up area...

Post code is the PE6 area and reports "weak outdoors, no indoors" for 4G1800. 3G2100 says "Good outdoor, weak or no indoor" though that is a bit optimistic, should maybe say "Very weak outdoor, no indoor". I'm not going to bother checking 2G as it is inadequate in the 21st century.

[DevonBloke]

Quote:

Originally Posted by beans0ntoast

4G1800MHz is also very weak and I couldn't comment on 2G1800, but again I doubt it will be that good.

Well if the L18 was weak then you should have checked the G18 as that would have been ok in that case.
That means that once L18 goes up in power and there is possibly some L08 there then coverage will be pretty good I would say.

[beans0ntoast]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DevonBloke

Well if the L18 was weak then you should have checked the G18 as that would have been ok in that case.
That means that once L18 goes up in power and there is possibly some L08 there then coverage will be pretty good I would say.

I'm pretty sure that this area will get L08, particularly since there is quite a distance between masts in this location. U21 is just about there, and usable.

Next time I go along that area, I'll check G18 by forcing to 2G only. I'll also double check L18 as well.

If G18 is ok, then L18 will also be ok when we have our power increase. Won't 2G and 4G have virtually identical powers, and thus identical coverage?

If G18, on the other hand, is weak (which is what the coverage map suggests, and the topography may suggest), then a new mast will be needed - as 5MHz of L08 on its own won't give too much capacity, right? Isn't L08 going to be used is predominantly rural areas, where virtually nothing can get to right now?

[Pedro_C]

L08 is being deployed everywhere; centres of major cities to valleys.
L18 will reach further than G18 once the power is raised.

[beans0ntoast]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pedro_C

L08 is being deployed everywhere; centres of major cities to valleys.
L18 will reach further than G18 once the power is raised.

Thanks - I'm fully aware that high power L08 (like how Three Supervoice is) will have a much greater reach than both L18 and G18 - however, will 5MHz of 800 be enough capacity where there are villages that have L08 as their only means of indoor coverage?

Especially seeing as L08 will be covering large areas, so the 5MHz capacity will have to be shared between a lot of users?

[lightspeed2398]

Quote:

Originally Posted by beans0ntoast

Thanks - I'm fully aware that high power L08 (like how Three Supervoice is) will have a much greater reach than both L18 and G18 - however, will 5MHz of 800 be enough capacity where there are villages that have L08 as their only means of indoor coverage?

Especially seeing as L08 will be covering large areas, so the 5MHz capacity will have to be shared between a lot of users?

EE are doing 800 on enough masts and they're able to see current demand and plan appropriately. It won't be breakneck speeds but with 1800 for a large percentage of the population providing the primary layer and the fact that its high power will hopefully mean that users won't all be at the cell edge should mean that it won't be too bad. It's half of Vo2's main layer at the end of the day with another layer on top providing primary coverage.

It's an easy solution in many ways as well if it becomes congested, they can upgrade/build another mast if the demand is there or they can use multi beam panels.

[jonmorris]

800 would only be used as a last resort (of the 4G bands) so loads should be balanced quite nicely. If you're in a basement or in the middle of the countryside, just having a signal and a reliable data flow will be more important than speed.

[beans0ntoast]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lightspeed2398

EE are doing 800 on enough masts and they're able to see current demand and plan appropriately. It won't be breakneck speeds but with 1800 for a large percentage of the population providing the primary layer and the fact that its high power will hopefully mean that users won't all be at the cell edge should mean that it won't be too bad. It's half of Vo2's main layer at the end of the day with another layer on top providing primary coverage.

It's an easy solution in many ways as well if it becomes congested, they can upgrade/build another mast if the demand is there or they can use multi beam panels.

They'll definitely have to put L08 on all of the masts that are closest to Eye, otherwise there won't be much coverage at all in that area. In most areas, you're right, 800 would be rarely used, due to L18 (and U21 for 3G phones), but in Eye, U21 is exceptionally weak... By the McDonalds nearest to Eye, on the A47, you're lucky to get -111dBm outdoors.
Even G18 doesn't seem to be that strong, according to the coverage map... and if the L18 power boost makes L18 and G18 have identical coverage, due to identical powers (alright coverage won't be exactly identical, but lets assume so for ease of calculations/complications etc), the L18 will have little to no indoor coverage even with the power boost (let alone now). The area of Eye that is closest to the CTIL mast, is also closest to the (much further away) EE/3 mast, so should fare better in getting L18... but unless a new mast is put up, I can foresee the area having weak L18 outdoors, and having to fall back to L08 for indoor reception.

And although L08 for EE is half of CTIL's base layer, in areas where L18 will be severely struggling, then there won't be a primary layer. It'll just be L08. And if the theoretical max for 5MHz of L08 is about 35Mbps (think I remember that being said somewhere here before), then most areas, you're going to be looking at 10-20Mbps, depending on the load, and just how much coverage in the area is relied upon L08 to fulfill. If all of the EE customers in Eye are using L08, you might be down to about 5-10Mbps, which isn't great for 4G in a large village/small town (most 3G sites do at least 5Mbps now).

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonmorris

800 would only be used as a last resort (of the 4G bands) so loads should be balanced quite nicely. If you're in a basement or in the middle of the countryside, just having a signal and a reliable data flow will be more important than speed.

I agree with you on how the priorities are set up, L26, then L18, then L08 (then U21 and G18, though L08 will reach a lot further than U21/G18) - but this isn't in the middle of the countryside. I agree that, if you're in the middle of nowhere, 4G800 is better than the current 2G1800 (or nothing), and speed won't be a priority (so long as you can get basic things done, which is about 2-5Mbps, all is good) - however, Eye has always been a rather poor spot for all providers, except O2 who has a mast closeby. The O2 mast has been upgraded to full CTIL UG09/L08 (possibly U21), though MBNL's nearest mast is quite a long way away. Hence L18 and U21 are very weak, and I can't imagine that G18 will be much better (certainly indoors!). In which case, you'll be relying on L08 when it's rolled out. And 5MHz of L08 might not be enough.

Who knows, when the 4G has been fully rolled out, and the power of L18 increased to match that of G18, there might be no problems. There might just about be enough signal to cover Eye Village with L18. But then again, it might not be sufficient, and L08 might be swamped if it's what most/all indoor devices are using. In which case, nothing short of a new mast will fix that.

[Pedro_C]

If EE do come to a situation where more 800MHz capacity is required, they can do a six sector array for basically like a standard three sector 10MHz deployment capacity wise.
Or, 15 sector, bringing it up about 25MHz in 3 sector capacity term wise.

EE's options are about as open as they can be.

Furthermore, the incredible complexity of mobile networks means that the people designing and rolling out these networks have to and are very, very good. There is maths and models and data and all manner of information that we can barely conceive from an idyllic state of dreaming, from which nurtures the ardent knowledge soup that results in operators judging, as exactly as possible, what will not only be required, but be optimal for experience in the area before it happens.

[jonmorris]

You mean they don't just wear blindfolds and stick pins in maps and go "we'll put a site there"?

Seriously though, I wonder how well the profession has got at planning things and the reality matching the computer predictions near perfectly 'in the field'.

[meirion_jones1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonmorris

You mean they don't just wear blindfolds and stick pins in maps and go "we'll put a site there"?

Seriously though, I wonder how well the profession has got at planning things and the reality matching the computer predictions near perfectly 'in the field'.

In the area i live i think they did use a blindfold. The EE Mast is located at the bottom of the valley in a dip surrounded by trees that have no grown much taller that the mast (15m) rendering it even more useless than it was when it was installed.

I'm struggling to think of a worse place to put it!

[beans0ntoast]

Quote:

Originally Posted by meirion_jones1

In the area i live i think they did use a blindfold. The EE Mast is located at the bottom of the valley in a dip surrounded by trees that have no grown much taller that the mast (15m) rendering it even more useless than it was when it was installed.

I'm struggling to think of a worse place to put it!

That reminds me of the EE/MBNL 3G mast in Hillington, Norfolk!

It's right on the edge of a bank of trees - so you'll only get coverage in one particular direction (I think North West?). Any other direction and you quickly drop back to No Service (or possibly Orange 2G) due to the trees.

Now who think that this is a good place to put a mast?

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.80...7i13312!8i6656