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EE 4G to cover 95% of the UK landmass by 2020 and bring customer service back to UK |
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#1 |
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Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: In the future....
Posts: 11,257
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EE 4G to cover 95% of the UK landmass by 2020 and bring customer service back to UK
EE is aiming to bring 4G to 95% of the UK landmass by 2020 (government's target for operators is to provide voice and text coverage to only 90% of UK landmass by the end of 2017) as well as relocating its customer services to the UK and Ireland. This is way beyond what other network have planned. With the Emergency Services Network contract acting as an additional incentive. Poor customer service issues that resulted in a £1 Million fine in 2015 perhaps have acted as an incentive. The same thing may happen to Vodafone this year.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-36116584 |
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#2 |
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Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: North West
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Many were saying BT would ruin EE by cutting investment, from the sound of it, they are doing the opposite. It would be cheap to hire more people give the salary of someone in the UK is usually 5-6 times that of someone in Mumbai.
Either way an excellent move, may tempt me in future to move....we'll see. |
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#3 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 875
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F*** me EE. Didn't expect that. 4G will be amazing by then.
Edit: Here's the PR@ http://ee.co.uk/our-company/newsroom...ge_to_95_of_UK |
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#4 |
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Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 875
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Double post.
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#5 |
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Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: In the future....
Posts: 11,257
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Quote:
Many were saying BT would ruin EE by cutting investment, from the sound of it, they are doing the opposite. It would be cheap to hire more people give the salary of someone in the UK is usually 5-6 times that of someone in Mumbai.
Either way an excellent move, may tempt me in future to move....we'll see. |
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#6 |
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Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Cheshire/Shropshire Border
Posts: 590
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Quote:
EE had committed to the ESN contract before BT took over. There is obviously coverage obligations in that contract. Im not convinced BT would have wanted to take on such a commitment. Much like large scale and rural roll out of fibre there is no incentive what so ever so they don't bother.
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#7 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 14,641
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Quote:
Many were saying BT would ruin EE by cutting investment, from the sound of it, they are doing the opposite. It would be cheap to hire more people give the salary of someone in the UK is usually 5-6 times that of someone in Mumbai.
Either way an excellent move, may tempt me in future to move....we'll see. As for "cutting investment", are you sure they weren't saying that BT would cut wireline investment in favour of using EE to provide rural broadband? |
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#8 |
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Join Date: Mar 2014
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"Coverage will be improved by a combination of new sites and long range 800MHz spectrum – something which should improve indoor coverage too. EE expects 4,000 sites to be equipped with 800MHz by 2020, mostly in rural areas, but also in some urban and suburban areas."
http://www.techweekeurope.co.uk/netw...overage-190618 |
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#9 |
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Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 1,377
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If they could get the backhaul in, 4G would make great rural broadband, if the packages were fair. You can get around most not spots with a decent antennae, especially if it's 800. Certainly, in the little group of houses I live in, 4G would be far cheaper than running fibre down here. How that affects everyone else on the connection is another matter. Perhaps a separate antennae for each little hamlet or something? Dunno.
At the end of the day, us rural folk understand that we probably will never be able to stream the latest ultimate UHD TV service all day long for £3.99 a month but then we have green fields and woods to look and not the arse end of a bowling alley. So it's swings and roundabouts. But we do actually need a decent service as a lot of things need doing online these days. Currently, I reckon a steady 10meg would be perfectly adequate for me, maybe less. 1-2 is just a little too slow nowadays. |
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#10 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 14,641
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Quote:
If they could get the backhaul in, 4G would make great rural broadband, if the packages were fair. You can get around most not spots with a decent antennae, especially if it's 800. Certainly, in the little group of houses I live in, 4G would be far cheaper than running fibre down here. How that affects everyone else on the connection is another matter. Perhaps a separate antennae for each little hamlet or something? Dunno.
At the end of the day, us rural folk understand that we probably will never be able to stream the latest ultimate UHD TV service all day long for £3.99 a month but then we have green fields and woods to look and not the arse end of a bowling alley. So it's swings and roundabouts. But we do actually need a decent service as a lot of things need doing online these days. Currently, I reckon a steady 10meg would be perfectly adequate for me, maybe less. 1-2 is just a little too slow nowadays. I doubt the UK would do that though. More like 100GB for £80 a month or something eyewatering and the same restrictions that mobile broadband has today I'd prefer that a wired solution is used for as many homes as possible though. More futureproof |
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#11 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Portsmouth
Posts: 787
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Quote:
EE is aiming to bring 4G to 95% of the UK landmass by 2020 (government's target for operators is to provide voice and text coverage to only 90% of UK landmass by the end of 2017) as well as relocating its customer services to the UK and Ireland. This is way beyond what other network have planned. With the Emergency Services Network contract acting as an additional incentive. Poor customer service issues that resulted in a £1 Million fine in 2015 perhaps have acted as an incentive. The same thing may happen to Vodafone this year.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-36116584 |
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#12 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 1,377
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Australia, with a purpose built LTE network (and proper outdoor antennas) has a very good offering. I think you can have up to 50Mbps with absolutely huge usage limits - over 1TB if you liked - and for an extremely reasonable price. You can also choose your ISP, and get things like a static IP - it's very much as if you had a wired connection, and you can certainly use it like one.
I doubt the UK would do that though. More like 100GB for £80 a month or something eyewatering and the same restrictions that mobile broadband has today I'd prefer that a wired solution is used for as many homes as possible though. More futureproof |
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#13 |
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 14,641
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Yes, it would be better to simply replace all the copper with fibre but a lot of it is underground and not ducted and I guess that is where the cost comes in. Getting FTTP to me would be ducted pretty much all the way aside from 2-3 fields which are buried. How much is that farmer going to want in compensation for putting a duct in. If it was me, I would let them get on with it for the good of my neighbours. He won't. He'll want cold hard cash.
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#14 |
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Join Date: Feb 2013
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You are likely an outlier - there are plenty of rural places where things are much easier (existing poles and ducts) - and as of yet, no action from BT or from anyone else (Western Power Distribution is likely overground where you are, and they just happen to own their own fibre network operator - so it's interesting that they don't seem to be interested in bidding for any work)
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#15 |
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 14,641
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Isn't that the same Western Power Distribution that have just signed a deal with Openreach to let them run fibre using their power poles?
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#16 |
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Join Date: Feb 2013
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No idea, because I neither work for WPD nor Openreach, and the internet doesn't appear to have any press releases regarding that
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#17 |
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 14,641
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Quote:
Pretty standard thing though. Half the problem is that Openreach weren't able to run fibre over the joint user poles, even where there was already existing copper on there. So I guess they're having to renegotiate the deals they already have to include fibre. Which should help deployment in rural areas.
In my original comment I was thinking more of WPD doing their own broadband network - similar to the ESB/Vodafone tie-up for FTTP in Ireland |
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#18 |
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Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 4,212
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Quote:
as well as relocating its customer services to the UK and Ireland.
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#19 |
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Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: North West
Posts: 4,884
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Quote:
BT have been going on about customer service for while, even before they decided to buy EE, so it makes sense that they are moving in the same direction as their parent.
As for "cutting investment", are you sure they weren't saying that BT would cut wireline investment in favour of using EE to provide rural broadband? From a customer service stand point its epic, no amount of PR from someone like Three can overcome that. It speaks and sells for itself. EE is BT's prize horse now and that's how it will stay. As for wireline investment.......I beg to differ, however lets save that for the broadband forum. |
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#20 |
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Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 1,377
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Quote:
You are likely an outlier - there are plenty of rural places where things are much easier (existing poles and ducts) - and as of yet, no action from BT or from anyone else (Western Power Distribution is likely overground where you are, and they just happen to own their own fibre network operator - so it's interesting that they don't seem to be interested in bidding for any work)
On the call centre accent point, I think we need to be careful here. We live in a very diverse country in terms of the variety of accents and it is down to each of us to understand them all, not the person speaking to change theirs to suit us. I live as far from Scotland as you can get (almost) and I have no problems. Or with anyone else for that matter. It's probably more a matter of not wanting to listen than actually trying. Granted, their may be the odd word or phrase that doesn't translate but that's one of the best things about our language. I'm glad they're putting one in Plymouth. Customer: ' I say, my mobile phone seems to have malfunctioned. Could you assist please, kind customer services person? ANSWER ME!'. CS: 'Yarp. 'Ave ee tried turnin ee offunonagen? That'll probly twonk the bazzard.' Customer 'I do beg your pardon, I'm from the home counties and don't speak Mexican' CS: 'Alroight boy, stick ee to yer yer and see if ee can yer wots yer. See ee drekkly mate. Gotta run, cows is out again.' Beeeeeeeeeeeeep.. |
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#21 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 4,212
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it is down to each of us to understand them all, not the person speaking to change theirs to suit us..
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#22 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: North West
Posts: 4,884
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Quote:
Customer: ' I say, my mobile phone seems to have malfunctioned. Could you assist please, kind customer services person? ANSWER ME!'.
CS: 'Yarp. 'Ave ee tried turnin ee offunonagen? That'll probly twonk the bazzard.' Customer 'I do beg your pardon, I'm from the home counties and don't speak Mexican' CS: 'Alroight boy, stick ee to yer yer and see if ee can yer wots yer. See ee drekkly mate. Gotta run, cows is out again.' Beeeeeeeeeeeeep..
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#23 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 1,728
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Quote:
I don't want to sound racist, but as long as they don't relocate it to Scotland. A lot of the Scottish support people I hear on many customer services line are more difficult to understand than Indians !
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#24 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 1,377
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Not sure I agree. Some thick Glaswegian accents sound indistinguishable from a foreign language. Are you suggesting it would be quite in order to have someone speaking Hindi because a large proportion of native British people speak it ?
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#25 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 1,377
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Quote:
I am sure that is made up language in your mind?
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