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Ofcom to get powers to fine networks who fail to meet coverage obligations |
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#1 |
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Join Date: Mar 2002
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Ofcom to get powers to fine networks who fail to meet coverage obligations
Ofcom will get powers to fine network operators worth up to 10% of a company’s gross revenue if they fail to meet their coverage obligations. Serial offenders here are are O2 and Vodafone who have been warned in the past for failing to meet coverage obligations. Personally I have my doubts that O2 will meet its coverage obligations for the end of 2017.
http://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php...-coverage.html http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1937180 |
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#2 |
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Join Date: Oct 2012
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It'll need to get taken over by 3 Quote:
Personally I have my doubts that O2 will meet its coverage obligations for the end of 2017.
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#3 |
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Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Shropshire
Posts: 641
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EE will meet their coverage commitments, not sure about the others!!!
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#4 |
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Join Date: Jan 2012
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The true headline should be:
Ofcom to fine customers if struggling mobile providers fail to meet arbitrary coverage obligations |
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#5 |
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Quote:
The true headline should be:
Ofcom to fine customers if struggling mobile providers fail to meet arbitrary coverage obligations |
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#6 |
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Join Date: Mar 2002
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Quote:
It'll need to get taken over by 3
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#7 |
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Join Date: Apr 2014
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Quote:
The Three and O2 merger got rejected a few months ago and it's not going to happen.
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#8 |
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Quote:
Depends on the outcome of all the legal battles. Ofcom: who watches the watchers? They just make things worse all the time.
http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2178362 |
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#9 |
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Join Date: Jan 2012
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Quote:
Depends on the outcome of all the legal battles. Ofcom: who watches the watchers? They just make things worse all the time.
The owners of three want out. The owners of o2 want out. And Vodafone is in such a mess they almost don't matter. |
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#10 |
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Join Date: Jan 2012
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Quote:
This is a silly comment which seems to be a form of abuse handed out to posters to shame them because the person posting doesn't agree with the views posted.
This is a discussion forum not an EE shrine |
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#11 |
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Join Date: Mar 2009
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Am I correct in saying that all 3G networks now comply with coverage obligations and that the only 4G licence with coverage obligation went to O2?
Ofcom really screwed up (again) there by not putting in coverage obligations for all licences to make best use of spectrum. |
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#12 |
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Join Date: Jul 2004
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Are they going to base this on actual performance or just a coverage map? O2 has loads of 3G900 in the South Hams in Devon but it doesn't work. At all. You get a signal but everything times out. They have just put panels on masts connected to what? A carrier pigeon? VOD appear to be following their lead, obviously 5 years behind. I suspect that will be equally crap.
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#13 |
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Quote:
Am I correct in saying that all 3G networks now comply with coverage obligations and that the only 4G licence with coverage obligation went to O2?
Ofcom really screwed up (again) there by not putting in coverage obligations for all licences to make best use of spectrum. Quote:
a) The Licensee shall by no later than 31 December 2017 provide, and thereafter maintain, an electronic communications network that is capable of providing, with 90% confidence, a mobile telecommunications service with a sustained downlink speed of not less than 2 Mbps when that network is lightly loaded, to users http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/bin...rification.pdf
users: (i) in an area within which at least: a. 98% of the population of the United Kingdom lives, and b. 95% of the population of each of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland lives; and (ii) at indoor locations that meet the condition specified in paragraph 6(b)(ii) of this Schedule, which are within any residential premises within the area specified in paragraph 6(a)(i). (b) For the purposes of paragraph 6(a)(ii) of this Schedule: (i) the service must be provided using radio equipment which is not situated inside the relevant residential premises; (ii) the condition referred to is that the radio signal propagation loss from the outside of the building to the location inside the building does not exceed: a. 13.2dB for radio signals in the frequency ranges 791MHz – 821MHz and 832MHz – 862MHz; b. 13.7dB for radio signals in the frequency ranges 880MHz – 915MHz and 925MHz – 960MHz; c. 16.5dB for radio signals in the frequency ranges 1710MHz – 1785MHz and 1805MHz – 1880MHz; d. 17.0dB for radio signals in the frequency ranges 1900MHz – 1980MHz and 2110MHz – 2170MHz; e. 17.9dB for radio signals in the frequency range 2500MHz – 2690MHz; f. Any other propagation loss notified to the Licensee by Ofcom in respect of radio signals in any other frequency band.” 1.4 Below we summarise our approach to monitor and verify compliance with this obligation based on a service provided using current LTE technology, noting that the obligation holder may use any of its portfolio of licensed mobile spectrum in order to meet the obligation. However, it will also be open to the obligation holder to meet the obligation with alternative mobile broadband technologies if they wish to. |
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#14 |
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Join Date: Jul 2002
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EE is probably so safe it could stop doing anything tomorrow and still be fine.
The concern, of course, is that BT starts to make it ridiculously expensive and introduces the multi tier operation we now see with the three plans on EE (20Mbps cap, 60Mbps cap, unlimited) and forcing you to take BT sport. Perhaps there will also be further increases but BT will offer discounted home broadband or landline calling. Three will either seek to give up (sell up) or actually carry on and bid for more spectrum. My belief is that Three is going to continue and there could be announcements in the near future on plans, including the complete roll out of VoLTE (i.e. 1800) and - hopefully - reprioritising 800 4G over 2100 3G - but of course, that needs many more sites to have 800. Currently EE has exemplary 4G coverage in many places that disappears (falls to 3G) the minute you step indoors. 800 for EE is essential going forward, including Three, but Ofcom isn't likely to even consider indoor 4G coverage as being important sadly - as long as there's 3G or 2G. |
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#15 |
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Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 634
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Quote:
Ofcom seem hellbent on helping BT establish a new monopoly this time over mobile. They are certainly not doing anything to help stimulate competition and private investment.
The owners of three want out. The owners of o2 want out. And Vodafone is in such a mess they almost don't matter. |
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#16 |
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Join Date: Oct 2015
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Quote:
Are they going to base this on actual performance or just a coverage map? O2 has loads of 3G900 in the South Hams in Devon but it doesn't work. At all. You get a signal but everything times out. They have just put panels on masts connected to what? A carrier pigeon? VOD appear to be following their lead, obviously 5 years behind. I suspect that will be equally crap.
I also find it ridiculous that the Ofcom map is pretty much based upon the coverage details provided directly from the networks, so is as fantastical and unrealistic as their own maps. There is the facility for users to 'feed back' their experience, but I've never seen any reflection of this on the map. |
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#17 |
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Join Date: May 2005
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Quote:
EE is probably so safe it could stop doing anything tomorrow and still be fine.
The concern, of course, is that BT starts to make it ridiculously expensive and introduces the multi tier operation we now see with the three plans on EE (20Mbps cap, 60Mbps cap, unlimited) and forcing you to take BT sport. Perhaps there will also be further increases but BT will offer discounted home broadband or landline calling. Three will either seek to give up (sell up) or actually carry on and bid for more spectrum. My belief is that Three is going to continue and there could be announcements in the near future on plans, including the complete roll out of VoLTE (i.e. 1800) and - hopefully - reprioritising 800 4G over 2100 3G - but of course, that needs many more sites to have 800. Currently EE has exemplary 4G coverage in many places that disappears (falls to 3G) the minute you step indoors. 800 for EE is essential going forward, including Three, but Ofcom isn't likely to even consider indoor 4G coverage as being important sadly - as long as there's 3G or 2G. |
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#18 |
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Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Portsmouth
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Quote:
What do you think the hold up is for EE not turning up the power on 800?
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#19 |
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Quote:
What do you think the hold up is for EE not turning up the power on 800?
Remember, 800 on EE will be set at a higher priority than 3G. That will mean that once launched, a lot of people will come off 3G and go to 4G - which means it has to offer a decent experience or many will wonder why they're getting slower speeds in a lot of places than they did before. Just like EE doesn't announce a town is covered with 4G until at least 85% (ISTR) is, and VoLTE was a slow and very quiet roll out, I assume it is doing a lot of testing and isn't satisfied with where things are right now. Look at how poor 800 is on Three, even if the coverage maps would imply coverage of nearly the whole country! |
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#20 |
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Join Date: May 2005
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Quote:
Poor VoLTE support. 800 goes a lot further 1800, meaning lots of customers would have data coverage but no voice, which would be confusing and lead to a lot of complaints.
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#21 |
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Quote:
It's going to be restricted to 4G Calling devices only so that can't be the reason.
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#22 |
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Quote:
It's going to be restricted to 4G Calling devices only so that can't be the reason.
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#23 |
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Quote:
Do you have a source on that?
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#24 |
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Join Date: Jul 2004
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Presumably it will be along the same lines as Supervoice and be handset specific. Anything else would be silly. They have enough masts and spectrum to make VO2 2G900 look like a poor relation. But only if they restrict it to VoLTE phones so they can crank it up.
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#25 |
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But I've been told that it isn't on as many sites as some think - yet. Not sure if that is simply a lack of the 800 antennas, a software issue or whatever.
I think you'd want 800 on almost all sites if you're trying to improve indoor coverage, and if 800 is going to mean users get 4G instead of 3G when indoors, there needs to be sufficient capacity or it's all going to look terrible. It stands to reason that once you're left with shed loads of 2100MHz 3G unused, you begin refarming that for 4G too. Then the coverage, capacity and speed will be unbelievably good. My fear is by the time that happens, you'll need the new BT Sport Broadband Max Plus Plan to benefit. All other plans will be capped at 2Mbps.
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