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EE 800 Mhz 4G to go live next week


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Old 23-11-2016, 10:52
Gigabit
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We might found out in the next 10 minutes!
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Old 23-11-2016, 11:00
Gigabit
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Here...we...go?
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Old 23-11-2016, 11:00
jonmorris
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Official release:

Originally Posted by EE
23 November 2016, London – EE, the UK’s biggest mobile operator and part of BT Group, is calling for all mobile operators to get ‘Clear on Coverage’ and deliver clearer information about where customers can expect to get a mobile signal. An EE survey of 4,000 UK mobile users revealed that confusion about mobile network coverage has led to false expectations about where customers can make calls and use data, particularly in rural areas.

EE’s CEO is pledging to report all coverage in geographic terms from January 2017, delivering on the he made in April for better reporting on coverage and experience across the mobile industry. Marc Allera has written an open letter to all three mobile operator CEOs, and has asked Ofcom for support in driving the entire mobile industry to get ‘Clear on Coverage’.

EE CEO Marc Allera said: “From streaming music to making video calls, our customers use their smartphones wherever they go and tell us loud and clear that a 4G signal is no longer a ‘nice to have’ – it’s a ‘must have’. Today, people think they will get mobile coverage absolutely everywhere, because as an industry we’ve talked about coverage with confusing population metrics, and language that sets the wrong expectations. Too often, the customer experience has been very different from the marketing. That has to stop.

“We’re asking our peers and the mobile industry to get ‘Clear on Coverage’. All operators should publish clearer geographic coverage information, and we’re seeking support from Ofcom as the independent source of information on mobile coverage and quality. We want to make it easier and clearer for consumers to know where they will and won’t get coverage, and which network is the right one for them.”

As part of EE’s promise to get ‘Clear on Coverage,’ EE will:

Stop using population coverage measurements in isolation when communicating with customers
Publish regular updates on geographic coverage and data speed by county and by major roads
Work with Ofcom to provide consumer advice on the role of devices in network experience
Meet with Ofcom and all operator CEOs to agree next steps on how to get ‘Clear on Coverage’
EE’s ‘Clear on Coverage’ survey by research house ICM surveyed 4,000 consumers and found that:

Based on current advertised population metrics*, 50% of consumers expect to have mobile signal wherever they go in the UK
Nearly half of all UK mobile users don’t know what coverage measurement to look for when choosing a mobile network provider, despite rating network coverage as one of their most important considerations
A third of all UK mobile users are least satisfied with their mobile network coverage when travelling
The area where UK mobile users are least satisfied about their mobile coverage is when they are travelling in rural areas
*based on network provider telling UK mobile users they have 99% population coverage

Sarah Lee, head of policy, Countryside Alliance said: “We welcome EE’s call for the mobile industry to deliver clearer information to customers about where they can expect to get a signal. It is vital that mobile consumers are able to make an informed decision about which network has the potential to serve them best.

“I am glad that EE recognises that the lack of clear information for consumers has been a particular problem in rural areas. We believe that the move towards reporting all coverage in geographic terms by January 2017 is a step in the right direction and has the potential to offer significant benefits to rural consumers. The Countryside Alliance have long believed that the population based approach to monitoring coverage has failed consumers in rural areas.”

Largest network expansion in the UK

EE is the first to embrace clearer geographic measurements and is working towards covering 95% of the UK with 4G by 2020. This year alone, EE has added 4G coverage to 25% of the UK landmass, and has now connected 75% of the UK with superfast speeds.

4G from EE is now available in more places than any 3G network, just four years after launch, marking the UK’s fastest network expansion.

Today, EE has also switched on its low frequency 800MHz spectrum on 700 sites across the country, filling in 5,000 square kilometres of 4G not spots overnight and improving indoor signal in 500,000 homes. Parts of Shropshire, Somerset, Snowdonia, Oban, Glasgow, Berkshire and Derbyshire are among those getting 4G for the first time thanks to the switch on. Another 3,000 sites will be equipped with the low frequency spectrum before the end of 2017.

Customers will need a 4G Calling-capable phone to use the new low frequency signal. 4G Calling is available on monthly SIM and handset plans, on the majority of EE’s device range. EE is committing today to launch its first 4G Calling smartphone under Ł100 in 2017 to provide an affordable choice for customers who simply want outstanding call quality and reliability, but may not need all of the features of the latest 4G smartphones.

100% UK & Ireland EE Customer Service

Following the onshoring of all EE Pay monthly customer service calls in July, EE will also complete its commitment to answer all EE customer service calls in the UK and Ireland by onshoring Pay as you go and Home customer service calls in December.

As part of EE’s plan to be number one for customer experience, EE has created more than 1,000 new call centre jobs in North Tyneside, Darlington, Plymouth and Merthyr Tydfil in 2016. EE’s customer service improvements have seen complaints drop 50% year on year, now well below the industry average with fewer than five complaints per 100,000 customers, and customer churn has fallen to its lowest ever levels at just 1%.

EE has also launched an innovative Network Status Checker tool, to provide real-time and personal updates to customers about network performance. Customers can set tailored alerts for places that are important to them, such as their place of work, home or home of a loved one, and they will receive personalised alerts if there are network issues.

To learn more about EE’s mobile coverage with indications of indoor and outdoor signal on 2G, 3G and 4G customers can use EE’s online coverage checker.
700 sites active today.
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Old 23-11-2016, 11:01
packages
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700 sites wow.
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Old 23-11-2016, 11:02
Gigabit
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Sounds very promising...
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Old 23-11-2016, 11:02
Scott_14
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http://newsroom.ee.co.uk/ee-calls-on...ots-overnight/
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Old 23-11-2016, 11:03
Aaron_Gleeson
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Marc has just tweeted a video on coverage measuring
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Old 23-11-2016, 11:04
blueacid
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Sarcasm or sincerity?

It does sound quite a small number, considering most of the providers have a number of sites in the 10,000 region (I seem to remember seeing that EE had 18,000), so 700 represents quite a small percentage.

Anyone have any idea or best guesses how many 4g800 masts Three have in active service?
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Old 23-11-2016, 11:08
jonmorris
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Anyone have any idea or best guesses how many 4g800 masts Three have in active service?
2, maybe 3?
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Old 23-11-2016, 11:10
Gigabit
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Just got a Twitter DM from EE re my question on how to check 800MHz coverage.

...thanks for getting in touch. Parts of Shropshire, Somerset, Snowdonia, Oban, Glasgow, Berkshire and Derbyshire are among those getting 4G for the first time thanks to the switch on of 800Mhz. The 5,000km˛ of coverage that’s been added by the overnight switch on of 800MHz spectrum is spread all over Britain – it’s not in one place. And not all of it will remain only covered by 800MHz – we’re switching on 150 sites every week and many of those are 1800MHz, which is open to all 4GEE customers. The place to keep up to date with your coverage will be via our coverage checker > ee.co.uk/why-ee/mobile-…. Cheers...
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Old 23-11-2016, 11:14
Synthetic42
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I think we've over hyped this. Whoops
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Old 23-11-2016, 11:15
InfamousTeal
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So it happened last night to only a few areas of the UK, and nobody so far has noticed any difference?
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Old 23-11-2016, 11:18
red_snow
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I think we've over hyped this. Whoops
The frustrating thing is I know the mast serving where I work has the capability, in fact I even managed 2 bars of 4G this morning for a couple of minutes. Ookla even worked and gave a 5-6mbps rate. Now however, they have killed it again.

Given I get NO 2G/3G/4G normally, this was very promising.

Looks as though I'm with O2 for the foreseeable.
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Old 23-11-2016, 11:18
CheshireBumpkin
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Whoa. Far too much anticipation in here, which will lead to disappointment.
All hail Sir Lucan, for he was spot on!
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Old 23-11-2016, 11:19
packages
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Old 23-11-2016, 11:20
packages
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Just got a Twitter DM from EE re my question on how to check 800MHz coverage.
So useless then
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Old 23-11-2016, 11:24
nickgold
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So they expect to increase geographic from 75% to 92% in the 12 months. So I guess the rollout will ramp up quickly.
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Old 23-11-2016, 11:28
jonmorris
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All hail Sir Lucan, for he was spot on!
It isn't going to be disappointing for the people in those areas, and as I said just now, they've added 'normal' 1800 4G in a lot of places since the summer, so factor these in and coverage has improved a lot - and this is a bonus.

Plus, 3000 more sites by the end of 2018 clearly isn't going to be nothing done until December and all at once, so this is an ongoing thing.

I still think, by and large, EE is going to remain far ahead of the competition.

However, I am very excited by what Vodafone and O2 is doing to improve indoor coverage with small cells. Not only will users get reliable 4G, but the potential for very high speeds. EE may get you 10-15Mbps indoors, where as Vodafone could get you 200Mbps.

All in all, the consumer now has some good choices and in the next year or two, 2G should be something only old smart meters ever get to see and use.
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Old 23-11-2016, 11:32
biggy7
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if it was switched on already, my EE signal at indoor at home this morning was still poor - (Stockport)

will get the G4 out later to force it on Band20 and have a check.
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Old 23-11-2016, 11:40
CheshireBumpkin
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It isn't going to be disappointing for the people in those areas, and as I said just now, they've added 'normal' 1800 4G in a lot of places since the summer, so factor these in and coverage has improved a lot - and this is a bonus.

Plus, 3000 more sites by the end of 2018 clearly isn't going to be nothing done until December and all at once, so this is an ongoing thing.

I still think, by and large, EE is going to remain far ahead of the competition.

However, I am very excited by what Vodafone and O2 is doing to improve indoor coverage with small cells. Not only will users get reliable 4G, but the potential for very high speeds. EE may get you 10-15Mbps indoors, where as Vodafone could get you 200Mbps.

All in all, the consumer now has some good choices and in the next year or two, 2G should be something only old smart meters ever get to see and use.
I don't disagree on any of your points, but it will be interesting to see if anyone actually reports a 'real life' improvement.

I've yet to see a single report of someone who has noticed they have a previously absent 4G signal today - which is quite telling when a good number have been actively looking! The statistics and press releases are one thing - customer experience is another.

We're our own worst enemies on here though - getting disproportionately excited about such things.

This is not just disappointment, this is EE disappointment.
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Old 23-11-2016, 11:43
Synthetic42
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You might need to re-register on the network to see it, could always try a reboot
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Old 23-11-2016, 11:44
Jambo862
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Can anyone advise me how to lock my phone to Band 20? Its a S7 Edge

Thanks
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Old 23-11-2016, 11:45
jo_m1
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So Three has as many 4G800 sites right now as EE plans to have by the end of 2017?
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Old 23-11-2016, 11:45
Gigabit
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Can anyone advise me how to lock my phone to Band 20? Its a S7 Edge

Thanks
Can't without root.
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Old 23-11-2016, 11:48
lamby
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So this is band 20?
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