O2 vs Three

robj20 · 23 Apr 2012 at 10:59

Thinking of moving to Three from O2 are they any good these days.

JAMAL · 23 Apr 2012 at 11:10

3 are brilliant, i went from o2 to 3 and never look back.

Data speed are fantastic.

Check you're coverage first etc..........

Myshra · 23 Apr 2012 at 11:13

100% depends on the signal and services available in your area.

robj20 · 23 Apr 2012 at 11:13

Live in Manchester so should be alright, people keep saying they struggle with indoor signal though.
I mainly use my phone these days for email and facebook, its odd but i rarely use my phone to make phone calls.

Meatball · 23 Apr 2012 at 11:17

Three network struggles more indoors than other networks due to the frequency used for 3G. With my iPhone 4 on 3 I don't get a signal in shopping centres or Sainsburys (Greater London, Uxbridge) because my area is covered by 3G Three have turned off Orange 2G roaming as well. So it's 3G or No Service

NeoVo · 23 Apr 2012 at 11:24

I made this move in August 2010 when iPhone 4 came out.

Cheaper/ Better 3G Coverage / Faster 3G Coverage

Free tethering was also included in my package which 02 wanted additional money for.
The only thing i lost was visual voice mail on the iPhone.

Memphis · 23 Apr 2012 at 11:25

O2 = Garbage coverage
Three = Awesome coverage

O2 are going down the toilet and have been for quite some time. They rested on their laurels and it's biting them now.

I wouldn't dream of moving from Three to O2. In fact, I moved the opposite way and never looked back.

robj20 · 23 Apr 2012 at 11:26

It will only be 0.32p cheaper for me, currently £15.32 a month for 300 mins, unlimted texts and unlimted data. Threes 3000 texts may as well be unlimted.

JAMAL · 23 Apr 2012 at 11:29

Don't forget topcashback as you will get a fair whack back.

My coverage indoors is great where as O2 i couldn't get 3g :/

robj20 · 23 Apr 2012 at 11:31

Looks like quidco gives me £24 for signing up for the sim 300 contract thats not bad.

Myshra · 23 Apr 2012 at 11:33

Meatball said:
Three network struggles more indoors than other networks due to the frequency used for 3G. With my iPhone 4 on 3 I don't get a signal in shopping centres or Sainsburys (Greater London, Uxbridge) because my area is covered by 3G Three have turned off Orange 2G roaming as well. So it's 3G or No Service

To make it perfectly clear, 3G is on the same band for all networks, 2100Mhz, if anything Three have one of the largest deployments of HSPA+ going for them. 2G roaming exists where there was not enough coverage for 3 to use just their stuff alone. Shopping centres have repeaters in which all networks use equally due to density so I wouldn't consider this a huge issue, all networks suffer in the same way.

robj20 · 23 Apr 2012 at 11:37

Think i will give them ago, can you keep your number on these sim only contracts? Is it the PAC code i ask for? Cheers

StonedPenguin · 23 Apr 2012 at 11:38

Three's signal in parts of Nott'm is awful, I moved from 3 to 02(Giffgaff) because of this.

robj20 · 23 Apr 2012 at 11:39

Presume when they say no tethering its the same as O2s no tethering, ie on Android they cant stop you as long as data doesnt go through the roof?

Liquid_Entity · 26 Apr 2012 at 11:47

I'm thinking about moving to Three when my contract on Vodafone runs out in August. I can live with my Desire for another year and the saving I will make going from a £30 contract to a £15 will be good for me.

I just hope the Three coverage is as good now. From what people have said on this thread it certainly seems better.

Robbo · 26 Apr 2012 at 12:03

Myshra said:
100% depends on the signal and services available in your area.

This. This. This. THIS.

It totally depends on where you are, even down to small areas too.

How people still don't understand this is beyond me.

Caseh · 26 Apr 2012 at 12:05

Robbo said:
This. This. This. THIS.

It totally depends on where you are, even down to small areas too.

How people still don't understand this is beyond me.

Exactly this.

3 are great, until I need to use it within a 5 mile radius where I need to use it, then I'm constantly trying to get a signal. GiffGaff/O2 was absolutely fine, and almost always had a solid signal.

Now when I go to my friends in Barnsley, it's the complete opposite.

PistolPete · 26 Apr 2012 at 13:07

Myshra said:
2G roaming exists where there was not enough coverage for 3 to use just their stuff alone.

Except where 3 deem their coverage to be sufficient, it has been disabled as it's cheaper for them.

mrk · 26 Apr 2012 at 14:01

Meatball said:
Three network struggles more indoors than other networks due to the frequency used for 3G. With my iPhone 4 on 3 I don't get a signal in shopping centres or Sainsburys (Greater London, Uxbridge) because my area is covered by 3G Three have turned off Orange 2G roaming as well. So it's 3G or No Service

Maybe that's an iPhone issue?

Indoors I can pull up to 13Mb down and 4-5Mb up. Outdoors is no different.

My phone switches between 3G/HSDPA and 2G which i've seen it switch to once when I was in the middle of nowhere.

Ultraman1966 · 10 Jun 2013 at 13:23

Myshra said:
To make it perfectly clear, 3G is on the same band for all networks, 2100Mhz, if anything Three have one of the largest deployments of HSPA+ going for them. 2G roaming exists where there was not enough coverage for 3 to use just their stuff alone. Shopping centres have repeaters in which all networks use equally due to density so I wouldn't consider this a huge issue, all networks suffer in the same way.

Sorry to resurrect this but that's not true; O2 have been allowed to use 900MHz for deploying 3G for some time now.

However, I entirely concur that O2 have terrible 3G coverage and even where they have coverage the data speed is vastly inferior to Three.