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kona786 · 17 Nov 2011 at 20:12

T-Mobile have been using 3's masts for years - and just to add - T-Mob has been great for me the past few years. London area.

Reza86 · 17 Nov 2011 at 20:20

I'm meant to be on the T-Mobile 3gb per month package but they changed the packages and lowered me to 1gb, each month they send me a text saying I've gone over and they will be capping my download speeds, each month I call them complain and get the cap lifted, but its just a pain in the arse.

I'm switching to 3 on the One Plan, its expensive but at least it will meet my mammoth data needs.

AndyCr15 · 17 Nov 2011 at 20:22

kona786 said:
T-Mobile have been using 3's masts for years - and just to add - T-Mob has been great for me the past few years. London area.

Again, please just show me a link. From my testing, they've never gone above 2mb down or 0.4 up...

Tbh, even if this is the case, it's not working cause they still have abysmal speeds

bhavv · 17 Nov 2011 at 20:23

Here:

T-Mobile shares phone masts with 3 to boost wireless broadband

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/dec/18/mobilephones

And:

Orange and T-Mobile merge networks

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11199786

T Mobile and Orange are fully merged and can uses each others networks and data services. T Mobile and 3 have an agreement to share each others masts for better coverage.

The T mobile and 3 mast merge happened donkeys ago.

The T Mobile + Orange share is 2G signals only, but you can switch to use the others 3G service with a quick dial to customer services. T Mobile + 3 share 3G masts.

AndyCr15 · 17 Nov 2011 at 20:24

kona786 said:
T-Mob has been great for me the past few years. London area.

This is the most important bit though. If you're happy, there's not a problem. I wasn't, I wanted some speed

AndyCr15 · 17 Nov 2011 at 20:27

bhavv said:
Here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/dec/18/mobilephones

That also says Orange and Vodafone are merging, so I don't trust it much.

Anyway, as I said, in some ways it's even worse as they are still finding a way to throttle your connection on a network that can do 3 or 4 times the speed.

bhavv · 17 Nov 2011 at 20:28

AndyCr15 said:
That also says Orange and Vodafone are merging, so I don't trust it much.

Because it happened in 2007!

Waaaaaaaay before the Orange + T Mobile merge. The rest of the info on who is buying who and who is merging was speculation, but the T Mobile and 3 mast sharing definitely happened.

Another link:

http://www.techwatch.co.uk/2007/12/18/t-mobile-and-3-in-mast-sharing-agreement/

A more recent link from 2010:

http://www.mobiletoday.co.uk/News/8982/3_installs_10,000th_3G_mast.aspx

The sharing info is in the comments though.

AndyCr15 · 17 Nov 2011 at 20:33

There's that word again - 'Planning'.

bhavv · 17 Nov 2011 at 20:36

Then call up T Mobile or 3 and ask them :rolleyes:

AndyCr15 · 17 Nov 2011 at 20:38

I'm not bothered. I've already said it's kinda beside the point, even if true they're just really bad...

kona786 · 17 Nov 2011 at 20:38

AndyCr15 said:
Again, please just show me a link.

Three launched with a roaming agreement with O2[30] which allowed its customers to use their handsets on the 2G network when they moved out of 3G coverage. The agreement with O2 ended in 2007 and the agreement with Orange is ongoing. T-Mobile & Orange merged as 1 company, 3UK and T-Mobile prior to that merge owned a 50/50 Joint Venture for backhaul and base station sites (MBNL LTD) that Orange are now merging into*** Roaming on Orange is still available in some areas, but in others has been turned off.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hutchison_3G

http://www.ispreview.co.uk/story/20...-mobile-broadband-network-expansion-deal.html

speeds are set independent by T-Mobile.

bhavv · 17 Nov 2011 at 20:42

Just to clarify - 3 and T Mobile dont share 'every' 3G mast between them, they just have full permission to use each others wherever and whenever they want.

So if 3 has great 3G coverage in one area and T Mobile dont, T mobile can add whatever it is they add to that 3 mast to allow it to work for their network too, and vice versa.

I'm not so knowledgable on the technology behind masts, so I dont know how they do it, but the agreement to share masts between T Mobile and 3 has been in place since 2007.

AndyCr15 · 17 Nov 2011 at 20:42

Thanks, a couple of interesting links. This bit sounds odd -

Although masts and the 3G access networks are being combined, each company's core network and T-Mobile's 2G network will not be shared. Both parties will retain responsibility for the delivery of services to their respective customers and use their own frequency spectrum.

I wonder if that's why T-Mobile still sucks?

bhavv · 17 Nov 2011 at 20:47

Actually T Mobile used to to be the top 3G network in the UK with way over 90% coverage, and the best mobile broadband tariffs available.

After the Orange merge however, they went downhill, and 3 stepped up their tariffs and network to offer the best data plans and 3G service you can currently get.

T Mobile went downhill, while 3 went uphill, thats why I'm leaving T Mobile for 3 now, but wouldnt have even considered doing so 2 years ago when T Mobile were the best for data.

Overall, I dont get why mobile data is so crap in the UK compared to other places, in fact even our broadband is.

AndyCr15 said:
I wonder if that's why T-Mobile still sucks?

Ohhh, actually yes - T Mobile are pants for 2G coverage, if you still use that. But their 3G is just as good as 3.

AndyCr15 · 17 Nov 2011 at 20:54

Coverage. I'm not really talking coverage, maybe because I'm in London so that shouldn't be an issue. Having said that, it was not having a data connection in central London twice that pushed me over the edge.

Three's speeds are far far better. Upload is around 8 times better. The only problem with Three, it seems to struggle in dense buildings.

Jeepo · 17 Nov 2011 at 21:01

Firstly, I see people talking about cash back on contracts? how?

Next up, GiffGaff. They use o2 network so I should be able to put my GG sim into a o2 phone no questions, I know it worked in my iPhone. I love GiffGaff, free unlimited internet that is really unlimited and now tethering. What's not to like for £10 per month? My contract is up with o2 now I need to figure out how much I can get a GNex for out of contract and do the math........Currently paying £37 on my old contract.......

Also, where will have the first Pay Go option to buy this phone? CPW? P4U? Or direct from o2?

Either way, if anyone wants a GiffGaff sim and wants to give both themselves and me £5 free credit, hit the link:

SimonCHere · 17 Nov 2011 at 21:13

Jeepo said:
Firstly, I see people talking about cash back on contracts? how?

Next up, GiffGaff. They use o2 network so I should be able to put my GG sim into a o2 phone no questions, I know it worked in my iPhone. I love GiffGaff, free unlimited internet that is really unlimited and now tethering. What's not to like for £10 per month? My contract is up with o2 now I need to figure out how much I can get a GNex for out of contract and do the math........Currently paying £37 on my old contract.......

I don't get why people can't read the Giffgaff website.
Yes, you can use a O2 locked phone on Giffgaff.
NO YOU CAN'T TETHER ON THE PHONE TARRIFF. :rolleyes:

bhavv · 17 Nov 2011 at 21:13

Jeepo said:
Firstly, I see people talking about cash back on contracts? how?

http://www.topcashback.co.uk/3_mobile/

(I accidentally ordered it twice due to a browser fail, but called 3 and cancelled one).

Thats almost enough cash back there to cover £5 pm of the One Plan contract

Oh, and the cashback on my order says it will be paid in January, of course they have to delay it so you cant take out multiple contracts and cancel.

bhavv · 17 Nov 2011 at 21:21

Oh, and this is going to be my first Uber phone

So far I've had:

T610
K700
K750
K800
K850
LG Arena (no where near as uber as it looked)
X10 Mini Pro

..... And next a Samsung Galaxy Nexus!!!!!

How big a step up will that be?

reflux · 17 Nov 2011 at 21:23

An absolute long jump. The X10 Mini Pro will look like a phone from 1995

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