The Uk 3G network....

In Nottingham centre it's pretty confusing, such as bus journeys, 70% you might get 3g but just in small random areas or streets you get nothing, quite annoying when using spotify.
 
Telefonica O2 UK and Telefonica O2 Ireland are two totally separate networks, managed by different companies, under completely separate management, so problems over there are different to over here.

That being said until you study all the intricacy and science around a 3G and GSM network, you'll see how hard it is to create a perfect mobile network. And the hardest places to do this is in a city centre and in the countryside far from towns.

Each mobile network only has a certain number of frequency channels they can use to communicate between the mobile phone and the cell site, due to the peaks and troughs of an electromagnetic wave at those frequencies you can have complete signal in one place and lose signal completely 6" away. You then have to think about bandwidth requirements back from the BS to the BSC, how HLRs track which cell your connected to, trying to figure out which cell you should be connected to, holding a call and moving between BSes, sometimes even BSCs and heaven forbid between MSCs.

Then you have to think about signals getting blocked, mobile phones operate on a frequency that is easily blocked by near enough every physical object you put in the way, trees, buildings, even people themselves sap mobile phone signal. And even then when you get out to the countryside the cellsite is linked back into the central network not with cables but with LOS microwave transmitters that can be blocked even more easily.

Also due to latency and signal degradation you need to be closer than 100m with fully clear line of sight to the antenna to get full 3G signal.

Its a miracle that mobile networks work at all, no 1 network will ever be able to cover every square inch of the UK and with the frequencies divided between 5 major operators they dont really have the spectrum to handle current call / data volumes that are taking place, but every mobile network is doing their best.

I hate all the people that jump on the bandwagon just because they have bad signal in their specific area and call that mobile network poor. :D
 
I feel I must also vent a little regarding o2's 3g coverage.

You would expect London to be pretty much saturated but no. Not only is 3g patchy in the suburbs but also centrally. On a train journey from east to west london, straight through the middle I count it lucky to even constantly get an edge signal.

At worse I get no service whatsoever (Putney) to only on occasion actually getting a 3g signal that lasts more than 5 minutes before dropping to a slower network.

Bah, Paul.
 
o2's 3G network is the worst in the UK without question. All the others are better with T-Mobiles and 3's probably coming out on top.
 
I used to be on O2 and the 3g in the south and London was shockingly slow or non existant. I'm now on Vodafone and I no longer receive the network errors when browsing in peak out "Network connection has been reset". YouTube also works much faster. I'm on the sim only deals at the moment.
 
Solaris said:
Telefonica O2 UK and Telefonica O2 Ireland are two totally separate networks, managed by different companies, under completely separate management, so problems over there are different to over here.

That being said until you study all the intricacy and science around a 3G and GSM network, you'll see how hard it is to create a perfect mobile network. And the hardest places to do this is in a city centre and in the countryside far from towns.

Each mobile network only has a certain number of frequency channels they can use to communicate between the mobile phone and the cell site, due to the peaks and troughs of an electromagnetic wave at those frequencies you can have complete signal in one place and lose signal completely 6" away. You then have to think about bandwidth requirements back from the BS to the BSC, how HLRs track which cell your connected to, trying to figure out which cell you should be connected to, holding a call and moving between BSes, sometimes even BSCs and heaven forbid between MSCs.

Then you have to think about signals getting blocked, mobile phones operate on a frequency that is easily blocked by near enough every physical object you put in the way, trees, buildings, even people themselves sap mobile phone signal. And even then when you get out to the countryside the cellsite is linked back into the central network not with cables but with LOS microwave transmitters that can be blocked even more easily.

Also due to latency and signal degradation you need to be closer than 100m with fully clear line of sight to the antenna to get full 3G signal.

Its a miracle that mobile networks work at all, no 1 network will ever be able to cover every square inch of the UK and with the frequencies divided between 5 major operators they dont really have the spectrum to handle current call / data volumes that are taking place, but every mobile network is doing their best.

I hate all the people that jump on the bandwagon just because they have bad signal in their specific area and call that mobile network poor. :D
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All true and partly a hangover from a network architecture that isn't really suited to purpose any more but the existing investment rules out major changes. That said, I've done (IP) design work for some of the mobile networks and their reluctance to spend money and acknowledge the demand for mobile data might require some base stations to have more than a 2Mbit link feeding it was quite something.
 
Three gives me good signal in and around Belfast. Depends on the building sometimes, but pretty much 90% of the time i get full bars on 3G in Belfast and Lisburn.

Out in the country here though its hard to get any signal at all.
 
acantril said:
o2's 3G network is the worst in the UK without question. All the others are better with T-Mobiles and 3's probably coming out on top.
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Didn't Ofcom or somebody do a study on 3G coverage last year some time and Orange came out on top?

Edit: Here's the PFD of the report
 
Three's whole network is 3G (UTMS) hence their name so you stand a good chance of getting a 3G signal. This is partly the reason for their bad reputation of poor coverage, they didn't bother setting up a 2G network in the UK, they went straight ahead with 3G. They were using O2's network for 2G services before 2007 but I think they have now switched to using Orange. They are also sharing T-Mobile's 3G network now so the coverage should be really good (T-Mobile and 3 essentially have identical 3G coverage due to the sharing deal).
 
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In Richmond I get aboslutely no 3G coverage on O2, not even EDGE coverage. it really is quite pathetic that O2 have all these advertisements about 3G network coverage but can't even give it to a densly populated borough of London.
 
Yeah I've found O2's 3G to be pretty crap tbh.

Not sure what I'll do re the iPad. I'm currently thinking of buying a USA 64GB 3G and then over here getting a Vodafone pay-as-you-go 3G 'mobile broadband' USB dongle and taking the SIM out of that and (after attacking it with a knife!) put it in the iPad..
 
If O2 are that bad then why do they consistently come top in the industry recognised JD Power mobile broadband surveys?

And shouldn't this really be in the mobile phone forum?
 
weringo said:
In Richmond I get aboslutely no 3G coverage on O2, not even EDGE coverage. it really is quite pathetic that O2 have all these advertisements about 3G network coverage but can't even give it to a densly populated borough of London.
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I go through Richmond on the train every morning and it is particularly bad actually.
 
Wicksta said:
If O2 are that bad then why do they consistently come top in the industry recognised JD Power mobile broadband surveys?
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Very true actually :).

I find that O2's coverage is very good, but (when the others have coverage too) O2 are slower than the competitors. Hence my comment.
 
- O2 Broadband is classed as the best on the market (a 3G mobile network and a broadband network are two completely different things)

- When you do have a 3G connection established its been proven that O2 users get faster page loads than from any other competitor

- Yes 3G coverage is patchy, it always is on every network, different networks cover different areas better, you will always get the opinions from users getting poor coverage but never the opinions from users with good coverage.

- O2 have just invested 9-figures in new cells and improving their network, phone up customer support and maybe they can do something about it? Random internet forums will not get your complaints heard :D
 
My issue is when buying a phone, you have no way to test the network.

E.g. If I'd had the choice between Orange/O2/Vodafone when I got my original iPhone at launch in November 2007 I'd have struggled to decided purely because each handset picks up reception and I've always been with a carrier for longer than 18 months at a time, so it's unfair to judge as networks change all the time.

Now that I know O2 is good in my area I'll be tempted to stay with them.. but how do I know Vodafone won't be as good, if not better?

This is my issue; There needs to be a way to test a handset on a network with a 7 day return window.

Also, my £20 contract on O2 will take a lot of beating :p
(600 minutes, 1200 messages, unlimited data, Cloud Wi-Fi, Visual Voicemail on a 1 month rolling contract)
 
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I live in Stamford Lincs and we have NO 3g in the area at all. The nearest we have is in Peterborough and I try not to go there too often.

Even when I do get 3G signal there - often its slower than Edge.

The ejits at the O2 even tried to sell me an O2 internet dongle and banged on about speed etc... they soon shut up when I asked about coverage.

O2 BB on the other hand is FANTASTIC!
 
K@rl said:
I live in Stamford Lincs and we have NO 3g in the area at all. The nearest we have is in Peterborough and I try not to go there too often.

Even when I do get 3G signal there - often its slower than Edge.

The ejits at the O2 even tried to sell me an O2 internet dongle and banged on about speed etc... they soon shut up when I asked about coverage.

O2 BB on the other hand is FANTASTIC!
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You're just down the road from me. I'm in Oakham. Similar situation though. Only time I ever get 3g is when I'm in P'boro or Leicester
 
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