Mobile/USB Broadband - Found One, Is This The Best?

Cheetah

I believe Three were voted to the worst for mobile broadband along with T-mobile.

I think that Orange were voted best (but don't quote me on that). It was a YouGov survey.

You need to ensure that you have decent 3G/HSDPA/HSUPA coverage where you live/plan to use it. (different mobile phone signals).

asbokid

mrochester wrote: »

When there's no 3G coverage, Three uses the Orange network. So wherever you can get Orange, you can use Three.

When this tie-up was announced by the industry, it was reported as being a Good Thing. We should question whether that is actually the case...

When two providers pool their network capacity - as Three and Orange have done - the additional contention will cause a degradation in the quality of service once the network load has reached a critical point.

Since there is finite spectral capacity in any radio communication system, the 3G network operator has several options when utilisation reaches that critical point..

it can increase the cell density by building new masts. but that path is very costly and completely defies the purpose of sharing masts..

it can enforce access control - i.e. new PPP sessions are refused altogether when the cell load is too high.. in other words you are barred from even logging on to the internet..

it can reduce the cell load by limiting bandwidth available per user, perhaps to sub-dialup speeds... or

it can borrow capacity, if available, from neighbouring cells by handing you over to the neighbour..

The utilisation at a shared cell is essentially double what it was before the sharing agreement and CDMA - the multiplexing access mechanism used in 3G - is heavily noise-limited. The more users multiplexed in a CDMA system, the lower the average SNR ratio and the lower the bandwidth available per user. Therefore the pooling of mast resources must always be a Bad Thing for the 3G user....

We should be condemning these tie-ups and demanding more masts!! The more masts the merrier! One on every school roof, on every church tower, in every village hall.. If not a mast in every street!

Degradation of service is an issue that users of 3G should consider before recommending their own provider to others.. Don't sh.it on your own doorstep, so to speak! Which is why I am advising everyone that Three is by far the worst 3G provider, closely followed by Orange!!

leosayer39

mrochester wrote: »

That's not true. When there's no 3G coverage, Three uses the Orange network. So wherever you can get Orange, you can use Three.

I dont think that this is the case any more

Three now use the T Mobile network, at least I think that they do

mrochester

leosayer39 wrote: »

I dont think that this is the case any more

Three now use the T Mobile network, at least I think that they do

Never heard that announcement.

iceburn

3 still use Orange as roaming mainly for voice go as 2G. But in 3G area they are now sharing mast with T-Mobile

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=713696

Also Vodafone and O2 are merging their masts as well

http://news.zdnet.co.uk/communications/0,1000000085,39631266,00.htm

and there is speculation that Orange might joini the T-mobile / 3 club (well it is now the odd one out.)

http://community.zdnet.co.uk/blog/0,1000000567,10012331o-2000331761b,00.htm