T-Mobile limiting data speeds to just 0.35Mbps on HSDPA

c-m

I signed up to a £25 a month contract with T-Mobile to make use of the unlimited data and no FUP.

I've read lots of reports of T-mobile limiting the data rate for contracts bought via 3rd party providers to 3G speeds. What this means is that if you bought your contract via say Carphone Warehouse, even if you are connected via HSDPA, you would only be able to download at 3G speeds. i.e significantly slower.

My contract was direct with T-mobile, yet i seem to have this exact same restriction. Multiple speed tests in different location all confirm that i can only get 0.35Mbps (the maximum of 3G), despite being connected to HSDPA.

T-mobile customer services claimed there is nothing on the account to suggest a limit, though it's pretty obvious there is something going on.

rodenal

Don't know if this helps you but I've jsut done a couple of tests and get 0.5 mbps on my Tmobile Hsdpa connection - guessing I haven't got a great quality connection where I am now

Heretic_osjc

I dont know if this helps but after running speed tests on numerous phones and mobile broadband sticks it seems t-mobile cap you on browsing (even when doing speedtest.net)

But once you start downloading files or stream you pick up faster speeds.

Hope this helps

c-m

Yes, you don't have a great HSDPA connection, but that is still faster then 3G.

when I run a speed test, my ping is great. 100ms or less, and the data rate shoots up to 0.35Mps and stays there.

Now compare that with my ZTE blade on giffgaff on HSDPA, i get a higher ping 150+ms but a throughput of 0.9-1.5Mbps. It's never identical.

The fact that the t-mobile sim always give the same reading when on HSDPA, is suspicious and stinks of being throttled.

@Heretic_osjc - that's something to think about. I did try the youtube app and was able to watch videos without buffering. I'll have to try something more substantial. Is there a good way to test this?

rolstherat

I had a similar query with t mobile and it also depends on time if day and where you are. I have just tested with speedtest and got 1.89 MB for download. I checked as I heard the same thing and my initial tests suggest slow speeds. When you checked did you go through to a specific technical team, as they are the ones that really know. For the record I don't have a high spec phone. I hope that is if help.

c-m

Well the CS ladies are being extremely helpful, had 5 conversations today. I'm up to level 2 technical support and need to log my speedtests. They'll call back tomorrow to extract the data then have their engineers look at it.

On my way home from work i went and stood next to the T-mobile UMTS mast, and did various speedtest, but still no luck.

Heretic_osjc

c-m wrote: »

@Heretic_osjc - that's something to think about. I did try the youtube app and was able to watch videos without buffering. I'll have to try something more substantial. Is there a good way to test this?

Not really, the way I calculate the speed is go to a site like microsoft go to the download centre download a very large file (like xp sp3 network distro) wait for it his max download (at a constant speed) and work it out from the KB/s

c-m

Well after my 5 calls to t-mobile last week, my case was finnaly put to level 2 technical support to look into. I provided them with a diary of connection stats and speed tests from multiple locations and times and even gave them the same for another user on the same contract who is getting decent speeds.

They were meant to get back to me within 5 working days. It's been 7 working days now and i've heard nothing.

I have had to make contact again, and a CS rep is chasing up the relevant department.

Not really good form from T-mobile so far.

essexman77

Im guessing there network cant cope with this new ulimted internet threes was always more to date than the others.

c-m

I know that they limit all 3rd party supplied contracts to 0.35Mbps but they claim that they don't do this on contract taken out via T-mobile direct. Yet after 5 calls it's still not sorted.

Is there a T-mobile rep on these boards at all?

Transformer

T Mobile seem to be going down hill since orange took them over. Orange cs methods were trained to t mobile staff and well the only way is down with that. Say they will phone back and dont and customer does all the chasing.

Get them to up the issue to complaint at higher level if no luck emai the ceo of everything everywhere.

Olaf.swantee@orange.co.uk.

Hes the new ceo and well they own t mobile and if they are frustrating you let him know