O2 giving advice about 3 network - sales spiel or the truth?!

rileydog

I'm with O2 and have been for many years with no issues but rang them today for my PAC as I'm getting a smartphone so am planning to switch to 3 sim only with data included - £12 gets you 300 mins, 3000 texts, 1GB date on a 1 month rolling contract. O2 can't even come close to that plus their 3G coverage is not as good as the 3 network.

Anyway, the advisor said that '3' only run on the 3G network meaning that coverage was effectively worse as 3G is also used for mobile internet so if lots of people were using the 3G signal for internet I might not be able to make a phonecall whereas O2 runs on the 2G & 3G signal.

Were they telling the truth or is it shameless sales spiel?!

DUTR

Get a 3 sim to try it out in the places you wish to use the handset.

rileydog

DUTR wrote: »

Get a 3 sim to try it out in the places you wish to use the handset.

Thanks, they weren't saying that I would never get signal, just that if the network was 'busy' with lots of people using 3G internet then I wouldn't be able to get a signal for a phonceall. Not sure if this part is true?

Probably not worth getting a PAYG SIM to test it out as the SIM only is just a 1 month contract anyway. I've checked the coverage on the 3 website and looks OK for my postcode.

DUTR

rileydog wrote: »

Thanks, they weren't saying that I would never get signal, just that if the network was 'busy' with lots of people using 3G internet then I wouldn't be able to get a signal for a phonceall. Not sure if this part is true?

Probably not worth getting a PAYG SIM to test it out as the SIM only is just a 1 month contract anyway. I've checked the coverage on the 3 website and looks OK for my postcode.

I have a 3 sim in my wildfire which I use for work, the only 2 places I can recall it not working is in Wyre forest but then my O2 never worked there either only Orange as my mate switched to that from voda, also in Yarnfield O2 worked on 2g only as there is a cell site nearby, but as you suspect, the O2 rep won't know what's going on with the 3 network infrastructure, unless they use 3 themself.

sparky93

they talking crap lol moreso just to keep you.

sparky93

3 drops on to 2g orange in some areas where theres no coverage.

sdduk

I think O2 are right 3 does not have 2g signal...they use to piggy back of Orange for 2g signal but as far as i know now Orange have pulled the plug on them

3 works great were i live only a couple of times have i lost signal but it wasn't for long may be they were updating some thing

i have been with them for about 4yrs so not bad going.

Im_just_careful

I can't tell for certain but I strongly suspect what the O2 man said was complete rubbish.

Voice calls use relatively little data and if I were designing a mobile network I would prioritise voice over data (as that would give the best user experience).

The data connections could use the rest of the capacity.

It is true that 3G coverage is less good in buildings than 2G and the older networks (Vodafone and what is now o2) have the best penetration into buildings but I think "3" gives the best overall experience with a smartphone.

rileydog

Im_just_careful wrote: »

I can't tell for certain but I strongly suspect what the O2 man said was complete rubbish.

Voice calls use relatively little data and if I were designing a mobile network I would prioritise voice over data (as that would give the best user experience).

The data connections could use the rest of the capacity.

It is true that 3G coverage is less good in buildings than 2G and the older networks (Vodafone and what is now o2) have the best penetration into buildings but I think "3" gives the best overall experience with a smartphone.

Thanks, that was the kind of technical info I was hoping for! I know that nobody from O2, three, or anywhere else for that matter could predict how good my signal might be in places that they don't even know I'm going too but was worried about general lack of ability to make calls when the network was 'busy' due to lots using the internet.

Toe-Jam

sparky93 wrote: »

3 drops on to 2g orange in some areas where theres no coverage.

I don't think they do that anymore. Its just 3G or nothing. But as far as i'm aware some of Threes 3G cells are shared with Orange via the TMobile share agreement with Three.

NFH

Everyone I know on Three has coverage problems, but not capacity problems.