Internet on 3 PAYG using Orange network?

chinnie

Hi,

I'm considering getting a 3 sim card to surf the internet - the reason being its generous data allowance for the add-on price (5 pounds per month). However, the reception of 3 network at my location is pretty poor. What interests me then is that I hear 3 will auto switch the signal to their partner Orange when the location cannot catch 3G signal directly from 3 network. Is this true? And will this switch happen both on 2G and 3G?

Preferably, I'd love to surf the net at 3G speed but would not mind getting EDGE (2.75G). Does the network switch offer EDGE as well? Many thanks.

stoveman

hey,

if no 3g signal it will try to pick up 3 2g signal, if non of these are availasble it will pick up on o2 or orange 2G signsals.

you will only get edge in these cases and will only be able to browse 3's own website

proplusplus

stoveman wrote: »

hey,

if no 3g signal it will try to pick up 3 2g signal, if non of these are availasble it will pick up on o2 or orange 2G signsals.

you will only get edge in these cases and will only be able to browse 3's own website

3 do not own any 2G masts. so if you are not on a 3G signal, you will be operating on the 2G orange masts.

Orange have Edge available upto 238kbps, GPRS is limited to upto 40kbps on orange network.

Handset needs to be edge-enabled. presume it will be, being 3G, but may not necessarily have it.


proplusplus

pS) so yes, you will be able to surf on a '3' sim at 3G dpeeds, if no signal, then EDGE (handset dependant), then GPRS.

stoveman

on my viewty when i go out of video coverage it shows "3" not 3G then if i go out of that coverage then i get "R" which means im roaming. 3 may not have there own 2g masts but they must have a 2G service as i wouldnt still be able to use full web. obviously when i go to orange 2G i cant use any external web pages only 3s own

chinnie

stoveman wrote: »

hey,

if no 3g signal it will try to pick up 3 2g signal, if non of these are availasble it will pick up on o2 or orange 2G signsals.

you will only get edge in these cases and will only be able to browse 3's own website

Can anyone confirm that without 3G on "3" masts I would only be able to browse 3 websites?

stoveman

chinnie wrote: »

Can anyone confirm that without 3G on "3" masts I would only be able to browse 3 websites?

ok i just turned the 3g signal off on my phone so i only get 2g "3" and when i got the 3G i can get on everything, when i got 2G and am only getting standard gprs i can still get on facebook, whe im on orange and get the E sybmol im limited to 3s website,

hope that helps

depends on your phone aswell as my old 6288 wouldnt roam onto orange for some reason but my new viewty does

deano27_2

proplusplus wrote: »

GPRS is limited to upto 40kbps on orange network.

hmmm that is interesting. is this published any where and how do the other networks compare??

Thanks Dean

proplusplus

I've heard it from the CS helpdesk. Not sure if it's written anywhere though. GPRS is generally upto 64kbps. Though EDGE, which is handset dependant is upto 238kbps.

@chinnie - when on '3' network, but nopt browsing on a 3G mast, the homepage will load differently. However (and please note this is dependant on your handset's browser capabilities) if you select to go to a specific website eg: https://www.bbc.co.uk it will load and you will be able to browse, but it'll probably browse slower than when on a 3G signal. [a 6233 will show a different version of a webpage compared to say an N95 as they have different browser facilities]

A useful (free) application to download is opera mini browser. [on your mobile access: hxxp://mini.opera.com & download] - This reduces the amount of data downloaded, generally operates faster than a normal handset's browser, and allows you to view certain websites better compared to the standard handset broswer]

It is useful to note that speeds quoted are upto. theoretically you could be browsing on a poor 3G signal which is experiencing heavy traffic at 100kbps, but a person next to you could be using EDGE enabled GPRS and browsing at say 200kbps!

In relation to the 3 service, when you load up the homepage whilst browsing on 2G network (orange's) then the homepage will show differently. It will say 'you are out of 3G network range etc.' you will not have access to certain services such as 3-music store etc.


The most likely reason is that when 3 piggyback the Orange network, they get charged a lot. So by allowing you to stream data, especially if it from a bundle, becomes unprofitable for 3 and starts to cost them a lot. Certain of their services also require 3G capabilities (eg. video calling, 3-TV etc. - as the associated speeds are required to provide a decent quality).

I'm almost certain 3 do not have any 2-G masts, they were solely a 3G company hence the poor coverage initially, and until they rent/borrow off the other networks you'll find you have no coverage unless in a 3-G area.

You also need to note that speeds of d/l are affected by distance from mast (for 3G services)
number of people using service at same time.
Whether you are moving or not.
Where you are located (inside or outside)

In response to the initial question though, yes you will be able to browse fine using your 3G sim whilst operating on a 2G network. You will have access to any websites your handset is able to read (eg. facebook, bbc, hotmail etc)

the 3-services page will however be limited as you are accessing from an off-network mast. (effectively, i think that any handset can attempt to connect to the '3' homepage, but the page will recognise a '3' mobile phone number and allow access to the limited page when browsing from a 2G piggy-backed mast. Other handsets will display an error message. This is because the mobile phone number is used to recognise who is trying to access the site, and therefore charge it correctly if any chargeable content is downloaded)

proplusplus