[3GScottishUser]

3 now claims 90% 3G coverage by population after expanding its network. But rival Orange has responded by saying, 'we're already at 90%'.

Nearly four years since its official launch, 3 has reached the 90% milestone.

Last year the operator transferred the management and ownership of the network to Ericsson, in an outsourcing move that others could follow.

David Cooper, CTO of 3 claimed the deal had been a success for the business: 'We have the best network coverage in the UK. This means more people in the UK can access our high-speed mobile media and entertainment services than with any other network. Today is also an opportunity to celebrate the completion of our first year working in partnership with Ericsson. When we announced our managed services partnership at the end of 2005 we were the first network to take this innovative step. Over the last year we've proved a managed services partnership on that scale not only works, but delivers the best service both for 3 and our customers.'

Orange and 3's 3G coverage leave the other UK players trailing with O2 the weakest network in terms of 3G coverage, despite being one of the first operators launch a 3G network in Europe through its Isle of Man subsidiary.

Following a deal struck last year, 3 customers that are not in an area covered by 3's network automatically roam onto Orange's network, after 3 moved its '2.5G roaming' contract from O2.

http://www.mobiletoday.co.uk/content/15664.asp?men=0&sub=1

[a_ukboy]

Really Orange at 90%.. Well all i can say is they're either telling porkies, or they're not very good at updating the coverage map..

[Ben]

90%?! That's a crazy claim. I don't believe either of them :p

[3GScottishUser]

Lets not forget that 90% of population is about 50% of the UK land mass, so not particularly surprising. I doubt if Vodafone are far behind with their coverage.

T-Mobile and 02 have a bit of catching up to do.

[solo12002]

Maybe what they mean is now that we are partners in three roaming onto our 2.5 network that gives us 90% (taking into account both networks ) lol.

We thinks theres an irish man involved its not the numbers its the way you present them. LOL

[Ben]

How are Orange doing with their HSDPA rollout? I assume they're in the process of doing it? Normal 3G is so five minutes ago ;)

I'd like to know all the networks numbers, but I'd like even more to know about each networks intentions for the rest of their rollouts. I wish somebody would make their intentions clear rather than all this cloak-and-dagger mystery with seemingly random population coverage numbers churned out every now and then for good measure.

[Hands0n]

90% of population is irrelevant in this day and age. Picking up on a comment in another thread, the important factor is geographic coverage. What will the networks' response be to the increasing urbanisation of the nation's countryside?

We really are cr*p at infrastructure in this country - witness the tiny access roads built around Bluewater (Europe's largest shopping mall), its neighbouring new town, and Ebbsfleet (Channel Tunnel Rail Link station for North Kent). It is bad enough now before the two latter developments come on-line! And the traffic that is going to want to get to and from these locations is expected to do so how?

Our nation's network planning mirrors the above!

[getti]

As it was said above, 3 have hit 90% coverage for 3G and to be fair it does show. Of course if you live in a large place like London, Manchester, Birmingham etc... you are going to get 3G on most networks now.

And of course no network will spend money putting masts in the middle of nowhere on a farm.

Pretty much everywhere I have taken my 3 phone I have managed to hold onto at least 1 bar of 3G signal which in my opinion is really good seing as i live in a town right in devon.

Even when going to work in Barnstaple there was 3G coverage on 3 compared to only 2G on Orange, T-Mobile and Vodafone so again good there.

Where the Orange benifit will come in is handover and network stability. Many people in the industry i know have said Orange have a really good network setup (hardware) and a great thing with that is getting a seemless handover between 3 and Orange which only a year ago people thought impossible.

As with Orange hitting 90% 3G..... i would question that. AFAIK the deal is 3 use Orange as their 2G backup, there is nothing regarding letting Orange use 3's 3G network so I would put Orange's 3G coverage the same as Vodafone around the 75% mark.

T-Mobile have confirmed their current coverage is 65% and this will rise to 80% by the end of 2007.

As far as HSDPA goes, I know orange have some big launch plans in the pipeline, Vodafone are enableing all their 3G sites to be HSDPA and currently have converted around 80% of them already.

T-Mobile, if you get 3G on them you get HSDPA if you have a HSDPA device which again covers 65% coverage.

O2 are around 70% 3G coverage and they are also enabling HSDPA on their sites.

3's big HSDPA push should be in April time when afaik all 3G sites will be enabled for HSDPA so thats 90% coverage!. Also (pretty sure its true but need to confirm next week) where as Vodafone's HSDPA is currently 1.4mb and the others are at 1.8mb...... When 3 launch their network it will be at 3.6mb to start off!.

And that is the god honest truth, I am not saying this to defend 3 because of my current position but just letting people know any info I am allowed to

[Ben]

AFAIK the deal is 3 use Orange as their 2G backup, there is nothing regarding letting Orange use 3's 3G network so I would put Orange's 3G coverage the same as Vodafone around the 75% mark.
Orange have 90% 3G population coverage from their own network.

The deal with Vodafone is said to slightly benefit Orange in terms of 3G network coverage, which either means Vodafone has 3G masts in places Orange doesn't or that Vodafone has even greater coverage still.

[Hands0n]

This "90% coverage" is quite disingeneous to say the least. If it were a fixed line network then I would not have a problem with it. But it is not, these are mobile networks and the meaning and expectation is that people are able to use these when mobile (sorry for stating the bleeding obvious but I'm in a rant here :D).

So, when I hear the figure "90% coverage" my, not at all unreasonable, expectation is for it to be just that - 90% of mobile coverage using my mobile whilst mobile across this green and pleasant land of ours. Not some marketing ploy that in reality means some 60% geographical with lots of holes in the network where the only thing to talk to is sheep!

Some say that the mobile operators would not want to spend the money putting up transmitter masts in remote locations. Good. Let them sell lettuces in Chappel Street Market then. But, with that attitude, do not let them near mobile network provision. It is they who purport to be supplying mobile communications, so they should be compelled to do just that in fact and not by way of some obsfucatious spin.

I do believe that the time has long-arrived for cross-network roaming to become the norm, enforced in legislation if necessary, simply to deliver a true geographic nationwide 100% network coverage. Is OFCOM brave enough to make this happen?

Until that time, it is welcome news that the networks are independently getting into bed in this respect. Perhaps market forces do indeed work? I remain to be convinced.

[getti]

With 3 having 2 years head start on coverage, I just cant see Orange matching their 90% 3G coverage.

Of course i could be proved wrong and I will accept it then but only then :D

[miffed]

I must agree that the "figures" thrown up rarely seem to reflect real world experience
I reckon that when they say 90% of Population coverage , they actually mean that 90% of the UK population will wander into a coverage area at least once during a 12 month period :rolleyes:
I used to pay attention to these figures , but in my experience , the declared coverage ( on the maps etc) and actually getting a usable signal are two different things :(

[Dusty]

02 have a bit of catching up to do


LOL :D

Ive been a customer of there's for almost 3 years and have to say there are consistently the worst 3G performing provider in my area! In all honest I've got to take my hat off to "3" who have out performed o2 all all my local area's, there is not one place I've visited (so far) that "3" don't have coverage of their own and where o2 only provide 2.5G!

[3g-g]

LOL :D

Ive been a customer of there's for almost 3 years and have to say there are consistently the worst 3G performing provider in my area! In all honest I've got to take my hat off to "3" who have out performed o2 all all my local area's, there is not one place I've visited (so far) that "3" don't have coverage of their own and where o2 only provide 2.5G!

That's a shame! Especially when you purchase a 3G handset to make use of those services. Have you considered moving to one of the other proividers? At the moment T-Mobile comes highly recommended, and is catching up with Three, Orange and Vodafone for 3G coverage.

[getti]

3's coverage is outstanding especially in such a short space of time. If you are interested there is a new deal launching on Monday... cant publish info until then im afraid

[Hands0n]

In my book O2 have completely lost the plot! I find it impossible to say anything positive about them at the moment. Their 3G is dire, and I wonder how long they think they'll get away with it - a real "Emperors Clothes" syndrome on the go there. They think they have a 3G network when in fact they have almost nothing at all!

3 have a far reaching 3G network, backfilled by O2 and Orange for when the inevitable holes appear. But 3 have tremendous after-sales issues in the form of their deplorable Customer Service teams in India. If 3 works for you thats great but if anything goes wrong you really are up the proverbial creek sans paddle!

I used to like Orange and maybe one day I'll try them again, but I not only don't understand their ridiculous Animals and Fish tariffs but their network support failed me in my last year with them. Most annoying was being in a "5 bars" area and calls hit the voicemail without ringing the handset! They never got that one solved for me nor many others going by comments on many forums.

T-Mobile I would not have given the time of day to since they were One 2 One. But around the time they launched Flext and later Web N Walk they went through some kind of magical transformation. They now supply the best voice/text/mms and data tariff in the land. Their 3G network is widely available and is all HSDPA these days. Their CS is superb, responsive and effective. Their own high street shops [as oposed to their franchises] are splendid places to do business in.

Vodafone [continue to] drag their feet along in the tariff scales, nothing terribly appealing, lacklustre/punitive data tariffs, really completely putting people off from using their network! But they have a robust and wide-available network, great CS (some lemons working there by all reports), and a wide portfolio of handsets. Bewildering array of tariffs and add-ons make for difficulty understanding but Stop The Clock, Free Weekends and Family are all splendid offerings if they fit your profile of use.

[Hands0n]

3's coverage is outstanding especially in such a short space of time. If you are interested there is a new deal launching on Monday... cant publish info until then im afraid

Thats great - lets hope its an announcement that they're closing Mumbai and retrenching CS into the UK!

[Ginz]

I'm experiencing a bit of a problem of my own deciding now where I want to take my wallet as it were.. My 18 month contract with Vodafone is up on the 1st May so I am now in quite a commanding position with power to say what I want or I'm going to leave. 18 months has as I'm sure been in most cases been too long. I've taken out another contract in the same period to get a cheaper N73 on 02. So, with this in mind I'm really ideally looking to get a 12 month contract now.

However, wanting an N95 is causing it's own problems. T-Mobile's Flext + Web+Walk is the best deal by far.. Gives me about 600 mins and 600 texts along with unlimited data. £35 a month and phone for £49. Vodafone though should be able to offer me this and then some to try and keep my business? So, financially should I stick with Voda because I'm a high monthly spender and they should offer it me for nothing or I'll leave?

What would you guys recommend me doing?

Cheers.

[Hands0n]

Here's a few thoughts for you.

When you call to discuss make sure you get at least as far as Vodafone Retentions Team before doing anything drastic like actually leaving clutching your PAC in hand :D They have the most power to be flexible and at least attempt to meet the competition rather than lose a high-spender like yourself.

Make sure you have all of the T-Mobile details to hand so you can press your case to Retentions. Try and get them on your side ("feel my pain"), insist they call you by your first name rather than Mr ........ Its a good psychological tool which is why they ask you to do same - it puts you on their side, so why not get them to come to or at least peek over the fence at your side :)

Politeness and a bit of humour win every time - play about a bit with the offers, respond by saying you are interested and then ask if they can "make me any more interested". But also make clear at the beginning that this is their "opportunity to retain the business for another contract period". Open with something like "Hello, I was just talking with one of your colleagues about leaving for another network operator and I really wanted to explore with Vodafone if there is anything you can do to help me make my mind up to stay with you instead". That puts the boot firmly on their foot to keep you.

With all of that said - I do think you'll be very hard pressed to find anything in the UK that comes even close to T-Mobile's Flext with Web 'N' Walk plans. They are simply unbeatable right now.

[solo12002]

" If you are interested there is a new deal launching on Monday... cant publish info until then im afraid "

mmm sorry did i miss this wonderful plan ? Or is this :

http://threestore.three.co.uk/planoffers.aspx?tariffid=285

[getti]

That is part of it yes. Not been home long so could not post.
£20 a life for 100 mins + 1000 texts. it says Student Promotion but ANYONE can join it.

Tomorrow see's the addition of a new X-Series. This 1 is just called X-Series and is £5 a month for 1gb but can be used on ANY 3 phone.

So you can get this new £20 plan on the Nokia 6288 (launching tomorrow) and pay £5 extra for 1gb data... that beats T-Mobile

[solo12002]

Sorry

But i dont think this will. 1000 texts are great for texers, but 100 mins? what a let down.

And it might of been a beater if you could use the mobile as a modem, but they have blocked half the things you would want to use it for ie mobile mile and skype ete etc.

See here:

http://www.hughsymonscommunications.co.uk/documents/hscm/pdf/4_2007_hscm_pdf_three_apr.pdf

Why wait untill tomorrow