[3GScottishUser]

Ofcom has given O2 a deadline of June to increase its 3G coverage, or face a £40m bill.

Under the terms of their 3G licences, all five networks had an obligation to provide 3G coverage to at least 80% of the population by the end of last year.

Ofcom has found that O2 only covers 75.69% of the population – a shortfall of 2.5 million people.

O2 has now been issued with a warning notice that if it does not increase its coverage by June 2008, Ofcom will shorten the term of its 3G licence by four months, ending it in August 2021.

O2 paid £4bn for its 3G licence in 2000, and a reduction of four months would cost it £40m.

An O2 spokeswoman said: ‘We accept that Ofcom is enforcing the terms of our licence. We are fully committed to increasing our 3G coverage and customer base with the best quality 3G service, and are confident that we will meet Ofcom's requirements before June 2008.’

The enforcement notice will come as a blow to O2, as it is without a network share partner to help share the cost of increasing its coverage.

3 and T-Mobile estimate their partnership will shave a combined amount of £2bn off their network expansion plans, while Vodafone now estimates it will make a saving of 10% on its network costs from its arrangement with Orange.

http://www.mobiletoday.co.uk/O2_hit_with_Ofcom_rap_over_3G_coverage.html


Will a 4 month reduction in the 3G licence period seriously make a huge difference to 02 bearing in mind we are talking about something 13 years off!! My guess is that there will be other technologies around by then so it wont matter greatly.

[@NickyColman]

Just following on from the above I've noticed 3.5G now appearing on my N95 when i was in town. Its started happening since yesterday in both Sunderland, Newcastle and the Metro Centre. 3G coverage on O2 "up here" is already excellent so hopefully it shouldn't be long before we start getting HSDPA speeds!

By the way, its the first time I've seen 3.5G in action and I've gotta say I'm well impressed! Flicking from page to page was über-fast! At times it seemed like I was getting better than my 8mb connection with Sky at home.

Also, does anyone know the speed(s) of O2's HSDPA? I'm aware vodafone has a theoretiical max of 7.2mb just wondering if anyone knows how O2's compares?

[Hands0n]

Also, does anyone know the speed(s) of O2's HSDPA? I'm aware vodafone has a theoretiical max of 7.2mb just wondering if anyone knows how O2's compares?

Your guess is as good as any :D Here's what The Register had to say in 2005 (there is a dearth of any articles about O2's HSDPA).


O2 will roll out HSDPA across its national 3G networks by Q3 2006, the network operator has revealed.
The carrier has been testing HSDPA (High Speed Data Packet Access) technology on the Isle of Man, which also played host to its original 3G trials. Next year's roll-out will see the service launched in the UK, Germany and Ireland.

HSDPA upgrades 3G to improve the network's data performance, taking downloads speeds up to 1.4Mbps in its current form, though O2 is looking to improved data rates that should push 3.6Mbps by the time the technology goes live outside the Isle of Man. Upload speeds should hit 384Kbps from today's 128Kbps.
Come early 2008, and the download speed is set to rise to 7.3Mbps before hitting 10.2Mbps in late 2009.
The trial network became a commercial service run by O2 subsidiary Manx Telecom last week.
"This is the first super 3G network," said Dave Williams, O2's CTO. "It's the 3G we always wanted."
Initially the service will be delivered direct to PCs courtesy of HSDPA-equipped Sierra Wireless AirCard 850 PCMCIA cards. Williams claimed two unnamed notebook makers plan to integrate HSDPA into their machines next year. Handsets capable of accessing the faster download speeds are in the pipeline too

Article Source: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/11/09/o2_3g_hsdpa/



HDSPA is superb, and watch out for HSUPA (which is already out on Voadfone where its 7.2Mbps speeds are on offer). Whatever you do, make sure that the 3G device you choose has HSDPA and HSUPA, only the latest and greatest do. A lot of last year's dongles do not have HSUPA.

All networks should be able to deliver HSDPA 7.2Mbps, but at the moment many cap it at [much] lower rates. Most likely they do this to protect the bandwidth on their backhaul links from the transmitters which [used to] run at 2Mbps. But with today's networking technologies they should be able to easily accommodate several 7.2Mbps sessions per mast. It's all very statistical anyway, you don't actually get that 7.2Mbps all to yourself.

It is exciting to get such speeds into the palm of your hand or your laptop. Unthinkable not a few years ago.

[bsrjl1]

3, TM, O2 & Orange can all do 3.6Mbps over the air as the kit is exactly the same. Depends on what transmission they have to the sites, how many other users etc..

[@NickyColman]

hopefully O2 will take a more committed approach to the roll out of HSDPA than the one they took with 3G. Saying that, I can't complain. O2 have had excellent 3G coverage for the last 2 years or so.

[solo12002]

" I can't complain. O2 have had excellent 3G coverage for the last 2 years or so"

I take it they have on your doorstep, thers fing little if any in Northern Ireland, mind you they have been busy rolling out edge (cough)!

[gorilla]

" mind you they have been busy rolling out edge (cough)!

Yeah, I have it on good authority that there is a square metre in Belfast City Centre that is "edge enabled".

My N95 is from )2, but I gave the sim to my Dad. Must borrow it and see what their coverage is like now. Although, my GF has an O2 phone and she gets squat.