Ta ta Three, hello giffgaff!

[@NickyColman]

I'll keep it brief;

Three messed up.

A network fault developed where I work on April 11th. All signal stood at full 3G for a few minutes then died to nothing within seconds. Normally, this area is well covered in 3G Three signal. I reported the issue the same day. More than two weeks, several support emails & tweets later the mast still wasn't fixed.

I switched to giffgaff to test out the signal strength of a newly installed O2 mast. I'm happy to say that i'm FLOODED in 3G signal where previously, not even 2G existed.

Good to see O2 plugging holes where they exist with fast 3G coverage. Shame Three, who are my preferred network couldn't manage to fix one of their own masts.

Shame!

[Ben]

Ooh nice! I'm really surprised by O2's network all of a sudden... it's like... where the hell did O2 come from?!

You can check if you're getting 3G900 or 3G2100 in various locations using *3001#12345#* -> UMTS Cell Environment -> UMTS RR Info. A UARFCN (or Uplink/Downlink Frequency) up around 10000 is 2100MHz, but if you get a low number, say a few thousand, that's 900MHz. I get oodles of 900MHz around where I am; O2'd still be shocking for me here if it wasn't for their 3G900 rollout! So impressed.

Does Visual Voicemail work on giffgaff? I'm loving having that back.

[@NickyColman]

@Ben

I've said it time and time again that O2 has always been good in Tyne & Wear, however it was always a blackhole where I worked.

Around a year ago O2 & Vodafone erected a brand new mast right on the doorstep of work. It took them about 9 months after installation before it actually started outputting any signal (don't know why that was??). I've already tested it as you suggested and its showing as operating on the 2100MHz band although, due to the building penetration at work, I thought it was going to be 900MHz - clearly not.

Unfortunately, giffgaff & Visual Voicemail don't play together, which is a shame. But unlimited texts, unlimited internet, & unlimited texts / phone calls to any other giffgaffer for a tenner per month will suit me fine.

[Ben]

But unlimited texts, unlimited internet, & unlimited texts / phone calls to any other giffgaffer for a tenner per month will suit me fine.
Incredible value!

[Hands0n]

This is the cycle of things it seems. O2's signal availability coming so late in the game is an extreme disappointment. But the rules of anti-loyalty demand that they [O2] be looked at strictly in context of the now. I still do not like their tariffs, they fall short of the competition of Three and T-Mobile. But O2 remain infinitely better than Orange in that respect at least.

giffgaff, on the other hand, are the network stalking horse. Offering as good a deal as Three's £15 PAYG+AYCE they are a viable challenge. I have just this past month converted two of my team at work from Orange and T-Mobile to giffgaff and they are quids in even after paying [circa £100] up front for a budget Android smartphone.

I do feel that giffgaff are the go to network for the best budget priced PAYG of the day. They are to be highly recommended where an O2 3G signal is viable.

[@NickyColman]

@Hands0n

O2 & Three have waged an epic war for my custom since 2004 (when I first switched to 3). Every year or so one seems to get one over on the other. I've had brief flirtatious with other networks. And I mean brief.

I have no doubt in my mind that I'll be back on Three at some point. Its inevitable. The Three brand is a lot stronger now than that of O2. And AYCE data really is Three's weapon of mass destruction. I trust Three.


I eventually expect giffgaff to be merged into O2's brand and more than likely become O2's Pay & Go offering. We'll see.

[Ben]

I eventually expect giffgaff to be merged into O2's brand and more than likely become O2's Pay & Go offering. We'll see.
It's not impossible, but keeping giffgaff as a separate brand gives O2 the best of both worlds - it can play the value card by offering a wholly different product without making its own tariffs look expensive or watering down the O2 brand (which also has to be synonymous with enterprise, reliability).

[Sajjad Rahman]

It's not impossible, but keeping giffgaff as a separate brand gives O2 the best of both worlds - it can play the value card by offering a wholly different product without making its own tariffs look expensive or watering down the O2 brand (which also has to be synonymous with enterprise, reliability).

True indeed!

[Hands0n]

Annnnnnnnnndddddd true to form O2/giffgaff 3G notwork blows out again.

Remember kiddies, I am ~200m from the nearest O2 3G mast. So imagine my disdain as I sit here with my giffgaff-enabled Android watching it slip from 3G to EDGE and back again. 200m and with clear line of sight from my living room bay window save for a small sisal tree in next door's front garden.

This is the quality and class of service that I have come to expect of O2, and they rarely fail to disappoint, fully living up to my expectations, snatching defeat from the jaws of success.

O2? Me? Rely upon them for a credible service? Unlikely.

200m .... Pfft!

[solo12002]

At last someone other than me knows the O2 3g network coverage is CRAP. They dont have a decent 3g network but spend loads ot time moaning why they cant go ahead with 4g

[Wilt]

Annnnnnnnnndddddd true to form O2/giffgaff 3G notwork blows out again.

Remember kiddies, I am ~200m from the nearest O2 3G mast. So imagine my disdain as I sit here with my giffgaff-enabled Android watching it slip from 3G to EDGE and back again. 200m and with clear line of sight from my living room bay window save for a small sisal tree in next door's front garden.

This is the quality and class of service that I have come to expect of O2, and they rarely fail to disappoint, fully living up to my expectations, snatching defeat from the jaws of success.

O2? Me? Rely upon them for a credible service? Unlikely.

200m .... Pfft!

I think this just goes to show that all networks have issues - this appears to be a similar issue that NickyColman has had with Three, only O2 has EDGE that it can fall back on. The real acid test is how long it takes to get problems fixed.

[Ben]

I had problems in Canterbury the other week, only to check http://status.o2.co.uk/ and see that maintenance was being carried out.

Sounds like your mast has always been a bit iffy, Hands0n; maybe they're fixing it! :D

[solo12002]

No offence but I for one dont belive the o2 status site. It claims the following for my post code:


Normal coverage for Voice, Text and Email (2G)
Good indoors and outdoors. Normal coverage for Mobile Internet (3G)
Good indoors and outdoors. Good for mobile broadband. Normal coverage for Mobile Internet (3G900)
Good indoors and outdoors. Good for mobile broadband.


Yet Im luckly if I get 3g in most of my area rather than seeing Edge or GPRS in most of it.

[Ben]

It shows the masts on the coverage map - have you had a look at what's going on near you?

http://www.o2.co.uk/coveragechecker

[Hands0n]

Our network is currently working fine
If we're doing work on the phone masts near you we'll tell you about it here.
Updated 19:30 (refreshed hourly). Recent faults might not show yet.


Normal coverage for Voice, Text and Email (2G)
Good indoors and outdoors.

Normal coverage for Mobile Internet (3G)
Good indoors and outdoors. Good for mobile broadband.

Normal coverage for Mobile Internet (3G900)
Good indoors and outdoors. Good for mobile broadband.

I didn't get around to checking the status at the time, but it is interesting to read what O2 claim they are serving up at this postcode.

While there is clear evidence of 2G and 3G, there is absolutely no sign of 3G900 from this local mast. Yet they claim it is available here. It may simply be that my SGS2 is quite happy with the 2100MHz signal, however.

[Ben]

It may simply be that my SGS2 is quite happy with the 2100MHz signal, however.
Ah true; would make sense to use 2100MHz where it's available I'd have thought.

[gorilla]

I have recently put a giffgaff sim in my iPad and have had both good and bad experiences with the network. When I get 3G it's great, but the reality is that in my house and at my work the signal drops in and out (possibly due to demand?). I was in Belfast City Centre recently and the coverage was good, but I couldn't switch to giffgaff for my phone as I can confirm Solo12002's point above - the O2 network is not far reaching!

[Hands0n]

That sounds like a classic case of "cell breathing" --> http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/definition/cell-breathing

O2's lack of network investment has seen them claim large-scale coverage that in reality is gossamer thin, causing many of the availability issues that people routinely report on that network.

[3GScottishUser]

I use Giffgaff but only for voice and text and find their deals unbeatable. Call and text relibailty has been 100% so far and for £5 a month I get 100 mins to any UK phone, free 0800 calls, free calls/SMS to other giffgiff numbers and 300 included SMS messages. I also get 1 free outgoing call minute for every 1 minute that is incoming.

The ideal secondary phone PAYG tarrif I think...