Voda 3g

[3g-g]

Has anyone been using Voda 3g services? I really don't know anyone that's taken up a Voda 3g handset and tarrif... It strikes me that they're pushing it more as just a new lot of handsets with some extra features and not really as the new technology.

Would be interested to hear what some users have to say about it, coverage, call quality etc.

[Ben]

Yeah... things have been unnervingly quiet on the Vodafone 3G front. Quiet consumers is probably a good sign, but I know there were some teething problems in the very beginning. Come on Vodafone 3G customers - where are you!

[Jon3G]

Originally Posted by Ben

Yeah... things have been unnervingly quiet on the Vodafone 3G front. Quiet consumers is probably a good sign, but I know there were some teething problems in the very beginning. Come on Vodafone 3G customers - where are you!

Hi

Nice forum. Cant see no (nick referred to removed) so a good thing

Voda is pretty good, however the coverage is letting it down. but its getting better all of the time. call qulity is good and the content is excellent value. Not tried vid calling even though I do get free mins

[Ben]

I agree with you 100% about Vodafone's coverage. I'm totally jealous of those who have good Vodafone 3G coverage because I regard Vodafone as one of the best networks out there. I'll certainly give them a try when 3G is available in my area. If I was covered at launch I'd have run right out and grabbed one of those V800's I tell you!

Glad you like the forum - all comments and suggestions welcome

[Jon3G]

keep it for the forum people and not for personal gain and it will be great

Originally Posted by Jon3G

Hi

Nice forum. Cant see no (removed) so a good thing

Voda is pretty good, however the coverage is letting it down. but its getting better all of the time. call qulity is good and the content is excellent value. Not tried vid calling even though I do get free mins

I get free video minutes, but I didn't realise they were NOT cross-network, as all my friends are on 3. Ooops, massive phone bill !

[Ben]

Argh that sucks! I have loads on Orange and, as far as I know, they are xnet. I don't use many, but it's good to know that I can video call without worrying about the price!

[Jon3G]

Originally Posted by Marcwic

I get free video minutes, but I didn't realise they were NOT cross-network, as all my friends are on 3. Ooops, massive phone bill !

God job you told me because I thought they were xnet

Thanks Marcwic

[Hands0n]

Tried Voda on an unlocked A835 with a PAYG SIM but could not get 3G on the handset. That was a few months ago. Their CS couldn't help, said that they did not offer it on PAYG - despite reading that they did on "another forum" that I frequented previously.

I wonder if x-net vid will come (if through no other way than market forces). It has to to make videocalling successful for all the networks in the way that x-net voice has really boosted the use of mobile vs landline.

Having used videocalling on a few occasions I can say that I find it an attractive proposition, but not something that I'd use anywhere as near frequently as voice.

Before I take the plunge and go fully 3G I want to sample all of the networks before I buy. They've got until Jan '06 to win my custom or H3 may just get another 12 months out of me if they can seduce me with a handset as groovy as the E1000.

[Hands0n]

Update - popped the Voda SIM into the A835 and got a 2G signal as expected. Tried a voice call, that worked okay. When I next looked at the display it had changed to 3G (woo hoo!). Tried a voice call, okay. Tried a videocall, no go - couldn't get it to dial my other 3-networked phone. I think there is a big config issue to be resolved when using the Voda SIM but I didnt have the time to do much more than this ...... I noticed many of the H3 settings were still in the phone and not carried across in the SIM/USIM.

[davidlove]

Am finding Voda 3G patchy, yet I live/work in London. Estimate 3G service only available 50% of the time. Specific problems:

Even though I'm well within a 3G area, 6680 displays 3G then goes to 2G once call is placed.

Calls dropped when handing over from 3G to 2G and vice versa.

When 3G service sustained, speed is good, esp with Voda Live! which is optimised, but not "10x faster than GPRS" or anything like that.

Cannot get any streaming to work so far, but that might be my settings.

But I realise this is early days and I'm sure it will get as robust as GPRS over time.

[3g-g]

Originally Posted by davidlove

Am finding Voda 3G patchy, yet I live/work in London. Estimate 3G service only available 50% of the time. Specific problems:

Even though I'm well within a 3G area, 6680 displays 3G then goes to 2G once call is placed.

Calls dropped when handing over from 3G to 2G and vice versa.

When 3G service sustained, speed is good, esp with Voda Live! which is optimised, but not "10x faster than GPRS" or anything like that.

Cannot get any streaming to work so far, but that might be my settings.

But I realise this is early days and I'm sure it will get as robust as GPRS over time.

That's pretty poor from Voda, I'd of expected a lot more from them, especially in London! Of all the places Voda wouldn't want dropped calls is there.

As far as the change over from 3G to 2G when placing a call.. is that before it's even connected or does it happen after you're into the call?

I'd be interested in having a muck about with Voda 3G purely for data. Is anyone out there using the 3G mobile connect card? Or pairing a 3G handset with a laptop? Let us know how it's going... give us some reports on data speed, QoS, coverage etc.

Interested to read davidloves comments about Vodafone 3g.

I've similar issues, I'm based in Glasgow (good 3g coverage) & been on Vodafone 3g since last November.

With my E1000 I miss calls every day (straight to voicemail) even tho the phones switched on, often can't make calls (call failed).

Had the handset & SIM swapped already but this made no difference, was thinking about getting a different handset next but looks like his 6680 does much the same thing.

[3g-g]

Originally Posted by pigsywigsy

With my E1000 I miss calls every day (straight to voicemail) even tho the phones switched on, often can't make calls (call failed).

Had the handset & SIM swapped already but this made no difference, was thinking about getting a different handset next but looks like his 6680 does much the same thing.

This seems to be an issue with UMTS, I wasn't aware that Voda were having problems too, I thought it was only Nokia infrastructure specific, but if Voda are having similar problems it must be in the nature of the technology.

I take it this happens if you haven't used the phone for a period and you've stayed around the same place for a while?

[Hands0n]

Not that I know the infrastructure in such detail but ........ Didn't a lot of Orange 3G customers complain of exactly the same kind of problem? As a bit of a self-straw poll I find that my Orange 2.5G (SPV-C500) does that - calls go to voicemail, phone does not even ring, full set of five bars, sitting on the table. Next call comes through fine! None of this happens with my H3 handset though, and dont' they use some Nokia in their infrastructure? Not saying you're wrong though 3g-g. I may live and work in a non-Nokia area of their network. FWIW - leaving me more puzzled now than before

Interesting in that in my playing around with a Voda PAYT SIM in an A835 - I get 3G signal, but when I place call it is made in 2G (phone flips over as call is being placed). After the call finishes it flips back to 3G. Five bars on both layers of network! Go figure!!

[3g-g]

Originally Posted by Hands0n

Not that I know the infrastructure in such detail but ........ Didn't a lot of Orange 3G customers complain of exactly the same kind of problem? As a bit of a self-straw poll I find that my Orange 2.5G (SPV-C500) does that - calls go to voicemail, phone does not even ring, full set of five bars, sitting on the table. Next call comes through fine! None of this happens with my H3 handset though, and dont' they use some Nokia in their infrastructure? Not saying you're wrong though 3g-g. I may live and work in a non-Nokia area of their network. FWIW - leaving me more puzzled now than before

Interesting in that in my playing around with a Voda PAYT SIM in an A835 - I get 3G signal, but when I place call it is made in 2G (phone flips over as call is being placed). After the call finishes it flips back to 3G. Five bars on both layers of network! Go figure!!

Yep, you're correct Orange had a similar problem, and T Mobile seem to be having the same issue at the moment also. Although, quite why your C500 is doing it is a strange one, the problem with the 3G network was that the handsets and network weren't updating each other with locations after a period of inactivity, so the network thought the handset was off thus the routing of calls to answerphone. On GSM the LA is a regular thing, so really I'd expect every call to get through if the phone was on... that may be a handset issue you're having. You're also correct about H3 using Nokia infrastructure, however I believe it's only in Scotland, in the south it's all NEC AFAIK.

Is it possible that your Voda SIM has only been provisioned for data and not voice, hence the switch every time you attempt a call?

Originally Posted by 3g-g

Yep, you're correct Orange had a similar problem, and T Mobile seem to be having the same issue at the moment also. Although, quite why your C500 is doing it is a strange one, the problem with the 3G network was that the handsets and network weren't updating each other with locations after a period of inactivity, so the network thought the handset was off thus the routing of calls to answerphone. On GSM the LA is a regular thing, so really I'd expect every call to get through if the phone was on... that may be a handset issue you're having. You're also correct about H3 using Nokia infrastructure, however I believe it's only in Scotland, in the south it's all NEC AFAIK.

Is it possible that your Voda SIM has only been provisioned for data and not voice, hence the switch every time you attempt a call?

SIM is provisioned for voice without a doubt, in fact voice calls over 3g on Vodafone are perfect (Nortel 3g infrastructure up here).

The problems are when my E1000 is in 2g mode, if the phone's in 2g mode & I'm standing still & watching the screen the signal strength will constantly go to zero then come back full strength without switching onto 3g, at no point however does the "Vodafone" disappear from the screen.

Indeed this has to be a network or handover issue as I live in very close proximity to Vodafone 3g & 2g sites (bout 200 yards away) so there's no question of being out of coverage.

The problem happens all over Scotland also. Setting my E1000 to GSM only mode didn't seem to help much either.

Answers on a postcard pls...................

[3g-g]

Originally Posted by pigsywigsy

The problems are when my E1000 is in 2g mode, if the phone's in 2g mode & I'm standing still & watching the screen the signal strength will constantly go to zero then come back full strength without switching onto 3g, at no point however does the "Vodafone" disappear from the screen.

Is this E1000 originally from the 3 network?

Originally Posted by 3g-g

Is this E1000 originally from the 3 network?

Yep, both E1000s have been direct from Vodafone

[3g-g]

If the E1000s were direct from Voda then it seems like a handset receiver problem, either that or buggy SW. I take them back and ask for replacements.