3G Coverage West Coast Mainline - Best Operator?

[mb]

Hello - I'm fed up with O2's 3G coverage on the West Coast Mainline between London Euston and Birmingham New Street (not even a 2G signal around Long Buckby either). Unless London Midland are going to introduce Wifi anytime soon, I'm stuck.

Does anyone know who might provide the "best" coverage? Ofcom said that there was just "one operator" that provided good 3G coverage along most of the line in this 2010 report on page 11:
http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/research/telecoms-research/not-spots/PA_Consulting_appendices_2.pdf

Unfortunately they've told me that they cannot reveal who this operator is because they have to remain impartial.

Any help appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Geezertronic]

Apparently there are 2G/3G repeaters installed in the 390s so I am guessing that Virgin Trains may be the operator they cannot refer to

 

[scotsman]

Apparently there are 2G/3G repeaters installed in the 390s so I am guessing that Virgin Trains may be the operator they cannot refer to

The repeaters were installed for T-Mobile (at the time), so anyone on the Orange, T-Mobile or EE networks will get a better signal inside Virgin's 390 and 221 units, but they're no good if there's no signal there already!

 

[Cherry_Picker]

Sounding the company horn here, but is there any reason why you can't travel out of Marylebone to Moor Street? Free WiFi on Chiltern trains.

 

[Sidious]

O2 is far better in my experience than EE. I can't comment on Vodafone or 3. There are likely to be good and bad areas regardless of which operator you choose.

 

[Blindtraveler]

The repeaters were installed for T-Mobile (at the time), so anyone on the Orange, T-Mobile or EE networks will get a better signal inside Virgin's 390 and 221 units, but they're no good if there's no signal there already!

they seam to boost vodafone quite well

 

[GadgetMan]

Vodafone signal is rubbish between Birmingham - Coventry and Rugby - Northampton. Occasionally picks a signal up briefly but then drops again before you can do anything useful with it.

 

[route:oxford]

What about the 4G signal?

 

[1e10]

What about the 4G signal?

Since EE (Orange and T-Mobile) are the only operator to offer 4G anywhere in the UK at the moment are the only operator you'll get 4G with. They only offer it in cities at the moment and don't cover the entire UK.

 

[jon0844]

O2 will likely have good 2G signal most everywhere, but its 3G coverage is pretty poor. The best network for 3G is the combined network for Orange, T-Mobile and Three. However Three maintains its own backhaul network so usually has faster data speeds than EE.

Of course, there's now 4G on EE and more 4G networks on the way. Coverage will be poor but a lot faster where available. You will fall back to 3G and 2G as needed.

In my experience, Three is way out in the lead as it has almost all of its network supporting DC-HSPA for speeds of up to 43.2Mbps, and unlimited data options. There was a new MiFi released only just today, but only on fixed bundle options (1-15GB per month). http://www.three.co.uk/Discover/Devices/Huawei/E5756_MiFi

 

[1e10]

O2 will likely have good 2G signal most everywhere, but its 3G coverage is pretty poor. The best network for 3G is the combined network for Orange, T-Mobile and Three. However Three maintains its own backhaul network so usually has faster data speeds than EE.

Of course, there's now 4G on EE and more 4G networks on the way. Coverage will be poor but a lot faster where available. You will fall back to 3G and 2G as needed.

In my experience, Three is way out in the lead as it has almost all of its network supporting DC-HSPA for speeds of up to 43.2Mbps, and unlimited data options. There was a new MiFi released only just today, but only on fixed bundle options (1-15GB per month).

Three use a more advance form of 3G which many of the other networks don't have deployed on their networks, atleast not on a national scale. This mesns that capable devices are able to get speeds of up to 40Mbps+.

 

[asylumxl]

O2 is best. I have tried other networks but stuck with O2 for years now.

I disagree that their 3G signal is poor, I can't think of many places I don't have it that aren't in the back of beyond.

 

[rebmcr]

O2 is best. I have tried other networks but stuck with O2 for years now.

I disagree that their 3G signal is poor, I can't think of many places I don't have it that aren't in the back of beyond.

Agreed, it's because O2's allocated frequencies are a bit better than the others at penetrating buildings & foliage.

 

[1e10]

O2 is best. I have tried other networks but stuck with O2 for years now.

I disagree that their 3G signal is poor, I can't think of many places I don't have it that aren't in the back of beyond.

I will all depend on where you're using the service. I remember reading a BBC news article that reported O2 have the poorest 3G coverage in the UK in terms of % of UK covered.

 

[jon0844]

Yes, O2 has the lowest coverage and nearly got fined for not achieving a certain level by a fixed deadline. It does however have 3G at 900MHz in places, which covers a larger area and can penetrate buildings (or trains) better at times, at the expense of capacity and potentially speed.

I also get really slow speeds on both O2 and Vodafone (2-3Mbps and high ping times) compared to Three or Orange (15-20Mbps in and around London). I've had over 20Mbps on a FCC 321 doing 75-80mph, until a tunnel when it dropped to 0.

Suffice to say, I use and test devices on all networks. For voice, O2 and Vodafone will usually win because of the lower frequency. Sadly for data, each disappoints me regularly - even in central London and other well covered locations.

 

[asylumxl]

Yes, O2 has the lowest coverage and nearly got fined for not achieving a certain level by a fixed deadline. It does however have 3G at 900MHz in places, which covers a larger area and can penetrate buildings (or trains) better at times, at the expense of capacity and potentially speed.

I also get really slow speeds on both O2 and Vodafone (2-3Mbps and high ping times) compared to Three or Orange (15-20Mbps in and around London). I've had over 20Mbps on a FCC 321 doing 75-80mph, until a tunnel when it dropped to 0.

Suffice to say, I use and test devices on all networks. For voice, O2 and Vodafone will usually win because of the lower frequency. Sadly for data, each disappoints me regularly - even in central London and other well covered locations.

I've got signal with O2 in the middle of nowhere in South Devon, so I consider that reasonable.

I don't really have any coverage issues with O2 and it infact gives me the best signal of any network.

What exactly do you need 20mbps for by the way? :P

 

[1e10]

I've got signal with O2 in the middle of nowhere in South Devon, so I consider that reasonable.

I don't really have any coverage issues with O2 and it infact gives me the best signal of any network.

What exactly do you need 20mbps for by the way? :P

My Three service allows me to use my service as a hotspot on my mobile phone which allows me to share my connection via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth with up to 5 other devices, something I regularly do. In this case 20Mbps is ideal

 

[jon0844]

I've downloaded films via Sky Go (3-4GB) over 3G, but it isn't just the speed. The low latency times makes streaming video so much nicer, while surfing benefits from less waiting time.

But, yes, normally it's more than you need and getting frustrated that a web page takes 3 seconds to load instead of 2 is very much a first world problem!

The bigger issue is data allowances, and that's where Three wins again. The One Plan is totally unlimited.

My EE 4G broadband SIM is capped at 8GB per month (I need to pay £15 to add another 2GB). I could hit that with 2-3 films downloaded.

I am in Sweden and for £29 per month I can get a 4G MiFi or 4G router on Three Sweden with 100GB of data per month! That's about what I use on my home broadband, for less money when I factor in the phone line I don't want but have to have.

 

[radamfi]

I find I get good 3G coverage with 3 on most trains. I was surprised how good it was on the Far North Line. However, on Pendolinos 3 doesn't seem to work very well, presumably because the windows block out the signal and there are no repeaters for 3. So when I am on Pendolinos I revert to my Ovivo SIM card (free 750 MB of data per month in return for watching adverts) which uses the Vodafone network.

 

[Deerfold]

What exactly do you need 20mbps for by the way? :P

There's very little you *need* it for. There's lots of times it's very nice to have.

Oddly, one of the few places I get a crap 3 signal (apart from the wilds of Scotland) is the Southern end of the Isle of Dogs. I use my phone to connect my computer on EC every month between London and Leeds and it rarely drops out - there is one section of about 10 minutes with no signal and a dead spot just South of Doncaster - that's similar to than my experiences for EC's paid-for Wifi service (except that doesn't allow me audio streaming).

 

[mb]

Sounding the company horn here, but is there any reason why you can't travel out of Marylebone to Moor Street? Free WiFi on Chiltern trains.

I'd love to, but Euston is nearer to work and BHM is on the Cross City Line for home. Also, London Midland are really cheap. Unless Chiltern start offfering sub £5 tickets back from London on a permanent weekly basis, I ain't switching (although I'd seriously consider it if they did undercut LM).

Last time I travelled with Chiltern is was a pleasurable experience (BMO is my favourite station in the country) but the Wifi didn't work. I'm travelling with them again twice over the next few weeks, so will try again.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

O2 is best. I disagree that their 3G signal is poor, I can't think of many places I don't have it that aren't in the back of beyond.

But have you actually used it on the WCML? I live right next to a motorway in the south of Birmingham (hardly back of beyond) and I get a 3G signal from all of the operators apart from O2. They told me a few weeks back that we will never get 3G added to our local mast, so we're stuck with 2G EDGE.

Anyone able to confirm whether 3 are decent on the WCML? I might take the plunge and invest in a dongle off fleabay to see what it's like.

 

[asylumxl]

But have you actually used it on the WCML? I live right next to a motorway in the south of Birmingham (hardly back of beyond) and I get a 3G signal from all of the operators apart from O2. They told me a few weeks back that we will never get 3G added to our local mast, so we're stuck with 2G EDGE.

Anyone able to confirm whether 3 are decent on the WCML? I might take the plunge and invest in a dongle off fleabay to see what it's like.

Recently I have used O2 between Euston and Birmingham and Euston and Manchester. I had no issues with my 3G signal anywhere I can remember.

 

[CC 72100]

They told me a few weeks back that we will never get 3G added to our local mast, so we're stuck with 2G EDGE.

I used to get 2G/ EDGE where I live, came back from uni at Xmas, now back down to the very slowest form of mobile internet. Thanks 02, didn't know coverage could go down!

 

[WillPS]

I did Glasgow - Preston on a Pendolino back in 2010 - the whole journey I had a perfect full signal and really really good 3G speeds tethering off my Palm Treo Pro on Virgin Mobile (who used T-Mobile's network, now EE).

 

[jon0844]

I used to get 2G/ EDGE where I live, came back from uni at Xmas, now back down to the very slowest form of mobile internet. Thanks 02, didn't know coverage could go down!

When I said before that O2 narrowly avoided being fined, I could have added that upgrading the network to support EDGE is partly what saved them (they did this to bag the iPhone in 2007).

Technically, in terms of the technology and the group standards, EDGE is a 3G technology. Just damn slow, but enough that O2 is able to skip adding as many 3G enabled sites as the other networks.

 

[rebmcr]

O2 is able to skip adding as many 3G enabled sites as the other networks.

That's just nonsense. I travel around the country most weekends as an official on a tournament circuit. I can count on one hand the number of times this year that I've seen my heavily-used O2 handset on a non-HSPA signal (excluding brief spots of no signal at all, eg. tunnels).

 

[jon0844]

No it isn't. O2 has the least 3G enabled sites of all the UK operators, but probably the highest 2G (especially in Scotland where it received grants along with Vodafone). Just look on their own website at 3G coverage around East Anglia for example.

You may well be using your phone where there's ample 3G coverage but that doesn't make me wrong.

 

[asylumxl]

No it isn't. O2 has the least 3G enabled sites of all the UK operators, but probably the highest 2G (especially in Scotland where it received grants along with Vodafone). Just look on their own website at 3G coverage around East Anglia for example.

East Anglia is rather bleak and desolate in more ways than its 3G coverage...

 

[jon0844]

Perhaps, but the likes of EE and Three do still cover it with a decent level of coverage for both indoor and outdoor coverage.

 

[fireftrm]

I used to get 2G/ EDGE where I live, came back from uni at Xmas, now back down to the very slowest form of mobile internet. Thanks 02, didn't know coverage could go down!

Slower than 2G/EDGE? ?