I’m not 5G enabled yet so theoretically 4G+ should be my fastest connection speed. However, on O2 I find that it’s effectively the same as having no connection at all, and often end up shifting down to 3G just to get some connection.

This can’t be right, I feel like I’ve forgotten a setting or something! Has anyone managed to figure it out, or maybe first does anyone else have the same issue?

  • 1rre@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
    2·
    6 months ago

    The reason networks are all shutting down 3G is because very few people use it anymore, which means the 3G bandwidth is split between 10s of people whereas the 4G is split between 10s of thousands, as is 5G

    250Mb/s among 10 people is 25Mb/s for each person, 10Gb/s among 10,000 people is 1Mb/s for each person (made up numbers and it’s a bit more complex than this, but it demonstrates the point), so even though the 5G & 4G are capable of transmitting more data, per person they’re not.

    If you repurpose the 3G tower as 4G or 5G you can cut that 10,000 in half, which annoyingly gets rid of the hack to use 3G when it’s being slow, but does improve the speed for most people

  • thehatfox@lemmy.worldEnglish
    2·
    6 months ago

    I’m currently using O2 and their coverage is definitely patchy. Great in some areas, not in others.

    The only reliable way to choose the “best” network is to get PAYG SIMs for each and try them all in the places you will most often be. The online coverage maps are not always that accurate and up to date, and can’t account for factors like the construction of individual buildings.

  • Hol@feddit.ukEnglish
    1·
    6 months ago

    Terrible in the East End of London. The things I’d do to be able to just take a walking meeting without the call dropping out every 5 minutes!

  • Mrkawfee@feddit.ukEnglish
    1·
    6 months ago

    I agree. Signal is terrible especially in the afternoon when I’m trying to watch Netflix at work.

    They are the only network to not bring back EU Roaming Charges (yay Brexit!) so I’m sticking with them as I go to France quite a lot.

  • MonsterMonster@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    6 months ago

    I found them to be total rubbish in my area and was tied in for 12 months. But someone else in another area will find them brilliant. The only provider that I found having the best decent consistency was EE. But I refuse to go into a 12month+ contract with these new rip off mid term price increases.

    • shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      3·
      5 months ago

      I was with Three for years. It started off great, but the data throughput got worse and worse, and the prices went up every year.

      I wanted EE without paying for EE, and I’m now with 1p Mobile for about a year and it’s been perfect.

      I’ve read that the only way to get ‘actual’ EE is to sign up for an EE contract then hope that you can beat them down on a retention deal when you’re out of contract.