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Reports are coming in that people on Orange and T-mobile have been suffering from really crappy 3G service ever since EE launched its 4G network. Apparently, actually getting data down the pipe has gotten increasingly, infuriatingly difficult. Has EE somehow forsaken its old 3G service for the shiny new 4G?
The strange thing is that I’ve actually experienced the exact opposite with EE’s 3G. It’s gotten much faster, with ping times halved. In fact, in some circumstances I’ve actually experienced speeds in the 6-8Mbit range, which is almost unheard of in congested central London. That’s primarily because EE’s been upgrading the backhaul to its towers for 4G, and as its 3G service shares the same pipe it’s gotten a boost in the process.
But how about you, though, dear readers? Has anyone been suffering from crappy 3G since EE launched its 4G service? Or are all these reports utter tosh? [MacWorld]
Image credit: No signal from Shutterstock
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I’ve noticed the odd drop in data service, but sine this is usually when I’m on the train, where signal is spotty at the best of times, I haven’t considered it a new issue. Is this possibly a case of people getting shitty service for other reasons and blaming it on the 4G upgrade?
Possibly. I just don’t know. Like I said, I’ve only seen an improvement in the 3G signal in 4G areas.
I’d agree with an improvement in 3G where 4G is present, but where there is no 4G present, I’ve found the 3G a little worse. Not sure if it’s psychological, but connections are definitely being dropped more often.
My 3G speed has halved in speed since 4G came along! I am in central London… so frustrating!
My Vodafone 3G at home has been non-existent for the last 3/4 weeks – can I blame that on EE? :p
Nope… My EE 3G coverage CONTINUES to suck dog’s unmentionables. No change there
Certainly not any slower for me but it is faster at times when i’m in an area where the “dual carrier” feature has been enabled.
My 3G has been almost unusable at times recently. With full bars and 3G in an area I know I used to get great speeds.
I have just done a speed test here at work where my last test showed 4Mb, and I’m now getting 41kbps (tested twice to check), so yes.
I agree with both Lester_Bangs and Origin.
At work (southfields) I used to get speeds of 2 – 4MB. I now get (according to speedtest) speed of 0.5mb download.
I am forced to not use the internet now due to slower than snail speed. At times I find that I have to wait 5 mins or more to load the facebook app or a simple webpage.
On 3, using SGS2
I doubt that EE’s changes would be affecting your 3 signal.
Got DCHSPA+ on Three now
3.4MBps though the upload sucks balls at only 0.9MBps… not bothered about upload though.
Funny how I get faster download speeds on 3G than the person at work who has the so called 4G on EE. I also like how depending on what side of the building he goes to, his 4G cuts off.
Weird cause people always complain about slow 3G and when I was with O2 and then tmobile it was so slow. I decided to switch to Three because of their unlimited data and it has been perfect and super fast. I’m so glad I went with them now, I so nearly didn’t cause they used to be crap.
I usually get 7 down, 2 up on Three, but I’ve pushed 11 down a few times. The only down side has been slightly worse coverage during the commute, but I’ll take that for those speeds.
A colleague of mine gets 40 down and 20 up for 4G. Not quite the same. Both are usable though.
That’s mbps, I’m talking about MBps.
I’m getting around 30mbps where I am on Three which tbh makes 4G look like a con right now.
Look, scaramoosh, bits are used for networking, Bytes for storage. Use correctly!
Nice bullshit you spout. 1 byte = 8 bits.
Only difference, using Bytes is more efficient….. it would be like using KBs and refusing to use MBs……
I am well aware that 1 byte is 8 bits. Seriously, you think I’d frequent Gizmodo without knowing that? I think you’ll find that convention dictates bits for networking, and bytes for storage. So shove it. I’m right.
Switched to EE from O2, when not on LTE my 3G has seen an improvement in coverage and speed. I do however have 2 colleagues who sit next to me one was Tmobile then other Orange, both constantly complain of drop in quality since becoming EE.
Just looking through my most recent Speedtest.net screenshots…
2bars of 3G = 11.28Mbps download, 1.81Mbps upload.
3bars of LTE = 35.33Mbps download, 18.63Mbps upload.
(That’s on EE 4G contract in an iPhone 5).
I’m a new customer to EE (was with O2 since original iPhone, but left as their 3G coverage and speed is rubbish), but so far I have to say that theses EE’s 3G speeds are batter than I’ve ever got from previous iPhones on O2 and MiFis/Dongles on Three, so top marks to them!
As a consumer advocate, a few general points:
1. Many companies (inc Apple, Microsoft and others) knoble their ‘old versions’ (of whatever it is) to encourage you to upgrade. I always notice slowdowns and other issues with OS X prior to a major upgrade release. Always.
2. If you visit a Sony showroom, (not sure if Samsung do this), Sony often feature a large screen Full HD (1080P) TV showing conventional non Full HD next to Full HD in a split window. They degrade the non Full HD such that the Full HD appears a lot better. Whilst this does not imply that actual non HD video is that bad on non Full HD Sony gear, it is a dishonest selling technique.
3. We have a Sky+ HD box. The non HD channels are of appalling quality – far worse than our old analog CRT TV from a few years ago. It is obvious Sky do this to force people to subscribe to their HD channels.
4. I would not be surprised if the mobile carriers (such as EE/T-Mobile/Orange) intentionally knoble their non 4G service to force people to upgrade, despite the fact coverage is still limited. Either way, anyone noticing reduced service should demand a refund for the months when this occurs.
The secret to being a satisfied consumer is to crowd source opinion and/or get a hands on, and then make an informed purchasing/subscription decision. And if it’s not your fault, complain if things go pear shaped.
I get Orange on 3G at my home still (still doesn’t say EE – not sure if it’s cos it’s an old Sony Ericsson dumbphone I use as a second phone)
I’ve noticed that on some APNs there appears to be a marked difference in the speed. Unsure why, but the ‘everywhere’ APN seems to be faster than the t-mobile one I had been using.
In unrelated news, I have noticed that both Vodafone and three network performance has mysteriously suffered here in the NW since EE has made their changes and suspect this is due to some bleed across frequencies which they will a) never admit, and b)hopefully quitely fix