EE & 4G Signal Range

[nstokes]

Originally Posted by techguyone

That's interesting, are you a heavy user? I'm quite heavy with things running that connect to the internet. How much /what is your contract?

I am and im not, depends on how bad public transport is too and from work, also when i go visit my family i use it alot then. Contract is unlimited texts, unlimited mins, 10GB of date, its £47.99 a month but i get a 40% a month discount as a retail channel partner as the company i work for have a deal with them which if my maths is correct works out at about £28.80 a month

[techguyone]

Yes good break on the discount, but otherwise that's quite hefty, especially as I'm currently on a £11/mth sim only 12 mth contract 2g/3g. I'll revisit the 4G stuff when this contract expires, I prefer to buy the phone outright & go sim only, rather than having to be locked into a 2 yr contract.

[nstokes]

Originally Posted by techguyone

Yes good break on the discount, but otherwise that's quite hefty, especially as I'm currently on a £11/mth sim only 12 mth contract 2g/3g. I'll revisit the 4G stuff when this contract expires, I prefer to buy the phone outright & go sim only, rather than having to be locked into a 2 yr contract.

The discount is the only reason why i choose i higher rate tariff tbh

[Hom3r]

When I bought my new phone I rejected the 4G because of the carp data limit.

I went for unlimited, it just means it takes longer to download and I used 1.2GB average per month.

Part of me thinks I should have gone for 4G as i can get carp signals at both work and home on 3G/HSPA.

[qasdfdsaq]

Originally Posted by 2old4this

Vodafones 3G is crap its 4 weeks and they not sorted problem out you just need to read there customers feedbacks on facebook or there Eforum. i for one will be leaving them in march they cant sort there 3G out god know how they going manage 4G

4 weeks? Pfft. Try 14 months.

---------- Post added at 18:37 ---------- Previous post was at 18:36 ----------

Originally Posted by nstokes

Whats the difference between 4G and 4G LTE? I am on EE 4G and i have a Sony Xperia Z1 so is it 4G or 4G LTE?

There is none, unless you're in the US.

In the UK, LTE == 4G.

---------- Post added at 18:38 ---------- Previous post was at 18:37 ----------

Originally Posted by techguyone

I'm holding off until the data cap gets a bit more real, it's like giving someone a ferrari then saying 'oh by the way' there's only enough petrol in it to do 20 miles this month'

Define "real".

Many 4G plans give you far more data than similarly priced 3G plans.

That's like giving someone a ferrari and then saying "Oh by the way the petrol tank is twice as big as your old car".

---------- Post added at 18:39 ---------- Previous post was at 18:38 ----------

Originally Posted by techguyone

That's interesting, are you a heavy user? I'm quite heavy with things running that connect to the internet. How much /what is your contract?

The average user uses 600MB on 3G and 1.2GB on 4G. So yes, he's technically heavy.

However I'm also a very heavy user and use less than 1GB (speedtests aside). Heavy use in terms of how much you use your phone is completely different to heavy use in terms of data allowance.

---------- Post added at 18:47 ---------- Previous post was at 18:39 ----------

Originally Posted by techguyone

Yes good break on the discount, but otherwise that's quite hefty,

Not really.

The 10GB plan is £32.99 with a handset depending what handset you get. That's the full, undiscounted price for new customers, including unlimited calls while abroad in many countries.

especially as I'm currently on a £11/mth sim only 12 mth contract 2g/3g. I'll revisit the 4G stuff when this contract expires, I prefer to buy the phone outright & go sim only, rather than having to be locked into a 2 yr contract.

Well if you want to go cheap Tesco Mobile do 4G for £10 a month on a 1-month contract.

Remember most of EE's 4G contracts come with unlimited call and text allowance as well, the 4GB DS ones and above also include unlimited calls and texts while abroad. Comparing it to similar unlimited minutes 3G tariffs from the main networks and EE 4G often ends up cheaper.

3 also do not charge extra for 4G so you can get unlimited 4G data once it's available for £12.90. O2 do SIM only 4G starting at £21.

---------- Post added at 18:48 ---------- Previous post was at 18:47 ----------

Originally Posted by Hom3r

I went for unlimited, it just means it takes longer to download and I used 1.2GB average per month.

Why waste money on unlimted when barely use enough to go over the second lowest tariff on 4G?

Sounds like you're one of the overpaying majority who spend far more than they need to just to avoid ever paying a small fee for going over your allowance - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12996175

[Hom3r]

Why am I wasting money on unlimited day? I go over the minimum 4G 1GB data and pay a lot less.

[techguyone]

qasdfdsaq said stuff...

That's quite informative thank you.

Though in my case I'm quite hampered by the fact only T Mobile (EE) actually get a signal to me that's usable)

I'll give you the fact that I haven't checked the latest data cap rates on 4G recently, I DO know though that when I last did, the data cap was in the region of 1GB/Month, which given that 4G is touted as basically wi-fi speeds out in the street, would be eaten up in a matter of days. The fact that they throw in all sorts of talk time/unlimited SMS etc etc is irrelevant. If all people cared about was basic telecoms we would all be quite happy on 2 or 2.5g phones.

Fact is however, in my case I use a smartphone & I utilise it to its full data capacity, so when the tech comes along (4G) which is all great and whizzy, my comparison of having a ferrari with a meagre fuel ration rings true.
Just checked my android wi-fi usage stats: 20 days - 28 GB (granted outside of the house I wouldn't be needing quite that much capability...)

I'll be very happy when the day comes that:
The country is fully 4G covered (or at least to current 2g/3g rates)
The data cap is removed or set sufficiently high that I can use data in the same way I use my wi-fi currently.

I reckon it'll be another 12 months before I'm happy in those regards.

--------------

Actually (and I haven't checked yet) I estimate a 10GB/Month cap would be fine.


Wonder how long it'll be before that translates to a £11/month sim only plan

[qasdfdsaq]

Originally Posted by techguyone

Though in my case I'm quite hampered by the fact only T Mobile (EE) actually get a signal to me that's usable)

Well I have news for you. 4G will have more coverage from all networks than any networks' current 3G coverage, and every networks' 3G coverage will also be expanding.

I'll give you the fact that I haven't checked the latest data cap rates on 4G recently, I DO know though that when I last did, the data cap was in the region of 1GB/Month

Well, to be fair I started off paying £41 for 1GB and I can now get 10GB for £32.99 on the same network. However at the time 8GB was the max, and in fact on some networks 1GB is the absolute lowest package you can get on 4G.

which given that 4G is touted as basically wi-fi speeds out in the street, would be eaten up in a matter of days. The fact that they throw in all sorts of talk time/unlimited SMS etc etc is irrelevant. If all people cared about was basic telecoms we would all be quite happy on 2 or 2.5g phones.

Indeed, the main thing I dislike is how it's being charged as a "premium" product by forcing you to pay for unlimited calls when, well, put bluntly you can't make phone calls on 4G.

However 4G represents the biggest investment in mobile networks across the decade and a total refresh across all operators of up to 20-year-old 2G and 3G equipment. It's not cheap.

Fact is however, in my case I use a smartphone & I utilise it to its full data capacity, so when the tech comes along (4G) which is all great and whizzy, my comparison of having a ferrari with a meagre fuel ration rings true.
Just checked my android wi-fi usage stats: 20 days - 28 GB (granted outside of the house I wouldn't be needing quite that much capability...)

Well it all comes down to the person. Recent stats suggest the average user only consumes ~600MB of data per month on 3G and 1.2GB on 4G. If you consume 28GB you're way way above average and not representative of the typical user networks are going after.

I'll be very happy when the day comes that:
The country is fully 4G covered (or at least to current 2g/3g rates)
The data cap is removed or set sufficiently high that I can use data in the same way I use my wi-fi currently.

I reckon it'll be another 12 months before I'm happy in those regards

Bit longer unfortunately, that day will happen in 2015.

All networks are planning to exceed their current 3G coverage with 4G by the end of 2015. Vodafone currently have 88.6% 3G coverage. 3 and EE have around 98%.

Vodafone and O2 expect 98% indoor 4G coverage by 2015, EE and 3 are both predicting over 98% outdoor.

On the pricing/data caps side - you can already get data allowances up to 50GB on certain networks, as well as 3 launching unlimited data 4G in the next few months for as little as £12.90 a month. However, their coverage is, and will remain the lowest for now.

Actually (and I haven't checked yet) I estimate a 10GB/Month cap would be fine.

Even at 10GB you'd be eight times higher than the average user. 4G doesn't make you use more data. Doing more things makes you use more data.

However like I said, EE already offer a 20GB phone plan and up to 50GB internet-only, and 3, among lots of MVNOs, will be offering unlimited data 4G plans early next year.

Wonder how long it'll be before that translates to a £11/month sim only plan

We're pretty close already.

3's cheapest unlimited SIM only is £12.90 a month, and while 4G isn't available yet, once it comes out in "Q1 2014" it will be a free upgrade. Tesco's cheapest overall 4G plan is £10 a month.