Poor service last 10 days - due to Orange / TM merger ?

Orange has the only 3G transmitter here. For just over a year, it worked OK, main problem is the unreliability, (I can never be sure it will work when doing something time critical. e.g. banking, auctions, urgent email etc.)

Last weekend it was utterly unusable, it would connect, drop to GPRS, got half a web page, then stop. Takes two minutes to disconnect, another two to authenticate, then Google home page when lucky and stop again. Even at 4 am !

Since earlier last week it at least works, but, although it initially shows 3G signal it only connects in GPRS and sometimes Edge.

I would like to know if orther people had the same problems, is it related to the network merger ?
I will check with Orange & T-Mob when I get a chance to go to town.
Regards,
Martin

Not with Orange/TMob but sounds like my Vodafone games on journeys into London.

With people leaving phones on 24/7 it may be periodic checks and number of sessions on the tower, rather than data throughput

Have had problems with Orange for the last 2 weeks in the NW Kent area and also yesterday in City of London - where it struggled to get 2g signal.
T-Mobile signal is worse still. Don't know what they've done to make it all go wrong.

Not down to the Orange / t-mobile cell sharing deal, as the current arrangment is only around 2G services (although 3G services will follow soon-ish)

If you are connecting to 3G and its then dropping to GPRS or EDGE, the dongle / cell site cannot sustain a strong enough signal so they drop your network access to something more reliable.
In this case 2G (GPRS and EDGE)

3G cell sites breathe, the more users on a cell the smaller the coverage becomes, a year ago there may have been less users on the cell but you were on the edge of the coverage footprint.
More people over time have started to use 3G iphones etc.. and your service area has now shrunk more!

If you want to post or PM me your postcode, i'll take a look.

If you think it's something else you need to get another Orange handset / dongle in the same location to see if it shows the same issues.
If so then phone Orange and ask to open a network fault.

In reply to a post by bookey:

If you want to post or PM me your postcode, i'll take a look.

It's ME17 4BS, I have Orange phone which gets good signal, but it's ancient 2G phone.
Thanks, regards,
Martin

Hi, the share of network would have no effect on the performance.

Its purely limited to mobile (not dongles), if you are on Orange for example as long as your phone can pick up any Orange signal no matter how weak it won't try an connect to a 2g tmobile signal.

Increase in 2g use with more and more 3g enabled phone are proving to be problem for many work. Specially when they left on connected to the 3g network..

Also regarding you 2g phone, that would get good signal as 2g mode is lot reliable than 3g. So if you 2g phone getting strong signal does not mean you will get good 3g signal.

Phone orange on 150 and choose option 3.

Also them to check the mast in you local area and to see if any of them is suffering congestion.

The poor performance continues. The signal on my dongle is up and down from five bars to nothing in a moment, occasionally it connect in 3G mode, only to stall couple of minutes later.
I have to redial every 5 to 10 min., even now at 02:00 hrs.
Surely it can't be congestion...
Martin

mast can only take x amount of connections , the busier the mast get the small area it covers. Congestion can also cause problem as there too much data to handle and the backhaul can't cope. I am in the office on sunday so will try and remember to have a look. and see what going

Same here in Manchester area on my iPhone since updating to Orange/TMobile. Data signal drops completely for long periods in areas that I know have at least GPRS or 3G. Very poor - sort it out Orange!

OP here.
I have re-checked Orange coverage map, and according to it I should have excellent signal for all services, including 3G.
This afternoon I have had brief 3G connection (just checking emails), first time in 10 days.
Will see what happens later tonight.
Regards,
Martin