In reply to a post by blueacid:

Could you please tell me the name of that Android app?

The one I like is "network signal info" on the Play store:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.and...

Just installed that on my phone, does just the job! Frustrating that outside my 3G connection is near enough equal to my Be* ADSL2+ line! (speeds near enough equal, 3G ping of 70, adsl ping of 20)

In reply to a post by blueacid:

Just installed that on my phone, does just the job! Frustrating that outside my 3G connection is near enough equal to my Be* ADSL2+ line! (speeds near enough equal, 3G ping of 70, adsl ping of 20)

Yes, this is the problem of 2100mhz used for all 3G services in the UK (until recently when O2 and Voda started using limited 900mhz in some city areas).

The 900mhz and 1800mhz frequencies used by Voda/O2 and Orange/T-Mobile managed to work in buildings a lot better.

So the hope is that 4G/LTE at 1800mhz (EE and Three) and the new 800mhz and 2600mhz sold by the Govt last week will work in buildings better. (The 2600 might not but could be used with external antennas for rural areas).

can't see getting up here for another 2 year or so.

In reply to a post by jchamier:

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

But it is within ASA power to ask them to stop, particularly if they consider it misleading.

Agreed - but I don't think its misleading.

I actually think the government are silly for using terms such as "superfast" and "ultrafast" and should stick to real facts, such as "speeds faster than 40megabit/sec" or similar. That would solve the whole problem.

Advert talks of HSDPA as Ultrafast and they then advertise a Samsung Galaxy SIII Ultrafast model, which turns out to be the LTE model.

Three's entire website says Ultrafast and then has rings around DC-HSPA and LTE, the HSPA+ is shown as current speeds that are NOT ultrafast.

See here, direct link to the picture:
http://www.three.co.uk/ThreePortal/Satellite?blobcol...

Which is on this page:
http://www.three.co.uk/Discover/Built_for_internetting

The HSPA+ speeds are upto 14megabit (ie, iPhone 4s) and upto 21megabit (everything else). The DC-HSPA speeds are upto 42megabit, and the LTE speeds are anything above this upto 100megabit.
(HSDPA as you write is the old 1.8meg spec, long since superseded).

Does not the normal SIII do HSDPA?

I believe the LTE S3 is the model I9305 and the non LTE version is the I9300.

The I9305 does do DC-HSPA 42megabit spec. The standard I9300 does NOT do DC-HSPA 42megabit, it stops at the 21megabit speed of HSPA+. So in this case Three are being consistent.

To be fair to Three they've been selling the 21megabit spec HSPA+ for 2 years, on over 90% of their coverage, when the competition (esp O2 and Vodafone) have been living with the 7meg spec.

Android phones can download a useful app with a desktop widget that shows you the protocol in use over the connection, I have a Nexus 4 purely for this and WiFi scanning as I prefer my iPhone 5 for everyday use.

Data from GSM Arena's comparison tool:
http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=5001&i...

NB: I'm NOT a three customer, I have a T-Mobile SIM only contract on an unlocked iPhone 5, and my office gives me a Vodafone service which I have in my old iPhone 4.

(Edit - added links to Three's site)

good post i just assumed the samsung S3 supported DC-HSPA+ 42mb as its quite an new phone i am quite surprised really

but only the S3 LTE version does it at least i could get the phone for later LTE support and DC-HSPA+ support when o2 ever bother to upgrade to 42mb
i just noticed the S3 LTE has 2gb of ram as well, the S3 only has 1GB, that's good as should stop apps from randomly closing on me due to lack of ram

i think GSM arena is missing the 1900 band on the S3 i9300 as other sites are listing the i9300 as supporting the 1900 band (it would not work on networks that run on 1900 if it did not support it)

not planning on moving to three until they use more masts to fill in the black spots in there network

as long as the phone supports LTE 100mb it should always be faster then DC-HSPA+ (LTE running on 800-900 helps to get bit more range as well, to bad Voice will not run on that as well)

In reply to a post by leexgx:

not planning on moving to three until they use more masts to fill in the black spots in there network

I believe 3 have more masts than either O2 or Vodafone have for their 2G signal, but because of the 2100 band that 3G is currently at it has problems in buildings. This is where the 800 band will help dramatically for all networks.

as long as the phone supports LTE 100mb it should always be faster then DC-HSPA+ (LTE running on 800-900 helps to get bit more range as well, to bad Voice will not run on that as well)

This isn't LTE-Advanced, that's a few years away still, so nobody will be getting anywhere near 100meg.

LTE support DL 150mb 2 channel as long as the masts are setup for it but more likely 100mb as needs less Frequency space (quite sure most are as orange and O2 have had more then 50mb in there tests), most phones have 100mb DL LTE support (some Cheapo LTE phones "only" support single 50mb LTE link
i have only ever seen tablets have the DL 150mb LTE support (not even checked what the LTE dongles must support but i would guess it is the 150mb)

LTE can support up to 300mbs but that is unlikely to happen due to limited Frequency that we have got in the UK for each provider

LTE-ADV supports up to 1000mb but likely only really get 600-700mb (100mb when moving at high speed)

the network been deployed will be 100mb yes 150mb maybe, and yes no one is ever going to see that just that is what is available for all users connected to that mast can use, same goes for 3G Only supports the bandwidth of 7.2, 14, 21 or 42mb on avg its between 2-8 (2mb been the avg on three network due to the All You Can Eat or The One plan)

Edited by leexgx (Wed 06-Mar-13 02:08:15)

In reply to a post by leexgx:

Only supports the bandwidth of 7.2, 14, 21 or 42mb on avg its between 2-8 (2mb been the avg on three network due to the All You Can Eat or The One plan)

I wouldent call these results avarage of 2 meg

Test Date: Mar 5, 2013 3:30:55 PM
Connection Type: Cell
Server: Skipton
Download: 19.16 Mbps
Upload: 3.22 Mbps
Ping: 97 ms

External IP: 92.40.253.63
Internal IP: 10.10.126.147
Latitude: 53.58508
Longitude: -1.53152

A detailed image for this result can be found here:

http://www.speedtest.net/android/386309387.png

Also TBB Test

Ash

again depends where you live in the UK and how many are abusing Three network on the cell your connected to(in your case not that many)

where I am its rubbish 1-3mb seemed about the best i could get on Three and i had lots of issues with Phantom network, its an 3G issue (affects all networks at some point) if the phone switches to fast between masts when on 3g, the Phone so it gets Stuck in limbo with full signal (or last locked signal detected) but No voice, text or data services for about 1-2 mins aka Phantom network, the phone i think forces an radio reset after 2 mins (as you see the signal bars drop to 0 then back to normal) my Blackberry does it on Orange as well when i have it switched to 3G so i norm leave that phone on 2G as it does not have the issue and battery lasts 4 days vs 1-2 days as well (i only need it for calendar and calls data is only used for email and Sync to google)

o2 around here have been Dropping Pole masts every where (keeps the radiation cults happy if they do not know what that pole is) so there are norm no black spots for O2 where i am (when they was allowed to use 3G900 i guess most of them masts are them type)

cell placements are quite poor where i am, as well so most places i go 3 does not work indoors due to it, even thought three site says otherwise, i used to use t-mobile signal checker as most of the masts where i am are an 50/50 share with them where i am and it correctly listed the signal and the dead spots, now EE have taken over i cant see the t-mobile masts any more. so cant check for Three coverage any more

Edited by leexgx (Wed 06-Mar-13 02:51:05)

In reply to a post by leexgx:

again depends where you live in the UK and how many are abusing Three network on the cell your connected to(in your case not that many)

where I am its rubbish 1-3mb seemed about the best i could get on Three and i had lots of issues with Phantom network, its an 3G issue (affects all networks at some point) if the phone switches to fast between masts when on 3g, the Phone so it gets Stuck in limbo with full signal (or last locked signal detected) but No voice, text or data services for about 1-2 mins aka Phantom network, the phone i think forces an radio reset after 2 mins (as you see the signal bars drop to 0 then back to normal) my Blackberry does it on Orange as well when i have it switched to 3G so i norm leave that phone on 2G as it does not have the issue and battery lasts 4 days vs 1-2 days as well (i only need it for calendar and calls data is only used for email and Sync to google)

o2 around here have been Dropping Pole masts every where (keeps the radiation cults happy if they do not know what that pole is) so there are norm no black spots for O2 where i am (when they was allowed to use 3G900 i guess most of them masts are them type)

cell placements are quite poor where i am, as well so most places i go 3 does not work indoors due to it, even thought three site says otherwise, i used to use t-mobile signal checker as most of the masts where i am are an 50/50 share with them where i am and it correctly listed the signal and the dead spots, now EE have taken over i cant see the t-mobile masts any more. so cant check for Three coverage any more

Yea i see what you mean im lucky were ever i go with three is good signal/speed O2 is pants though lol signals good but its slow the mast is at the bottom of my street and also uses the 900 but still very slow lol, hopefully 4G will solve things for all networks on both speed and coverage as we know 4g can go longer than 3G but obviously till they do coice over 4G calls will still be subject to the 3G limitation

Ash

Edited by acpsd775 (Wed 06-Mar-13 03:46:31)