orange

[Baz]

any one having bother with this network over the past 2/3 days.We have 3 mobiles and none of them can get a signal

[Rik]

Three bars here, Baz. It's likely to be a localised problem, eg Vodafone had a mast out of action a few days ago...

[Baz]

i just had a quick google and some people had bother with Orange 3G lately but orange say it has sorted it.

[Rik]

They would, wouldn't they.

[pctech]

Sounds like a major site failure, did you used to get 3G or 2G coverage or both?

Unfortunately none of the operators have a network status/outage notification site so you'll need to keep badgering Customer Services, unfortunately in most cases they don't have to give you a credit or reduce your contract (assuming you are on contract) in these cases as the contract simply grants you network access.

I believe that from 1st October Orange customers can roam onto T-mobile free of charge and vice versa but you need to opt in to begin with, have a look at the Orange site.

[Rik]

http://everythingeverywhere.com/2010/09/06/uks-biggest-mobile-coverage-boost-enables-30-million-people-to-use-phones-in-more-places-than-ever-before/

[pctech]

Sorry should have included the link.

[Rik]

It took a while to find it, Mitch, so I thought I'd report back.

[Glenn]

Add to that, T-Mobile should be able to roam onto 3's network from 10th Oct.

[pctech]

I reckon all of the operators will just use one network soon to reduce the cost of acquiring (either renting or buying) land and building the sites.

[Glenn]

Vodafone/O2 are looking into sharing networks I believe.

[JB]

"Everything Everywhere Limited is the company
running two of the UK's most famous brands – T-Mobile (UK) and Orange (UK).
Owned jointly by Deutsche Telekom and France Telecom respectively"

Guess we don't own anything in the UK anymore 

[Glenn]

O2 - Spainish
3 - Hong Kong
Vodafone - British

So 1 out of 5

[JB]

1 out of 5 ain't bad 

[Rik]

These days...

[pctech]

Not too keen on Vodafone's conduct CS conduct though.

Lots of complaints on 3G.co.uk and we had to ban a few of their forum intervention team for touting for business on other operators' boards.

They had also supposedly repied to member's complaints by referring them to their contact form (nothing wrong with that) but then the member would come back and say they'd heard nothing.

[Rik]

Not good. Mind you, there's a few ISPs like that on TB

[pctech]

Indeed and I've been a customer of at least one of them.

[Glenn]

I'm not sure if those teams would be in the Glasgow/India contact centres, or in the head office in Maidenhead.

Lots of complaints on 3G.co.uk and we had to ban a few of their forum intervention team for touting for business on other operators' boards.

They had also supposedly repied to member's complaints by referring them to their contact form (nothing wrong with that) but then the member would come back and say they'd heard nothing.

[pctech]

After my experience I wouldn't touch O2's ADSL with a barge pole but their prepay mobile CS has always been good.

[pctech]

I'm not sure if those teams would be in the Glasgow/India contact centres, or in the head office in Maidenhead.

Vodafone rather than Three Glenn, Vodafone were the only operator that offered official representation, Three's head office is in Maidenhead and Vodafone's is in Newbury.

[Baz]

Sounds like a major site failure, did you used to get 3G or 2G coverage or both?

Unfortunately none of the operators have a network status/outage notification site so you'll need to keep badgering Customer Services, unfortunately in most cases they don't have to give you a credit or reduce your contract (assuming you are on contract) in these cases as the contract simply grants you network access.

I believe that from 1st October Orange customers can roam onto T-mobile free of charge and vice versa but you need to opt in to begin with, have a look at the Orange site.

had both I think Mitch,its the kids phones that use orange.But my daughter lives at york and she had bother over the weekend which kind of stops me thinking it was local to me.

interesting about the two network thing, do you think thats good or not.

[Rik]

It has to be good at one level, Baz, as it should fill holes in coverage. The danger comes when they all merge into a mobile BT.

[pctech]

Think the network merge is a good idea considering its FOC and should give a bit of redundancy.

[Glenn]

MBNL will be removing masts, where Orange/T-Mobile/3 have them in the same location. Hopefully the remaining mast will have an upgrade, to cope with the extra strain put on it.

[pctech]

Apparently Cornerstone (The site share management company jointly owned by O2 and Vodafone) are having trouble exiting the site leases with landowners because they don't want to give up the rent as I read somewhere it is at least 6K a year.

Am happy for them to stick one at the bottom of the garden if they'll pay me 6k per year.

[Rik]

You'd certainly get a good signal, even without a phone.

[pctech]

 

Site finder indicates that one of the masts on a roundabout at one end of the road is O2 and at the other is Vodafone but bue to all the trees the signal is still at home.

We are all on O2 but when we've had decorators and other tradesfolk here who have been on Vodafone they also moan about the signal.

[Rik]

A good moan helps.

[pctech]

 

[Gary]

Shame the 1800 Mhz frequency is so bad at penetrating buildings and makes your phone work harder, I was with Orange from dasy one with the big sims with penguins on them, they had amazing CS but after my last tangle with them I'm happy with O2 for now, although since my Phone is unlocked and Vodafone have good 3G coverage in my area, its tempting but changing my contract means I loose the unlimited (within reason) internet over 3G, not that I can use that from home that well as all I get here is edge. Also I still get the 4 texts for one MMS deal and thats cheaper for me than paying Vodafone's prices, its all swings and roundabouts, bet I end up staying with O2, CS is good and it works as best it can, Maybe one day we will get 3G in the village from them.

[pctech]

Orange, T-mobile and Three have been lobbying ofcom for years for a slice of 900 Mhz and O2 and Vodafone to refarm their 900 Mhz to use 3G (at the moment the operators can only roll out 3G at 2100 MHz)

Things are slowly progressing but it's going to take a while.

[Rik]

If Ofcom is involved, probably longer than I'll live.