UK's best mobile networks

[Dylanite]

Article over on PCA regarding 'the best mobile network for mobile broadband'

No good for Virgin though:

http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/buying-ad...tworks-tested/

[Qtx]

Ouch, Virgin mobile sucked badly in all the tests! Good read

EE
Tests completed: 72 percent
Average speeds: 3.3/1.79Mbps
O2
Tests completed: 24 percent
Average speeds: 1.2/0.4Mbps
Three
Tests completed: 81 percent
Average speeds: 1.87/0.94Mbps
T-Mobile
Tests completed: 56 percent
Average speeds: 1.31/0.32Mbps
Virgin
Tests completed: 13 percent
Average speeds: 0.26/0.51Mbps
Vodafone
Tests completed: 18 percent
Average speeds: 0.19/0.23Mbps

Pointless post removed

[Pierre]

Originally Posted by Qtx

Ouch, Virgin mobile sucked badly in all the tests! Good read

Virgin are soon to begin a project to transform their mobile platform, due for completion in Jan 2014, which should see considerable improvements to their mobile services

[Qtx]

Originally Posted by Pierre

Virgin are soon to begin a project to transform their mobile platform, due for completion in Jan 2014, which should see considerable improvements to their mobile services

So they haven't started yet? That could be part of the reason they did so bad in all areas.

Never fear, Virgin have something coming soon (next year!)

[Pierre]

Originally Posted by Qtx

So they haven't started yet?

You managed to work that out all by yourself?

Never fear, Virgin have something coming soon (next year!)

6 months or so, yeah. Do you know how long it takes to build a network?

[Qtx]

Originally Posted by Pierre

You managed to work that out all by yourself?



6 months or so, yeah. Do you know how long it takes to build a network?

It was more a rhetorical question out of disbelief.

Funny question about the time to build a network, real funny Considering the networks I have been involved in building for some huge companies, I would say I know how long it takes (and how to) build a network.

As for mobile networks, this is not something I have done but I would guess most of it is similar. Not that it matters, the fact that Virgin is at the bottom of these recent mobile provider tests, the fact they have not started any upgrades yet as well as the fact they don't expect to have them finished until next year is enough to make consumers avoid Virgin mobile until at least the second half of next year.

If the independent tests showing how bad the VM mobile performance were not enough, the extra info given about time-frames just makes it sooo much worse.

[Pierre]

Originally Posted by Qtx

It was more a rhetorical question out of disbelief.

Funny question about the time to build a network, real funny Considering the networks I have been involved in building for some huge companies, I would say I know how long it takes (and how to) build a network.

As for mobile networks, this is not something I have done but I would guess most of it is similar. Not that it matters, the fact that Virgin is at the bottom of these recent mobile provider tests, the fact they have not started any upgrades yet as well as the fact they don't expect to have them finished until next year is enough to make consumers avoid Virgin mobile until at least the second half of next year.

If the independent tests showing how bad the VM mobile performance were not enough, the extra info given about time-frames just makes it sooo much worse.

Virgin, at the moment, are what you call a Thin MVNO. They use the EE network for everything and if they want to introduce any new products or make any changes they are totally at the mercy of EE.

They are moving to Thick MVNO model, so that in the future they will only really be using the EE radio network, and everything else will be VM owned.

There will be vast improvements noticeable to VM mobile customers when this happens.

This, along with the VM off-net fibre offering, shows just how much VM is investing. These are two massive network builds.

[Qtx]

What I don't understand is if they are using EE's masts and network, why do Virgin not get similar performance to EE? Do Virgin only pay for and get a small amount of the bandwidth on their radio or wired network?

Virgin have left this very late in the day. Guess the Liberty takeover could have been a factor.

Originally Posted by Qtx

What I don't understand is if they are using EE's masts and network, why do Virgin not get similar performance to EE? Do Virgin only pay for and get a small amount of the bandwidth on their radio or wired network?

Virgin have left this very late in the day. Guess the Liberty takeover could have been a factor.

There may be some clarification in the article...

We asked each vendor to provide us with a dongle. Vodafone sent us the Huawei K3772-Z (branded as the Vodafone K3772), Three the Huawei E3256 (Three E3256 Premium Dongle), and T-Mobile the Huawei E583C (T-Mobile Wireless Pointer). EE gave us access via a Huawei E392, Samba the ZTE MF190, O2 an Alcatel X230D, Virgin the Alcatel X230S and Globalgig the ZTE AC30. We mention the hardware here because although we were primarily testing the networks as they would work on your smartphone, the dongle model will have some impact. Three's version supports DC-HSDPA for example.

The differing hardware might also explain some of the discrepancies between mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) and their host networks. In the UK, for instance, EE provides the connectivity to Virgin Mobile. But, as you'll see from the test, EE performs much better than Virgin. In part that may be the hardware, and it may also reflect a certain second-class status on the network for Virgin users.

[Qtx]

Originally Posted by Hugh

There may be some clarification in the article...

Not really, unless you have a dictionary that has a different meaning for the word clarification: To clear of confusion or uncertainty

In part that may be the hardware, and it may also reflect a certain second-class status on the network for Virgin users.

The article says that it may be second class status on EE's network but there is nothing to say this is actually what happens. 2 out of 10 points on the attempt to answer my question though

Of course its down to the hardware provided, it couldn't possible be that Virgin just provide the worst mobile network </sarcasm>

I switched from Virgin Mobile due to constant drop-outs on the signal at my house where it used to be ok'ish in the past. Extremely happy since switching to Three, for signal and data performance, so it's no surprise they did well in these tests.

Of course it it couldn't possible be that if Virgin provided you with oral gratification, you would object to the colour of the lipstick </sarcasm>

[Qtx]

Originally Posted by Hugh

Of course it it couldn't possible be that if Virgin provided you with oral gratification, you would object to the colour of the lipstick </sarcasm>

The buffering would frustrate me!

But the jitter may be stimulating.....

[Qtx]

Game over when you start to lose packets though