O2 says 3G customers don’t need fast connections
This morning, The Register reports O2’s admission that its 3G customers are limited to 128Kb/s connections - with some business users being upgraded as O2 sees fit.
“384Kb/s is the technical limit of 3G technology, without resorting to HSPDA, but topping out at 128Kb/s is something of an embarrassment for a 3G network. Not that using HSDPA will help the O2 customer, depending on the “profile” O2 has decided to assign to them they might still find themselves allocated only 128Kb/sec”, says El Reg.
In non-techy terms, this means that you’re buying a 3G phone, with the expectation of fast mobile web browsing, but in fact, you’re being limited to half the potential speed you should get.
A clever fella from the 3G.co.uk forum did a speed test on the network, getting the following speeds:
GPRS 44kbit/sec
EDGE 145kbit/sec
3G 112kbit/sec
HSDPA 124kbit/secI tried the tests a few times and posted the fastest. The 3G and HSDPA speeds are consistently around the times posted. The EDGE speeds were more variable, from 90 to 145kbit/sec I assume depending on cell traffic at the time.
Is it just me, or are customers not getting at all what O2 is claiming. It’s supposed to be 3G, and it ain’t doing what it says on the tin!
Granted, I’ve got an iPhone, I wouldn’t get 3G speeds anyways, but I do feel sorry for the cheeky sods who’ve been giving me a tough time for having a non-3G phone. I’m currently getting better speeds than you are if you’re also on O2!
Now, immature raspberry-blowing aside, I do hope O2 get their act together and allow non-business users to experience the full potential the network has to offer. This is a stick in the wheels of the mobile web we simply do not need.
[Update: Seems like O2 are set on making an impression on their customer base today. Did you know we’re “a bunch of geeks” and would be “muppets” for considering changing networks? Well, it seems too funny to be true, but O2 PR staff may need some coaching on locking their phone before having private conversations.
Did you hear that? Yes, it’s the sound of two PR people who are going to have a very bad end of Wednesday…]
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April 9th, 2008 at 9:56 am
Hmmm, interesting. I’m on O2 and have noticed that sometimes the network is incredibly slow when I’m in a non-EDGE area. This would explain it.
April 9th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
[…] has come to me this morning from Vero Pepperrell, Chief Blog Mistress at Taptu, that The Register is reporting that o2 3G customers are being […]
April 9th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
[…] Vero at Taptu and James Whatley at SMS Text News comes word that O2 in the UK is capping downstream 3G speeds for […]
April 10th, 2008 at 9:47 am
So… we’re paying for a 3G connection but not getting what we pay for? Right, I’m changing network… Where should I go next?
April 14th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
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April 15th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Ian - I should have made it clearer in the article that it’s still a “most likely true but to be confirmed” bit of research those guys did. I rarely find it that much faster with EDGE, it’s usually a pain regardless
Michelle - Your guess is as good as mine, but in the UK, a number of people seem to recommend Vodafone.