O2 + Vodafone Mobile Internet Question?

mumhaabu

Hello, I have reading this site for a little while now and it is excellent.

I'm not sure whether this belongs here or at the Broadband forum,
Anyway I have a question about both Vodafone and O2's mobile internet products, I regularly am between work and my office and I really need a portable usable connection.

I tried Threes service last year but had to get a refund as the speeds were slow and coverage non existent.

What I need to know is does either of these services work outside of the 3G signal mast on either GPRS or Edge, so that at least I'd have a connection albeit slowly on the GPRS system wherever I'd have mobile phone coverage.

I rang both O2 and Vodafone today and Vodafone said it will work everywhere albeit slower in some places. O2 said it only works within 3G zones and that it does not work on GPRS aka wherever you have mobile coverage.

I really need to know this info from someone who has experienced whether or not they work outside 3G zones or not. It would be very handy as I only have dialup where I live (no 3G) and if it worked on GPRS I could use it at home (slowly) and ditch dialup and use it at work and in the field at both high and low speeds.

Also if anyone knows what contention is like on both O2 and Vodafone because when I used Three I was getting dialup esque speeds right in the centre of 3G zones and nothing outside them.

thanks a million for your help

cgarvey

I regularly use o2 EDGE outside 3G coverage with few problems. I have used Vodafone GPRS outside 3G coverage as well, again with few problems.

Contention on both is down to cell population. It can be misleading too. You're in the remotest parts of Kerry where you'd expect a bit of bandwidth. However, they don't have broadband so half the neighbourhood is using the cell and it can be worse than city centre 3G.

I've never had a reliable broadband product experience from Voda/o2/3G but the first 2 have always let me check mail/light browse when I needed to with varying speeds. It's no DSL, nor should you expect it to be!

mumhaabu

cgarvey wrote: »

I regularly use o2 EDGE outside 3G coverage with few problems. I have used Vodafone GPRS outside 3G coverage as well, again with few problems.

Contention on both is down to cell population. It can be misleading too. You're in the remotest parts of Kerry where you'd expect a bit of bandwidth. However, they don't have broadband so half the neighbourhood is using the cell and it can be worse than city centre 3G.

I've never had a reliable broadband product experience from Voda/o2/3G but the first 2 have always let me check mail/light browse when I needed to with varying speeds. It's no DSL, nor should you expect it to be!

thanks for that cgarvey, I did some enquiring around today and I will be going with O2's product, I will use it at home on the Desktop and on the laptop while on the move. Thanks for your help I wasn't sure whether they switched on GPRS or not, but both Vodafone and O2 do use GPRS Backhaul outside of Broadband Coverage while Three's product is just 3G or bust.

projectmayhem

mumhaabu wrote: »

thanks for that cgarvey, I did some enquiring around today and I will be going with O2's product, I will use it at home on the Desktop and on the laptop while on the move. Thanks for your help I wasn't sure whether they switched on GPRS or not, but both Vodafone and O2 do use GPRS Backhaul outside of Broadband Coverage while Three's product is just 3G or bust.

i recall seeing a poster in an o2 store saying you can get a free trial for the o2 service (i imagine a similar offer is available on vodafone). it might be worth doing that before you make your mind up

cgarvey

mumhaabu wrote: »

but both Vodafone and O2 do use GPRS Backhaul outside of Broadband Coverage while Three's product is just 3G or bust.

o2 have an added bonus in that they have EDGE in most cells now (including very remote ones) which is a nice step up from GPRS (though, it's no 3G, obviously).

I though Three stepped back to Vodafone GPRS outside their own coverage? They definitely used to some months (probably years now) ago.

Walkman

3 have a different plan for around €35 (cant remember the exact price) which does go onto gprs when not in 3g coverage. It's not advertised but you can get it in stores.