HSDPA coverage?

Gwynston

I'm looking at Vodafone's mobile broadband offer for home as we're not covered by landline broadband or any wireless offerings. Vodafone have an offer of €19.99/mo for 12mo and free 7.2M modem until the end of July.

Their coverage map shows I'm within a 3G cell, but how do I know if it's just 'regular 3G' (i.e. likely slow) or HSDPA? Their map shows "3G" coverage in red and "3G broadband" optionally selectable as purple. They're both the same in my cell, so do I assume it's HSDPA?

Onikage

The whole 3G network should be HSDPA enabled.

watty

HSDPA has lower range than basic 3G.

Highest speed HSDPA is about 5% of the middle area.

You have to be within 200m of mast sometimes to get higher speeds, or with 14.4Mbps within 100m and no-one else online or making phone calls.

Gwynston

Ah right, thanks.
Just comparing the coverage between the networks, and they all use different monikers for the same offerings. But I guess, if they say 3G, it should be HSDPA and theoretically ought to be half decent speed, depending on competition for bandwidth, obviously?

The 3-network coverage map shows I'm just within their "indoor" coverage, so I suppose that's equivalent to Vodafone's differentiation between just "3G" and "3G broadband"?

watty

no.
3 use a totally different method to come up with maps.

HSPDA is only a half decent speed with perfect signal and only a few other people just browsing.

There is a MASSIVE difference between a window facing mast and not. Indoor facing mast is 1/2 the range. Facing away, 1/10th range or less (or equivalent speed or likelyhood to disconnect).

As other users connect the coverage shrinks. The maps mostly show single user coverage. Phone calls share the same signal and get priority. It's not Broadband, but a Mobile Phone network.

Gwynston

Watty - looks like I'm around 1.5 miles from the centre of a coverage area for each of the networks.

So I'm unlikely to get very good speeds, I guess - and that's without even knowing how fast the local transmitters even are....

Still, it's gotta be better than dialup, surely?

watty

With 5 to 10 users on torrents and 2km?
Somewhere between Dialup and ISDN.

It can be x5 to x10 faster than ISDN to start with, then as they get more customers in your area and people discover more uses to Internet, then it can slow to between 200kbps and 50kbps. Below 50kbps it has a tendency to simply not connect. Below 200kbps it will randomly disconnect.

At home 800m from mast in a rural area with Broadband I never got faster than 700kbps down and 80kbps up on HSDPA. If there is no Broadband where you live then future demand can be higher.

Can you get Fixed Wireless? It's usually real Broadband. Even Satellite is often better, just small Cap and expensive to install. Monthly cost is now about €10 a month less than basic DSL if you have no phone line.

Gwynston

Sorry - we're cross-posting here.
Thanks for the info Watty, you're making it sound worse by the minute! :P

I've looked in to the options and satellite is indeed very expensive to set up (if only Sky would offer their service like in the UK....)

I think Irish Broadband is the only fixed wireless offering near us, and their coverage map gets to within about 0.5km from our house, so it might be useable, but it's €100 to install and €55 a month!

Gwynston

Sorry - double post.....

Ideally, I'd like to try before I buy, but that's a luxury not offered!

Watty - you're usually up to speed on the these things - why don't Sky offer their broadband service in Ireland?

Gwynston

Stop the presses! - I just double checked our phone number, and apparently, we're now broadband enabled! It must have only recently happened because I last checked just a couple of weeks ago!

Happy days! DSL here I come! :cool:

Now I just have to spend the time evaluating the dozens of different vendors after my business.... :eek:

watty

Gwynston wrote: »

Sorry - double post.....

Ideally, I'd like to try before I buy, but that's a luxury not offered!

Watty - you're usually up to speed on the these things - why don't Sky offer their broadband service in Ireland?

Mwhahah hah ha !
Sky use DSL (over the phone line) to do Broadband. Not Satellite. In The UK they bought a large independent LLU operator (easynet). There is no large LLU operator here. Magnet is a subsidiary of US company and is small here. Smart is too small and unprofitable and owes over €50 already. Doing your own FTTC/FTTH company from scratch is cheaper than buying eircom for €200M as eircom has almost €5Billion of Debt and other liabilities.

• Because Sky aren't a Charity to help pay eircom's Debt.
• Because too many lines are bad
• Line rental too high so only 66% of households have lines
• Several other good reasons, some above and some below in link.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=682
Browse and learn.