Three Network coverage in Portlaoise?

toughcookie40 · 21-04-2011 09:39PM #1

Hi,
I'm considering moving to the Three network as they have a deal on with a free iPhone 4, could anyone let me know what the coverage is like in Portlaoise?
Cheers!

Bicky · 22-04-2011 01:57AM

I have the iPhone with three. Wish I had stayed with O2 and just payed the extra money. The signal is not too bad in esker hills but the problem is with three 3G masts. Three only have so many masts and after that they have a deal with vodafone to use there masts. Any time you leave am area covered by three the phone switches to a vodafone mast and results in a dropped call.
Not only that but on vodafone the connection is GPRS which is grindingly slow compared to 3G. Ie not enough speed to play streaming radio without buffering.
Anyway that's enough bitching from me. Check out the thread on apple media devices if you need more proof.
At the end of the day you will get a cheap iPhone but you will pay for it in other ways.

An Ri rua · 22-04-2011 12:03PM

Hi,
I don't find Three uber-fast in Tullamore and possibly Portlaoise but very good in Mountmellick. But stable in all 3 spots.

I use a MIFI now, used to use a dongle on prepay but I genuinely trust Three Ireland now so I put down for an 18 mth contract.

I use it in the car, hillwalking, in the house and use it for Skype, tv, and everything else, through a Nokia e72 and through a netbook and a laptop. I CANNOT fault the service for €20pm on a bill. The mifi (E585) is a huge improvement on the old (Vodafone unlocked) Huawei dongle that I used to use. Its also a good improvement on the old Mifi, they say.

I would have no hesitation recommending a mifi but unsure about the iPhone's own connection strengths. Using the Nokia e72 through the Mifi, I can happily watch youtube all day or France 24 etc etc.

I would give it a go if you can test it in some way?

The only caveat would be that the network has slowed a few times when the kids are off for hols. But its EONS ahead of where it used to be 2 years ago. I have never lost coverage (on the new mifi) while stationary, only while hiking using Google Maps up in remote valleys in the Slieve Blooms, and then I fall back on the VF sim in the phone

Bicky · 22-04-2011 12:10PM

The network problem is iPhone specific. Look at the " iPhone on three network thread to find put what I am talking about". When the network switches To GPRS it often has to be manually switched back in settings. I thought it wouldn't be annoying but I hate it now. When I got this phone circa 7 months ago three said it was a temporary problem and would be fixed soon.

I'm not saying you should go with another network but you should definitely do more research.

toughcookie40 · 22-04-2011 03:40PM

Thanks for the replies. much appreciated! I got a 3pay sim today to c how the signal is on my iphone 3g so that might give me an insight also!

Three Network coverage in Portlaoise?

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