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Irish 3G network bands

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  • 30-06-2009 3:13pm
    #1
    rancheros
    Closed Accounts Posts: 214 ✭✭


    HI
    Can anyone tell me what 3g bands the different mobile companies operate on.
    850, 900 or 2100


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    #2
    Solair
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,230 ✭✭✭Solair


    2100Mhz only

    900Mhz and 1800Mhz may eventually be opened up to 3G services too, but it's for standard GSM only at the moment.

    Right now 2G GSM and 3G UMTS don't share frequencies in Europe.

    850Mhz is a North American GSM/3G frequency.


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    #3
    rancheros
    Closed Accounts Posts: 214 ✭✭rancheros


    Solair wrote: »
    2100Mhz only

    900Mhz and 1800Mhz may eventually be opened up to 3G services too, but it's for standard GSM only at the moment.

    Right now 2G GSM and 3G UMTS don't share frequencies in Europe.

    850Mhz is a North American GSM/3G frequency.

    Cheers ust bought a HTC Touch HD in OZ so it'll work fine, Do you know which network is best, has meteor upgraded from 2G yet


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    #4
    watty
    Registered Users Posts: 32,417 ✭✭✭✭watty


    For voice coverage GSM is better (900/1800). O2 and Meteor do EDGE for data on GSM, which is up to 245kbps.

    3 Ireland only has 3G.

    Vodafone has GSM /GPRS (upto 70kbps).

    All have 3G/HSPA, though Meteor's coverage is still worse than 3's
    3G is 12kbps to 350kbps for data and HSPA is 50k to 7200Kbps for data.

    So the "best" network depend where you are mostly and your usage. My 3G E65 phone on O2 automatically uses GSM if needed for voice (far more coverage) and can use GPRS, EDGE, or 3G for Data.

    Unless you are using 3's network, you need a phone that does 900/1800 GSM and 2100 3G. For Voice, 3 Ireland has the poorest coverage. Vodafone might be best coverage but has no EDGE and is a bit more expensive. 02 is good and slightly cheaper on 18month contract than Meteor. Meteor was cheapest for PAYG, but compare carefully. The pricing are designed to make comparison hard.


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    #5
    The Cush
    Registered Users Posts: 15,500 ✭✭✭✭The Cush


    Current use of GSM/3G Band attached.

    As Solair said the GSM bands are to be opened to 3G services within the EU and ComReg are in the process of a consultation on Liberalising the Use of the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz Spectrum Bands.


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    #6
    probe
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,055 ✭✭✭probe


    watty wrote: »
    For voice coverage GSM is better (900/1800). O2 and Meteor do EDGE for data on GSM, which is up to 245kbps.

    3G voice quality of service is better than 2G in my experience, mainly because of the make before break voice connections protocol in UMTS. With 2G when moving between two cellsites, it dumps one site before finalising the connection with the second site - which causes call quality impairment for an instant - often a "can you repeat that please?" situation.

    3G coverage is poorer in buildings than 2G - unless there is some in-building 3G infrastructure. Buildings with lots of steel supports are the worst for 3G. If one walks into a large building while on a 3G call, and the in-building site is only 2G, the call often drops during the transition between 3 and 2G. I don't know if this is a problem with the phone software or the network software. It doesn't happen if the in-building site is 3G - the handover is seamless.


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    #7
    cargo
    Registered Users Posts: 1,215 ✭✭✭cargo


    Ok, old thread alert but it's a continuation and I cant find it in the forum so here goes.

    Does anyone have an update to this now that we are running 4g frequencies? Is there a comreg document with all GSM/3G/4G frequencies used in Ireland?


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    #8
    MichaelR
    Registered Users Posts: 802 ✭✭✭MichaelR


    I don't know about Comreg documents, but Wikipedia has a list of LTE (aka 4G) networks and their frequencies. Ireland is included.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_LTE_networks

    And we get:

    3 Ireland 1800
    Meteor Ireland 800
    Meteor Ireland 1800
    Vodafone Ireland 800

    These are the networks that actually exist. Here are the frequency auction results; they include frequencies not yet in use:

    http://www.siliconrepublic.com/comms/item/30238-comreg-reveals-4g-auction-r

    It appears that Vodafone are concentrating on territory coverage, and thus limited LTE to 800 MHz. Their small data caps are probably the result of this decision; in a city, 800 MHz for all I know does not really provide sufficient capacity. So they make sure people limit their data use and, quite probably, are intentionally pushing prospective heavy 4G users in cities to look in the direction of Meteor and Three. In the meantime they are expanding rural coverage much faster than anyone else.

    Meteor are building a dual network and seem to have a city emphasis (thus, the student offer; students tend to cluster around universities and Meteor probably took care to cover the areas in 1800 MHz).

    Three and O2 are in a merge process and I'm afraid network development may have been put on the back burner (I'd be glad to be wrong). For now Three's coverage reflects the fact that they only have 1800 MHz, and O2 apparently does not offer 4G services commercially.

    Also, re 3G, I have seen a mentioning on the Vodafone forum that Vodafone does use 900 MHz 3G: https://community.vodafone.ie/t5/Network/3g-frequency-used-south-of-mt-leinster/m-p/144258/highlight/true#M4011 . And here O2 UK claim they use 900 MHz too: http://news.o2.co.uk/2011/05/30/superfast-900mhz-3g-explained/ but it is not clear whether O2 Ireland uses it.


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    #9
    The Cush
    Registered Users Posts: 15,500 ✭✭✭✭The Cush


    cargo wrote: »
    Does anyone have an update to this now that we are running 4g frequencies? Is there a comreg document with all GSM/3G/4G frequencies used in Ireland?

    http://www.comreg.ie/radio_spectrum/search.541.874.10031.0.rslicensing.html

    The Telefonica licence and frequency allocations now tranfer to Hutchison 3G Ireland since the merger was approved by the European Commission.


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    #10
    cargo
    Registered Users Posts: 1,215 ✭✭✭cargo


    The Cush wrote: »
    http://www.comreg.ie/radio_spectrum/search.541.874.10031.0.rslicensing.html

    The Telefonica licence and frequency allocations now tranfer to Hutchison 3G Ireland since the merger was approved by the European Commission.

    Great thanks. That's what I was after.


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    #11
    installer
    Registered Users Posts: 139 ✭✭installer


    Hi Guys, I too am looking for an updated list of mobile data bands used or even unused but licenced in Ireland, the above link is no longer valid.
    Thanks in advance


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    #12
    ED E
    Registered Users Posts: 36,166 ✭✭✭✭ED E


    Its frowned upon to necro a thread like this.

    willmyphonework.net

    Has the basic info, if you want the details use the COMREG publications search.


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    #13
    The Cush
    Registered Users Posts: 15,500 ✭✭✭✭The Cush


    installer wrote: »
    I too am looking for an updated list of mobile data bands used or even unused but licenced in Ireland, the above link is no longer valid.

    You will find the current mobile licencees and their 3G and liberalised frequencies here - http://www.comreg.ie/industry/radio-spectrum/licensing/search-licence-type/mobile-licences/


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