Why does nothing load when my phone is on ‘E’?

[MitchT]

Have app designers made their apps so they’ll only load content when you’ve got a 3G connection? Previously things used to load, albeit slower, when my connection was ‘E’. Some time ago this changed and since then nothing will load at all when it’s on ‘E’, it just tells me there’s no internet connection, even though there is, albeit a relatively slow one. I’d rather the content loaded slowly than not at all and as much of the stuff I read to entertain myself when waiting for trains, queueing in shops, etc. is only text anyway it should still load fairly quickly even without 3G.

For what it’s worth the Phone is an iPhone 4S which has always been on O2, though I literally just switched to Giff Gaff, though that’s not likely to make a difference.

Edited by MitchT on Wednesday 1st October 08:43

[andy-xr]

I think the way that o2 bought and built their network was more around calls being able to be continued rather than data, plus it's oversubscribed with MVNOs. I dont know a definitive answer but usually the problem with response is down to contention rather than out and out speed

[Oakey]

O2 is terrible. I needed to get a businesses phone number off Google last week and the internet simply wouldn't load. I could see a cell phone mast literally 100 yards in front of me.

[CharlieCrocodile]

Oakey said:

O2 is terrible. I needed to get a businesses phone number off Google last week and the internet simply wouldn't load. I could see a cell phone mast literally 100 yards in front of me.

Had the same issue a few weeks back out walking the dog, streaming radio with the mast in sight with full 3g signal...nothing. O2 around Colchester/Chelmsford is terrible, really don't know who to move to.

[hornetrider]

Oakey said:

I could see a cell phone mast literally 100 yards in front of me.

Did it have O2 on it in big blue letters?

[Oakey]

hornetrider said:

Did it have O2 on it in big blue letters?

I've no idea, do they usually?

[eybic]

They don't share masts, it could well have been a Vodafone/ EE/ 3 mast.

[hornetrider]

Oakey said:

hornetrider said:

Did it have O2 on it in big blue letters?

I've no idea, do they usually?

I'm wondering how you knew it was an O2 mast that was serving you as well as the multitude of other O2 customers in the area.

[Oakey]

It's the centre of town, you'd like to think they'd have coverage in the centre of a town.

[hornetrider]

So you have no idea if it was an O2 mast? In which case why is this relevant to your tale?

[clonmult]

Oakey said:

hornetrider said:

Did it have O2 on it in big blue letters?

I've no idea, do they usually?

Huge letters, and the corporate branding is normally obvious. O2 masts are blue. Vodafone masts are red. EE masts are a turquoise/orange mix.

[Civpilot]

clonmult said:

Huge letters, and the corporate branding is normally obvious. O2 masts are blue. Vodafone masts are red. EE masts are a turquoise/orange mix.

I have a vodafone 4g mast about 200m from my office. I can see it from my office window and it is silver metal frame and white transmitters. There is another mast at the other end of my business park that is the same design.

Never seen a red mast? (not saying they don't exist, but in my area they all look the same (grey/white colour).

[hornetrider]

clonmult said:

Huge letters, and the corporate branding is normally obvious. O2 masts are blue. Vodafone masts are red. EE masts are a turquoise/orange mix.

Not quite. The coloring you see is actually neon lighting, not the masts themselves which are made of lightweight composite superheated alloy.

[MitchT]

It defies my understanding that mobile operators all have their own masts. Why not just have a network of state owned masts which the network providers could rent space on. That way you'd only have one mast for each cell and providers would be able to provide better courage in places where they might otherwise not get permission to put a mast.

[dtmpower]

MitchT said:

It defies my understanding that mobile operators all have their own masts. Why not just have a network of state owned masts which the network providers could rent space on. That way you'd only have one mast for each cell and providers would be able to provide better courage in places where they might otherwise not get permission to put a mast.

Sort of like how BT ran before privatisation....

[MitchT]

Indeed. I'd take it further if I were running the country. I'd put wi-fi into street lamps.

[dtmpower]

MitchT said:

Indeed. I'd take it further if I were running the country. I'd put wi-fi into street lamps.

On which frequency band ?

[andygo]

dtmpower said:

On which frequency band ?

I'd put it on Radio 1's frequency as it's full of shoite. HTH.

[sgrimshaw]

Try it on crack .....