4G - Anyone got/getting it?

Grabbed this from a windows phone forum

Assuming the AVERAGE download speed of 12Mbit, we see the following:


500Mb allowance represents 5mins 33s of data per month (so 11 seconds per day)
1Gb allowance represents 11mins 6s of data per month (so 22 seconds per day)
8Gb allowance represents 88mins 53s of data per month (so 2mins 57s seconds per day)

...Even with the highest bandwidth package, you have less than three mins per day of data (potentially less if your speed exceeds the average).



Let's have a quick look at what this data is costing you:

500Mb: £36 for 5.55mins is: £6.48 per minute
1Gb: £41 for 11.11mins is: £3.69 per minute
8Gb: £56 for 88.88mins is: £0.63 per minute

lol, thought I'd try a speed test on my 3G phone after seeing what other people have written here - 0.05 Mbps down, 0.09 Mbps up, and that's with 2 bars of reception. Awesome

So how long before we have heart breaking stories of some poor guy who decided to copy the ad and watch a film on his brand new shiny, shiny phone and ended up with a data bill more expensive than his phone? Or even better when someone forgets to turn data off when they go abroad and end up with a bill similar to the GDP of a small country?

I'm starting to wonder who, if anyone, has taken it up at all.

Maybe I should be asking the teachers ;)

You have to wonder why all of the EE shops are banging on about it as well. Fair enough that shops in the covered or soon to be covered cities are but I was in St. Albans over the weekend which isn't covered and the two EE shops there were advertising it too. How many people are going to be suckered into taking out 4G contracts when they can't actually use them? Will the EE sales reps be that unscrupulous?

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Originally Posted by Norphy

You have to wonder why all of the EE shops are banging on about it as well. Fair enough that shops in the covered or soon to be covered cities are but I was in St. Albans over the weekend which isn't covered and the two EE shops there were advertising it too. How many people are going to be suckered into taking out 4G contracts when they can't actually use them? Will the EE sales reps be that unscrupulous?

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That's a bit naughty. You can bet that unless you asked they probably wouldn't mention it. And they'll obviously have a small 4G antenna/base station in store to prove how amazing the signal is

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sidewinder

And they'll obviously have a small 4G antenna/base station in store to prove how amazing the signal is

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I wouldn't bet on that - I was in an O2 shop a few weeks back and tried to redeem a 'Priority Moments' code online using the data signal and it actually dropped completely whilst in the shop. No 3G, Edge or even GPRS at all!! Had to register onto their wifi in the end. And the guy in the shop didn't even seem to agree it was embarrassing!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Norphy

You have to wonder why all of the EE shops are banging on about it as well. Fair enough that shops in the covered or soon to be covered cities are but I was in St. Albans over the weekend which isn't covered and the two EE shops there were advertising it too. How many people are going to be suckered into taking out 4G contracts when they can't actually use them? Will the EE sales reps be that unscrupulous?

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The old orange shop in Dundee is doing that too, 60miles away from the nearest proposed 4G coverage. I dare say Inverness and Aberdeen stores will be doing the same! Its daft and I feel bad for the folk that will get suckered into a contract they wont be using.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by crc-ict

I wouldn't bet on that - I was in an O2 shop a few weeks back and tried to redeem a 'Priority Moments' code online using the data signal and it actually dropped completely whilst in the shop. No 3G, Edge or even GPRS at all!! Had to register onto their wifi in the end. And the guy in the shop didn't even seem to agree it was embarrassing!

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Can't really blame them for that as most shops, especially in centers, have terrible reception due to all the steel and conduits around them.

Now there's a surprise :rolleyes:
BBC News - 4G tests reveal patchy urban coverage

17 more towns/cities to get 4G before March 2013.

• Bradford
• Chelmsford
• Coventry
• Doncaster
• Dudley
• Leicester
• Luton
• Newport
• Reading
• Rotherham
• St Albans
• Sunderland
• Sutton Coldfield
• Walsall
• Watford
• West Bromwich
• Wolverhampton

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Arthur

17 more towns/cities to get 4G before March 2013.

• Bradford
• Chelmsford
• Coventry
• Doncaster
• Dudley
• Leicester
• Luton
• Newport
• Reading
• Rotherham
• St Albans
• Sunderland
• Sutton Coldfield
• Walsall
• Watford
• West Bromwich
• Wolverhampton

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Excellent news! That means I only have to go 30+ miles to my nearest 4G hotspot (or not-so-hotspot if some reports are to be believed!)

I think I will hold off on 4G until the pricing and caps are a little more realistic!

Won't be touching it with a bargepole as an Orange customer as:

A) I struggle to get a single G at the best of times. I don't even know if that's a speed but I've seen 56k modems put it to shame.
B) I stop getting total coverage failure. 5 bars and no data coverage no matter where I go for a good few hours? Pfft.
C) I get a better cap. Admittedly I cheaped out here but on a 250MB cap I have to be VERY careful with my data usage, no streaming here.
D) Someone offers a phone that doesn't die by mid-afternoon if you use it. Power is even more valuable then data in a day and the phone is meant to be a rather economical Android device. It's meant to have good battery life. :/

I generally limit it to stuff like Twitter or the Foursquare app when not on Wireless. The Google+ app seems way too sluggish on my connection and I dread to think what Facebook would be like.

Don't seen the need for it.... yet! When the prices come down I will look again.

I'm in the same camp as @AngryTechnician where in almost the centre of Birmingham you have to be on O2 just to get a signal on our site. Not 3G/2G just a signal full stop!! Poor mast locations I feel.