[EdBrown]

Excuse my ignorance but can somebody tell me if I should be able to get GPRS on the 3 network? Even if GPRS is not available when on 3G or 2.5G then surely it should show available when I register on to an Orange transmitter which I have tried.
For those who want tech details I'm using a Motorola V3xx on which the GPRS indicator is always showing unavailable, I'd like to connect to Pokerroom.com and have their mobile software loaded, I can enter username & password but the program always freezes at the log in stage; presumably because it expects to be able to connect via GPRS (software stated as suitable for V3x; V3xx not mentioned but I assume as loaded and working should be ok).

[AndrewTheMuppet]

Actually I would like to know the answer to this as well.

I'm thinking of swiching to 3.

I would imagine you could use Orange GPRS. Be a bit rubbish if you couldn't.

Anyone know??

Andrew

[EdBrown]

Having done some more research on this it looks as if this is a deliberate ploy by 3 to keep customers within their own preferred services on My3...referred to by others as a 'walled garden'. This info was found in other forums and although the info was a couple of years old I'm beginning to think the situation is still the same. A way around it for some services may be if the organizations were to provide mobile software for access through a general internet connection which 3 does provide.
If anyone knows more on it I'd certainly like to know, I'm awaiting email response from 3, it seems a crazy tactic to me; although they may get some benefit from it they will never hold on to customers who expect to be able to visit their favourite sites. Although I'm beyond 14 days of my contract if this is their game they will lose my lucrative pay monthly account as soon as it ends and I will never return.

[rjlawson]

You need the £5 X-Series add-on to get to the full internet with 3.

[EdBrown]

Originally Posted by rjlawson

You need the £5 X-Series add-on to get to the full internet with 3.

I have the add-on but it only gives you internet access not access via GPRS which many services which have become favourites with people can only be accessed through. Thus when they switch to 3 they find they can no longer use them.
I think that this is a restrictive practice and have sent details to Ofcom.

[rjlawson]

You're confused with terminology, GPRS is simply a system to give you 'internet access' over a GSM network. 3 supports this when you're roaming on Orange/O2 and also have a 3G equivalent (PS background RAB).

It could be that your handset is setup incorrectly, or something is wrong with your account. Did you not think to speak to 3 about it before going to OFCOM?!

[EdBrown]

Originally Posted by rjlawson

You're confused with terminology, GPRS is simply a system to give you 'internet access' over a GSM network. 3 supports this when you're roaming on Orange/O2 and also have a 3G equivalent (PS background RAB).

It could be that your handset is setup incorrectly, or something is wrong with your account. Did you not think to speak to 3 about it before going to OFCOM?!

I've found more and more information on this 'walled garden' and many other customers who have discovered that GPRS is blocked on 3 (nothing to do with phone set up which I have thoroughly checked) 3 do not support access to GPRS for 3 customers even when roaming and registered on the orange network as I have already discovered; once registered to an Orange network GPRS briefly shows as available but then disconnects, probably as a result of inbuilt 3 software.
I know exactly what GPRS is, and it is just one of several methods of accessing and sending data, some sites are only available on GPRS and phones sold by 3 have GPRS capability, it would be a simple thing to include in the settings menu a facility to decide which data system you want to use be it GPRS, EDGE or whatever but of course it is in 3's interest that this option is not there.