[dpadmore]

OK having used my N82 for a couple of weeks now I was beginning to wonder why the data speed when connecting via 3G or 3.5G (HSDPA) was no where near as fast as that as my home 2Mb Wifi connection so decided to do some speed tests. Strangely the download speed for both 3g and 3.5G came up as ~130kb. Now this could, I thought, be down to location and contention so I have since run the same tests all over the centre of Birmingham and lo and behold, regardless of the type of connection, 3g, or 3.5g the fastest download over the O2 network comes out as as near as dammit to 128kb. I have now done some seaches on the net and it turns out lots of others are having the same problems.

It seems that O2 cap the 'consumer' contract 3g and, get this HSDPA (3.5G) connections to a pitiful 128kb, while only business contracts are allowed a 384kb 3G connection and a much more impressive 1.3Mb 3.5G speed. Now nowhere is this fact metioned on the O2 website and it certainly wasn't the impression given me by the guy in the shop who enthused about how much better they were than the others for data. The joke is on me as I had rejected the iphone as it is limited to mere edge data speeds (~100kb) when in reality O2 ensure parity for their customers by artificially throttling everyone elses access. Priceless.

Once customer services fix the almighty cockup they have made of my port over from Orange I will be demanding full 3G and 3.5G access or else demanding release from my contract because of misselling. Anyone else noticed this? Am I the last to know or is there a ready fix?

[Spacecat]

HSDPA connections are theoretical.. the chance of getting them at full speed is remote, though 128k sounds a bit low

[RobM]

All connections are theoretical. Your 2MB broadband will only be 2MB if the distance from the exchange is bang-on, the line has no errors, there is no noise on the line, your contention ratio isn't too high or has too many users on the line etc etc etc

Also, you say you downloaded at 128kb, that's a similar download speed to 1MB broadband (8bits in a byte) so if you got a download rate of 128kb then you're doing pretty well. Granted, it's not as high as HSDPA has the potential to go, but considering you're trying this in a way that has a lot of variables, that's not bad.

Was your N82 running from battery or mains? If battery, was it at the same level every time you performed this test?
Were you in a built up area?
How far were you from the nearest HSDPA enabled mast?
What was the temperature like each time?

O2 do not limit the data you receive depending on the type of customer you are. HSDPA is HSDPA and your account lets you receive it, or it does not.

[andykn]

Originally Posted by RobM83

All connections are theoretical. Your 2MB broadband will only be 2MB if the distance from the exchange is bang-on, the line has no errors, there is no noise on the line, your contention ratio isn't too high or has too many users on the line etc etc etc

Also, you say you downloaded at 128kb, that's a similar download speed to 1MB broadband (8bits in a byte) so if you got a download rate of 128kb then you're doing pretty well. Granted, it's not as high as HSDPA has the potential to go, but considering you're trying this in a way that has a lot of variables, that's not bad.

Was your N82 running from battery or mains? If battery, was it at the same level every time you performed this test?
Were you in a built up area?
How far were you from the nearest HSDPA enabled mast?
What was the temperature like each time?

O2 do not limit the data you receive depending on the type of customer you are. HSDPA is HSDPA and your account lets you receive it, or it does not.

But it's 1Mb/s broadband, 1 megabit per second, not 1MB/s, one megabyte per second.

If O2 do "cap" the consumer 3G and 3.5G then the theoretical speeds are a bit irrelevant - it is a con.

Is there a link showing this?

[Spacecat]

on my Tmobile webnwalk HSDPA connection theoretical
1.8 mb i get around 500k and have been told my tech support thats about normal!

its fine for streaming video and downloading but no where near the alleged maximum.

still for £3 a month i guess i can't really complain

[dpadmore]

Originally Posted by RobM83

All connections are theoretical. Your 2MB broadband will only be 2MB if the distance from the exchange is bang-on, the line has no errors, there is no noise on the line, your contention ratio isn't too high or has too many users on the line etc etc etc

Also, you say you downloaded at 128Kb, that's a similar download speed to 1MB broadband (8bits in a byte) so if you got a download rate of 128kb then you're doing pretty well. Granted, it's not as high as HSDPA has the potential to go, but considering you're trying this in a way that has a lot of variables, that's not bad.

Was your N82 running from battery or mains? If battery, was it at the same level every time you performed this test?
Were you in a built up area?
How far were you from the nearest HSDPA enabled mast?
What was the temperature like each time?

O2 do not limit the data you receive depending on the type of customer you are. HSDPA is HSDPA and your account lets you receive it, or it does not.

You are wide of the mark on several counts. Firstly my 2Mb broadband is exactly that as it comes over the Virgin cable line and is not a theoretical speed but an actual measured 2Mb ie 256kB/s (minus ~3% overhead). Secondly it is you who should pay close attention to the case of the b in kb, 128kb is not equivalent to 1Mb broadband, quite the opposite. I mean what I said in that the O2 line is connecting at 128kb/s ie 16kB per second (see b=bits, B=bytes). The home connection is 2Mb=256kB/sec. 128kb per second download is just not fast enough over a connection designed to provide 1.3Mb, regardless of what excuses are used. I would be more than happy with 500kb like t-mobile or even just full speed 384kb 3G but a hard 128kb cap is dishonest when sold as something faster.

see here for clarification: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bit

Other threads raising this issue of slow 3G on O2:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/show...=370624&page=6

http://www.3g.co.uk/3GForum/showthread.php?p=367988

ps I am sorry if I sound exasperated and maybe less than polite in my response but I am seriously less than impressed with O2 on several counts thus far. Get this for an example, my port from Orange was supposed to take place on Wednesday this week but something went wrong and while the Orange phone is now disconnected, the number has not been yet allocated to the O2 phone and wont be until Tuesday next week. This means I will be without incoming calls on my established number for 6 days, a phone I use for work. Can you see why I am annoyed?

[meansizzler]

I live in an O2 HSDPA area have a data sim but no 3G phone, want to get one as GPRS is way to slow, but if what you are saying is true then shame on them, as i've not seen this in their small print, still might work as a good excuse to get a orbit 2 off them and return it after a few months. really need a 3G phone and just got a decent O2 contract going at the moment but this news just puts the nail in the coffin..., still need to verify this for myself, anyone want to lend me a 3G windows mobile device?

[Sy1441]

How much HSDPA coverage do O2 actually have though ? is it not a pityfull amount?

Anyone who's serious about mobile data generally chooses T-Mobile.

[dpadmore]

Originally Posted by Sy1441

How much HSDPA coverage do O2 actually have though ? is it not a pityfull amount?

Anyone who's serious about mobile data generally chooses T-Mobile.

O2's 3.5G coverage in London and Birmingham and other urban areas is actually very good, better than Voda and Orange from what I can see but the fact that they run it at sub 3G speed is the problem. As for T-mobile, what is the point in them offering good data packages when their phone offering is so below par. Had they offered either the N82 or N95-8GB then I would have gone with them. As it is they rule themselves out on those grounds alone.

O2 coverage map (inc specific HSDPA data): http://www.webmap.o2.co.uk/

[dpadmore]

Looks like I was right after all, they have now admitted it.

See: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/04..._speed_limits/

[sinizterguy]

Originally Posted by Spacecat

on my Tmobile webnwalk HSDPA connection theoretical
1.8 mb i get around 500k and have been told my tech support thats about normal!

its fine for streaming video and downloading but no where near the alleged maximum.

still for £3 a month i guess i can't really complain

I have got upto 1.5 mb sustained recently. Until then I would be flat out at 1.1mbps. (using a built in 3g card on my laptop for the t-mobile web'n'walk pro). There have been areas where I was only getting 384kbps or lower, but almost all over London I get min 1.1mbps.

Slightly slower speeds when accessing internet on my laptop through the N95.

[Judders]

Can I ask how you are measuring the speeds via your handset/O2?

I have an N95 8GB on O2 and frequently get the '3.5G' symbol flash up when I connect. It 'feels' faster that 128k, but I wouldn't mind checking with a reliable source.

Cheers!

[john316]

Originally Posted by dpadmore

O2 coverage map (inc specific HSDPA data): http://www.webmap.o2.co.uk/

I have NEVER seen HSDPA coverage on my N95 with O2 despite it High Speed Packet access being enabled on the phone. According to the Checker, it is all over my area in Liverpool

[dpadmore]

Originally Posted by Judders

Can I ask how you are measuring the speeds via your handset/O2?

I have an N95 8GB on O2 and frequently get the '3.5G' symbol flash up when I connect. It 'feels' faster that 128k, but I wouldn't mind checking with a reliable source.

Cheers!

There are a few ways to gauge the download speed, the simplest is to download a largish file from a popular download site like download.com and simply calculate the rate as it is displayed, ie if 100kB takes 7 secs then your download rate is ~15kB/s which equates to 128kb/s.

The second method is to use the phone as a modem on a laptop and use one of the common broadband speedchecking sites like thinkbroadband.com or speedtest.net.

The third way it to find a speed checker which runs directly on the mobile phone browser. I have seen one in beta which supposedly runs on both S60 and Iphone handsets but can't locate it right now. Can anyone help as this would be the easiest and probably most accurate option.

I am not saying that every and all O2 user is capped at 128kb but I am and many others are too, at O2's own admission it seems. It would be interesting if more people piped in with their speed measurements...

[NuclearWinter]

Originally Posted by dpadmore

Looks like I was right after all, they have now admitted it.

See: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/04..._speed_limits/

And here's what the smooth guys in the O2 PR team thinks of those of us who complain about it:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/04...cidental_call/

[dpadmore]

It gets even weirder.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/04/15/o2_denies_caps/

If this story is to be believed O2 now acknowledge there is a 'problem' rather than a deliberate policy and they are working to sort it. Sounds rather like they are backtracking having been found out if you ask me...

[meansizzler]

Why offer HSDPA then? as 3G supports up to 384K which is the max O2 offer to it's business customers?..

[dpadmore]

This has now finally been sorted across the board it seems. Lots of users on another forum (xda developers) who were previously capped like myself are now reporting full 3G and HSDPA access. I am now getting 800-900kbps on my N82 at last after 3 months of asking.

[ROBIN50N]

Originally Posted by dpadmore

It gets even weirder.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/04/15/o2_denies_caps/

If this story is to be believed O2 now acknowledge there is a 'problem' rather than a deliberate policy and they are working to sort it. Sounds rather like they are backtracking having been found out if you ask me...

they say the o2 network is hsdpa nabled, do they mean all of it or smal areas as the map on there web site shows hardley any.