4G is it really worth it?

Veni Vidi Vici

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I'm not sold on the whole 4G network yet. It seems like most new technology its an excuse to rip people off. I look at it in the same way as HD TV and 3D TV when they first came out. From what I can see networks are hiking their prices up (fair play to 3 for not doing this) and giving less data.

What I didn't realise until I saw Watchdog the other night and the amount of complaints EE is getting about missed calls, is that 4G doesn't support telephone calls, only data. All calls on the 4G network still use 3G technology so there seems to be some issue with EE and switching between 3G and 4G.

Until the wrinkles are ironed out and the prices come down to sensible ones I think I will pass, for what I use my iPhone for I can't see any benefit.

Anyone overly impressed with 4G?
 
I'm not sold on the whole 4G network yet. It seems like most new technology its an excuse to rip people off. ?

Depends how much it costs and what else may be packaged in 4G plans.

4GB 3G sim only 12 month on Voda cost £31 pm and the same on their 4G plan is also £31 but includes Spotify/Sky Sport so appears to offer potentially better value. That said it still seems poor value next to Three's One Plan at £15 pm with unlimited data and 4G for free.
 
Depends how much it costs and what else may be packaged in 4G plans.

4GB 3G sim only 12 month on Voda cost £31 pm and the same on their 4G plan is also £31 but includes Spotify/Sky Sport so appears to offer potentially better value. That said it still seems poor value next to Three's One Plan at £15 pm with unlimited data and 4G for free.

On the whole though 4G is more expensive, they are obviously trying to tempt people over but Vodafone's 4G contracts are more expensive than their 3G plans. £31 a month for a SIM only deal is ridiculously expensive and EE's prices aren't cheap either especially considering the poor data limits they set.
 
A decent 3G is nearly as quick but the 4G is better where they have doubled the speed and the upload is really quick so will be better for tethering for online gaming than normal broadband.
Other than that, it's not worth paying much extra IMO for it yet.
 
I've just jumped ship to EE from Three. Download 47.32 Mbps, upload 13.38Mbps. Not too shabby.
 
Until VOLTE Is implemented I have no interest in it whatsoever, I get great speeds on three it's only indoor reception I want improving ,hopefully when they launch there 4g service I might get that on the different bands 800 etc, as I can go in my mums and i get no signal whatsoever ,walk back out the front door and signal back it's a solid door don't get me wrong ;) but it's annoying
 
Aren't 3 getting 4g anyway?

Not where I live until "2014", which could mean 15 months away, or 3 months away. I can always switch back if they work out cheaper, but like last poster, I have some problems getting a Three signal indoors sometimes.
 
4G uses the same bands as 3G.
 
I'm not sold on the whole 4G network yet. It seems like most new technology its an excuse to rip people off. I look at it in the same way as HD TV and 3D TV when they first came out. From what I can see networks are hiking their prices up (fair play to 3 for not doing this) and giving less data.
The licenses were expensive, around half a billion or more for each network. The networks need to recoup the cost somehow. 3 only has a small amount of the 800 MHz and 1800 MHz spectrum. They don't have the 2.6 GHz band which is better for cities with lots of people connecting at once. Also 3 don't offer stuff like Orange Wednesdays, or a free subscription to Sky Sports etc.

Higher frequencies give higher speeds over a shorter range. Low frequencies give slower speeds but over a longer range.

It's not a rip off. It's brand new technology without any other equivalent. If you are away from a Wi-Fi signal and want the data capacity it's that or nothing. Also the carriers offering 4G tend to give unlimited calls and texts. The money is in the data.

If you don't need the technology then don't buy into it. Some people just use their phone for calls. Some are happy to have a smartphone and just get stuff over Wi-Fi. If you want a Wi-Fi speed away from a Wi-Fi connection then you will have to pay for it. The speed of 4G can be five to ten times a 3G connection. It can be similar to home broadband.

Not all operators have the same 4G. O2 only has 4G on the 800MHz band. Good for long distances but speed and reliability is theoretically going to be worse in built up areas. O2 thinks it's Wi-Fi hotspots will compensate for this.
What I didn't realise until I saw Watchdog the other night and the amount of complaints EE is getting about missed calls, is that 4G doesn't support telephone calls, only data. All calls on the 4G network still use 3G technology so there seems to be some issue with EE and switching between 3G and 4G. .
EE is trying to sort out coverage as the Orange/T-Mobile merger meant a duplication of masts and masts cost money. So they are trying to close down masts where they can. Designing 4G as a packet switching data network, rather than as a voice one has helped get the fast speeds for data.

It also means that 4G is more resistant to interference and a greater signal density. It means more reliability as well as more speed. Difficult to gauge this at the moment as it is still early days for 4G.

EE has three frequencies to deliver 4G on. More than the other carriers. It also currently has the biggest coverage.
Until the wrinkles are ironed out and the prices come down to sensible ones I think I will pass, for what I use my iPhone for I can't see any benefit.

Anyone overly impressed with 4G?
Up to you but if you are buying a 3G phone on a two year contract you will be stuck with a 3G phone for two years. Network choice also matters as the different networks offer different 4G frequencies.

Also there is another thing. You probably don't download films, play networked games, or watch YouTube videos etc at the moment as the 3G signal isn't up to it. If you have a fast 4G signal your view might change as new applications are now opened up to you.
 
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Completely agree, I have zero interest is rubbish 4G which is just one big gigantic scam to milk gullible fools and mugs for cash. I can't even get a reliable 3G signal let alone 4G and I'm in central London.

When 4G does work, no doubt it's impressive and super quick. Problem is that it kills the ebattery quicker and I can't think of a single reason why I'd need content delivered a fews seconds quicker than 3G (when 3G actually works).

Streaming video? Forget it. Any content I wanna watch is copied to my moby so I can watch it offline and not be at the mercy of reception or travelling underground on the Tube.

Online gaming? I don't know anyone who sits there with a laptop playing online games during the daily commute.

Work related? If you need to download or upload large files whilst on the road, yes 4G is quicker than 3G but chances are that you will have already got the files you want in the office. Or wait til you get back. Or connect to a customer's corporate LAN and use that.

Then there's the question of bandwidth and price: 500MB (which EE started with) is laughably not enough for 4G and the expensive pricing kills it stone cold dead.

Still, the figures speak for themselves so what do I know, EE has already hit their target of 1 mil subscribers four months earlier. However, I suspect a lot of these are just people blindly signing up for whatever crap contract is being shoved their way.
 
Completely agree, I have zero interest is rubbish 4G which is just one big gigantic scam to milk gullible fools and mugs for cash. I can't even get a reliable 3G signal let alone 4G and I'm in central London.
3G is not the same as 4G. See above but it depends on your network and what frequencies they have bought, your phone and what frequencies it can receive and so on. It's odds on that you will get a good 4G signal and a poor 3G one. Again see above. 4G is more reliable than 3G.
Online gaming? I don't know anyone who sits there with a laptop playing online games during the daily commute.
4G is also available on tablets and phones. If you are home a lot and you have a wifi connection then it probably won't be for you. If you are away a lot it might be different. It might mean greater use of Skype etc while away from your partner.
Work related? If you need to download or upload large files whilst on the road, yes 4G is quicker than 3G but chances are that you will have already got the files you want in the office. Or wait til you get back. Or connect to a customer's corporate LAN and use that.
Again it will depend on you. In future you won't have to go to your office. It could also mean much more use of cloud computing.
Then there's the question of bandwidth and price: 500MB (which EE started with) is laughably not enough for 4G and the expensive pricing kills it stone cold dead.
Even if you are not downloading films searching on the internet will still be faster. For most smartphones the bottleneck now is the internet connection. Even just web browsing will be as fast as your home network.
Still, the figures speak for themselves so what do I know, EE has already hit their target of 1 mil subscribers four months earlier. However, I suspect a lot of these are just people blindly signing up for whatever crap contract is being shoved their way.
EE means actually changing your contract to them though. I can't see how you can switch to them by accident. Even if you don't want 4G it can still make sense. 4G gives you unlimited calls and texts as part of the offer.
 
I upgraded to the iPhone 5 on Friday on EE (moved from an Orange sim to an EE sim) they added 4G for me at no extra cost. I was on the M2 this morning just outside Ebbsfleet International and managed to get a download speed of 77mb.
 
On the whole though 4G is more expensive, they are obviously trying to tempt people over but Vodafone's 4G contracts are more expensive than their 3G plans. £31 a month for a SIM only deal is ridiculously expensive and EE's prices aren't cheap either especially considering the poor data limits they set.

Voda have "cheaper" 3G plan options but offer limited inclusive data i.e. 250-750mb per month. 4G is probably only worth while for higher data consumers and my point was when comparing comparable amounts of inclusive data it wasn't more expensive for Voda 4G than their 3G and that's ignoring Spotify/Sky Sport.

I agree Vodafone's 3G is very expensive relative to some other providers such as Three.


Avi
 

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I'd be happy just to get 3G everywhere.
 
I'd be happy just to get 3G everywhere.

I think this is a really good point. The people who comment they get blistering 4G speeds are only, I'm guessing, getting them in very small areas - ie selected big cities.

I've been very impressed with the 3G speed of Three in certain areas (17Mb+), but again this is only in certain very small areas.

For example, in Oxford city centre, the speed test app gives me over 17Mb in one part, but only 3Mb only 5 mins walk away, still in the centre.

I would say consistent 3G coverage is more useful to most people.
 
I think this is a really good point. The people who comment they get blistering 4G speeds are only, I'm guessing, getting them in very small areas - ie selected big cities.

I've been very impressed with the 3G speed of Three in certain areas (17Mb+), but again this is only in certain very small areas.

For example, in Oxford city centre, the speed test app gives me over 17Mb in one part, but only 3Mb only 5 mins walk away, still in the centre.

I would say consistent 3G coverage is more useful to most people.
I've recently switched to Three and can echo the request for consistent 3G speeds. At home and work i can get a steady 2 or 3Mbps, a mile down the road in the middle of town it goes up to about 7 then the other day i happened to be just on the other side of the town centre at the train station which is probably 2 miles from the house and got 20mbps!! Massive difference in a short distance!
 
Not where I live until "2014", which could mean 15 months away, or 3 months away. I can always switch back if they work out cheaper, but like last poster, I have some problems getting a Three signal indoors sometimes.

Call them and insist they send out a booster box. That solved my indoor signal problems. They won't want to do it, but insist and they will and it's free of course.
 
Call them and insist they send out a booster box. That solved my indoor signal problems. They won't want to do it, but insist and they will and it's free of course.
Cheers for this...something i may look into. The coverage checker on their site tells me i should have signal inside and outside but i live in a semi detached house but the detached neighbour isnt that far apart just with a pathway separating us. Front room and front bedroom along with kitchen and bathroom upstairs on the back it flicks between 1 and 2 bars but the middle rooms on each floor i get No Service. Step outside and it shoots up to 3 or 4 bars no issue. Whilst the majority of people i text are on iPhones so i get iMessages through the wifi connection it would be nice to have a decent signal for phone calls in the house. I notice it connects up to your broadband and will use some data but i cant think that its going to be much is it? Only been with them a couple of weeks so unsure if they will let me have one for nowt!!
 
Also there is another thing. You probably don't download films, play networked games, or watch YouTube videos etc at the moment as the 3G signal isn't up to it. If you have a fast 4G signal your view might change as new applications are now opened up to you.

Each to their own but personally I don't see why anyone would want to watch a movie on a mobile phone, or even play games for any length of time. Thats why I bought a large HD TV and PS3/XBOX. I might watch the odd YouTube clip and I can't say I've noticed any issues with 3G for this purpose, definitely not enough to pay 4G prices for.

In a way its similar to fibre optic broadband. When I had Sky BB I was getting around a 2-3MB connection, now I have BT fibre optic and get around 36-37MB. For general surfing the difference is negligible, the only time I notice any real benefit is downloading updates, YouTube etc.... for everyday surfing its hard to notice the speed increase.

.
 
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In the past I've struggled with a 3G dongle on my laptop. 4G is more reliable and faster than 3G so I might get a 4G dongle. If you have home Wi-Fi and are always home you might not need it. If you travel around a lot you might. It's why I bought a new laptop. Being able to Skype to your family while you are away could be useful to some. Same with being able to do everything else you could normally do at home. After all. It is a mobile phone.

I also assume that you live in or near a city so that is why you have a fast broadband connection. 4G could be an alternative to trying to cable up the country. At present 4G is in its infancy. Give it a few years and being able to have a connection as fast as broadband anywhere in the country I thought might be desirable.

You might not want to download a film. You might want to watch live TV and from anywhere in the country. I am surprised on an AV site people want to be stuck in the past.

Price? Err yes because prices wouldn't fall will they...

Oh and just ordered a 4G phone. My girlfriend has one as well. It's not just for a mobile phone. It's for laptops and tablets as well. Your network provider also offers unlimited calls and texts.

Oh and God knows how you will cope with the introduction of 5G. Expected in around ten years.
 
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I think this is a really good point. The people who comment they get blistering 4G speeds are only, I'm guessing, getting them in very small areas - ie selected big cities.

I've been very impressed with the 3G speed of Three in certain areas (17Mb+), but again this is only in certain very small areas.

For example, in Oxford city centre, the speed test app gives me over 17Mb in one part, but only 3Mb only 5 mins walk away, still in the centre.

I would say consistent 3G coverage is more useful to most people.

Again see above. 4G's technology means faster speeds and more reliability. It is also down to the frequency 4G is being transmitted on and not every network has every 4G frequency. Therefore EE's 4G won't be the same as O2's 4G or 3's 4G.

Trying to get 3G everywhere would actually be harder.
 
I work from home. I have wifi (obviously). Live in an area where 3G is not that great. Don't need to download or stream etc when in London, so 3g does me fine for social media etc.
 
I work 100% mobile, so having a fast, and stable, mobile data connection is important to me. So I'm all for the free, no limits, 4G upgrade from Three (whenever they roll it out - we were told originally it'd be before O2 and Voda, but after EE - seems not....)
 

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