My mobile phone contract finishes soon and I was wondering what mobile network might be best for cycling coverage. Most, I guess, work okay in urban areas so coverage on minor roads in the sticks is more of interest to me.
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CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Questions/Support/Help
Mobile network
(10 posts)- Started 11 years ago by amir
- Latest reply from Cyclingmollie
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Posted 11 years ago #
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EE got reception (3G at times) around Gifford. O2 didn't.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Vodafone was always the traditional choice for the wandering man but most share mast sites these days there is very little difference for 2g voice calls.
Posted 11 years ago # -
I don't get signal in my flat or anywhere with thick walls with 3. Avoid them unless you have access to ridiculously cheap tariffs as I do, or you don't mind not being able to phone people at home.
Posted 11 years ago # -
My current contract is with Talkmobile - running on Vodafone. This is generally okay - though there are weak points (e.g. my Dad's house in the Welsh borders, the Welsh coast, around Gairloch, around Hawes).
I was impressed that I could tweet a photo from St Mary's Loch though.
I have already discounted Three on the basis of its weak rural coverage. The options remaining are GiffGaff (running on O2), T-mobile, and possibly Virgin (Vodafone).
Posted 11 years ago # -
I've used Vodafone since 1994 solely because they are consistently the best for reception whether you're in a city or in the middle of nowhere. And I often used to be in the middle of nowhere (driving up and down the A9, as I lived in Inverness while the gf (now wife) lived in Edinburgh) so needed reception in the middle of nowhere.
This goes for UK and abroad, too. I suspect steveo is most likely correct in saying that they all share masts these days, but I don't know anyone who has better reception than I have, and I know many who have it much, much worse.
I appreciate that having no first-hand experience with any other provider isn't ideal, but 19 years experience and they've never let me down.
Posted 11 years ago # -
O2 voice coverage is good in cities, but data coverage is patchy at best, and reception out of built up areas is lamentable - at the Carie campsite alongside Loch Rannoch all other providers connect, I have to ride down to the village.
Posted 11 years ago # -
For what it's worth, Vodafone seem to have the best coverage in the Lake District and round the Cumbrian coast.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Vodafone may be ok for calls but data is dire. Absolutely dire. In Scotland, outside of cities at any rate. My other half is on T-mobile / EE and she is always getting 3G when I'm lucky to be getting anything. For a long period that was with us having the same make and model of handset too.
Posted 11 years ago # -
I'm on 3 and the signal seems to get poorer the further I get from populated areas. So it's rubbish in East Fife, Northumberland and parts of East Lothian, But everywhere else it's fine. My wife's O2 reception has greatly improved since she upgraded to an iPhone 4.
Posted 11 years ago #
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