[peterg1965]

Considering getting an iPad Retina on a 4G package through EE. Am starting a new job in London in a few weeks and will spend all week living/working in London and commuting on the train Mon and Friday, so 4G could well be the answer to my internet conundrum - I don't really want to pay for a landline and broadband in my flat if 4G is good enough and the bonus is that I would have it on the move as well.

Has anyone got 4G, if so, how good/fast is it compared with 3G.

[ihpj]

I am with EE on a 12 month SIM only 4G plan on my [unlocked] iPhone 5. I find that the price EE are asking is extortionate for the product especially given that in many other similar markets LTE is not charged at a premium and their data caps inexcusable.

However, the above not withstanding, I am delighted with the speed and reliability of my 4G connection and find that I regularly get 25+Mbps on LTE.

In my experience there is nothing to suggest their data only packages would behave differently when it comes to reliability. Remember also, if you can't get 4G, you will still be able to access 3G but on HSPA+ speeds.

I'm sure you'll find it more than acceptable, my only concern would be the stringent data caps.

[peterg1965]

That's good to know, thanks. I agree EE prices are extortionate for 4G, the problem is that there is no competition at the moment. Vodafone are now quoting the end of 2013 for their entry into the 4G market.

I would go for an 8Gb plan, I do very little downloading but hope this will be enough for a months surfing. That is £35.99 month with a big upfront cost for the iPad, although I seem to recall trying to be sold a more competitive deal over the phone as opposed to in store/website.

[scottc]

Hey Pete,

I am on EE with work and we have switched over to 4g, now I don't get a bill and data is unlimited so I cannot comment on the cost.

However the performance is incredible, I managed 34mb down and 5mb up near where I live and the guy at work managed 43mb down in London and now uses it as his main connection.

Coverage in London is very good but else where is not great.

The 3g connection is great, its not as quick but very reliable and the coverage is so much better than 4g.

Not sure if that helps

Scott

[ihpj]

That's the thing, EE 4G is only worthwhile if you can get a Friends & Family (30%) or Channel specific (40%) discount. I'm with the latter so makes it an absolute no brainier for me - otherwise there is no way I would pay (or could afford) £65+ for 20GB of data per month.

In places like London I hear EE 4G is insanely fast but also reliable. I'd suggest you see if you can't wangle a loyalty discount (or something) to make their contract prices more reasonable, especially as they insist on paltry data allowances.

[dest]

I've got 4G with an Iphone5 on EE, so far I've found LTE near Telford and in Hemel Hempsted. The other half picked it up as we came down the M1 last week somewhere between Leicester and Nottingham.

This is the results from my speed test app:


The 21mb connection was in Hemel, the 18 near Telford and the rest are normal average 2/3G connections.
It is seriously fast! I can only get 7mb at home on broadband, so 21 on my phone is super fast for me

[rich1068]

I'm impressed with these speeds. I've never really paid much attention to 4G. Still think the cost is ridiculous though.

[peterg1965]

Thanks all. Those download speeds are incredible, I only get about 3kbps on my home internet!

I asked EE (in store) about loyalty and work related discounts on their tariffs, it was a straight 'no can do'. I am minded to wait until there is a little more competition in the market before taking a 24 month plunge.

[dest]

I pay about £45 a month for 3GB data, unlimited texts and tons of minutes.
I use the data fairly heavily including lots of youtube streaming and struggle to use 1GB in a month let alone 3!
Some people say its expensive, but considering I was previously on O2 paying £40 and couldn't even get 3G where I live and work I'm more than happy to pay it.
I now get 3G near enough everywhere and obviously 4G where possible too

[Kerr]

Originally Posted by dest

I pay about £45 a month for 3GB data, unlimited texts and tons of minutes.
I use the data fairly heavily including lots of youtube streaming and struggle to use 1GB in a month let alone 3!
Some people say its expensive, but considering I was previously on O2 paying £40 and couldn't even get 3G where I live and work I'm more than happy to pay it.
I now get 3G near enough everywhere and obviously 4G where possible too

You can't do that much streaming.

I get over 7mb/s on 3G with EE and use upto 2GB every month.

EE have been phoning me to upgrade to 4G as I have a compatible handset.

To be honest I struggle to see the point. It isn't going to make simple browsing the internet any faster, whilst it already streams video footage well.

I don't think that many people use their phones or tablets in a way where such download speeds are significant.

At home I want a fast Internet connection as I download a lot of data. Again a phone or tablet only has a limited memory making it not so helpful there either.

[dopper99]

Originally Posted by Kerr

You can't do that much streaming.

I get over 7mb/s on 3G with EE and use upto 2GB every month.

EE have been phoning me to upgrade to 4G as I have a compatible handset.

To be honest I struggle to see the point. It isn't going to make simple browsing the internet any faster, whilst it already streams video footage well.

I don't think that many people use their phones or tablets in a way where such download speeds are significant.

At home I want a fast Internet connection as I download a lot of data. Again a phone or tablet only has a limited memory making it not so helpful there either.

+1
Can't see the point given the price, not unless you are using a laptop. I was in London last week and used my iPhone a lot on normal 3G and was very satisfied with the performance.

I'd say try 3G first for a bit (assuming you have a phone on 3g at the moment) and if you feel it is lacking for your needs upgrade to 4G.

[BanziBarn]

I agree. I can get up to about 6mbps on my Nexus and that's not 4g. That kind of speed is plenty fast enough for checking facebook, sending emails and opening web pages. It's faster than some people have on their home broad band!

[m@rk]

Originally Posted by BanziBarn

I agree. I can get up to about 6mbps on my Nexus and that's not 4g. That kind of speed is plenty fast enough for checking facebook, sending emails and opening web pages. It's faster than some people have on their home broad band!

So first of all, full disclosure. I do work for Vodafone!

4G is not just about speed. On my work iPhone 4S I can get 9mbit/s on normal 3G in most towns and as you say, this is plenty. For me it's actually more than I get on my home broadband connection where sitting in my home office, I am getting a 3G connection of 8mbit/s and my ADSL line struggles to give me 6mbit/s

It's also about coverage.

So the spectrum we are going to be using and the spectrum that EE are using is different. What this means is if you put 2 masts next to each other with the same power output, ours will transmit almost 4 times further. So our plan isn't just about coverage, it's about INDOOR coverage with a target of 98% of the UK able to get a minimum of 2mbit/s indoors

The thinking is that people would rather be able to have a nice solid internet connection just about everywhere (including the middle of a field in deepest darkest Norfolk) than super high speed in the middle of a city (although you will get that anyway)

But right now if you want 4G you only have one option but you will never get the same coverage with their product once all the other players start rolling out their services.. You might want to avoid signing up for a 2 year contract.

[Hope]

Originally Posted by m@rk

So first of all, full disclosure. I work for Vodafone!

4G is not just about speed. On my work iPhone 4S I can get 9mbit/s on normal 3G in most towns and as you say, this is plenty. For me it's actually more than I get on my home broadband connection where sitting in my home office, I am getting a 3G connection of 8mbit/s and my ADSL line struggles to give me 6mbit/s

It's also about coverage.

So the spectrum we are going to be using and the spectrum that EE are using is different. What this means is if you put 2 masts next to each other with the same power output, ours will transmit almost 4 times further. So our plan isn't just about coverage, it's about INDOOR coverage with a target of 98% of the UK able to get a minimum of 2mbit/s indoors

The thinking is that people would rather be able to have a nice solid internet connection just about everywhere (including the middle of a field in deepest darkest Norfolk) than super high speed in the middle of a city (although you will get that anyway)

But right now if you want 4G you only have one option but you will never get the same coverage with their product once all the other players start rolling out their services.. You might want to avoid signing up for a 2 year contract.

Yes but by the time all the other networks pull their fingers out and stop flirting with OfCom the next best thing will be out. I think 4G roll-out in the UK has been dealt with horribly. My T-Mobile Pay-as-you-go sim card in the States even came with 4G, and people there weren't being bent over a barrel for the pleasure of 4G signal, unfortunately my iPhone 5 doesn't work on their band.

[azzi78]

Hi I used to be on voda and coverage at home was next to nothing!! I would get voice messages even when I had one bar reception!

I'm now on EE and 4g is very good...does what it says...when using the Internet it's very fast and averages about 20mb d/l speed. If your going to use it a fair bit I would recomend you get get the 8gb limit as you will go through it if your streaming. You could also tether the connection if you wanted. I live near Wimbledon and work in leicster sq and coverage doesn't drop anywhere...highly recomend it dude!! (What makes it even better is I'm on friends & family lol!!)

[ihpj]

Originally Posted by m@rk

It's also about coverage.

So the spectrum we are going to be using and the spectrum that EE are using is different. What this means is if you put 2 masts next to each other with the same power output, ours will transmit almost 4 times further.

I'm sorry but what you're saying isn't exactly correct. EE, like Vodafone have bought the full spectrum of frequencies and will be able to broadcast 4G across the full range (800/1800/2600). We as users won't know if we're connecting at 800/1800/2600 as it'll be transparent to us.

And if Vodafone were so committed to having a signal that will penetrate further, why did they only buy a smidgen of 800 and invest mostly in 2600? Remember the lower the number, the better the building penetration; so why go all in into 2600 which lacks penetration? I'm not sure Vodafones signal will penetrate further than EE as they are using a lower frequency (1800).

Furthermore you can have a situation where Vodafone will be broadcasting 4G on 1800 (which you just debunked) the same as EE are now, why will your broadcast be any better on the same frequency? It won't be.

The real question here lies with bandwidth. Because that will determine how congested and contested a network service is and here EE hold the most bandwidth (yup, more than Vodafone).

Also, unless Vodafone are going to roll out services like Visual Voicemail and HD Voice I can't see how they'll have a 'better' product.

Just my 2p worth.

[xPETEZx]

I fail to see the need for 4G from EE at the moment.

Why would I want super fast broadband on my phone, that is also limited on bandwidth?

Its like giving you a ferrari with just 1L of Petrol in it.
Sure you can go fast, but not for long.

The only reason I would want super fast speed, is to download lots of large files, or stream in Full HD.
Both of these will eat up the pathetic data limits.

I have 3G on my mobile now, unlimited data, and its perfect for use on the phone. Fast enough for browsing and streaming.
Even fast enough to tether to my tablet or laptop

Completely agree that the UK 4G roll out has been a disaster.
From what I can tell (no expert) its all over paper work and legislation. No practical reason this needed to take so long.

[m@rk]

Originally Posted by ihpj

I'm sorry but what you're saying isn't exactly correct. EE, like Vodafone have bought the full spectrum of frequencies and will be able to broadcast 4G across the full range (800/1800/2600). We as users won't know if we're connecting at 800/1800/2600 as it'll be transparent to us.

And if Vodafone were so committed to having a signal that will penetrate further, why did they only buy a smidgen of 800 and invest mostly in 2600? Remember the lower the number, the better the building penetration; so why go all in into 2600 which lacks penetration? I'm not sure Vodafones signal will penetrate further than EE as they are using a lower frequency (1800).

Furthermore you can have a situation where Vodafone will be broadcasting 4G on 1800 (which you just debunked) the same as EE are now, why will your broadcast be any better on the same frequency? It won't be.

The real question here lies with bandwidth. Because that will determine how congested and contested a network service is and here EE hold the most bandwidth (yup, more than Vodafone).

Also, unless Vodafone are going to roll out services like Visual Voicemail and HD Voice I can't see how they'll have a 'better' product.

Just my 2p worth.

I am not going to sit here and argue about one service being "better" than the other. Indeed my personal view right now is that in a 3G world, for data services, the Vodafone service is pathetic once you move out into the sticks (which is where I happen to live). It's for this reason that the SIM in my car is on Three not Vodafone.

What I said (or tried to say) was that Vodafones aim is to uses the broader range of spectrum together with partnerships on masts etc to get a deeper level of coverage (less black spots) even out in the sticks rather than just concentrate on pure speed in major towns and cities.

As for congestion, up to now, ALL the carriers have been buying the ground based connectivity that connects the masts to the real world. Last year (and this is the reason I now find myself working for the company) Vodafone bought their own fibre network which they are now moving all their services onto. This should make a big difference to real world performance but time will tell

[peterg1965]

Resurrecting an old thread....

I just changed to a Samsung Galaxy S4 (from an iPhone 4) initial impressions are that the phone is excellent and the screen is much better (and bigger) than the iPhone. Got it on an EE 4G package, 10Gb of data per month and £41.40/month. It will enable me to tether my ipad2 so no need to change the ipad, looking forward to some fast up/down load speeds in London! Importing all my contacts and photos from iTunes via the smart switch programme was a doddle too! Although I do need a 32gb micro sim for all the music.

Icing on the cake will be hopefully getting £200 on eBay for my unlocked iphone4!

[dest]

I was getting 54.6 meg down and 17 up in Coventry last weekend!

[Kerr]

Originally Posted by peterg1965

Resurrecting an old thread....

I just changed to a Samsung Galaxy S4 (from an iPhone 4) initial impressions are that the phone is excellent and the screen is much better (and bigger) than the iPhone. Got it on an EE 4G package, 10Gb of data per month and £41.40/month. It will enable me to tether my ipad2 so no need to change the ipad, looking forward to some fast up/down load speeds in London! Importing all my contacts and photos from iTunes via the smart switch programme was a doddle too! Although I do need a 32gb micro sim for all the music.

Icing on the cake will be hopefully getting £200 on eBay for my unlocked iphone4!

Do EE permit tethering as part of your contract on 4G?

[peterg1965]

Originally Posted by Kerr

Do EE permit tethering as part of your contract on 4G?

Yes they do, and for no additional cost. Have to say, thus far I am impressed with the S4 and the 4G service.