[briers]

My wife is looking for a new iphone4s and i suggested three because of the 3G coverage and faster HSDPA+ which might not even be in our area yet anyway

However reading more into it, there are some stories of signal drop out problems, tonnes of missed calls due to low coverage and even no coverage at all. This reliability doesnt sound good to me.

Our house only gets a weak to medium strength 3g signal on o2 and three, possibly voda just about so it does limit our choice.

If anyone is on three now please share your experiences in general. Thanks!

[Kerr]

A few guys I know have 3 and are perfectly happy.

I'm with Vodafone and I'm not. When I head into the centre of Edinburgh, Glasgow and sometimes even Aberdeen my data fails to work all day.

Also at concerts, football or at Knockhill for the touring cars.

The network can't handle the traffic anymore as it used to be fine in the same circumstances.

[E902717]

Im on three on my ipad2 and its been brilliant, always fast and brilliant signal strength that is just for data though i never used them for calls. Beware they have a call centre in India and talking to them is difficult at best.

[chris_s1]

My ipad is on 3 and its the best mobile network I've ever used by a mile, I have been really impressed with it. My iphone is on Voda and its ok but not as good for data as 3.
Previously it was on O2 and that was by FAR the worst, completely unusable most of the time.

[NickP]

I'm with 3 and have no problems at all, I get much better 3G coverage than friends/colleagues who are on Voda/O2 & Orange.....

[zltm089]

whatever you do, don't go with vodafone...their packages are over priced and very rude customer services....hope they burn in hell....

[225_AB]

I am with 3 having moved from O2 and coverage and speed is much better with 3. There is no certainty that coverage in your area would be better so why not get a 3 PAYG sim and try out their coverage?

[TMP]

+1 of three for data on ipad - much much better than O2 for 3G.

[gIzzE]

I have been with 3 on my iPad for a year or so now and go all over the country, best coverage of any network by a mile, have only not got signal in two places and that was at the edge of Woolacombe in Devon, although it did in the garden, and somwhere on the train between Cambridge and Norwich as you go through Thetford forest.

O2?? can't even get 3g sat in an office on Great Titchfield St for fucks sake!!

I am however going to Vodafone simply so I can use their Sure signal.
I know their customer service is crap and they are expensive, but none of them give me reception in my office so I have no choice.

[jonw]

3 piggyback off a large number of TMobile sites.
O2 still has the best coverage on a whole in the Uk followed by Voda.
O2

[gIzzE]

Originally Posted by jonw

3 piggyback off a large number of TMobile sites.
O2 still has the best coverage on a whole in the Uk followed by Voda.
O2

No it doesn't, no way.

On paper yeah, but the amount of places where they say full coverage and you can get no signal at all is unreal.

O2 has the worst 3g coverage too, they made sure they had just enough to get the 96% or whatever it is that is needed, to get the 3G license, but they did this by going to all the major cities etc. and left everyone else out.

[Axelf]

I have got 5 contracts with 3 and have had no problems with them at all..... I travel from Newcastle to aberdeen every 3 weeks and it seems ok....

[E902717]

We are on O2 at work and there 3G network is shite most of the time.

[Desmondo]

To be honest it doesn't matter too much about people's experiences unless they're in your area. Can you get a PAYG sim so you can actually try it out at home and at work and then go from there?

[briers]

Thanks all

I did pick up a three sim, they put £10 on it for me and stupidly I haven't tested it out properly yet and I went to try it and the credit expired. I didn't realise it did that.

However I do get a signal level and it is slightly better than O2 but it has odd drop outs. Like 2 bars then no bars. O2 does that too but less frequently.

I never tested the 3G speed properly but I know at least on O2 it's 4mbit, so pretty fast. I could always request a free sim from the web site but I don't think it will have credit to test data speeds.

Positive responses for three though, thanks.

[p1tse]

for those with ipad and 3g do you use it much outside wifi zones?

[briers]

Perhaps about 10% for me outside wifi. For this I just tether to my phone. Vast majority is wifi.

[chris_s1]

I use probably 75% of the time on 3G, Connect to wifi at home, but the main purpose of my ipad is email and internet when I am travelling.

I have an iphone on vodafone as well and 3G data using the ipad on 3 is miles better pretty much everywhere in the country. (I travel all over for work)

[parapaul]

I'm on 3, and I have no issues most of the time.

However, what I would very, very strongly suggest is buying the cheapest 3 PAYG phone you can find, and keeping it with you for a week. After signing up for a 24m contract with them, I've realised that once I'm indoors at work, there's no coverage at all. I can call and text using their roaming agreement with Orange, but 12 hours a day at work I have no data connection. People sat 3 feet away on O2, Orange and Vodafone all have full 3G coverage.

I wish I'd checked first - and I will next time

[CardinalZeus77]

I use a 3 PAYG dongle for mobile internet on my laptop and it's fine.