Mobile reception in ED

[genwilliams]

Following this I went with what I know (decent customer service and uk call centres) and got an iPhone 4 on Orange. It's actually fine! Some dodgy reception on the first day but perfect since then, including inside my flat. I got a 10% linerental discount after threatening to go with another network so now I'm on ?31.50 a month, and using our contents insurance to cover the phone instead of the pricy cover that Orange offer.

[Tony Rabbit]

Planning permissions for mobile masts in Dulwich has been very strongly opposed by local residents that's why we don't have any. As a result reception, in particular on Orange (whome I understand was one who was refused), is poor. The major suppliers BT/O2/Voda have 'beamed' additional arrays to the area from outside (example from Norwood BT exchange) and my BT reception is full bars. I have business package (several Blackberry from BT) no trouble with phone and internet connections. My brother has iPhone with O2 also excellent.

[James Barber]

Sorry to disullusion you, but Somerfied/Coop roof is covered in mobile phone aerials.

Orange and T-Mobile in the UK are merging into Everything Everywhere and will be sharing infrastructure. Some of thier customers should already have noticed this change and improved service coverage.

Vodagone and O2 are also asset sharing.

Both mergers should see more universal mobile services across East Dulwich.

[Tony Rabbit]

Thank you James. It's hard to object to a mast in a commercial / business area and the argument for same is also foreshortened if the (unnecessarily ugly) arrays are mostly hidden from view due to the large roof area and angle of view. However erection of masts within the residential areas and in particular on our schools (already refused planning due to strong local objections) will continue to be very strongly objected to and we hope that as Lib Dem spokesperson you will support that.

[SeanMacGabhann]

some of us hope that as Lib Dem spokesperson you will support the opposite view as well

such is the life of a politician - I don't envy you one bit

[Ted Max]

Tony Rabbit. BT Business operates as an MVNO using Vodafone's network. So if you are getting good coverage then it's thanks to Vodafone. BT itself doesn't "beam" anything.

[Penguin68]

BT doesn't operate the microwave transmission from cell towers it is true (and does use Vod as its mobile carrier, having changed from T-Mobile, its original partner) - however BT is the major infrastructure provider of cable linking towers etc., so is very much a significant wholesale player in mobile networks, just not in mobile cell transmission. BT does of course use microwave transmission within its own core network infrastructure - so it is very much in the 'beaming' business - just not at mobile cell level.

[Tony Rabbit]

Thank you for reminding me Ted. Do I remember on day one (era of the 'brick' telephones) Voda had the premier infrastructure and BT were sharing then eventually disposing of their sites to Voda and the liason has continued hence some Voda sites are situated on BT property. I think BT took over the trunk cabling and trunk microwave structure in return. I should also have used the term aligned or alignment not 'beamed'. I think at the moment between the big companies it is more of choosing the correct 'package' / 'phone deal' because , depending on area/region (in particular urban areas) they all tend to share sites to some extent and the total result is that all coverage in the UK can be termed to be good or better and the comments earlier in this forum re reception being variable is probably because the users are inside different types and structures of buildings which have a strong influence on the quality of signal. When it comes to the quality of the device they are using we would have to open another forum to find the space and time to review that issue. Regards for your comment.

[the-e-dealer]

That'll be the T-Mob Mast in The Sally Army HQ

[Penguin68]

Tony Rabbit - you have got this wrong.

There were 2 mobile networks - Cellnet - owned by BT, and Racal-Vodofone - whicb Racal floated off and which is now Vod. Cellnet (which eventaully became O2 before being divested from BT and eventually bought by the Spanish carrier Telefonica) always had its own mobile infrastructure (i.e. cell transmitters etc.) - and the network infrastructure was supplied, as you might expect, by BT. Vod also used (rented) much of BT's cable infrastructure, initially as private circuits - Megastreams etc.. The two networks were broadly comparable in size in the UK. When BT was forced to divest O2 it did so and (in order to stay in the mobile market) formed an MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) initially with T-Mobile. Eventually it migrated its services to Vod. Mobile networks (of which there are now 5, shortly to be 4 - '3', owned by Hutchinson Wampoa, Orange, owned by France Telecom and T-Mobile, owned by Deutsche Telekom, as well as O2 and Vod have often shared masts/ sites - but not (until the Orange/ T-Mobile deal) underlying cell infrastructure. All other 'mobile networks' - e.g Virgin etc. are actually MVNOs. The true mobile networks all had to bid for and buy radio spectrum in which to operate their systems. The others lease that spectrum off them at wholesale prices, together with the cell transmitter infrastructure.

[Tony Rabbit]

Thank you Penguin68. I have found this most interesting / informative and obliged to you for understandably untangling the web of corporate interests.

However interesting it is to us I hope the original post in this forum has not been completely frustrated in his bid to determine which service provides the best cover. Corporate interests aside I think that any reply to the original forum can only express personal experience of any particular network. In that respect in reply to the original forum I can only comment that my business uses several BT supplied Blackberry and as a phone they are A1. My more basic backups are with O2 / Tmobile / Vodaphone (PAYG) and I have no problems with reception on these networks.

Regards again to the above responses.

[Only me!]

Well my Voda phone works everywhere ... except ... outside the barracks up near Horniman's.

But:

When at home it always tells me that my local area code is 020 7!!!!!!!

I am so upset ....

labelled as Inner City ...... by my phone!