Tag: 3g

No new Huawei mobile kit after December 31st. All gone by 2027

In a move that is likely going to cost UK mobile networks (and therefore, their customers) billions, the UK government has today announced that mobile providers will be banned from buying any new Huawei 5G equipment after the end of this year. This will delay the rollout of …

EE goes 5G for Glastonbury

Heading to the Glastonbury Festival on June 26th? Well, EE are going to be the technology partner for the sixth year and will be installing the latest 5G network at Worthy Farm in a landmark trial – creating the UK’s first 5G-connected Festival. A predicted 70 terabytes of …

EE switches off more 3G as 4G takes over

The 2100MHz 3G frequency has been in use by all the UK operators for a long time. Now EE are refarming the spectrum so that it’ll power 4G instead. This effectively means that EE will have five “carriers” of the 4G signal – more than any other UK …

No more 3G from me, says Three

Not too long ago you would still be able to buy phones which wouldn’t have 4G capabilities. The KAZAM Tornado 348 sticks in my head as one of these but hey, that was 2015 and KAZAM went pop anyway. Now, in 2018, you’d be hard-pushed to get a …

MWC – Hands-on with the Arlo Go 4G mobile camera

This one is still on pre-order but you can get it first in the US for $449.99, then you’ll need to put a SIM card in. It’s a camera that will monitor movement and, if you want, live stream from anywhere with a 3G or 4G signal. Created …

Find your local mast. The 2017 version.

21/02/2020 – The best solution to finding your local mast is now located within this recently updated article. A lot has changed over the years, and this is now the best place to go. This topic seems to pop up time and time again. Our original story from …

EE look to the skies for emergency coverage

We all tend to have a bit of a whinge regarding coverage. Indeed, I’ve mentioned that even outside network stores in cities you can struggle to get a decent signal. However, when disaster strikes then getting a connection to the outside world is even more important. In recent …

Doro 6520 now available on Three

If you’ve got a hankering for a flip-phone with “proper” numeric keys, the Doro 6520 could be on your shopping list. Now, in a new partnership with Three UK, Doro have got handsets on every UK network. Doro used to be known for selling phones aimed at the …

One in three get no signal or a rubbish reception at home

For me it’s not too surprising. While networks concentrate on pushing out 4G networks, they do so from existing masts, so the actual coverage doesn’t really change a great deal. Sure, you could argue that the different frequencies used by some networks for their 4G signals has improved …

LIFE Mobile Spring sale

If 4G isn’t a massive “want” then you might want to take a look at LIFE Mobile. They’re an MVNO using the EE network and offer SIM only deals. There’s a UK call centre, no credit checks and right now they’re offering some discounts on their plans. You …

Kogan arrive in the UK

Good old Kogan eh? Kogan, Kogan, Kogan.  So yes, you’ve probably never heard of them, but what I can tell you is that they make a handset called the Kogan Agora 3G Lite for £69. It doesn’t quite have the specs as the upcoming £65 Meizu m2 but for …

Vodafone completes 100 remote not-spot fixes

About a year ago we covered the not-spot fixing being undertaken by Vodafone. Rural hamlets and villages, traditionally lacking any kind of signal, were getting outdoor “Sure Signal” boxes installed to boost coverage. The “Open Sure Signal” tech delivers 3G and voice / text coverage by hooking into …

The story of the mobile phone

Last night I stumbled across an old video from 1979 which showed something that was pretty amazing at the time. A truly portable phone. It started me on a bit of a journey into the history of mobile phones, so here’s what I’ve dug out of the archives. …

Karbonn A19 now available in the UK

Wait a minute, just a few minutes ago we reviewed the dual-core 1.2GHz Karbonn A5S. It’s about £70 but, for £85.54 you can get this, the Karbonn A19. It has an ever-so-slightly faster CPU – a dual-core 1.3GHz CPU. It also has a better camera (8 megapixel instead …

EE data still down

On EE? Got data issues? Yeah, you’re not the only one. This evening, and for a number of hours now, data connectivity issues have continued to plague users. The most recent update we have now is from the EE community section, and this is being given out to …

O2 deliver free 4G access to some customers

I’ve a couple of questions for you. Firstly, are you on O2? Do you have a package providing 1GB or more of data per month ? If so, you’re in luck, because O2 seem to be delivering access to their 4G network for free if you tick those …

Three’s new advert promotes sharing silly stuff

If you are in the UK you should have seen the now famous pony in the Three advert called “Socks”. This has been visited over 8 million times on YouTube. Then came Mabel, their PAYG Pug dog celebrating the launch of 3-2-1 plan on PAYG over Christmas time. …

Three data issues hitting users

We’re hearing from many of you that your mobile data connectivity on Three hasn’t been well this morning.  Symptoms seem to range from extremely slow data throughout all the way through to having no data connection at all. Twitter is also alive with frustrated customers who are without …

We got 50Mbps on Three 4G. Expecting the same?

Recently we showed an early peek into the Three 4G network. It was a test under almost lab conditions and we managed to get around 50Mbps download speeds on the all-new 4G network. However, just like my home fibre connection, there’s a lot of factors that can alter …

OFCOM raps Vodafone’s knuckles

When the 3G licences were dished out way back in 2000, the networks agreed that they would cover 80% of the UK population, this was then raised to 90% in 2010. The deadline for reaching this target was June 2013, however whilst o2, Three and EE managed this …

Vodafone announce iPad Air pricing and availability

Voda have stepped up with their pricing for the newly-announced iPad Air. Here in the UK the “iPad Air with WiFi + Cellular” will be on offer from £28 a month, with a £129 upfront cost. Although the iPad Air is available now, you’ll have to wait a …

Got an iPhone 5c on 4G? You’re probably the only one

When we first saw the iPhone 5s and 5c we had a small worry. Deep down we knew that the Apple brand was so strong that people really wouldn’t want the “second best” and today Reuters have reported that people seem to be preferring the 5s over the …

Nexus 7 32GB, now with a bit of 4G action for £299

Like the Nexus 7 but wish you had some data when you’re at the bus stop? Well, for a smidge less than 300 quid you can jolly well have that, and you can choose any network as it’s completely unlocked. WiFi can still be used, but it’s good …

BT & EE Sign MVNO Agreement

BT and EE have today announced that  EE are to provide MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) services for BT. BT, who exited the mobile space some 10 years ago with the sale of their BT Cellnet network to O2, have already won a license for a 4G network …

And so it begins.. Vodafone throttling 3G customers

It’s safe to say that 4G hasn’t exactly set the world alight here in the UK. Although there’s obvious benefits, the lack of coverage, relatively low data limits and pricing has meant that most have chosen to stay on 3G. Why? Well, 3G is cheaper, and most people …

I just want a signal!!! – Opinion

Most of the major networks have now announced their 4G pricing models.  They vary a little but, with one notable exception, there is a premium for the new technology as well as limits. Data is the new king.  No longer do we want more and more texts bundled …

Streaming data, it’s both a sales pitch and a problem

As I’ve mentioned earlier I’ve switched networks recently and, whilst looking around, I checked into my usage habits. Streaming. That’s a big one. I love TuneIn because, put simply, every single station I find on FM radio is very samey and full of similar-sounding DJ’s saying similar-sounding things. …

Three data offline across the UK

We’re receiving reports that the Three network here in the UK has experienced a pretty large issue. Several people have contacted us to say that their data connectivity isn’t working or even being presented. Some are saying that it began to fail last night. We’ve contacted Three for …

Gemini JoyTab Duo 7 3G – Review

So, in the time after my original First Impressions post on the Gemini Devices JoyTab Duo 7 3G, a few things have happened. North Korea decided to try and bluff the world into a nuclear war, Margaret Thatcher died, I began revising for exams and the document that …

Is speed important to you? The results.

Getting a fast car is great. You can beat people off the lights and smile as they stuggle to keep up. Trouble is, in the long run, you’re going to run out of fuel quicker and that guy you accelerated away from will end up driving past as …

Virgin Media disable speed caps

The recent speed caps on Virgin Media appear to have now been lifted but don’t get too excited, they look to be coming back soon enough. The “teething troubles” have led to some customers getting pretty useless speeds on the network, which is hosted on the back of …

Gemini Joytab Duo 7 3G – Extended Initial Impressions

What have we here? Well, the lovely people at Gemini have sent me their new Joytab Duo 7 3G for review. I’ve spent a few days playing with the device to a point that I have started to get a feel for its capabilities. You can see some …

4G Auction Winners announced by Ofcom

Ofcom today have announced the winners of the licenses to run the 4G networks here in the UK. There are 5 winners in total and the auction raised some £2.3bn with Vodaphone paying the largest amount of £790.7 million. The winners are: Everything Everywhere Ltd Hutchison 3G UK …

The speed challenge – Three Ultrafast vs EE 4G

Now that the 4G auction is well under way we are starting to see networks mention the LTE technology in advertising. Two networks are making big noises about data currently – Three and EE. EE have already rolled out 4G to a sizeable chunk of the UK – …

Phones 4u to join the MVNO party

Hosted on the EE network, the new offering from Phones 4u will actually carry the name “LIFE Mobile” and will be sold in stores from March. Initially it’ll be a 3G service but a 4G offering will be made available “by the end of the year”. It’ll be …

DC-HSDPA – Just how much better is it?

This year we’re seeing a huge roll-out of the fastest version of 3G yet on many networks. Started by Three, who have already rolled this new standard out to 50% of the population and will get to 80% by the end of March, the other networks are now …