What exactly is "4G" supposed to be? Correct me if I am wrong but isn't it just a marketing term for LTE which is the fastest standard of the time as far as I know?
Depends where you are. In America LTE gets speeds of 90/mbs with good service and a recent phone. Here in the UK, we do not have LTE, we have 4G. 4G is like LTE, but the maximum speed you will get is around 20/mbs. We do not have anything that fast. In America, I believe you have 4G HSPA+, which is like 3G here, averaging speeds of about 6/mbs with good service. To clarify:
UK 3G = 4G HSPA+/4G
UK 4G = No current speed in U.S.
U.S. LTE = No current speed in UK
I get 50 Mbps on Three when I'm in our town centre, and I know when 4G first came out my mother was getting upwards of 60 Mbps on EE. I thought LTE was nothing more than a marketing term for 4G.
I get 50 Mbps on Three when I'm in our town centre, and I know when 4G first came out my mother was getting upwards of 60 Mbps on EE. I thought LTE was nothing more than a marketing term for 4G.
So, I am not wrong when I say it's a marketing term because it's not a fixed rate.
In Germany we have LTE with speeds up to 150 MBit/s. Which I barely reach. It's more like a lab condition rate.
AT&T said:While these devices work with speeds up to 4G HSPA+, they won't support the fastest data speeds available from the 4G LTE network in select areas.
Are you in London?
Berkshire, though by town centre I really mean 'village' centre (for a lack of a better term - it isn't really a village, but nor is it a major town). I think the reason is it's right next to a mast.
When I was on giffgaff's 4G briefly (same as O2 I believe), I never got more than 10 Mbps so it's a massive improvement.
Well, LTE is the technical standard (long term evolution). 4G is clearly the marketing term because as we see it can have completely different meanings in different countries. It somewhat hides the technics behind it.I thought LTE was nothing more than a marketing term for 4G.
Sorry
Aha, I am on giffgaff currently which explains a lot. Thank you, do you mind saying what switched you to Three, and what tariff you use? Considering leaving, especially with those speeds. Sorry for being so nosey.
No problem! What switched me to Three was giffgaff's 4G goodybags: they just didn't offer very good value for money, and coupled with the price increases I thought it was time to move on.
I am currently on the PAYG Three All-in-One15 tariff which gives unlimited 4G data, 3000 texts and 300 mins for £15 a month, though unfortunately this is increasing to £20 in a few days (19th August). I'm going to stick with it though as I can't find anything cheaper.
To give you an idea of speed, here is the latest Speedtest I can find on 4G. It was a few months ago, but speeds are the same if not better now. Coverage also seems to be fine.
Wow! Thats faster than my WiFi! Also, how do you renew them? Sorry for all the questions! Yes I agree with you about giffgaffs 4G Goodybags. I had the £15 one for a month and it wasn't that fast. They are changing them to make them default and are getting rid of the 3G options. Would it be worth getting one on a 12 month contract?
You just top-up £15 (well, £20...) and then buy the add-on. It's essentially the same as goodybags. They can be queued as well, but I'm not sure how as I've never done it.
I personally don't like 12 month contracts as I prefer the flexibility one month ones offer, but if you don't mind then I don't see why not.
The 60 Mbps there is more of a best-case scenario, but I often get 20-30 Mbps in most places. I visit Soho quite often in London and it's pretty good there, though can slow down at peak times.
Thank you very much. I think you've convinced me! Although I did like the flexibility, I never used it!
You could always buy a standard PAYG SIM and top up a little bit to try out the coverage/speeds before committing to a year. Though from my personal experience, there's no comparison between giffgaff's 4G and Three's!
Not really. I've heard customer service isn't the best but luckily I've never had to use it.Thanks. Would you say there is any negatives that you have had that was not a problem at giffgaff.