Safe Speed Forums

How many physical mobile phone networks have we got?

Vodafone
Cellnet / BT / O2
Orange

Is that the lot? And Virgin / Tescos / 3 / Tmobile etc are 'virtual networks'?

Where can I read about this? I couldn't find it in 20 minutes with Google - maybe I was unlucky.

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

I take it you checked thru the ofcom site.
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/
They deal with mobiles, I haven't read thru the site, so don't know whats in there.
search page
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/find_document/
fatboytim

TMobile and 3 are operators in their own right and run their own base stations.

Also see http://www.mobilemastinfo.com/

Hope this helps

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As far as I know 3, O2, Orange, T-Mobile and Vodafone are the real networks. The rest are Mobile Virtual Network Operators, from the Wikipedia MVNO list these appear to be UK MVNOs:-

• BT Mobile - uses Vodafone
• easyMobile - uses T-Mobile
• Fresh Mobile - Uses T-Mobile UK
• M&S Mobile - uses T-Mobile UK
• MobileWorld - Uses T-Mobile UK
• talktalk Mobile - Uses T-Mobile UK
• Tesco Mobile - uses O2
• Virgin Mobile - uses T-Mobile (UK)

I would agree with that. My phone shows those 4 networks when doing a manual scan, and they are the ones which have always been there (with different names, of course)

I don't have access to 3G although I think Vodafone might have a 3G network too?

From my memory of using single-band mobiles Vodafone and O2 use one band (the lower one?) and Orange and T-Mobile use the other.

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Andrew.

Voda and o2 are on 900 mhz. T mobile & orange are on 1800 mhz. O2 have some 1800 base stations as well for infill. Don't know if voda do.

Three are solely CDMA (3g) while the other real operators are GSM & CDMA. 3g coverage is variable between them. Three use O2's gsm network where their's isn't but the handover didn't work when I was with them in their first year ie if you lost the 3g signal on a call the call dropped. With t-mobile now you can be on the full 3g network and if that signal goes you keep the call with only a minor blip as it goes over to using the gsm network. The same should be true for using orange, voda or o2's 3g services.

I am on Orange 3g on my PocketPC. If 3g drops out it defailts to GSM. Its only ever hapened a couple of times and that was because the ActiveSync software crashed....good old Windows Mobile... Network wise it has been good but coverage not quite as good as O2 (some of Warwickshire is a dead zone)

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Speed camera policy Kills

Leek wooton ??

Seriously - always thought Vodafone was a two band setup (900/1800 Mhz) .O2 share a lot of sites with Vodafone (particularly in Scotland,with tree like masts) -so would have thought that they were a two bander.

They're on the same band...

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Andrew.

I got my first fee up grade for four years a couple of weeks ago. I'd been hanging out for a better dal and got it . Anyway it's got Email, internet access, camera, radio, video. What a load of cobblers. How about better coverage and cheaper calls? Glad it was free and glad I got a discount on my already cheap line rental

Knew that already - thanks for the conformation