O2 PAYG vs O2 Contract Internet Speeds

[RORG]

Hi,

I have recently moved from a Vodafone contract to O2 PAYG. I have noticed that internet speeds on O2 appear to be quite slow considering how good the coverage is in the area.

Colleagues in my office who are on the same model of iPhone with O2 contracts appear to get download/upload speeds 4 to five times what I get, both Vodafone and O2 have antenna on my works site, approximately 200 yards from the office so I don't believe signal is a problem.

Is it possible O2 uses QoS to give priority to customers on contract SIMs? The speeds I get are similar to what I've seen on GiffGaff and other MVNO's. 

[MI5]

@RORG 

Yes it's most likely and has been noted before by other customers.

PAYG doesn't bring in the same level of revenue as contract so is not a priority.

[RORG]

Thanks MI5, makes sense.

The data is still very much usable, and call quality is very good so not a huge issue. 

[Wod]

Something like that yes, I think if you was to take a look at your APN settings and your colleagues that they will differ slightly. You can try changing the APN but it will be pointless as you'll just get directed through the correct APN anyway I would imagine and could actually make band switching more slower as provision time may increase.

That said, it may be worth checking power settings and network modes since as far as I know all channels and bands are available to PAYG and CONTRACT users, ie when the masts are not busy you should still be able to access the same as what they can?

Whilst I'm pretty sure O2 do not directly cap speed but prioritise band channel usage instead, chances are you may see a better battery life and stronger signal strength when compared to colleagues who I assume will get priority for things like 3500mhz and 2300mhz which while may give higher speeds generally consumes more power from the device. I actually prefer the lower frequency bands most of the time as the device stays much cooler which is good for battery health 

[RORG]

Thanks Wod - Good point, The masts at work are in busy areas and I would imagine suffer from some degree of network contention so it would make sense for O2 to control usage between the phone and the mast rather than trunks serving them when it comes to data. 

As an update the speeds are now very good for a PAYG product, the service (to me) represents very good value for money, and I have this personal thing where I always need to use MNO's over MVNO's. 

P.S I'll have to monitor the battery, that's an interesting point.