Please clarify data speeds when roaming

[Tommy5]

Hi, 

Could O2 please clarify your data speeds while roaming. Middle of last year (June) there was a number of articles about O2 agresvly throteling data when roaming but O2 also stated this would be removed in the next few weeks. I am a frequent traveller on O2 contract using an iPhone 7 and when roaming in any contry (Europe, Asia, US) even Ireland the data speeds are so slow that not even google maps will work. I also have a EE and Vodafone sim which both work fine. This is not a 3G/4G issue as even when I set me EE / Voda simes to 3G only I can easy get 20+ Mbps when roaming and even more if 4G is enabled but with O2 its so slow that not even speed test will work. 

As I am now at the end of my contract and looking to renew or change provider can you please clarify your position and not just make statements such as "whats this space".. 

[MI5]

I'm in France now and getting 10 to 12mbps on 3g.
We won't know if throttling will be introduced again this summer or if it is, where and I doubt O2 will make any announcement about it either.

[Tommy5]

I was in Paris 3 days last week and only getting below 0.5mpbs for the entire stay (tried all networks by maually changing providers). Using EE and Voda on 3G I was getting 20-30Mbps and 60Mbps+ using 4G. 

[MI5]

Without doubt, EE is faster everywhere I've been, but it's been acceptable to me here.

[Tommy5]

Strange... Its not really about how fast a connection you get as long as you get 2+ Mbps everything works fine on a smartphone however I havent been able to roam in almost any contry with O2 where the service have been acceptable i.e above 0.5mbps. When abroad as you are using spectrum/capacity resources of the host operator performance is not related to how good your network is in the UK the only reason for not having like for like performance across networks would be if like O2 they slow you down. In Paris I connected to both Orange and SFR with my main O2 subscription and also with EE/Voda and and while O2 strugle to run speed test, google maps, youtube EE/Voda worked just as good as home. 

[jonsie]

Call customer service and get them to check you have idata and not mobile data bolt on. 

[MI5]

I've not tried in Paris (I wouldn't go there if I was paid to tbh) but I've been to Brussels, Vienna, Bratislava and all over the South of France with no problems at all, but admittedly, not during peak holiday seasons, although the speed test I did here was over the Easter weekend.

[Tommy5]

I have idata so thats not the issue. 

[jonsie]

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@Tommy5wrote:

I have idata so thats not the issue. 

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OK but you really shouldn't be struggling to load pages these days. Something is wrong with either the settings, the sim card or the phone. 

[Tommy5]

Phone and setting are all good so suspect O2 are still agresivly throttling while roaming to same money themselves. Going to Asia now for a few weeks so lets see how it works there. Last time I went to Hong Kong, Singapore and Thailand the behaviour was the same roaming worked for the first 50mb and then was slowed down to an un-usable speed so all data apps stopped working and I was still charged £4.99 for O2 travel every day.