4G is coming!

[KimberleyH]

Morning all,

It's here - 4G will bring seamless connectivity, faster speeds (5 x usual 3G) and experiences you can only get on O2. We’re going to have great 4G coverage – we are aiming to reach 98% of the population up to 2 years earlier than the regulatory requirement of 2017.

We are switching on London, Leeds and Bradford on August 29th with ten additional cities to follow by the end of the year. http://o2lin.kr/o24g

4G will open up a world of possibilities for our customers. Who’s excited? Tell us, how will 4G benefit you?

Thanks

Kim

[adamtemp64]

When it eventually reaches us rural businesses it will provide a much needed speed boost from our slow rural adsl and offer a backup route to data when adsl is down (overhead cables)

[Anonymous]

Wow - that's really exciting. Sadly my iPhone 5 will not be able to receive the frequency you have purchased, so zilch benefit to me. It would also be nice if I were able to get even 2.5G Edge where I live in Sussex just 45 miles south of London and 12 miles from Brighton, let alone 3G. As far as I am aware, my local mast has not been upgraded since GSM was added in 1992/93. It frequently breaks down, leaving me with no signal at all and is always being worked on, according to the status report (maybe the man is just opening the door at the bottom and shovelling in some coal to keep the beam engine working). It is sometimes better to get what you already have working properly, than to rush off after the latest technology.

[PhoneChanger]

Don't forget as part of the 4G rollout they will improve on 3G coverage at other locations, so as your mast gets upgraded you may find 3G becomes available.

O2 also offer a 4G upgrade for iPhone 5 customers, and no doubt the iPhone 5S / 6 will support all varients of 4G

[Anonymous]

I hope you a right about the mast but I am afraid I won't be holding my breath. I am also guessing that the 5S/6 upgrade will not be a cheap exercise. Thanks anyway for the info.

[lucids]

Hmm sorry to have to say this but i really don't think this is gonna work for o2.
Firstly they are stuck with the 800Mhz band which has its advantages but whether it can handle the capacity is another thing.

Next the idea of following the mistake that EE have made with 4G tarrifs is another folly. EE did it as they were using a limited bandwith taken from their 3G frequencies. Strictly for early adopters willing to pay the ludicrous proces. Customers simply will not bother doing this I can guarantee you that.  For instance I have 60meg home cable broadband. Sure 4G and faster speeds would be nice but would I pay a load more for it on a special tarrif, nope. All it will do is allienate customers. Too many people working on marketing schemes without thinking of the reality of how people behave.

What I am intersted to know is why have o2 stated that there will be 4G tariffs when for months they have been telling their customers & guaranteeing them that if they have suitable phone and sim they will not need to change tarrif and it will just work if they are in a 4G area. If that was a desperate attempt to keep customers loyal and it doesn't happen there are going to have a lot just go to three who have publicly promised this. I really hope they will keep their promise to me and several others who have been promised this. 😉

I have been a customer for 16 years for a reason, and that was good customer service on the whole. But please keep it up and not shaft existing customers with false promises.

(BTW having been on o2 forums since 1997 I wonder where all my posts have gone and this shows as my 1st post)

[Anonymous]

Not really interested in 4G at present, has I tend to only email, surf over mobile Internet, but 4G will make both these things a lot more snappier. But I can see the benefits that it will give some people who like to stream video etc.

I live in a small town in Cumbria, so it could be a while before 4G reaches my neck of the woods. Personally, I'm not willing to pay a premium price for a 4G tariff. I would be willing to go onto a 4G tariff, when the price was either the same as I pay now, or was only a negligible amount more than what I pay now.

I am keen to see what sort of data allowances will be available on the 4G tariffs. If there the same amount as currently available on the current tariffs, then I think this is a big mistake. Yeah some people want the fastest speeds possible and that's fine, but having to pay more for the extra speed and not be getting anymore data allowance than what we have now, seems a bit much to swallow in my opinion. I suppose only time will tell what that new 4G tariffs will bring in terms of data allowances.

[Anonymous]

Same issues here in Lincolnshire.. 2km from my local mast, phone spends its life saying no service... Oh and I have clear line of sight to the mast... O2 exec complaints team will not even acknowledge that fact or answer my questions about it, just been told they cannot guarantee 100% service, which I understand.. But not so close and within sight of a mast surely.

[aldaweb]

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@lucids wrote:

(BTW having been on o2 forums since 1997 I wonder where all my posts have gone and this shows as my 1st post)

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The forum platform was changed when the name changed to community a few years back and the old posts weren't carried over.

[Anonymous]

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@aldaweb wrote:

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@lucids wrote:

(BTW having been on o2 forums since 1997 I wonder where all my posts have gone and this shows as my 1st post)

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The forum platform was changed when the name changed to community a few years back and the old posts weren't carried over.

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The same thing happened to me, but you could request your old account/posts amounts to be carried over when the forum/community changed. I can remember requesting this on mine.