davew wrote:

Glynparry25 wrote:

24month contracts!!!........WTF

Sorry for letting the 21st century disturb your slumber, would a mug of cocoa help ?

I believe O2 and Vodaphone are also combining infrastructures and they seem to be hanging their hopes on that to supply any level of 4G package before 2014 by using the same route that EE have already taken. Once the auctions are resolved no doubt things will change but for at least the next 6 months and probably longer the ONLY operator that will be supplying 4G in the UK will be Orange/T-Mobile. Three are another potential option as they have bought a slice of the spectrum from EE.

I'm still using a 3GS and have been holding on for the iPhone 5 to be available before upgrading. What it boils down to in the end is that in the next 6 months to a year only one supplier is expected to have any form of 4G support at all for the iPhone 5 and that's EE. After that O2/Vodaphone MIGHT finally make a move but there's no guarantee they'll support the iPhone 5 when they do.

in the mean time I still have to decide... T-Mobile or Orange !

Vodafone and O2 are not combining and have no intention to, what we have started to do is share mast sites but still use our transmission equipment. It is helping both networks improve coverage whilst not having to wait two years for planning.

As before we have been planning LTE for over two years and have made the required changes to the network all ready ensuring the LTE roll out will be swift.

LTE transmission at 800mhz require far fewer base stations than current 3G/GSM cells which will again will speed up deployment.

Again as above announcements about roll out will com thick and fast after January

Jason

jasong4110 wrote:

Vodafone and O2 are not combining and have no intention to, what we have started to do is share mast sites but still use our transmission equipment. It is helping both networks improve coverage whilst not having to wait two years for planning.

Quote:

One physical grid, running independent networks, will mean greater efficiency, fewer site builds, broader coverage and, crucially, investment in innovation and better competition for the customer.

We have learned a lot from our existing network collaboration but now it is time for it to evolve. This partnership will improve the service that customers receive today and give Britain the 4G networks that it will need tomorrow.

Vodafone and Telefonica UK will now jointly operate and manage a single network grid in the UK, on which they will both offer competing mobile services for voice and data.

And I think I've decided on Orange for anyone that's interested in the original question ! (Although I may swing back towards T-Mobile if Orange don't allow tethering) http://www.yorkshireoffroadclub.net/

davew wrote:

I'm just glad I didn't ask a more complex question, such as, should I buy a Black iPhone 5 or a White iPhone 5 !!!

jont wrote:

The really frustrating thing - and it's bound to generate negative press in a similar way to the iPad 3 did - is that you will only ever be able to use the 4g facility of the iPhone 5 on the EE 4g network in the UK !! ... although that will be open to the two EE sub-brands of orange and t-mobile ...

Even when O2 and Vodafone get their networks up and running it will be on a different frequency and the iPhone 5 won't work on them for 4g -you will have to buy an iPhone 5s next year with the right 4g chip in it ...

But don't blame Apple for this ... The allocation of 4g frequencies around the world is a real dogs breakfast and there is no worldwide 4g chip made (yet) ... In fact Apple is having to produce three different versions of the iPhone 5 for different continents just to try and deliver a phone that will work with as many 4g networks as 'currently' available ...

I'm not sure it's as clear cut as that, only time will tell I guess.

You'll remember that Apple got flamed by both the press and the official bodies in the UK for announcing the iPad as having 4G. In some countries that was justified (Australia). In the UK they were told that was against trade descriptions because there wasn't a 4G network available to support it. Essentially Apple were told they couldn't specify a device had a feature if there wasn't an infrastructure to support it. As a result it would not be legal in the UK for Apple to say they supported the 800MHz frequency because the network isn't yet available to support it. That doesn't actually mean the iPhone can't support it if/when it does become available though.

Apple also announced in the keynote that the iPhone 5 has a number of different aerials built into it for different 4G frequencies and the comms chip can switch between them as required. O2 were also listed as one of the partners that they were working with for future 4G use in Europe with the O2 logo being placed over the UK where the EE logo had been in the "working now/soon" bit.

You'll note that they list the 850MHz support which actually covers most of the 800MHz band anyway but 850MHz is the band being used in Australia.

I'm fairly confident of two things...
1) As an "early adopter" I'm going to find 4G frustrating at first.
2) There WILL be an updated iPhone in 12 months time and I'll have to wait until the phone after that to upgrade again

I pre-ordered mine from Orange last night. http://www.yorkshireoffroadclub.net/