best uk network for htc desire?

[george8888]

Hey everyone! this is my 1st thread so i am very sorry if this is in the wrong place or i have done something wrong so just be gentle with me Well I live in the uk and I am going to get a htc desire on contract and i was wondering which networks you would recommend? In terms of 3g coverage but mainly 2g coverage (calls and texts) also is there a particular network that brands the desire the least and is quickest when releasing updates for it. (By the way i am a complete noob this will be my 1st android phone so please dont suggest debranding or rooting as i wont do as i would just break it haha) Okay thank you any help will be appreciated

 

[SUroot]

It's hard to tell who releases updates fastest as o2 was released up to date. Little branding but nothing major. A debranded phone stands to reason that it would have updates quickest.

3g on o2 for me is good. There are still some streaming apps / sites we are not completely sure they are blocking or not.

Hope this helps

 

[SUroot]

It's hard to tell who releases updates fastest as o2 was released up to date. Little branding but nothing major. A debranded phone stands to reason that it would have updates quickest.

3g on o2 for me is good. There are still some streaming apps / sites we are not completely sure they are blocking or not.

Hope this helps

 

[KBv1]

I've found Vodafone very good to coverage for 3g. If you use twitter, follow @VodafoneDealsUK and message them for their latest deals. Unfortunately like a lot of carriers, they are currently out of stock with the Desire

 

[Bunjiweb]

I would have a good look at this before you decide...

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/radiocomms/...and/cellular/3g/maps/3gmaps/coverage_maps.pdf

It's a map made by Ofcom of the 3G Coverage around the UK. From this map I decided Orange would be best for 3G coverage with good voice coverage aswell. Also bare in mind that Orange are merging with T-Mobile so at some point down the line their networks will connect together giving even better coverage!

O2 have always been considered to be good for GPRS coverage, but their 3G/HSDPA coverage leaves a lot to be desired. Vodafone are just behind Orange on 3G/H coverage but I have found Orange better value for money.

Guess it all depends where you live and what you want from it!

Ben

 

[RetroDude]

Ill be going with vodafone due there being less crapware on than orange.

Here some signal checkers that may help you decide at a more local level.

Orange
Vodafone
o2
T-Mobile
Virgin

 

[damuffinman]

I'm on Vodafone at the moment. Coverage is excellent and with the exception of the "Vodafone" Scene, there doesn't appear to be any branding of the firmware.

 

[Bunjiweb]

I didn't get any branding on my Orange HTC Hero, I have a HTC Desire now that i'm using on Orange but I got from O2 sim free (very cheap). I downloaded YourOrange for my handset as it's a good little app, but otherwise, what is this "crapware" you talk of on Orange? Home page defaults can be changed, games can be removed.....

Ben

 

[george8888]

thanks everyone I am currently leaning towards vodafone and 02. and 'damuffinman' what exactly is this vodafone scene? can it be deleted? anyone on 02 is there branding on the htc desire thanks everyone for your help

 

[rtb35]

Ive got my desire on o2 and the only branding ive noticed is their o2 screensaver when you start up the phone,a o2 wallpaper and a bookmark for o2 active and thats it.

 

[george8888]

I was thinking of getting free pay as you go sims from different networks and putting them in my current phone. would this be a good way to check network covergae in my area? cheers

 

[sutton]

Discussions on 2g and 3g aside I went with T-Mobile since they were so cheap. Got one of the first Desires that came into the country a couple of months ago. It is not branded.

Apparently T-Mobile have been aggressively pricing prior to the Orange merger in order to get clients. Whatever the reason the deal was irresistible for the paltry sum I paid.

 

[ifb-online]

I have switched from Orange to T-Mobile and went for the Desire at the same time. Oddly enough, neither Orange or T-Mobile are great at my home (can't get HSDPA and only get 2-3 bars on the GSM signal) but T-Mobile is very strong at my work.

T-Mobile's 3GB Internet allowance for Android phones (although you will have to fight for this with customer services of you don't get your phone from T-Mobile directly) and flexible boosters are very compelling. From reviews of mobile data services I have read T-Mobile and Vodafone have the best performance. Vodafone probably has the best network from what I can see, but they are more expensive on the whole. I see too many flaws with 3 to go with them, while a friend quite high up in the industry told me that O2's network, especially in central London, is rather creaky, especially for mobile data because they had sold so many iPhones when it was exclusive to them. I left Orange because I despaired of the customer service (after over 10 years of being with them too) and their mobile data options and quality of service were not very good.

I like what I have experienced with T-Mobile so far, although occasionally I do come across uninterested customer support people. On the other hand some of them have been absolutely brilliant. Do consider that T-Mobile charge for voice mail (it won't come out of your bundled minutes) but I worked around this by signing up to HulloMail.

Ian

PS I got my Desire from mobiles.co.uk (part of Carphone Warehouse) partly because they were competitive (although not the absolute cheapest), they had stock, and the phones they supply are unbranded and unlocked.

 

[bartlet]

T-Mobile's 3GB Internet allowance for Android phones (although you will have to fight for this with customer services of you don't get your phone from T-Mobile directly)

What's the best way to go about starting that conversation? "I've just got this contract and wanted to confirm that I've got the 3GB allowance as per your contract T&C"?

I'm leaning towards T-Mobile due to the 3GB allowance, but I can't get the tariff I want direct from them (and I think it will cost a fortune if I could!). I'd therefore want to make sure I get the 3GB.

 

[ScottyPro]

No one has mentioned 3 UK, yet they are the original 3G Network. I have been with them for about 6 years and never had a problem. Got the Desire which came with no branding or junk, seems everyone has a waiting list but mine came a couple of days from ordering the upgrade.
The beauty of 3 UK is the HSDPA coverage, its excellent around here and my Speedtest.net results are better than 240kb per second.

 

[kungfuman]

What's the best way to go about starting that conversation? "I've just got this contract and wanted to confirm that I've got the 3GB allowance as per your contract T&C"?

I'm leaning towards T-Mobile due to the 3GB allowance, but I can't get the tariff I want direct from them (and I think it will cost a fortune if I could!). I'd therefore want to make sure I get the 3GB.

You are on the 1gb 'unlimited' web allowance (which is throttled to 350kbit/s) if you have the unlimited 'booster' attached to you account. The boosters are benefits that you can select. I basically phoned up t-mobile and said that I shouldnt be on the web booster as I had an android phone and wanted to change to the unlimited text booster. They did the change straight away on the phone and immediately once the booster was removed i was getting speeds about 1800kbit/s to 2000kbit/s

 

[ifb-online]

No one has mentioned 3 UK, yet they are the original 3G Network. I have been with them for about 6 years and never had a problem. Got the Desire which came with no branding or junk, seems everyone has a waiting list but mine came a couple of days from ordering the upgrade.
The beauty of 3 UK is the HSDPA coverage, its excellent around here and my Speedtest.net results are better than 240kb per second.

You may have HSDPA (which all the networks now offer) but 240kb/sec is very slow for HSDPA. I have measured 2000 kb/sec on my T-Mobile connection and others report as much as 3000 or more.

And I understand that if you are out of range of a 3 mast, while 3 has roaming agreements with other UK networks, for data that drops to 2G (vy slow) - and 3's network out of towns and cities is relatively sparse.

Ian

 

[ifb-online]

What's the best way to go about starting that conversation? "I've just got this contract and wanted to confirm that I've got the 3GB allowance as per your contract T&C"?

I'm leaning towards T-Mobile due to the 3GB allowance, but I can't get the tariff I want direct from them (and I think it will cost a fortune if I could!). I'd therefore want to make sure I get the 3GB.

Be polite but persistent. I find that it's very important who you speak to. some T-Mobile customer support people are incredibly helpful while others are totally uninterested. If you aren't getting anywhere, hang up and try someone else. Also point out that loads of others have successfully been given the web'n'walk data tariff for Android phones not purchased directly from T-Mobile. If they are getting it why shouldn't you? Hopefully you will get the deal and this should free up one of your boosters (the 1GB internet booster becomes redundant) so you should be offered the choice of another (I chose unlimited landline calls - handy for HulloMail voicemail diverts - which are categorised at the landline rate). I have 300 minutes per month but have barely used 2 minutes in almost four weeks.

Ian

 

[cnanthony]

T-mobile best .... fact

 

[JohnnyBravo1000]

I can't comment regarding signal and coverage, as that obviously depends on the network and the location of the customer.

However, in terms of value for your money, I'd have to say T-Mobile. Unlimited internet with every Android handset, freeing up a flexible booster - eg. unlimited texts, and a dedicated allowance of minutes.

It means you can get a free Desire, 1200 minutes, unlimited texts and unlimited internet for

 

[nx1977]

If you're a data whore, then T-mobile has the best FUP.

 

[Deleted User]

I've just got a brilliant deal from car phone warehouse (ordered over the phone), I got the HTC Desire (unbranded and unlocked) with a T-Mobile contract, it costs me

 

[sutton]

I've just got a brilliant deal from car phone warehouse (ordered over the phone), I got the HTC Desire (unbranded and unlocked) with a T-Mobile contract, it costs me

 

[SUroot]

I didn't get any branding on my Orange HTC Hero, I have a HTC Desire now that i'm using on Orange but I got from O2 sim free (very cheap). I downloaded YourOrange for my handset as it's a good little app, but otherwise, what is this "crapware" you talk of on Orange? Home page defaults can be changed, games can be removed.....

Ben

I bought an Orange hero. Whether you seebitbas branding or not, Orange hero had a custom Rom on it. It had a known bug where valid unlock codes wouldn't work. I had to root and put a custom rom on it to unlock.

Infact if you look on the HTC site, there are specific updates for the orange HTC hero.

http://www.htc.com/uk/supportdownloadlist.aspx?p_id=283&act=sd&cat=all

 

[SUroot]

If you're a data whore, then T-mobile has the best FUP.

Except o2, until it changes