Vodafone Phone - Moving to 3?

[DubShelley]

Hi There,

This might be a ridiculous question but sure here goes anyway )

I used to be on O2 but moved to Vodafone prepay about 1½ years ago. I unblocked my SIM card at this time to accommodate the move. I'm now considering moving to 3's new "Best of Both Worlds" bundle as I like the idea of having a pay monthly phone but with the bill capped.

My question is, since I now have a Nokia Vodafone phone (i.e. it has Vodafone printed on the actual phone), am I still able to move to 3 with this phone? Or would I need to purchase a new phone? Is it enough that my SIM card is unblocked or is it the actual phone itself that could cause problems?

Apologies if this is not clear!
Shelley

 

[Crunchie]

When you moved to Voda you got a new phone so chances are it's network locked, i.e. you can only use a Voda SIM in it. The easy way to find out is to put another network's SIM into it and see what happens. Depending on how much credit you've put onto the phone Voda may give you the code to unlock the phone. I don't know if they'll charge a fee, 3 definitely do.

You could also pay to have the phone unlocked in one of the many shops that do this if Voda won't.

With regard to using a 3 SIM in the phone I understand that their SIMs only work in 3G phones so before going to the trouble of unlocking the phone you should ask in a 3 Store if your phone is compatible with their SIM.

 

[Eblanoid]

A warning about Three. They do not have any webtext system. So, you will pay for every text you send. If you are a pay-monthly Relax customer your texts will eat into your Flexi-Units, leaving you precious few left over to make calls with.
I've been caught with this but am on a 12-month contract; it's the first and last time I sign up for such a contract for personal use. The Best of Both monthly plan seems to have free texts (not web-based) but you cannot switch to this from Relax ones with paying a breakage fee.

 

[Guest128]

Also a warning that you may as well be talking to your cat as their customer service people if you have a problem, which you most likely will (as its 3)....

 

[the king]

Just dont move to 3, their coverage is a disaster. I have been their,done that

 

[sfag]

Yes 3's coverage is bad. does not work inside modern office buildings very well.

 

[Crunchie]

Yes 3's coverage is bad. does not work inside modern office buildings very well.

Can this be true? Surely a 3 phone signal will penetrate a building exactly the same as any other networks?

 

[lamb]

This is rubbish as 3 Ireland have WCDMA network but is true with O2 and VFI who have a GSM network and what spectrum your connected to the network at i.e 900 or 1800 ( 1800 is better for urban areas)

 

[sfag]

Again its works in theory but not in practice.

I can tell you from personal expericene that 3 did not work inside an modern office building off Harcourt St in the city centre where as my previous meteor signal worked well.
Also it did not work in my home in a large urban area in Louth where as all other networks did.

Heres also what happens.
In theory when 3's 3g signal gets weak (and that is often) the phone automatically reverts to a 2g signal.
Simple task you'd think - except it can take 20 seconds whilst it toggles between signals in which event you drop your phone call.

I also found that the signal would drop from 4 bars to zero bars on making a phone call. It happened on three diferent phones that I tried.

I wished the story was different as 3's data deal was what I wanted but it was a step backwards in terms of simple phone call technology.

Regarding internet access on your phone - it was very very slow with 3 - slower than a dial up.

 

[Bob_tg]

sfag...how sure are you about your evaluation of the '3' network? I'm not a techie like lamb, so bear with me...

Again its works in theory but not in practice.

I can tell you from personal expericene that 3 did not work inside an modern office building off Harcourt St in the city centre where as my previous meteor signal worked well.
Also it did not work in my home in a large urban area in Louth where as all other networks did.

Meteor is on a 2G network; so you are not comparing like with like. The 2G signal does not need as many towers, so will travel further from each tower - and presumably easier through buildings (but it will depend on how far the building is from the nearest tower and also how many other obstructions are in the area).

Compare O2 3G or Voda 3G signals with '3' to get a like-for-like comparison. Not Meteor (at least not until they launch 3G).

Heres also what happens.
In theory when 3's 3g signal gets weak (and that is often) the phone automatically reverts to a 2g signal.
Simple task you'd think - except it can take 20 seconds whilst it toggles between signals in which event you drop your phone call.

In relation to the toggle from 3G to 2G when the signal is lost, '3' doesn't actually have a 2G network signal at all, so this toggle problem is likely to be more related to your phone.

Try using a phone which is recommended for the '3' network, and see if the same problem arises.

 

[gerpug]

I must say i disagree with the above posts regarding network connection. Ive never had any problem with the reception. Ive been with all other networks and have found 3G to be the best for reception where we live anyway!! Vodafone has no reception in our house!! Im not on billpay so have no experience with that. We're both on top-up and find it lasts alot longer than any of the other ones we've used. Thats just my experience with it and must say ive no complaints!

 

[Crunchie]

Like Bob_tg I am not a techie but would disagree on 2 points:

Meteor is on a 2G network; so you are not comparing like with like.

I use Meteor and have been getting a constant 3G signal in the Dublin area since late last year.

In relation to the toggle from 3G to 2G when the signal is lost, '3' doesn't actually have a 2G network signal at all, so this toggle problem is likely to be more related to your phone.

As far as I know 3 uses Vodafone masts in areas where it has no coverage, e.g., I was using a 3 data modem in County Wexford recently and the window on the PC was showing me as connected via Vodafone GPRS. I would imagine a phone would share the same mast.

 

[Bob_tg]

I use Meteor and have been getting a constant 3G signal in the Dublin area since late last year.

Meteor are not launching their 3G service for another few weeks. The Meteor 3G signals in Dublin over the last few months have been for trial/test purpose only and depend specifically on the type of SIM/phone. My point is that it is not possible yet to directly compare Meteor with 3 (until Meteor fully launch their service).

As far as I know 3 uses Vodafone masts in areas where it has no coverage, e.g., I was using a 3 data modem in County Wexford recently and the window on the PC was showing me as connected via Vodafone GPRS. I would imagine a phone would share the same mast.

Fair point. I had forgotten that '3' uses the Vodafone network. However, I think my original point is still valid: i.e. it could be the phone - not the network. But, as I said, I'm not a techie, so could be wrong....