s04-e02
This week we talk about 4G as it arrives - at last - in the UK. Surely faster is better… isn't it? And if it won't be super fast why else might it be better? Rafe explains. Ben and Ewan complain.
We also chat briefly about phone insurance, Snapjoy and contact-less payments.
"S04 E02 - 4G from EE via LTE... OMG"
by
361 Degrees Podcast
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- rafeblandford
rafeblandford at 10.35 on November 02, 2012 19:12
@vlad0: Thanks, I knoew I mispoke about 5 seconds after shutting my mouth :)
- jamoiholland
- jamoiholland
jamoiholland on October 25, 2012 14:38
Forget 4G, spend the money instead on making 3G coverage better. Maybe a 3G (or 3.5G) network that can actually deliver data when the 3G icon appears in the phone, not the usual black hole, especially indoors :-S
That's been my thoughts since early May: https://twitter.com/jamoiholland/status/197809602648223744 - jamoiholland
jamoiholland at 27.48 on October 25, 2012 14:32
I'd pay £10-£15 p/m for the train voice/data coverage. It's a complete waste of time at the moment, as are most of the train operators' WiFi offerings...
- jamoiholland
- 361 Degrees Podcast
361 Degrees Podcast at 10.35 on October 23, 2012 20:20
@vlad0: Yes - I think Rafe was meaning that some of the things labeled as '4G' in the US aren't actually 4G. Not that none are. [Ben]
- 361 Degrees Podcast
361 Degrees Podcast on October 23, 2012 20:19
@Kallisticker: Thanks for the kind words. Although I love the idea of 'foul G', i actually said 'faux G' (as in 'fake') but I will use both now :-)
Others have commented that the lower latency of 4G will be useful - and it will - but right now the sacrifice in battery and coverage (in the UK) looks a bad deal to me. I've tried HD voice and - whilst it's only a 'bit' better for normal calls - the clarity is massively beneficial for conference calling. Of course, both parties need to be on HD devices...
- Kallisticker
Kallisticker on October 23, 2012 12:36
I listened to your again very informative and even witty ("Foul G") podcast streamed via T-Mobile Germany's 3G on my Lumia 800 using Podcast Picker without any interruption.
Would it run faster on LTE? Don't think so, and it wouldn't be desirable because I wouldn't understand you anymore talking ten times faster.3.5G is absolutely sufficient for webbrowsing, even streaming of videos and music works flawlessly on mobile phones at least.
The really reasonable useage is missed by operators provinding LTE in major cities only and not to cover high speed internet blank areas.About HD calls: any Nokia I've used delivers excellent call quality. Maybe iPhones need this HD call feature. Not sure, but for me the call quality as it is right now is sufficient in any way.
I'm not that deep into network architecture, i.e. use of IP addresses in mobile devices etc, but this could be one point for LTE and IPv6 as IPv4 is said to run slowly out of IP addresses.
But as long as mobile operators try to push LTE by advertising the advantages like better video streaming and high quality phone calls I don't see any valuable reason to jump on this train.
I'm not wiling to pay an extra amount to get what I'm already paying for, i.e. net coverage. I'm paying for 3.5G speed in the range of certain data volume, so my operator has to deliver this - and he does not everywhere!
This should be fixed first by operators. Otherwise if LTE is built up as 3G networks are in Germany, all people have to crowd around one local point to enjoy LTE speeds.Wouldn't companies make money if the work for their customers and make them happy?
Something fundamental in the thinking of companies seems to be wrong these days... - vlad0
vlad0 at 27.07 on October 22, 2012 23:32
Nokia is an exception ... to a certain extent. The 808 wasn't a spec/marketing gimmick, there is a real advantage for the consumer.
- vlad0
- vlad0
- vlad0
vlad0 at 22.17 on October 22, 2012 23:27
Blame iOS for that.. its HSDPA and my Nokia shows 3.5G, which is what it is. And the speeds are much better than UMTS.. I get 8-10Mbps on ATT
- vlad0
vlad0 at 14.43 on October 22, 2012 23:20
You are really not missing much. LTE on mobile is.. pointless, at this point. As soon as they start doing voice over LTE.. there might be an advantage, but overall.. no need to go past 14Mbps HSDPA.
- vlad0
vlad0 at 10.35 on October 22, 2012 23:14
Rafe, AT&T and Verizon have been running LTE for a while in the US..
- vlad0
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