Everything Everywhere.

[MartJ]

Wish they would get it sorted sooner, the VM Signal here of late has been appalling, niver used to have a problem, but now we struggle to get up to 3 bars on any of the 3 phones we have in the house.

Also the Virgin Mobile "Team" have failed to respond to any of my e-mails on the subject of falling signal levels.

EE are rationalising the network by switching off either the Orange mast or the T-mobile mast in places where they are duplicated. It's not affecting Orange and T-m customers because they have been able to roam on each others networks for months now. But for virtual network users it has been quite a problem in certain places. It sounds like you're one of the many victims of mast shutdown.

[snowey]

Originally Posted by 1701-e

Per http://www.virginmediapeople.com/changes/JV15/

Bigger, Better Coverage
Virgin Mobile customers enjoy coverage here, there and just about everywhere. We’ve always used the T-Mobile network, which covers over 99% of the UK population, to provide our service. But from this Autumn, we’ll use the Everything Everywhere network (the company formed by Orange and T-Mobile). So, in some areas where the coverage might otherwise dip, you’ll automatically be able to use the Everything Everywhere network at the same great Virgin Mobile rates. Wherever you are, we’ve got you covered.


My highlighting

Good about time too

[japitts]

Originally Posted by Chris

EE are rationalising the network by switching off either the Orange mast or the T-mobile mast in places where they are duplicated. It's not affecting Orange and T-m customers because they have been able to roam on each others networks for months now. But for virtual network users it has been quite a problem in certain places. It sounds like you're one of the many victims of mast shutdown.

All correct, except for the bit about duplicate sites being removed. I'm yet to see anyone provide concrete examples of this. I'm sure network planners on both sides of the EE fence are looking at what the combined network will be like, but very much doubt it's gone beyond that.

Remember we don't have incall handover yet, so the 2 networks are still operating and being maintained independently.

Originally Posted by japitts

All correct, except for the bit about duplicate sites being removed. I'm yet to see anyone provide concrete examples of this. I'm sure network planners on both sides of the EE fence are looking at what the combined network will be like, but very much doubt it's gone beyond that.

Remember we don't have incall handover yet, so the 2 networks are still operating and being maintained independently.

Virgin disagrees with you.

A spokesman for Virgin Media told PC Pro that its customers would eventually be granted access to both T-Mobile and Orange. “As T-Mobile and Orange integrate their mobile networks, there may be some isolated incidents where signal strength is disrupted,” the spokesman claimed.

Read more: T-Mobile merger creates Virgin mobile blackspots | Broadband | News | PC Pro http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/broadban...#ixzz1QzGIRxGZ

[japitts]

Standard marketing reply to cover all bases then. Means nothing operationally. They also use the word "may" not "will".

Seriously: If Orange & T-Mobile were removing sites across their respective networks "en masse" in advance of incall handover, would dropped call rates and complaints to both networks not be dramatically increasing? Why is Virgin the only MVNO on Orange/T-Mobile claiming this? There are several other VNOs using one of the two networks.

I am not doubting there may be isolated individual examples of sites being decommissioned due to legal/rent issues and maybe not being replaced immediately, but then this has been happening for years and is part & parcel of estates management for the big UK networks. Virgin seem to be suggesting that some of these cases are directly linked to the network consolidation. It is that, that I'm suggesting is nonsense.

[lee1992]

so from autumn will i be able to recieve an EDGE signal from orange on my virgin handset ? ? i'm really looking forward to virgin joining EE , i find virgin / t mobile network coverage appauling . there is no way it covers 99% of the country.

[Pipster]

I just think the coverage is poor inside of buildings with Virgin. For example I get a signal no problem outside of our house but inside its a poor signal. I get an excellent signal in rural northumberland too when we visit there but again inside the house there its poor.

[TJS]

Originally Posted by Pipster

I just think the coverage is poor inside of buildings with Virgin. For example I get a signal no problem outside of our house but inside its a poor signal. I get an excellent signal in rural northumberland too when we visit there but again inside the house there its poor.

Virgin media piggyback on T-mobile signal. I'm on t-mobile and the signal in my area is immaculate I never get less then half no matter where I am, and if the signal ever drops out it'll flick over to orange (rarely)

[jamie29]

Originally Posted by lee1992

so from autumn will i be able to recieve an EDGE signal from orange on my virgin handset ? ? i'm really looking forward to virgin joining EE , i find virgin / t mobile network coverage appauling . there is no way it covers 99% of the country.

It's 99% of the population, not 99% of the country.

[m419]

This does not apply to 3G services or future 4G services, the T-Mobile 3G network was merged with Hutchison 3G's (3 mobile) and the infrastructure is called MBNL, Orange customers do not have access to it and instead Orange 3G has its own infrastructure which is smaller, Virgin Mobile customers won't be able to use that, so if you're thinking of using the Orange 3G signal then you will find that it will say no access or not allowed.

4G services will probably be leased from a completely different company, a company called UK Broadband has already approached Virgin Mobile about this.

[Dave_M]

Any idea of dates? Virgin originally said from the summer but that has since changed to from the autumn

[Sirius]

Originally Posted by Dave_M

Any idea of dates? Virgin originally said from the summer but that has since changed to from the autumn

I think you will find it will be down to Orange and T mobile. If they are not ready then Virgin will be late.