Is a move to XT worth while in your opinion?

Forums › Apple iOS and devices › Is a move to XT worth while in your opinion?

motorwayne

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#65576 3-Aug-2010 20:46

I'm about to buy an iPhone 4, hopefully in the next shipment. I'm tempted to move to XT and wanting to get your opinion on it. I'm thinking of going no contract, or getting the move subsidy and going with a contract, not sure as this has it's own complications with porting numbers issues.

I have my current 3GS I'm giving to my wife.

I have some questions though.

Q: I mate suggested that the XT network is way newer the the VF 3G network, is this true?
Q: Data rates seem to be superior on XT is this true now that VF has extended 3G?
Q: Call quality as in number of dropped calls on XT v.s VF 3G any better? VF's drop rate feels shocking to me, will this be solved now that the extended 3G is in place?
Q: The issues around number porting and face time etc, are these in your opinion going to be solved in the near future? VF/XT people?
Q: Anything else you can think of as advice?
Q: Am I wasting my time and should I just stay with VF and get a subsidized device as usual?

Serious questions. I'm a consumer trying to get the best value for money, but also the best experience from the device and the service provider.

Happy to hear peoples opinions, I know everybody thinks of moving at times.

Cheers

corksta

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#362637 3-Aug-2010 21:01

HELL YES you should move!!!!

Having moved my iPhone to XT from Vodafone the difference has been night and day. Much faster data speeds, very few dropped calls, constant and consistent 3G coverage, no more watching the phone drop to 2G as soon as I walk inside a building.

As an example, in the office I work in there are three of us with iPhones, me on XT and two on Vodafone. Everywhere in the office I get full bars of 3G, they both get full bars of GPRS....

I ported my number to XT and it was a seamless process.

Even though iPhone 4 has 3G Extended, whether this will be of benefit to you depends on where you live. I'm in Auckland where there is little to no 3G Extended so it makes sense for me to stay on XT.

XT launched in May 2009 so yes it is newer than Vodafone's 3G, which has been running since about 2005 I think, but who is newer is irrelevant really and a moot point. The key point is that XT operates at 850MHz which has much better building penetration than Vodafone's 2100MHz, which explains the office scenario above.

If you can afford to purchase outright from Apple then do it and try it on XT as part of the 30-day trial. I'd be willing to bet you'll stay with them after the 30 days.

Check out Steve Biddle's article for more info:

http://www.geekzone.co.nz/content.asp?contentid=8642

daman88

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#362640 3-Aug-2010 21:05

* Q1 ) definitely YES! Telecom just built the new network WCDMA 850 MHZ (purely 3G) - and it is being used by many other countries including Europe, US, Aus. GSM 900MHZ is old now. Even Europe is abandoning the 900MHZ.

* If you watched this video - you will understand which network is superior :-) (for the data part)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVUs3Lfn28Y

* for the voice part I haven't have any drop calls so far..... as Telecom stated, they have 97% coverage - the same as Vodafone

* Number porting is easy - usually it takes 24-48 hours. I have done this recently. Only a short outage and it is ok after that.

*If you research , the plans for both companies are very similar --- depending how much you want to use it. Best is to go their website...

Have fun with iPhone 4.

ALTRON

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#362642 3-Aug-2010 21:07

Yes do it!
I'm switching to XT as soon as I get my iPhone 4.

sbiddle

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#362735 4-Aug-2010 06:33

daman88: * Q1 ) definitely YES! Telecom just built the new network WCDMA 850 MHZ (purely 3G) - and it is being used by many other countries including Europe, US, Aus. GSM 900MHZ is old now. Even Europe is abandoning the 900MHZ.

Europe do not typically use use 850Mhz WCDMA. It is only used in New Zealand, Australia, North America and South America. Last I heard there was a single 850Mhz WCDMA network being trialled in Europe, with some plans to use this spectrum in countries where it's available but in many the spectrum is already allocated.

GSM 900 in Europe is also not on it's way out. There has not been a single network anywhere in Europe either shut down a GSM 900 network or announce any plans to do so. WCDMA 900 is being rolled out in Europe now but this will coexist with GSM 900 (like Vodafone NZ's network) and will not replace it. The delays in rolling out such networks have been because of EU rules allowing only certain technologies as a condition of a licence in each band - ie only GSM networks were allowed in the 900MHz band. Changes were required to allow WCDMA technology in existing bands.

Buttonmash

361 posts

Ultimate Geek

#362737 4-Aug-2010 06:40

This is my experience only. I moved from Vodafone to XT in August laster year. And had a play with a Vodafone SIM after re-signing to get my iPhone 4 on Friday.

Q: I mate suggested that the XT network is way newer the the VF 3G network, is this true?
Newer? Who cares. With 850MHz Nationally you'll get 3G everywhere you go not just in the main centres

Q: Data rates seem to be superior on XT is this true now that VF has extended 3G?
Absolutely. CBD Wellington I threw my Vodafone in there on Friday and was benchmarking 0.33Mb. My XT one 1.8Mb.

Q: Call quality as in number of dropped calls on XT v.s VF 3G any better? VF's drop rate feels shocking to me, will this be solved now that the extended 3G is in place?
What's a dropped call? Seriously I've had maybe one in the last 6 months that I can remember. And usually make 2-3 a day.

Q: The issues around number porting and face time etc, are these in your opinion going to be solved in the near future? VF/XT people?
They've had a good track record for fixing things, but I can't say for certain. In any case I only have one person I can FaceTime call at the moment so I'm not in any hurry.

Q: Anything else you can think of as advice?
Bear in mind without a carrier setting bundle you'll have to enter your settings manually if you do a full reset. Not a huge deal, only takes 2 minutes. Your voicemail actually works a bit better (IMO) than Vodafone as messages show up as a red circle on your phone icon rather than a text message.

Q: Am I wasting my time and should I just stay with VF and get a subsidized device as usual?
You won't regret it at all. I was really quite surprised by the difference.

icepicknz

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#362748 4-Aug-2010 07:46

Yeah, I've had my iphone 3gs on both voda and telecom. Since moving to telecom my speeds just about anywhere (even on top of mt mt ruapehu) have been decent broadband speeds and good signal. When compared to a couple of my mates that have contracts on vodafone, when ever they are around me we have noticed there speeds can never compare to my XT speeds.

Porting generally goes through overnight but can take up to 48hrs at times.

I've bought my new iphone 4 from apple.co.nz, just need to wait till the 26th when it's delivered :( Wish it was sooner!

Barry Murphy
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Vibe Communications LTD - Business ISP and Wholesale Carrier

Any comments made by myself don't reflect the views of my employer, they are mine and mine alone

freitasm

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#362755 4-Aug-2010 08:30

daman88: * Q1 ) definitely YES! Telecom just built the new network WCDMA 850 MHZ (purely 3G) - and it is being used by many other countries including Europe, US, Aus. GSM 900MHZ is old now. Even Europe is abandoning the 900MHZ.

I think you are confusing GSM (2G) 900MHz with WCDMA (3G) 900MHz. These are very different things.

Vodafone is using WCDMA (3G) 900MHz for their "3G Extended" network. It's the same as the GSM 900MHz.

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daman88

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#363601 5-Aug-2010 12:36

Ah Freitasm and sbiddle - you guys are right! :D

Last I heard they (Europe) were going for 850MHZ..... ah well just found some Asian countries, US, Aust and US are on 850.

It has been quite a while I have no catch up with the mobile news....... need to go to 4g.co.uk to catch up some stories ....

motorwayne

841 posts

Ultimate Geek

#363952 5-Aug-2010 22:28

Testing XT Prepay sim in my 3GS in preperation for iPhone 4 purchase.

Noticed so far on first day:
- Faster speeds on XT using "Speed test" app, than previously tested on VF.
- Clearer calls on XT with no garbling while drive from Mt Roskill to the Northshore.
- No dropped calls for Mt Roskill to Northshore run, VF normally would have dropped call bottom of city and once on Northshore before home.

Maybe just a good day. Let's see how the weekend goes.

Has anyone done an Auckland comparison like the Dunedin one?

Cheers

corksta

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#363967 5-Aug-2010 23:02

motorwayne: Testing XT Prepay sim in my 3GS in preperation for iPhone 4 purchase.

Noticed so far on first day:
- Faster speeds on XT using "Speed test" app, than previously tested on VF.
- Clearer calls on XT with no garbling while drive from Mt Roskill to the Northshore.
- No dropped calls for Mt Roskill to Northshore run, VF normally would have dropped call bottom of city and once on Northshore before home.

Maybe just a good day. Let's see how the weekend goes.

Has anyone done an Auckland comparison like the Dunedin one?

Cheers

You'll find that that is a normal day.

mattbush

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#364014 6-Aug-2010 06:45

I have no regrets changing to XT, especially since the way Vodafone treated its customers over the iphone4 launch.

Wouldnt surprise me if Apple switch to another provider next time.

ahmad

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#364332 6-Aug-2010 16:37

motorwayne: Testing XT Prepay sim in my 3GS in preperation for iPhone 4 purchase.

Noticed so far on first day:
- Faster speeds on XT using "Speed test" app, than previously tested on VF.
- Clearer calls on XT with no garbling while drive from Mt Roskill to the Northshore.
- No dropped calls for Mt Roskill to Northshore run, VF normally would have dropped call bottom of city and once on Northshore before home.

Maybe just a good day. Let's see how the weekend goes.

Has anyone done an Auckland comparison like the Dunedin one?

Cheers

Your post suggests you *may* have seen it but here it is anyway for those interested in a comparison between XT and Vodafone. My opinion is that if you have decent XT coverage in your area (remember they have that "risk free trial" operating at the moment and if you talk nicely to your local Telecom store staff I'm sure they will be very helpful - in my experience anyway), then you will be better off on XT for PURE SPEED. Cost wise and other factors you will need to weigh up for your own personal situation.

iPhone 4 Speed Testing Video - Vodafone vs. XT

freitasm

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#365257 9-Aug-2010 10:05

Are you happy with the change, motorwayne?

motorwayne

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#365275 9-Aug-2010 10:37

freitasm: Are you happy with the change, motorwayne?

Actually, yeah. I'm heading down to Tauranga from Auckland tomorrow, so I'm eager to test the 3G coverage. I've been used to dropping in and out of 3G and coverage in general with VF, so it will be interesting to see what the XT network offers.

All going well, I'll move the companies entire phone system and mobiles over to a Telecom wholesaler in the coming weeks.

Will be good to be backing a Kiwi owned company again.