Boosted 3G

Forums › 2degrees (including Slingshot, Orcon, Flip, Stuff Fibre, MyRepublic, 2talk and Vocus) › Boosted 3G

suzkizashi

7 posts

Wannabe Geek

#171885 4-May-2015 16:21

Hi all, 1st time poster (please be gentle!). I've just upgraded to my 1st 4G phone. Loving it. (iphone 5C). I've been reading about the various cellular technologies to get to grips with it.

2 questions

1. What is "Boosted 3G"? Is this just HSDPA+ or what?
2. My old Samsung used to show H (for HSPDA) and 3G for 3G but the iphone only shows 3G or 4G. How come?

cheers

G

deadlyllama

1283 posts

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#1297762 4-May-2015 16:31

It's almost certainly 900MHz 3G.

corksta

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Subscriber

#1297788 4-May-2015 17:32

1. Boosted 3G is coverage on the 900MHz frequency (says so on their website).
2. It's just how Apple does it.

suzkizashi

7 posts

Wannabe Geek

#1297826 4-May-2015 17:59

so UMTS900 or what?

suzkizashi

7 posts

Wannabe Geek

#1297829 4-May-2015 18:04

Or to rephrase, standard 3g is what type of network eg umts1800,900 etc or what and how does that compare to boosted 3g

suzkizashi

7 posts

Wannabe Geek

#1297834 4-May-2015 18:11

Wikipedia says
2 degrees operate gsm,umts and lte

Spark have umts,hsdpa and lte

Vodafone have gsm,umts,hsdpa and lte

So what's the difference between standard3g and boosted

grant_k

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#1297872 4-May-2015 19:18

suzkizashi: Vodafone have gsm,umts,hsdpa and lte

So what's the difference between standard3g and boosted

Vodafone's coverage maps are the only ones which refer to 'Boosted 3G' so I presume you are talking about their network, which 2 degrees also use for roaming in areas where they don't have their own cellsites.

In that case, normal 3G is on 2100MHz (mostly in cities and major towns) and 'Boosted 3G' is on 900MHz, mostly in rural areas but also in some towns and cities. Vodafone have more bandwidth on 2100MHz than 900MHz so 2100 can offer more capacity, but it doesn't penetrate into buildings very well. Hence they have deployed 900 in quite a few cities to aid with in-building coverage.

Samsung

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suzkizashi

7 posts

Wannabe Geek

#1297879 4-May-2015 19:38

Thanks for the reply.not Vodafone is 2degrees
Refer www.2degreesmobile/coverage.
Do you know if it's umts or hspa or hsdpa or dc-hsdpa?

grant_k

3539 posts

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#1297883 4-May-2015 19:50

suzkizashi: Thanks for the reply.not Vodafone is 2degrees
Refer www.2degreesmobile/coverage.
Do you know if it's umts or hspa or hsdpa or dc-hsdpa?

Thanks for the link. I did check 2D's maps earlier but didn't see 'Boosted 3G' on the pages I checked.

If you click 'What does this mean?' on the page you linked it says:

"What does this mean? 4G (LTE): the latest technology providing super fast internet. 3G BOOSTED: voice, text & fast internet services with wider coverage for those with 3G 900MHz capable devices. 3G: voice, text & fast internet services for all users with 3G enabled devices. 2G: original GSM network providing voice, text and internet services."

3G is always UMTS at the very least, and depending on how up-to-date the cellsite hardware is, it may include any of the HSPA etc options.

If you're a 2D customer roaming on Vodafone's network, it includes all the options you mention, right up to DC-HSPA, but on 2D's own network, I don't know.

The best way to find out (other than asking them) is to get right up close to a 2D cellsite at a quiet time of day with a handset capable of DC-HSDPA and see what download speed you get. Here are the rough speeds you should get with each protocol:

HSDPA 5 to 10Mbps (max theoretical 14.4Mbps)
DC-HSDPA 15 to 30Mbps (max theoretical 43Mbps)

Those figures are rough guides to what you should get in the real world. If you look on Wikipedia you will find the theoretical figures shown above which can be achieved in a lab, but you're unlikely ever to see them in practice.

suzkizashi

7 posts

Wannabe Geek

#1298867 6-May-2015 10:10

Fantastic reply thanks. I just got an email back from 2degrees themselves who say that boosted 3g is hsdpa+

suzkizashi

7 posts

Wannabe Geek

#1298871 6-May-2015 10:14

Good morning Greg,

Thank you for your email.

1. Yes boosted 3G will be referring to HSPDPA+
2. From what I understand, the network has updated settings on iPhones so that it only shows 2G/3G/4G which is probably why you wont see the icon 'H' on the iPhone
3. If you are simply wanting to read more about the cellular technology, you can simply google it. It should come up with the Wikipedia definition (which I personally refer to) and it helps explain it in more detail.

I hope that has answered your questions, please let me know if theres anything else I can help with.

Have a great day!

Kind regards

Laine T

2degrees Customer Care
Two Degrees Mobile Limited
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www.2degreesmobile.co.nz

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