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Spong

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#237635 10-Jun-2018 22:20
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We visit Great Barrier Island a few times each year, and being 2D mobile customers, we roam onto Vodafone's cell site as 2D don't have coverage in Claris, or maybe anywhere on Great Barrier. In the past we've received fairly reasonable data speeds, but I've noticed during the last few visits in the last 3 months, our data speeds when roaming there have dropped to around 0.9Mbits/sec (measured using the Ookla app). No 3G or 4G indication or even H+.  This has been confirmed with 2x phones and a wireless 3G router. Two other visitors at the house with VF SIM cards received 100Mb+.

 

It seems that 2D customers are being treated as 3rd class citizens, and I wonder if this is normal or widespread when roaming. The current speeds are so bad, it looks like we're going to look at jumping to the red company I despise. Does anyone know if this is normal or are VF pulling a swifty? 

 

The 2D maps show our area to have "3G Boosted" performance. Phones being used are Galaxy S7, S4, and S8. 





Tivo upgrades to operate with the new OzTivo EPG, support and service. Over 400 performed here so far. See: www.hillcrest.net.nz


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Linux
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  #2033401 10-Jun-2018 22:38
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No it's not Vodafone pulling a swifty but not sure why you think that? VodafoneNZ and 2degrees have commercial agreements in place for 2degrees roaming onto VodafoneNZ sites

You would never see 4G roaming on VodafoneNZ as the roaming agreement is 3G only now was 2G and 3G before

You are getting HSPA speed as 3G is max 384Kbp/s and you are close to 1Mbp/s

John

Edit: the 100Mbp/s are clearly VFNZ customers attached to 4G



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  #2033403 10-Jun-2018 22:42
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Simple test lock one of the Vodafone connections to 3G only in the network settings and see what speed that connection gets then?

Bet it's the same / similar as the 2degrees result

John

Spong

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  #2033407 10-Jun-2018 22:49
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Thanks John. I guess we've got so used to 4G speeds in Auckland, and fibre at home, that shifting back is painful to say the least. 

 

 





Tivo upgrades to operate with the new OzTivo EPG, support and service. Over 400 performed here so far. See: www.hillcrest.net.nz




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  #2033408 10-Jun-2018 22:51
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Have you done the test of locking one of the VodafoneNZ connections to 3G only and got a result?

John

Spong

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  #2033444 10-Jun-2018 23:38
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Linux: Simple test lock one of the Vodafone connections to 3G only in the network settings and see what speed that connection gets then?

Bet it's the same / similar as the 2degrees result

John

 

Sorry, we're back in Auckland now, and those Vodafone users are back up at Millwater.

 

Back here in Auckland I've just  forced my 2Degrees mobile to 2G/3G only, and obtained 5.81M/bit down and 1.98M/bit up. In fact where I live, I can't achieve a 4G connection to 2D as we're pretty marginal here. I have the H+ indicator showing at this time. From memory this seems to be around what I remember getting on the VF cellsite up until the last 3 months or so. How is it that I'm getting these speeds with 2D 3G, yet much slower speeds on Great Barrier's VF site, where I don't even see the H+ indication, nor 3G?  





Tivo upgrades to operate with the new OzTivo EPG, support and service. Over 400 performed here so far. See: www.hillcrest.net.nz


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  #2033445 10-Jun-2018 23:41
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Speeds change depending on many factors you are not going to get the same speed in every location

Maybe more 3G users on great barrier than 4G so the capacity on 3G gets smashed

John

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  #2033758 11-Jun-2018 17:23
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At this time of year (winter) the Barrier is not busy, and I achieved those very low speeds at all times of the day, even 1am roaming on Vodafone's cellsite. Meanwhile 100Mbit for their own 4G customers is bloody marvelous. I can't help thinking Vodafone have deliberately restricted 2D or maybe all 3G users to less than 1Mbit. Maybe they could allocate more bandwidth to 3G?  I can understand their commercial reasons for doing so, particularly to 2D roamers. As you suggested, the best way to check would be to force a native VF customer to 3G at that location. I've checked back, and we were definitely getting around 6-8Mb around 6 months ago in exact same circumstances. Do you think I could get anyone to investigate this? If so 2D or VF? 





Tivo upgrades to operate with the new OzTivo EPG, support and service. Over 400 performed here so far. See: www.hillcrest.net.nz


 
 
 

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  #2033766 11-Jun-2018 17:44
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Further to this VodafoneNZ has been refarming 3G spectrum in the 2100Mhz band from 3G to 4G so a slow down on 3G is expected, This would impact both VodafoneNZ and 2degrees customers

John

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  #2033769 11-Jun-2018 18:01
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Here is what is happening-

 

2degrees does not have roaming on Vodafone 4G and including 700Mhz. So you will be on 3G on 900Mhz at best.

 

Additionally, I have personally observed all things being equal, 2degrees appears to have a coverage disadvantage on Vodafone's network.

 

In summary - overall for rural areas, you can't beat being directly on Vodafone.

 

If you have a decent broadband connection (probably an oxymoron on GBI) then look at a SureSignal. It's not perfect, rather it's the least troubling option. And between VPN drops and my cell and tab for unknown reasons switching to the cellsite, it actually works pretty well.





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AidanP
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  #2033859 11-Jun-2018 19:28
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I have also faced result like this, traveling to Auckland we went through a 2degrees blackspot and roamed onto Vodafones 3g network using 900mhz 3g band 8 with h+ showing, I ran speed tests and the speed was only showing 0.8mbps downstream and 0.3 upstream, I simultaneously ran speed tests on a Vodafone cellphone which Brought speeds of 13mbps downstream and 1.9mbps upstream, both connected to the same cell tower and both on 3g using 900mhz. And this speed is constant when ever I go through the area, I've raised the problem to 2degress but they waved it off.


Edit: going past Hampton downs and heres a screenshot of one of my speed tests

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  #2033864 11-Jun-2018 19:36
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@AidanP that is interesting maybe some throttling has been put in place now that I am not aware of

Would need some conculsive testing before hand and going back to 2degrees and it might be something that is working as designed now

John


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  #2033869 11-Jun-2018 19:45
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I suspect the 3G roaming agreement between the two carriers has changed and speed restrictions on packet switch data now in place

It would be a commercial agreement if it has happened

John

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  #2033873 11-Jun-2018 19:54
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Linux: I suspect the 3G roaming agreement between the two carriers has changed and speed restrictions on packet switch data now in place

It would be a commercial agreement if it has happened

John

 

maybe vodafone needed the bandwidth for the silly wholesale 3g unlimited plan ;)





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Any comments made are personal opinion and do not reflect directly on the position my current or past employers may have.

 

 


MichaelNZ
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  #2033879 11-Jun-2018 19:58
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Linux: @AidanP that is interesting maybe some throttling has been put in place now that I am not aware of

Would need some conculsive testing before hand and going back to 2degrees and it might be something that is working as designed now

 

Linux: I suspect the 3G roaming agreement between the two carriers has changed and speed restrictions on packet switch data now in place

 

I first observed this issue 2 or 3 years ago.

 

Though not exactly related, as Vodafone and Spark are also patchy, I did report poor coverage along SH5 (Napier Taupo highway) to 2degrees and received what amounts to denial and red-herring.





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AidanP
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  #2033880 11-Jun-2018 20:01
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I first noticed this around January this year

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