2degrees and HSPA+

Forums › 2degrees (including Slingshot, Orcon, Flip, Stuff Fibre, MyRepublic, 2talk and Vocus) › 2degrees and HSPA+

omalozet

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#92179 28-Oct-2011 03:25

Hello,

I live in Hastings and had my Samsung Galaxy S2 i9100 on the 2Degrees mobile network. Not once did I get the H+ (HSPA+) icon on my notification bar, also my speeds were only about 3Mbps downstream and the 3G signal strength was dismal.

Now I have switched to Telecom XT, I now get 5-8Mbps DS and 1.6Mbps US using HSDA+, with 90-100% signal coverage.

Am I right in assuming 2Degrees Mobile Ltd don't have HSDA+ enabled and only HSDPA. ?

Cheers.

akia

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#538510 28-Oct-2011 08:51

It's probably best to ask this in the 2degrees mobile forum. I'm unsure what their network configuration is. Their forum is here: http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=85

freitasm

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#538516 28-Oct-2011 09:00

I've moved this to correct forum.

vita

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#538551 28-Oct-2011 09:52

2degrees have not yet launched hastings as their own zone - you are most likely connecting to VFNZ

Zeon

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#538574 28-Oct-2011 10:31

This will be a Vodafone NZ network speed related issue as you'll be roaming. Data is really expensive on 2degrees outside of the "zones"

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nitrotech

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#538581 28-Oct-2011 10:46

While there are some people who do need the extra speed of HSPA+ the vast majority would be more than happy with 3mbps - fast enought for streaming video and doing pretty much everything you need.

Do you find the extra speed helps you in any way?

I am in the same position in Rotorua there is HSPA+ coverage on telecom and only 1 Vodafone HSPA+ site at the stadium however I am happy with the performance of HSPA which gives me anything up to about 5mbps.

sbiddle

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#538599 28-Oct-2011 11:10

2degrees don't have HSPA+ enabled on their network, they only operate HSDPA 7.2Mbps.

In Hawkes Bay 2degrees don't have a network (yet) so you'll be roaming on Vodafone. Vodafone have HSPA+ deployed in many areas now but it's obvious the site you're connecting to isn't one of them.

SteveON

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#538743 28-Oct-2011 14:31

So you went from 3Mb to 5/8Mb... That 50/100MB data pack would have gone far. I assume you wouldn't be doing much (p2p) other than browsing. What was the ping like? Thats what really matters above 1Mb speeds.

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omalozet

15 posts

Geek

#538848 28-Oct-2011 18:48

freitasm: I've moved this to correct forum.

My apologies for posting in the wrong forum

I also see I spelt HSDA+ and not HSPA+, my mistake.

Thank you everyone for your replies.

@vita/ @zeon: I understand now why mobile data outside the 2Degrees broadband zones is expensive due to the cost of roaming with Vodafone.

@nitrotech: The HSPA+ does help, where as before on 2Degrees it would be difficult to attain a stable connection unless I was stationary, such things as driving in the car's passenger seat would make attaining a 3G connection difficult, and even whilst stationary web pages simply wouldn't load quickly to the point of "...this webpage can not be displayed."

@steveON: As of now on XT I purchased the 500MB package. I use it mainly for Four Square / Facebook / Twitter / GPS Naivigation / Run Keeper / and general web browsing. It usually would last me a week. I disable Sync when out and check emails manually. My last ping was 96ms.

@sbiddle: Thanks, that would explain why my speed tests could never approach what I would have expected on a phone with 24Mbps capability, and I know that's only a highly theoretical speed and would be quite difficult to obtain that speed. But as most say and I agree 3Mbps is an okay speed for a mobile device, however as stated in my previous reply ^ the connection stability wasn't there. So XT was the only option as a result.

sbiddle

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#538945 29-Oct-2011 07:43

Your phone has a maximum HSPA+ speed of 21.1Mbps, which isn't actually possible in the real world. In reality it's a maximum of around 15Mbps.

HSPA+ makes no difference to issues such as "this page cannot be displayed". HSPA+ is a resource that still uses 3G, when the phone needs bursty data it'll simply negotiate a PCH state change and request HSPA or HSPA+ radio resources as required.

johnr

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#538948 29-Oct-2011 07:56

HSPA+ should not be to far off for Hastings

John

Zeon

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#538967 29-Oct-2011 10:25

Mail shouldn't use much bandwidth. Try using a push protocol like activesync which is very efficient

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omalozet

15 posts

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#538968 29-Oct-2011 10:33

I noticed the 24Mbps I stated and attempted to change it yesterday after posting, however can only edit once :D

Will look into active sync for gmail if it's supported.

jords12

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#542154 7-Nov-2011 18:28

At auckland uni the other day I connected to HSPA+, got the H+ icon. Only lasted for a few minutes though and didn't get a chance to run the speed test until I had already lost it. But it seems they are testing it.