Orange vs Giffgaff 3G coverage

[Zak33]

Lo people

myself and my missus have Orange phones. Over a decade of using them. Currently one iPhone4 and one HTC Desire HD, previously a Nokia buttoned phone for texting (still use itsome days when the touch screen gets on my nipples)

Long story short: quality of Oranges service diminishing by the year, and contracts getting longer. One heavy text user (me) and and one heavy 3g user (her) and both average telephone call users.

We took a giffgaff sim and activated it for 3G and slid it into the Ipad a week ago and have since used it a fair bit. Only for 3g.

The Giffgaff 3g coverage is, in effect, not as widespread or fast as Orange. Common travel/journey is Buckinghamshire and M40 corridor and Shropshire. While driving that route, it was better to get the iPad to wifi to the Iphones Orange connection! than to use Giffgaff's 3g in the ipad itself! It was so slow as to be next to useless most of the time where Orange worked a lot more often.

Q) Is that a pretty normal performance expectation? That Giffgaff's O2 3g coverage and bandwidth is substantially lower than Orange?

And what is it like for 2G? Is it better or worse.

We were going to jump ship and go Giffgaff but the results aren't promising yet.

[directhex]

Coverage figures are given by population - meaning you're fine in the major cities, but stuffed in cow sheds only populated by cows and one curiously cow-loving farmer.

All the networks claim 99% coverage on 2G. EE (Orange) claims 98% on 3G, and Giffgaff (O2) claims 80% on 3G. Vodafone (and MVNO's running on their network) are at 90% for 3G. Three is 93%.

On top of the raw population numbers are the actual coverage maps - 90% on Voda and 93% on Three may mean entirely different towns are uncovered.

[technodean]

O2 / vodafone suck, I was with Vodafone for over 7 years, and always had half signal, then moved to a new area (over 2000 people) and no signal for a mile or so. Looked at there coverage map and was astonished how much of the UK they don't cover. Have moved to t mobile(EE) and my phone has full signal and flies on 3g wherever I am and I can now hear people better, plus a few friend have jumped ship from Vodafone.

[Zak33]

meaning you're fine in the major cities, but stuffed in cow sheds only populated by cows and one curiously cow-loving farmer.

I like my cow sheds....

but I'm talking major motorway!