UK T-Mobile Web N Walk Basic Customers Only

[imranbashir_uk]

This thread is only for users that are UK T-Mobile customers that have only basic Web N Walk. In fact it might only apply to customers that have moved over to Web N Walk on or after January 2008

I have noticed that my download speeds seem to be teetering at the lower end of 3G, slightly better than GPRS, but no way near HSDPA speeds. The test is located at the following site, if you are unable to use Opera try Pocket Internet Explorer.

www.dslreports.com/mspeed

I have repeated this test at various points throughout the day and with various signal strengths and have never been able to download faster than 190kbit/sec.

I have been speaking to T-Mobile regarding this issue and they state that HSDPA is only available to Web N Walk Plus customers and not the basic Web N Walk customers. However, colleagues of mine are on the basic Web N Walk and are able to download at HSDPA speeds.

T-Mobile are unable to provide written proof stating that HSDPA is unavailable on basic Web N Walk, the terms and conditions do not state this, and the 1GB fair use policy should ensure no one abuses the additional speed.

Furthermore, the MDA Compact IV is sold as a HSDPA enabled phone. I therefore conclude that either I have been miss-sold my contract / phone or T-Mobile have incorrectly disabled HSDPA.

What I would like to do is see if others using the MDA Compact IV are in the same situation, so could you go and do the above test if you are a UK T-Mobile customer on basic Web N Walk and report back on what speed you get.

[cojones]

My HSDPA connection is patchy at best, in that the coverage is poor (as is T Mobile in general). However I have just tried the speed test and I got 1157 mb for a 1 MB file. Doesn't really seem representative of my usual speed experience though.

[imranbashir_uk]

My HSDPA connection is patchy at best, in that the coverage is poor (as is T Mobile in general). However I have just tried the speed test and I got 1157 mb for a 1 MB file. Doesn't really seem representative of my usual speed experience though.

Are you on the basic Web N Walk tarif and when did you move over to it?

[ericsson68]

Whoever told you this about HSDPA at certain tariffs on T-Mobile is talking tripe I'm afraid. HSDPA is standard on T-Mobile 3G across the UK now, as is HSUPA UK wide and in London area faster HSDPA.

I'm sure you know that the figures are published at best and you will rarely hit what they publish.

In my area I get a four bar signal but at best I get just over 1mb connection with it usually being around the 300-600 mark. Uploads however have seriously improved since the network upgrade a few weeks ago.

[nokmond]

I'm on £7.50 w'n'w and the most i get is 300kbps which is the same as when i turn off hsdpa and just use 3g - still 300kbps.

What the hells going on?

[ns73]

I'm on £7.50 w'n'w and the most i get is 300kbps which is the same as when i turn off hsdpa and just use 3g - still 300kbps.

What the hells going on?

Right this is FACT and it IS on terms and conditions, I read them.

The reason I aborted my pre-order of MDA Compact IV was (amongst others) the fact that the standard web n'walk IS 3G speed only at up to 384kbps.

When I found out I flipped and cancelled and rang Orange retentions and got such a blinding deal I stayed with Orange ! Orange = HSDPA any package.

T-Mobile customers in the UK who have been on web n walk basic for ages may be under old agreement when it was HSDPA. You have to be on wnw PLUS now to get HSDPA for new customers.

[Monty Burns]

dont get it, whats the deal? Why not pay another 5 or so quid and have HSDPA?

Afterall, why do you need HSDPA if your just browsing on your phone???? The only real reason you need HSDPA is if your using your phone as a modem which basic package doesn't allow you to do anyway.

This just makes sense.... so, whats the problem? Its not like its 10's of pounds of diference, its the price of 2 pints in a pub?

[Smo1812]

HSDPA is useful for web browsing simply because the pages load up up so much quicker.

I use mine to do a bit of browsing on the train after leaving work, and the difference when the coverage drops off to standard GPRS along the journey is very noticeable.

To say that you don't need hsdpa for browsing is like saying we could all make do with 56k modems for browsing at home. Yeah sure we could. but it would be painfully slow.

I am on T-mob, but have the HTC version. When I first got it there was no hsdpa on my account. when the phone detected a hsdpa signal, I could not connect at all, so I phoned 150 and asked the guy to make sure that hsdpa was enabled for my account. He said it should be but he would check. When he checked the system it wasn't set up, but he enabled it there and then, and it was available pretty much straight away

I am on flext 20 + w 'n' w basic

I'll try the dslreports thing tomorrow, but pages do load up much quicker when I have a H signal indicated

[Monty Burns]

GPRS is commonly known as 2.5g
3g is "3g"
HSDPA is commonly known as 3.5g

Speed limits for each (http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php?t=67653)

btw: i'm fairly sure the phone supports HSUPA with a quick registry setting. Remember also that HSDPA is a BURST technology, not a sustained/constant technology.

Just because you dont have a "H" in your bar, doesn't mean your getting slow speeds - 3g IS quick enough for webbrowsing. You get normal 3g connection on Web'n'Walk basic.

So my question still stands, why do you NEED 3.5G HSDPA speeds for webbrowsing when 3G (Normal) IS way fast enough? If I was T-mobile I would use the same method for discouraging people using the phone as a modem when they are not supposed to - mind you 3g is still waaaaay fast enough for most stuff.

The fact you couldn't connect when your phone shows a H in the bar is odd... glad you got that sorted out.

[cojones]

Are you on the basic Web N Walk tarif and when did you move over to it?

I was on the basic package, I have not requested to move up neither have I been told that I have been moved up. The potential difference here is that I was on web n walk before Jan this year.

Good luck in trying to sort this out. i've decided to go (back) to Vodafone at the end of my contract in Nov because T mobile network coverage is so shocking.

[Smo1812]

did a few speed tests on mine this morning:

on the train
GPRS - 37 kbps
HSDPA - 498 - 1514 kbps

at my desk
HSDPA - 778 - 1231 kbps

was on web n walk basic for two years before upgrading to the diamond

[Monty Burns]

and your trying to tell us 37k/s isn't fast enough to render webpages? If your experiencing slow webpages with this speed, its not your link at fault.

edit: at its at least 3x faster than you could dream of on a 56k modem!

[imranbashir_uk]

Everyone who has responded so far has been on the Web N Walk package before Jan 2008. I would like to hear from someone who has only recently moved over to Web N Walk.

@ Monty Burns

1. There are better was to ensure that Web N Walk basic customers do not use their phone as a modem, such as a fair use policy, which they have. Why restrict how fast someone gets to that 1GB limit!

2. Yes back in the day 56K seemed fast, but you got to understand that the bar is constantly moving, back them most pages where static HTML, these days we have java, video streaming, audio streaming, not to mention bandwidth intensive apps such as Google maps.

I do notice the difference between what is effectively 3G speeds and WiFi. It’s frustrating and T-Mobile should see common sense and allow everyone to use HSDPA, it doesn’t cost them any extra to do so.

@ ns73

Please point me in the direction of the terms and conditions you read, as I cannot find this anywhere!

[Monty Burns]

yes your correct, the bar is higher but .. why do you need 3.5g to do it? 3g is way fast enough and will happily fill up your phone very quickly!

I suspect there is some form of limitation to HSDPA connection/s which is why, if i was t-mobile, i would limit it to those paying for the full package. As your only supposed to be browsing, you just don't need 3.5 when 3 is still massive overkill.

[lx_t]

I remember few years ago when HSDPA just came out I rung up T-mobile and they had to tick the box for HSDPA enabled. I believe you can also do this yourself by logging into the T-mobile website and managing your account

[OK!]

You don't get HSDPA with standard WNW, and while it may not have been stated when you connected, it was also not stated that you WOULD get HSDPA. If you connected to WNW over a year or so ago you may have slipped the net, and still have access at the higher speed.

As far as "ticking a box" is concerned, I don't believe this option is still present on their' systems, and even when it was it was simply for legacy purposes and you should have never have had it ticked in the first place.

The £5 isn't much extra to get the HSDPA, I don't mind paying it.

[Monty Burns]

You don't get HSDPA with standard WNW, .....


The £5 isn't much extra to get the HSDPA, I don't mind paying it.


Exactly. Cough up and get the larger packet (about 2 beers a month!!!? If you can't spare that, you have more serious concerns), live with no HSDPA (why do you need it anyway when your not allowed to use it as a modem) or go to another telcom.

[damiantmc]

well i've just taken out my compact IV on tmobile, flext 30 with W+W my signal at home is shocking, but at work connects over HSDPA and returns between 992 and 1324 so far, just with standard and new line taken out on tuesday

[imranbashir_uk]

@ Monty,

I have to disagree, while you may feel that 3G does fill your screen quickly enough, I find it slow and tedious. Everyone is going to have their own opinion on what they consider to be acceptable. I do not consider my current browsing experience to be acceptable.

There is a limitation to the number of connections per cell station. The cell station has algorithms built in to automatically share the data between HSDPA, 3G, GPRS, and GSM. However, this ratio is adjusted every few milliseconds on the fly and would only be a factor if a large number of people are downloading at the same time.

@ lx_t,

This option is no longer available on the T-Mobile website.

@ OK!

Your right WNW basic does not state that it includes HSDPA, but neither does any of the other WNW tariffs, so in that case as its not explicitly stated one way or the other, it is implicitly implied. Furthermore the MDA Compact IV is sold as a HSPDA phone, it does not state that this is subject to being on a particular WNW tariff.

[Monty Burns]

@ Monty,

I have to disagree, while you may feel that 3G does fill your screen quickly enough, I find it slow and tedious. Everyone is going to have their own opinion on what they consider to be acceptable. I do not consider my current browsing experience to be acceptable.
...

Thats not the link. you cannot notice the diference between 3g and 3.5g on a web browser on your phone... unless the web page has tens of links to some seriously high megapixel pictures of course but then, the phone would cave in anyway.

Check out the link i posted above for the speeds. 3g is like using a ferrari to race a push bike when it comes to speeds needed for web pages. HSDPA is designed for "modem" use and heavy downloading and for web browsing is like using a Veyron.... if you think 3g isn't good enough, your never going to be happy with web browsing on a phone.

I've spent more than £5 pounds worth of my time trying to explain this and thats all it would cost you a month to get a little more priority on the t-mobile network and a higher fup. Why are you so cheap? Why should you get maximum speeds on cheapest package? its FIVE pounds.

Now, where's the nearest wall, i think it might be less painfull head butting it than this thread ....

[imranbashir_uk]

Monty,

It’s not about being cheep, it’s about fighting back against large corporations trying to exploit you as much as possible. There’s no reason apart for greed for T-Mobile to do this!

£5 per month over 12 months is £60, I bet if you were buying car insurance you would switch if you got a quote for £60 less than your renewal.

Also, if you were correct about the speeds I would not see a difference between WiFi, and 3G as by your logic the bottleneck is not the connection speed, but the speed of the device able to render the pages. However I can tell you for a fact that using WiFi is far faster than using 3G while browsing on the phone and with apps like Google maps or you tube, well there’s no comparison. From this the only logical conclusion is that the device can benefit from a faster connection.