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Vodafone – the good and the bad and the bullshit
Any reader of this blog will know I like Telecom’s XT network. And no, I am not paid to say that, I don’t work for, nor have I ever worked for a telco (or a supplier to one). I have always just been a customer/end user.
Anyway, I have commented before about how Vodafone’s network does have issues too, but Vodafone issues often go unreported. Well the lastest issue that Voda has are causing quite a stir (along with this blog post on Voda’s crappy network)- not the least of which because they are denying its a problem. I found their recent excuse most laughable (from this NZ Herlad Story)
At certain times of the day there’s a lot of congestion … What happens in Wellington is they come out of a meeting and all switch on their iPhones at the same time and find it’s congested.
This is either spin (which I think it is) or Vodafone has very serious problems. If a network can’t handle a few dozens smart phones turning on at the same time in a major city, then the network has MAJOR issues. How do they handle airports (aka a few hundred?) Actually come to think of it, this is bullshit, since 99% of people don’t even turn phones off, they just put them on silent when in meetings. So yeah .. cut the crap Vodafone!
Anyway .. the good news is Voda are planning a speed upgrade (maybe because XT keeps kicking their arse in speed tests?)
Good to see voda also understand the real value of their 2G GSM network too
Baird also announced that Vodafone will push out the life of its aging GSM network until at least 2020. If there are problems on the 3G network customers default to the 2G network – ensuring, in most cases, that there is no total loss of service.
He said that customers value the GSM network as a “fall back position”.
“They like the redundancy it offers, so we’ve made the call to keep the GSM network operational for at least another decade.”
I’ve blogged about this a lot, how one of Telecoms issues is they have no fallback from XT (their other network is incompatible).
The BIG difference I see here is how Telecom (XT) and Vodafone respond to their issues. Telecom fronted up and admitted it, and did something about it while Voda seam to be in denial mode. Not a good look voda. (In fairness, XT’s issues were more significant, but that’s not the point I am making here – it’s not whether or not issues happen, it’s what they do about them when they do).
Black and White Version: Voda network appears to be under pressure, and lots of unhappy campers. Speed upgrades coming.
Telecom didn’t really “own up” when there was an issue, I thought they glossed it over really and had terrible communication, a lot of whitewashing “we really value our customers” but no real world “look, we under invested and it broke and are taking steps to resolve it” until the 4th outage.
“Here’s a credit”, now go away.
As for Vodafone, I don’t think they were aware there was actually an issue until some noise was made about it. The network didn’t just “fall over” but it became degraded and in quite an unusual way so they could have thought it was just a pocket of users having an issue. I suspect it is Android devices, iPhones are “chatty” but Androids and just diabolical and I can see why any network could be brought to it’s knees. Remember there are a lot more 3G devices on Vodafone and more chances of problems. They also have far more telemetry and “off label” systems such as home phone wireless.
“Alien” devices like imported handsets that could be causing the issues perhaps?
One other thing is that XT seems to be used for SMS traffic more than anything else with cheap “2500 TXT” deals and the like. Vodafone push the data a lot more.
I must agree that Paul Brislens comment about the iPhones was foolish.
I’m very happy to see that 2G has ten years of life left! I can have many more parties with my working Motorola “brick” phone. The looks I get when It actually RINGS and I talk on it is classic.
As for speed tests, I find Vodafone to be more consistent if slower overall, XT seems to suddenly degrade in certain regions for utterly no reason at all. I find 2degrees sometimes does the same.
PS: I have the actual physical stamp of your post headline image that has graced many an internal document. ;-P