What network does 3 run on?

[raybarrow]

Hi Folks,
Just a quickie. Been having trouble with O2 (Giffgaff) coverage. Seems to have gone to pot here, Birmingham. Looking at Three as an alternative but don't know if that runs on O2 or something else.
Anybody know?
Ray.

[Hallucigenia]

3 owned their own network, but merged last year with Vodafone.

[Infrasonic]

3 owned their own network, but merged last year with Vodafone.

Have the CMA approved this yet?

https://www.lightreading.com/regulatory ... k-approval

...As noted by Compass Lexecon, regulators' stance with respect to horizontal MNO mergers has hardened substantially over time, as illustrated by the prohibition of the CK Hutchison's proposed acquisition of Telefonica (O2) UK.

Meanwhile, Vodafone and Three remain hopeful that the CMA will agree with their assessment of the situation: that two sub-scale MNOs will find it difficult to exist as standalone entities in view of competition from BT/EE and Virgin Media O2.

Vodafone Group CEO Margherita Della Valle recently said she expects the UK merger to close before the end of December 2024. Vodafone would then own 51% of the combined business and CK Hutchison 49%.

[Hallucigenia]

3 owned their own network, but merged last year with Vodafone.

Have the CMA approved this yet?

https://www.lightreading.com/regulatory ... k-approval

...As noted by Compass Lexecon, regulators' stance with respect to horizontal MNO mergers has hardened substantially over time, as illustrated by the prohibition of the CK Hutchison's proposed acquisition of Telefonica (O2) UK.

Meanwhile, Vodafone and Three remain hopeful that the CMA will agree with their assessment of the situation: that two sub-scale MNOs will find it difficult to exist as standalone entities in view of competition from BT/EE and Virgin Media O2.

Vodafone Group CEO Margherita Della Valle recently said she expects the UK merger to close before the end of December 2024. Vodafone would then own 51% of the combined business and CK Hutchison 49%.

Fair enough, I thought it must have gone through by now, I think the original deadline was the end of 2023 but seems they want comments by next week :
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/cma- ... ree-merger

[Urbandreamer]

A word of warning.

Vodaphone no longer supports 3G. My son has had to upgrade his phone, as he wants to stick with his current network, which uses Vodaphone.

Check what your current phone and intended network supports.

[kempiejon]

Vodaphone no longer supports 3G.

And not just Vod, I'm with EE they've said the same, chum with Tesco (actually virgin) same thing. I've just bought, delivered today, not commissioned yet a 4g phone. My old phone 2g which I think will be OK until 2033.

https://news.sky.com/story/what-is-the- ... 0by%202033.

[quelquod]

A word of warning.

Vodaphone no longer supports 3G. My son has had to upgrade his phone, as he wants to stick with his current network, which uses Vodaphone.

Check what your current phone and intended network supports.

Having said that, both O2 and EE have announced plans to shut 3G off by 2024-2025 anyway.

[didds]

A word of warning.

Vodaphone no longer supports 3G. My son has had to upgrade his phone, as he wants to stick with his current network, which uses Vodaphone.

Check what your current phone and intended network supports.

Having said that, both O2 and EE have announced plans to shut 3G off by 2024-2025 anyway.

doesnt everybody?

ISTR something about 2G lasting longer than 3G because some systems run on 2G that cannot be "upgraded" to use 4G yet (not necessarily mobile phones alone etc)

[Infrasonic]

If you're running old phones that are out of support and no longer getting OS updates, then it's not great from a security perspective - especially if you use the internet on your phone.

I know people are loath to upgrade for the sake of it but if you want to save money just get a S/H refurbed 4/5G smartphone with a warranty from a reputable dealer that is a year or so old and will be supported for a few years with OS updates.

[XFool]

A word of warning.

Vodaphone no longer supports 3G.

Ironically, neither did '3'!

[XFool]

If you're running old phones that are out of support and no longer getting OS updates, then it's not great from a security perspective - especially if you use the internet on your phone.

I know people are loath to upgrade for the sake of it but if you want to save money just get a S/H refurbed 4/5G smartphone with a warranty from a reputable dealer that is a year or so old and will be supported for a few years with OS updates.

My battered 2G Nokia 1100 has never had an OS upgrade and still works, 15 years later!
(Provided O2 can get the base station to stand up for more than a month or so...)

[James]

Having said that, both O2 and EE have announced plans to shut 3G off by 2024-2025 anyway.

doesnt everybody?

ISTR something about 2G lasting longer than 3G because some systems run on 2G that cannot be "upgraded" to use 4G yet (not necessarily mobile phones alone etc)

I think it is more with the frequency being reallocated elsewhere. Unfortunately, the electromagnetic spectrum is another finite resource. The spectrum utilised by 2G doesn't have as many competing demands on it.

[Urbandreamer]

If you're running old phones that are out of support and no longer getting OS updates, then it's not great from a security perspective - especially if you use the internet on your phone.

I know people are loath to upgrade for the sake of it but if you want to save money just get a S/H refurbed 4/5G smartphone with a warranty from a reputable dealer that is a year or so old and will be supported for a few years with OS updates.

My battered 2G has never had an OS upgrade and still works, 15 years later!
(Provided O2 can get the base station to stand up for more than a month or so...)

I think that the point was not about the phones working as phones, but security if you use them for things requiring a degree of security.

Do you have banking apps on that Nokia? Crypto wallets? NFT payments? Google authentication to provide better security than SMS? Obviously not. Sure it still works as intended, but it DOESN'T work at all, if you require any of those things.

If you do require those things, then arguably you need more security. Hence need to consider security updates. These normally come as OS updates.
Eventually security flaws may be found in older hardware and the entire phone may need replacing.

PS, re SMS, does your Nokia display SMS while the keypad is locked? You do know that this is a security weakness if using SMS for 2FA. Later phones can be configured to not show SMS message while the phone is locked.

[XFool]

I think that the point was not about the phones working as phones, but security if you use them for things requiring a degree of security.

Do you have banking apps on that Nokia? Crypto wallets? NFT payments?

"Crypto wallets? NFT payments?" Why ever would I want those? "banking apps", possibly. If I ever get around to getting a smart phone.

If you do require those things, then arguably you need more security. Hence need to consider security updates. These normally come as OS updates.
Eventually security flaws may be found in older hardware and the entire phone may need replacing.

Indeed. In fact, no question of "may need replacing", rather will need replacing - that's todays business model.

PS, re SMS, does your Nokia display SMS while the keypad is locked? You do know that this is a security weakness if using SMS for 2FA. Later phones can be configured to not show SMS message while the phone is locked.

No it doesn't display texts unless you open Messages. But it doesn't seem to represent much of a security issue to me. I don't even use a PIN for unlocking phone. If I am logging in (via pc) I will have phone for SMS 2FA (prefer card reader if possible). If phone lost or stolen (stolen? ) I wouldn't be logging in via SMS 2FA anyway.

Each to their own.

[Urbandreamer]

I think that the point was not about the phones working as phones, but security if you use them for things requiring a degree of security.

Do you have banking apps on that Nokia? Crypto wallets? NFT payments?

"Crypto wallets? NFT payments?" Why ever would I want those? "banking apps", possibly. If I ever get around to getting a smart phone.
...
Each to their own.

As you say, each to their own.

Sorry when I wrote NFT payments I meant NFC payments. That's google or apple pay via Near Field Communication. You will see people using their phone to pay for train tickets or the supermarket shop all the time. One less thing to carry, is usually their opinion.

Sorry for the confusion with Non Fungible Tokens.

As for smart phones, you quite literally don't know what you are missing. It's a bit like central heating or fridges and freezers. People didn't always have them and couldn't see the point, until they did. You can't form a valid opinion lacking anything to base it upon. I've had a smart phone for decades and wouldn't be without.

[XFool]

Sorry when I wrote NFT payments I meant NFC payments. That's google or apple pay via Near Field Communication. You will see people using their phone to pay for train tickets or the supermarket shop all the time. One less thing to carry, is usually their opinion.

No thanks! I have even taken steps to disable that in my credit card.

As for smart phones, you quite literally don't know what you are missing. It's a bit like central heating or fridges and freezers. People didn't always have them and couldn't see the point, until they did. You can't form a valid opinion lacking anything to base it upon. I've had a smart phone for decades and wouldn't be without.

One day... But then, I only got my Nokia originally when I needed it for a specific purpose.

[kempiejon]

As for smart phones, you quite literally don't know what you are missing. It's a bit like central heating or fridges and freezers. People didn't always have them and couldn't see the point, until they did. You can't form a valid opinion lacking anything to base it upon. I've had a smart phone for decades and wouldn't be without.

I'm a basic Nokia user too, my phone is 15 years old and only does calls and text, the battery lasts a week. At work I've always had an iphone. I've ditched that job so no smart phone for me any more. I do not miss it.

I feel the societal pressure to upgrade my old Nokia but I can't say I need to pay for shopping with a phone, watch TV on the move nor bank when I'm away from my larger machines. Perhaps in a few months I'll have capitulated but currently I can't see what I'm missing with the down grade.

[Urbandreamer]

As for smart phones, you quite literally don't know what you are missing. It's a bit like central heating or fridges and freezers. People didn't always have them and couldn't see the point, until they did. You can't form a valid opinion lacking anything to base it upon. I've had a smart phone for decades and wouldn't be without.

I'm a basic Nokia user too, my phone is 15 years old and only does calls and text, the battery lasts a week. At work I've always had an iphone. I've ditched that job so no smart phone for me any more. I do not miss it.

I feel the societal pressure to upgrade my old Nokia but I can't say I need to pay for shopping with a phone, watch TV on the move nor bank when I'm away from my larger machines. Perhaps in a few months I'll have capitulated but currently I can't see what I'm missing with the down grade.

AH. I too had to use an Iphone for work
While I didn't like it as a phone, it was using it for work that was the issue.

Your own personal pocket computer with internet connection is a totally different thing. Though I confess that I don't watch TV on my phone.

You may not be surprised, given that this is TLF, that I have an investment portfolio. A portfolio tracker allows me to easily see it's performance. But I wouldn't put that on a work phone now would I?
My credit card has gone paperless (I was not given the choice). The App allows me to track the balance etc, and also acts to securely authorize web based access. Work phone?
I share an appointments diary with my wife that automatically updates when one of us adds an event. No more double bookings. Work phone?
Shopping. We keep a shared shopping list on our phones. The list can update while you are shopping. But no, I don't want to use my phone to pay. Work phone?
Both of us listen to talking books and I listen to podcasts. Both downloaded from the internet. Rarely I have bought the next book using the phone.
I use a recipe manager and menu planner on my phone.
Access to one of my stock brokers is secured with googles authentication, rather than SMS message. SIM swaps are a common attack vector with finance.
My wife has her phone linked to her activity tracker and can chart her sleep patterns.
I have used the phones satnav to find places in the city center, though I don't use my phone as a car satnav.
On holiday I have used it to locate the nearest supermarket, or to look up tide times.
I have used it as a WiFi hotspot with my laptop when on holiday.

I'm also interested in bitcoin. I have a ticker showing it's current price or a chart of that. I have a couple of bitcoin wallets, and yes, have used them to buy beer. It's a hobby, made easier with a smart phone.

Does anyone NEED any of the above? No, obviously not. Instead I CHOOSE them as they improve my quality of life.. I really don't get why people with "feature" phones bandy the word "need" about with respect to smart phones. After all, we all know that mankind never needed central heating or mobile phones at all.

Re work. Google translate is great at enabling you to function in a foreign country when far from tourist areas. It really make such things as choosing food from a menu a lot easier.

Ps, down grade? Is charging your phone every night a problem? I fail to see that as a huge issue and many modern smart phones can simply be dropped on a wireless charger. Is it because plugging your phone in actually is an effort?

[kempiejon]

Does anyone NEED any of the above? No, obviously not. Instead I CHOOSE them as they improve my quality of life.. I really don't get why people with "feature" phones bandy the word "need" about with respect to smart phones.

Well that's a world of opportunities to look forward to, shopping, banking, investing, appointments, bitcoin, cooking, podcast and books.
Do you really have to charge your phone every night? I would definitely forget, I can't keep my tooth brush fully charged and I keep a spare battery and charger for the Nokia for hot swaps. I think calls and text suit me. Back on topic, my 2g phone network won't be turned off.

[Urbandreamer]

Does anyone NEED any of the above? No, obviously not. Instead I CHOOSE them as they improve my quality of life.. I really don't get why people with "feature" phones bandy the word "need" about with respect to smart phones.

Well that's a world of opportunities to look forward to, shopping, banking, investing, appointments, bitcoin, cooking, podcast and books.
Do you really have to charge your phone every night? I would definitely forget, I can't keep my tooth brush fully charged and I keep a spare battery and charger for the Nokia for hot swaps. I think calls and text suit me. Back on topic, my 2g phone network won't be turned off.

Sadly you do need to charge a smart phone very regularly. At least every other day. However if you USE it, for example spend 8-12hr listening to a book, is it any surprise that you need to charge it every day?

The point is that it's not really being used as a phone at all.

As for forgetting, you forget to charge your tooth brush, but not to brush your teeth? Habits can be developed.

Other uses:
Magnifying glass.
Bulky endoscope for reading appliance serial numbers in hard to reach places (used only this week), or checking gas or electric meters against bills.
Torch.