Testing: O2 - L09/L23 & N28/N78

[IgNG]

Cleethorpes new mast coming along nicely.
They did say no 5G though. O2.

 

[JitteryPinger]

Cleethorpes new mast coming along nicely.
They did say no 5G though. O2.

I do like these new O2 setups... They do leave something to be desired on performance side however but I guess upgrades are still yet to be done.

I'm also not yet in a position to see what the setups entail until I root my Pixel 4a again but that will have too wait until I sort out my new S22.

 

[The Wee Bear]

Cleethorpes new mast coming along nicely.
They did say no 5G though. O2.

Oh I do like black compared to the usual grey colour, looks much more classy.

 

[hle13]

Oh I do like black compared to the usual grey colour, looks much more classy.

I agree, much more stylish!

 

[JitteryPinger]

Well I've had the S22+ about a week now, and I've switched in the O2 sim to do some testing around South and Central Birmingham....

I'm honestly going to keep it breif as theres not much to show.

While 5G is available on O2 in many more places now thanks to their quite well organised and swift erection of their new Orion poles I must say theres a lot to be desired performance wise still....

The above test was taken on one ofd O2's latest activations in the Selly Oak area of Brum, it comes as party of the Beacon 3 UNWIND project and as such was placed around 150m down the road from the existing monople setup it share with hosts Vodafone.

The mast site (see here) seems to be a bit of a half arsed activation that leaves me scratching my head a bit, despite the data currently process by CellMapper is does seem to feature band's 1,8,20 @ 10Mhz each and the addition of '1 set'of Band 40 along with N78 @ 40Mhz.

Now the area is a busy one and using just 4G previously on this new setup it was still struggling, I do feel like O2 may have just transfered or setup radios like for like with the Vodafone setup, meaning no 4x4 on Band 1.

My oppionion is while O2 heads swiftly in the right direction they are leaving some key factors behind to get ahead, and I see that having an impact already nevermind down the road.

Other 5G areas tested have already been shared above and apart from the expected variable figures that comes with more 5G take up the networks performing OK.

There is another Orion site I would like to test but havent made it over there yet, this one I have touched in passing and seems to be broadcasting 5G on n28-700mhz.

 

[JitteryPinger]

OK, an update on N28....

So it would seem O2 are using Band 28 on a lot of their new Orion poles, what decides the choice of NR band I don't know but I supsect the long term plan is for all Orion poles and masts to feature both N28 (2x2) and N78 (64x64)

I think currently O2 may be rushing ahead with unwinding the cornerstone agreement by getting new Orion poles erect in locations local too or next to existing shared VF host monopoles.

Part of this may explain the somewhat half arsed radio availability on some of the new setups, examples of this include single L23 bands being enabled instead of both of them with 8x8 availability.

I suspect that O2 are enabling N28 using the same radio that spits out L08&L09 and leaving the MaMIMo radios idle until further kit additions or configuration.

So a breith rundown on Orion Poles being watched...

Harborne Lane, Selly Oak, B29 - L08/09/21/23+23 + n28 enabled.
Dads Lane, Selly Park, B29 - Not Enabled Yet - Awaiting Power.
Brandwood Park Road, Brandwood, B14 - L08/09/21/23 + n28 enabled.
Lordswood Road, Harborne, B17 - L08/09/21/23+23 + n78 enabled.
Weoley Castle Square, Weoley, B29 - Not Enabled Yet - Power

Upcoming rooftop upgrades around my neck of the woods too...

Northfield, Telephone Exchange - Approved
Capion House, Kings Norton - Approved
Brandwood House, Kings Heath - Approved

Speed tests for n28/n78 poles....

Selly Oak n28

Lordswood Road n78

Brandwood Park Road n28

Lawley Middleway n78

 

[CarlO1460]

I’m considering switching my iPhone 12 Pro Max for a pixel 6 pro, has anybody made this similar switch?

Any network discrepancy, for better or for worse, on either?

Does anyone have hands on experience between the two they could share?

 

[JitteryPinger]

Looks like it would be a Shannon modem in the Pixel 6....

Also looks like it would be CAT18/13 LTE which is 1200/150mbps.... the iPhone is CAT 20/13 so supports 2000/150mbps apparently.

However I would personally ditch the iphone and go for the Pixel, i can't see there being too much difference in network performance despite specsheets.

Also the Pixel seems to do better and aggregating bands of like n28 and n78 which is important right now an in near future.

 

[jbennett360]

Looks like it would be a Shannon modem in the Pixel 6....

Also looks like it would be CAT18/13 LTE which is 1200/150mbps.... the iPhone is CAT 20/13 so supports 2000/150mbps apparently.

However I would personally ditch the iphone and go for the Pixel, i can't see there being too much difference in network performance despite specsheets.

Also the Pixel seems to do better and aggregating bands of like n28 and n78 which is important right now an in near future.

Would do a bit of research on forums and maybe Reddit. I know there's a load of people having issues with reception and poor throughout on the P6. Not sure how widespread, or how much of an issue it is and whether it's certain countries etc.

But it's something to note

 

[Bubblesthefish6]

Looks like it would be a Shannon modem in the Pixel 6....

@CarlO1460 mentioned a Pixel 6 Pro. The 6 Pro has a Shannon 5123 modem, same as my S20+ 5G. I have to say, I've seen iPhones and Huawei devices outperform the modem in my phone, but for me, it's still more than fast enough. One test I remember is my phone Vs a P40 Lite, my phone managed 680 down, the P40 lite managed 760 down. Also in the upload tests too, my phone managed 30mbps and the P40 Lite managed 60mbps up. I'm not sure whether it's the modem in my phone or the antenna config or what, but its never as fast as the P40 lite, the iPhone 12 or the iPad Air that I have.


EDIT::: upon looking closer, the Pixel 6 Pro appears to have a less powerful B version of this modem, my post therefore is rendered useless. How does it feel to have your time wasted reading it

 

[CarlO1460]

Looks like it would be a Shannon modem in the Pixel 6....

Also looks like it would be CAT18/13 LTE which is 1200/150mbps.... the iPhone is CAT 20/13 so supports 2000/150mbps apparently.

However I would personally ditch the iphone and go for the Pixel, i can't see there being too much difference in network performance despite specsheets.

Also the Pixel seems to do better and aggregating bands of like n28 and n78 which is important right now an in near future.

Thanks for this!

Does the Pixel 6 Pro support NSG? Or form of band locking?

My Samsung did this really well but unsure about online reviews towards this.

 

[Lucian]

Thanks for this!

Does the Pixel 6 Pro support NSG? Or form of band locking?

My Samsung did this really well but unsure about online reviews towards this.

If it's Qualcomm then it should be supported by nsg, but you might need to root it which could lead to other issues (inability to use nfc payments etc)

Ps: nsg definitely supports it, check changelog attached

 

[CarlO1460]

If it's Qualcomm then it should be supported by nsg, but you might need to root it which could lead to other issues (inability to use nfc payments etc)

Ps: nsg definitely supports it, check changelog attached

Ah thanks!

If I raise enough for 12, series 6 watch and pods I may buy, though curious to see if the 7 is worth waiting on.

 

[hle13]

Checked out usability of EE and O2 yesterday at the top of Blackpool Tower, needless to say O2 didn't do that well.

How high can you get before a phone signal is unavailable? As I tried it at 412ft then 401ft then 380ft and EE was the only one that worked, O2 would vary between pick up signal but not useable or no signal at all.

 

[GavinAshford]

It depends on the types of antenna/sites in use in the area. O2 might have a number of street level sites in the area (called micro) whereas EE might have some sites on top of buildings nearby and so cover higher up

 

[CarlO1460]

Checked out usability of EE and O2 yesterday at the top of Blackpool Tower, needless to say O2 didn't do that well.

How high can you get before a phone signal is unavailable? As I tried it at 412ft then 401ft then 380ft and EE was the only one that worked, O2 would vary between pick up signal but not useable or no signal at all.

Blackpool is known for poor congestion so that’s most likely the issue.

 

[hle13]

Blackpool is known for poor congestion so that’s most likely the issue.

I didn't know as I've not been there for over 30 years and a lot can change in that time.

Heading to Doncaster this week so wonder what that area is like.

 

[Martin.S]

I was in Exeter earlier today and I discovered Band 40 on O2 for the first time.
Can't say I was exactly thrilled with the download speeds.......

 

[meritez]

@Martin.S what phone are you using, band 40 is meant to be good for carrier aggregation:

B40 (2300 MHz)

Overview The 3GPP B40 (2300 MHz) TDD LTE band is the eighth most popular band used by public mobile operators for LTE network deployments, and is typically deployed due to the wide availability of spectrum and its short range permits deployment dense coverage for maximum capacity. Many...

halberdbastion.com

I just don't understand how O2 are screwing it up, either they have too many customers or there's issues with their implementation.

 

[Bubblesthefish6]

I was in Exeter earlier today and I discovered Band 40 on O2 for the first time.
Can't say I was exactly thrilled with the download speeds.......

Typical O2. I was on the Moors in the middle of nowhere near Skipton and grassington the other day, and my Sky SIM has absolutely no service at all since I just about left any sort of civilization. My 3 SIM was varying between B20 4G and H+, but I always had signal unlike the Sky SIM which connected to absolutely nothing.