[Ben]

http://www.trustedreviews.com/mobile-devices/news/2008/04/15/O2-Fixes-3G-Speed-Problems/p1

The revelation last week that O2 was limiting some of its 3G customers to just 128Kbps has sent shockwaves around the industry. So it is perhaps unsurprising - and in some ways commendable - that the network has responded with a fix so quickly.

In an email sent out to TrustedReviews, the network issued a formal apology and backed this up by the promise to ramp up speeds across both its 3G and HSDPA offerings:

"The vast majority of our 3G customers are able to access the internet on their mobile device at speeds of up to 384 KBps or typically up to 1.3 MBps if they have an HSDPA-enabled device," it expained. "The O2 network is fully HSDPA-enabled and we will be further increasing the maximum speeds available on HSDPA throughout the year, up to 7.2 MBps.

Because of a provisioning error, which came to our attention last week, a small proportion of our 3G customers have not been getting these higher speeds. We apologise to those customers who were affected. The issue is simple to fix and we will be doing so this week. If customers still have problems after that, they should call O2 in the normal way."

Many will rightly point out that this error shouldn't have happened in the first place, while cynics will believe O2 deliberately planned to get away with such a scheme for as long as it could to save bandwidth.

Will the moves be enough to land O2 the impending 3G iPhone? We'll soon know...
*Yawn* ?

[miffed]

Might seem like a minor thing , but I honestly do feel that O2 seem to listen to their customers and try to provide , far more than the other network
Firstly with the "unlimited' aspect of the data on the iPhone tariffs , then with the bundled minutes and texts , and now with these 3G speeds
I have to be honest , I think o2 may have been onto something with their approach to 3G , I spent the last weekend getting pawlry speeds on my 3 mobile broadband , which I suspect was due to sheer volume -
Now , how many people actually NEED full 3G speeds ? - a lot of the time I suspect users will only be using Network portals to view news etc , on WAP type sites , for these people , 120kbps would be plenty IMO ...whereas some of the more geeky among us would prefer our Data a little faster
Therefore , it might make sense for 3G to only be available to those that "opt in" - Now , o2's way of implementing this was not quite what I had in mind (i.e. Business customers / paying extra only ) - but the idea of keeping the bandwidth for those that actually want it makes a lot of sense IMO
But , the masses have said "We don't want this" - and o2 have obliged
When was the last time Vodafone or Orange did anything at the request / objection of their customers ?

[Hands0n]

I think it is not a little to do with market forces too. O2 have a simple choice, compete or get left behind, or even worse get left out completely. It is all about reputation and that Register article about the O2 press official's sneering opinion of its own customers would not have gone down terribly well. So is this merely a cynical ploy of O2? Or genuine customer concern?

My own experience of O2's 3G network 18 months ago was pitiful and we could not leave them quickly enough. The day the contract expired we left. And to be frank, I am only on O2 for the iPhone and no other reason at all. Their recent gesture with the mins/texts on the £35 tariff was a very welcome surprise, I wasn't expecting that at all.

And now this with their data speeds? The cynic in me says "watch, wait and see". 1.3Mbps HSDPA is pitiful and puts O2 at the bottom of the pile, still. The promise of 7.2Mbps HSDPA is okay, but by then Vodafone (for instance) may well be above that and heading to the 14.4Mbps theoretical limit.

The true test will be their data tariffs coupled with their available and practically accessible speeds.