whats the story with 3 3G Datacards?

fdiddy

can anyone tell me whats the story with 3 3G Datacards?i live outside the dsl range for broadband and wireless isnt an option,as for satellite it is simply too expensive.
is it possible for me to get a 3 3G Datacard and use the internet for work with unlimited browsing time?it almost seems to be too good!can anyone put me right?

Urban Weigl

That's correct, but you're limited to 3000 MB. Also, check the coverage map, because if you're only in a 2.5G area, you'll only get dialup speeds.

fdiddy

thats seems quite a lot of mbs,i would need to be on it all day for work,anything would be better than dialup!would i have to sign up for a monthly contract for a phone as well in order to avail of this service?or can i just buy a pay as you go sim?

jhegarty

Urban Weigl wrote:

That's correct, but you're limited to 3000 MB. Also, check the coverage map, because if you're only in a 2.5G area, you'll only get dialup speeds.

Vodafone gives 5gb (5 x 1024mb)

Urban Weigl

I was about to post, Vodafone is probably the better deal. Similar 3G coverage, but you get significantly more data. 5120 versus 3000 MB! And if you go over, it's "only" 12 cents compared to 49 cents with 3 (per MB). Finally, while 3 let you roam on their 3G networks in countries where they operate for free, if like me you go to Germany and Spain, Vodafone is better, because they let you add on for €75 + VAT flat rate roaming for almost all countries (as Vodafone have partner networks almost everywhere, for example they own a part of Swisscom). 3, by contrast, don't have any networks in these countries.

Rambling.

fdiddy

from the coverage maps of 3g on there websites three seems to have a lot more 3g coverage than vodafone,do i need to buy a contract in order to avail of this broadband?how will i know that i can get 3g in my area?

Blaster99

Urban Weigl wrote:

I was about to post, Vodafone is probably the better deal. Similar 3G coverage, but you get significantly more data. 5120 versus 3000 MB! And if you go over, it's "only" 12 cents compared to 49 cents with 3 (per MB). Finally, while 3 let you roam on their 3G networks in countries where they operate for free, if like me you go to Germany and Spain, Vodafone is better, because they let you add on for €75 + VAT flat rate roaming for almost all countries (as Vodafone have partner networks almost everywhere, for example they own a part of Swisscom). 3, by contrast, don't have any networks in these countries.

Rambling.

If 3 can do roaming for free on their networks, then €75+VAT from Vodafone is a complete and utter rip-off. How you can call that "better" boggles my mind.

uncle_sam_ie

fdiddy wrote:

from the coverage maps of 3g on there websites three seems to have a lot more 3g coverage than vodafone,do i need to buy a contract in order to avail of this broadband?how will i know that i can get 3g in my area?

I don't think the map on Three's website is that accurate. From what I was told Three has the same coverage as Vodafones.

bk

Blaster99 wrote:

If 3 can do roaming for free on their networks, then €75+VAT from Vodafone is a complete and utter rip-off. How you can call that "better" boggles my mind.

I'd say he means that 3 operate in only less then 10 countries, while Vodafone should work in almost any country world wide.

Urban Weigl

Blaster99, unfortunately that won't do me any good next time I'm in Spain, Portugal, Germany, Switzerland or Malta. 3 only lets me roam in 7 other countries, whereas with Vodafone I have a wide list of countries I can roam in.

Yes it's pricey, but it's still the best deal. Now if I only travelled to the UK and Italy, for example, 3's roaming would work well for me. I also have another reserveation about 3's roaming: let's say I do go to Italy with my 3 card, but there is no 3G coverage where I'm staying. With Vodafone, I can fall back to their 2.5G network. With 3, I don't think you can do that. You'll be stuck with no internet.

If it's only for personal use, that's not a big deal. But if you're relaying on it, it's a deal-breaker.

Finally, I do applaud 3 for doing what they're doing. It's a big step in the right direction, and I hope other operators follow.

1huge1

uncle_sam_ie wrote:

I don't think the map on Three's website is that accurate. From what I was told Three has the same coverage as Vodafones.

well you were informed wrong

3's 3G coverage is over 85% os the population while in contrast to vodafone which is just over 60%

the maps on three.ie are well outdated

Urban Weigl

Vodafone already had 62% 3G coverage in Ireland back in mid-2004. It must be a lot better now. Whenever I do searches, I always get either both Voda and 3, or neither.

Vodafone also told me on the phone several times that they have 85% covered with 3G. They could have been lying though, or perhaps I simply live and travel in areas where Vodafone's 3G coverage is the same as 3's.

Blaster99

Urban Weigl wrote:

Blaster99, unfortunately that won't do me any good next time I'm in Spain, Portugal, Germany, Switzerland or Malta. 3 only lets me roam in 7 other countries, whereas with Vodafone I have a wide list of countries I can roam in.

Aha. And €75 a month on top of the normal €40 is good value how again? Perhaps €10 would be worth talking about, but at those rates the vast number of people would be a lot better off using hotspots. An extra €75 (+VAT) a month is an irrelevance.

Urban Weigl

I never said it was good value. What I did say is that it's the best deal you can get. That doesn't mean it isn't a ripoff.

I should add that you only need to pay the €75 + VAT on top of your regular €39.99 subscription when you actually need it: you don't have to take it for a year, and you can take it off again when you return to Ireland. For example: going to Spain for 2 weeks? Call sales and have them add it. When you return, call sales again and have them take it off. If you rely on the Internet, it's not that much to pay. Consider that you're probably paying hundreds or perhaps even thousands of euros for your holiday already, so an extra €75 + VAT probably won't break the bank. If it's just for personal use, perhaps. But if you rely on being accessible, definitely not.

niallb

Hi Urban Weigl,
I've just got a Vodafone data contract and it's great.
You're the first person I've heard mention this.

Do you know how much notice Vodafone require to
add the roaming charge and activate it?

Just thinking that if I was away for a few days, and had
an emergency could I get it turned on with a phone call,
but for less urgent things rely on wifi.
For €75+ on top of my normal monthly charge
(€49.99 as I bought in before the New Year) I'd like to
think they could make that happen in a hurry!

NiallB

uncle_sam_ie

1huge1 wrote:

well you were informed wrong

3's 3G coverage is over 85% os the population while in contrast to vodafone which is just over 60%

the maps on three.ie are well outdated

I was told by a sales man in one of the Three stores that their coverage is the same as Vodafones. But, being the standard of training with these companies, he probably never read the memo.

Urban Weigl

niallb, unfortunately that isn't possible. You will have to call Vodafone in advance and have them add it for a full month. I recommend that you call Vodafone and ask them about the unlimited data roaming option for details.

wirelessdude

i work for vodafone and as far as i am aware the roaming add on will be added from the start of the next bill day....just make sure to ring up to get it taken off before the end of that billing period otherwise it is carried through to the next month

Blaster99

Sorry, what does "next bill day" mean? Is that "tomorrow" or the first day of my existing billing period? If it's the latter, I will continue to refer to this as an irrelevance. If it's the former, then maybe it has some limited use.

Urban Weigl

At Vodafone, the next bill day refers to the beginning of the next billing period. For example, the 7th of every month. So you need to plan it in advance, you can't just book it at the last minute.

That does suck, and I do hope they address that, because as far as I know they don't do that deliberately, rather it is a limitation of Vodafone's billing software.

Relevant or not, it is still the best offer available to the Irish telecoms customer. I wish there was something better available. For example, why doesn't Vodafone do something like Vodafone passport? E.g. charge a connection fee for connecting overseas, but otherwise it will cost the same? E.g. if I'm using it in Switzerland, I'll get billed €0.50 for each connection there, but after that there are no other roaming charges.

That works for telephony, why not for data?

Solair

3's network is 3G only. They use Vodafone's 2.5G network as fall back in areas where they don't yet have 3G coverage.

For Vodafone 3G is seen a bit like an add on service like GPRS was. It's not that urgent that they roll it out everywhere.
for 3, 3G is their core network and they will want as many people making calls on their infrastructure as possible rather than roaming on Vodafone's 2.5G infrastructure which is costing 3 money.

So, you can be pretty certain that their 3G coverage is better than Vodafones!

I've found 3s coverage generally to be excellent. You've voice coverage anywhere Vodafone is live and much better 3G coverage than Vodafone.

Blaster99

Urban Weigl wrote:

I wish there was something better available. For example, why doesn't Vodafone do something like Vodafone passport? E.g. charge a connection fee for connecting overseas, but otherwise it will cost the same? E.g. if I'm using it in Switzerland, I'll get billed €0.50 for each connection there, but after that there are no other roaming charges.

That works for telephony, why not for data?

I guess without any meaningful competition to lead the way it's only the realization that having five users paying €75 a month is a lot worse than having thousands paying €10 a month that will make a difference.

jesus_thats_gre

Solair wrote:

3's network is 3G only. They use Vodafone's 2.5G network as fall back in areas where they don't yet have 3G coverage.

For Vodafone 3G is seen a bit like an add on service like GPRS was. It's not that urgent that they roll it out everywhere.
for 3, 3G is their core network and they will want as many people making calls on their infrastructure as possible rather than roaming on Vodafone's 2.5G infrastructure which is costing 3 money.

So, you can be pretty certain that their 3G coverage is better than Vodafones!

I've found 3s coverage generally to be excellent. You've voice coverage anywhere Vodafone is live and much better 3G coverage than Vodafone.

Did Spongebob not post something recently saying that Vodafone has been very aggresive in their 3G rollout and had more 3G coverage than other operators?

Urban Weigl

jesus_thats_gre wrote:

Did Spongebob not post something recently saying that Vodafone has been very aggresive in their 3G rollout and had more 3G coverage than other operators?

I've said it before, but I'll say it again: for me, Vodafone and 3 offer identical coverage. I either see both of them on my phone when I do a network search, or neither. So as far as I'm concerned, there is no difference between Vodafone and 3. That may very well be different in other parts of the country.

O2 comes in third, and Meteor obviously have zero 3G coverage, though they've been offered the final license, so that could change soon.

Hello77

Hi,
Anyone know if you can use a VPN with these (Vodafonre or 3)?
Looking into getting it as all other options not suitable, need to work from home.
Anyone know how good the coverage is in Westport, Mayo?
Thanks a million

zenith

VPN works fine.

andmoreagain

I got a Three 3g Data card a week ago and have been getting download speeds averaging 120KB on a pretty constant basis. There is no Vodafone 3g or O2 3g in this area (Carlow/Kilkenny border). There is also no broadband of any description, so I am very happy with the Three service. The 3GB cap is a bit low but it's a heck of a lot better than what I'm used to.

s_wrenn

I was thinking of getting a 3g data card but the traffic quotas are really low.
What’s the minimum recommended traffic quota to have if you’re going to be playing online games as well as surfing the net?
I’m talking about xbox360 and ps3 online games.

Which leads me to my next question, can a 3g data card be used to connect wirelessly to a xbox360 or ps3 (or wii for that matter)?

Urban Weigl

s_wrenn, you will need to get the Linksys 3G router, which retails for about 150-200 euros.

I'm glad I still have Vodafone Unlimited Data, since it's been withdrawn from new customers. While I don't use that much, I'd hate to worry about going over a limit.

Interestingly, in my area, Vodafone's 3G coverage is now actually better than 3. Looks like they have some work to do.

thebman

s_wrenn wrote:

I was thinking of getting a 3g data card but the traffic quotas are really low.
What’s the minimum recommended traffic quota to have if you’re going to be playing online games as well as surfing the net?
I’m talking about xbox360 and ps3 online games.

Which leads me to my next question, can a 3g data card be used to connect wirelessly to a xbox360 or ps3 (or wii for that matter)?

From what other said this is bad for VOIP. If it is bad for VOIP it will be bad for gaming too.

You could use it for downloading updates etc.. for the consoles.

yop

Hello77 wrote:

Hi,
Anyone know if you can use a VPN with these (Vodafonre or 3)?
Looking into getting it as all other options not suitable, need to work from home.
Anyone know how good the coverage is in Westport, Mayo?
Thanks a million

My bother had Vodafone 3g and the coverage within a 1.5 mile coverage of Westport is excellent, once he goes home, about 5 miles out the road he cannot get 3G coverage at all.