meteor 3g now availiable

Sam Vimes

7.Ronaldo wrote: »

They had them for the purposes of the 3G trial so only a select few could use 3G services.

Once the 3G network launches ALL current Meteor SIM cards will be able to pick up 3G coverage as long as they are in a 3G phone and in a 3G area.

It wouldn't be practical for Meteor to hand out nearly one million new SIM cards on launch day. Get the 3G SIM if you want but as I said it won't make any difference.

that doesn't really clear it up for me. you said that all customer care has to do is provision people to give them 3g, which would in theory have worked just as well on the trial as now, ie the ones who had been provisioned would have 3g and the ones who hadn't wouldn't.

i still don't see why i needed a new sim card and they don't, if 3g can be activated on an account without a new sim

edit:unless having an old sim card could mean you mightn't get full service and they wanted to make sure people on the trial would get the full benefit...?

7.Ronaldo

Sam Vimes wrote: »

that doesn't really clear it up for me. you said that all customer care has to do is provision people to give them 3g, which would in theory have worked just as well on the trial as now, ie the ones who had been provisioned would have 3g and the ones who hadn't wouldn't.

i still don't see why i needed a new sim card and they don't, if 3g can be activated on an account without a new sim

edit:unless having an old sim card could mean you mightn't get full service and they wanted to make sure people on the trial would get the full benefit...?

On each SIM there is an unique number called an IMSI.

3G can be activated on an IMSI range say for example 1 - 100 (These numbers are a lot more complex than this obviously). The SIM cards within this IMSI range can then be set aside as '3G' SIM's - meaning that they can pick up 3G.

Come launch day all IMSI's will be activated meaning that any Meteor SIM in a 3G handset in a 3G area will be able to pick up 3G.

Sam Vimes

7.Ronaldo wrote: »

On each SIM there is an unique number called an IMSI.

3G can be activated on an IMSI range say for example 1 - 100 (These numbers are a lot more complex than this obviously). The SIM cards within this IMSI range can then be set aside as '3G' SIM's - meaning that they can pick up 3G.

Come launch day all IMSI's will be activated meaning that any Meteor SIM in a 3G handset in a 3G area will be able to pick up 3G.

right so it was easier to pre-provision an imsi range with 3g and have people switch than activate it on their accounts individually. but there was no technical reason they couldn't we couldn't have kept our sims, it was just easier this way

long_b

3G connection just outside of Newbridge, Co. Kildare

TheDoc

Theres some of you saying you need a 3g card, some of you saying you dont...

I'm a meteor bill customer, will i need to get a new contract would you think? id like to think theyd give you a gig or something free a month.

Also how would you go about connecting to 3g? ive a n95 8gb, dont see anything to see what connections i can get too

Sam Vimes

[DM]-TheDOC- wrote: »

Theres some of you saying you need a 3g card, some of you saying you dont...

I'm a meteor bill customer, will i need to get a new contract would you think? id like to think theyd give you a gig or something free a month.

Also how would you go about connecting to 3g? ive a n95 8gb, dont see anything to see what connections i can get too

only people who were part of the 3g trial can currently access the 3g network, you'll have to wait until they make it available to everyone else, at which point you should just be able to get 3g coverage without doing anything

you won't have to get a new contract but i can't see them giving away any free data. no irish networks do that

Walkman

7.Ronaldo wrote: »

On each SIM there is an unique number called an IMSI.

An IMSI as the phone number attached to each sim not the unique number. The unique number is called the ICCID. Also there is no way for meteor to activate all customers sims for 3g. In order to pick up their 3g signal you will need a 3g sim. Some posts on this thread are suggesting all you will need is a sim and 3g phone. What if your phone is 3g but your sim is 2yrs old........no access to the 3g network due to the sim. If you have an old sim from meteor you WILL have to get a new 3g sim otherwise known as a usim (a usim is a 3g sim a 2g/2.5g sim is called just that....a sim).

Sam Vimes

Walkman wrote: »

An IMSI as the phone number attached to each sim not the unique number.

no it's not, that's the IMEI. the IMSI is hard coded into the sim, on irish networks the sim number starts with 89353 and then follows with 01 for voda, 02 for o2, 03 for meteor and 05 for 3.

the imei is your ten digit 083, 085, 086 or 087 number and is not hard coded to the sim. that's how number portability can work

while it is true that older sims won't work properly, it's possible that meteor have been giving out usims for ages in preparation for the launch so they wouldn't have to provide millions next month

Rsaeire

MSISDN = Mobile Station International Subscriber Directory Number (Usually 12 digits e.g. +35386xxx-xxxx)

The MSISDN is a unique number stored on a sim that allows a user make/receive calls, amongst other things, on a mobile network.


IMSI = International Mobile Subscriber Identity (Usually 15 digits e.g. 272xx-xxxxx-xxxxx)

The IMSI is a unique number hard coded on a sim card enabling a user to be identified on a mobile network.


ICC-ID = Integrated Circuit Card ID (Usually 19 digits e.g. 89353-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxx)

The ICC-ID or SIM-SN (Subscriber Identity Module Serial Number) is a unique number given to a sim card enabling the sim to be identified on a mobile network.


IMEI = International Mobile Equipment Identity (Usually 15 digits e.g. 354xx-xxxxx-xxxxx)

The IMEI is a unique number stored on a handset enabling the handset to be identified on a mobile network.


In addition, it is possible for Meteor to enable users without 3G USIMS access the Meteor 3G network. For proof, all anyone needs do is wait a few weeks until Meteor's 3G network is officially launched.

Sam Vimes

Rsaeire wrote: »

IMSI = International Mobile Subscriber Identity (Usually 15 digits e.g. 272xx-xxxxx-xxxxx

you're right actually, i had assumed the sim card number was the imsi. i know the first 5 digits identify the network (27201 for voda, 27202 for o2 etc) but do you know what the rest of the digits are for? are they your phone number?

Rsaeire

Sam Vimes wrote: »

you're right actually, i had assumed the sim card number was the imsi. i know the first 5 digits identify the network (27201 for voda, 27202 for o2 etc) but do you know what the rest of the digits are for? are they your phone number?

The rest of the IMSI number is for network identification and does not, intentionally anyway, contain any part of the mobile number/MSISDN.

Sam Vimes

Rsaeire wrote: »

The rest of the IMSI number is for network identification and does not, intentionally anyway, contain any part of the mobile number/MSISDN.

fair enough. what do you mean by network identification? the first 5 digits are enough to identify the country and network. or are the rest to identify the subscriber themselves as opposed to the network?

Rsaeire

Sam Vimes wrote: »

fair enough. what do you mean by network identification? the first 5 digits are enough to identify the country and network. or are the rest to identify the subscriber themselves as opposed to the network?

When I said "network identification" I was referring to the network identifying the part of the IMSI after the first 5 digits. The 10 digits after the initial 5 are collectively known as the MSIN (Mobile Station Identification Number) and is a way in which the network can identify an individual user.

long_b

3G signal al Naas train station.

7.Ronaldo

Walkman wrote: »

An IMSI as the phone number attached to each sim not the unique number. The unique number is called the ICCID. Also there is no way for meteor to activate all customers sims for 3g. In order to pick up their 3g signal you will need a 3g sim. Some posts on this thread are suggesting all you will need is a sim and 3g phone. What if your phone is 3g but your sim is 2yrs old........no access to the 3g network due to the sim. If you have an old sim from meteor you WILL have to get a new 3g sim otherwise known as a usim (a usim is a 3g sim a 2g/2.5g sim is called just that....a sim).

Complete non-sense. Your referring to the SIM number. The IMSI is the unique ID associated with the SIM.

I guess we'll just have to see regarding the 3G SIM cards. I know for a fact that Meteor will not be asking the majority of their 1 million customers to upgrade to a 3G SIM.

andrewh5

I have just spoken to Meteor customer care about this. They are currently upgrading their entire network to 3G. They are having a few issues but have engineers on the case. They told me that the roll out would be completed very soon and that no new SIM cards are needed. All one needs is a 3G compatible phone and the 3G service enabled on it. If people do that they will see their Edge symbol replaced by a 3G one as soon as the changeover is complete.

Sam Vimes

andrewh5 wrote: »

They are currently upgrading their entire network to 3G

i doubt that. vodafone launched 3g more than 4 years ago and still their whole network isn't 3g

7.Ronaldo

Sam Vimes wrote: »

i doubt that. vodafone launched 3g more than 4 years ago and still their whole network isn't 3g

Well in phases.

The first phase will launch towards the end of the month with 33% of the population covered. This will be mainly Dublin, Cork and parts of Waterford.

Rsaeire

Well it will be easier for Meteor to upgrade their network to 3G, compared to how it was for Vodafone, since they only cover East Ireland and parts of the West and they have their Vodafone national roaming agreement for the rest.

metalfest

any idea of when?
or
what opening offer will be available??I expect meteor will outdo themselves and give u free video calls and internet usage till 2011 :P

ProjectC

Rsaeire wrote: »

Well it will be easier for Meteor to upgrade their network to 3G, compared to how it was for Vodafone, since they only cover East Ireland and parts of the West and they have their Vodafone national roaming agreement for the rest.

they have a roaming agreement for the gaps..they cover alot of the country...more than you think

Sam Vimes

Rsaeire wrote: »

Well it will be easier for Meteor to upgrade their network to 3G, compared to how it was for Vodafone, since they only cover East Ireland and parts of the West and they have their Vodafone national roaming agreement for the rest.

fair point, upgrading their whole network doesn't mean national coverage

@projectc, that's what he said

ProjectC

ok, but the major question is...will it ibe 3.6mbps??? or 7.2mbps./...or will they be bold and drive onto 14.4mbps??

Rsaeire

Meteor, like all networks with a 3G license, has to meet certain criteria outlined by ComReg and part of that criteria is to meet a minimum download speed on the network. Knowing this, and the fact that Meteor have obviously been working extremely hard to release their 3G network as soon as they can, the speeds will be lower than the highest current speeds available on the other 3G networks, but fast enough to be considered HSDPA.

long_b

7.Ronaldo wrote: »

This will be mainly Dublin, Cork and parts of Waterford.

and Kildare.

dlambirl

ahhhhhhhh.... so it'll be a while until its rolled out in Cavan!!

chrislad

ProjectC wrote: »

ok, but the major question is...will it ibe 3.6mbps??? or 7.2mbps./...or will they be bold and drive onto 14.4mbps??

They're being bold

Ron DMC

dlambirl wrote: »

ahhhhhhhh.... so it'll be a while until its rolled out in Cavan!!

More than likely. But you'll still have EDGE which is fairly speedy anyway.

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

Rsaeire

chrislad wrote: »

They're being bold

Do you say this because you're hoping or because you know something we don't?