Moving three->vodafone

[planetf1]

I joined 3UK in 2003, when they launched. Apart from 2-2.5 years with vodafone about 2.5-5 years back that is. 

I left vodafone since
 * Customer service was awful. forum/twitter better, but in general agents seemed powerless, clueless & even simple tasks seemed to take an age
 * I couldn't drive and listen to spotify -- far too much 2G coverage in the south of england, and when 3G was available frequently it would be "no-one home" scenario with minimal data transfer
 * I tried three and it was like night and day.

Since that point though
 * I get the feeling vodafone CS is improving. It still has a way to go but there's investment, better forum support
 * The current roaming offer is SO MUCH better than three in that it works. I can use it (I tried a sim). 4G, roaming, fast, just works. three was just the opposite
 * Vodafone now offers large data packages like 40GB, which is enough to let go of the AYCE (I usually use 10-15 GB/month, 20 is rare)
 * 4G penetration seems a lot higher - 800 Mhz is good for coverage, though worried it's not the best for bandwidth, nor is there much of it. 2600 Mhz helps with the former, 900 Mhz refarming may help with latter, and there's a little 1900 too. Who knows if that may get refarmed. At least it's being talked about and overall spectrum allocation seems quite well distributed
 * Finally I see signs VoLTE is coming (I have an iPhone 7+), and wifi calling - though why no SMS

So a few questions

 * How much 2/2.5G only do people still see these days?
 * Is the 2G priority relatively low (as it's data poor)?
 * Any signs of 4G congestion yet?
 * Any signs of wifi calling SMS?
 * Has VoLTE launched?

 * How is the voda 3G network generally? is it usable these days?

Tempted (40GB plan)

[planetf1]

In terms of pricing, vodafone is more expensive IMO than three. But they have entertainment packs. Cool except I do wish they had other options for:
* Spotify - neat idea, but I pay £15/month for family support (3 or 4 on account). So the premium sub can't be benefited from. It would be great in future if, like with sports, the "pack" could be used as a discount off family membership
* Now.TV - already have sky AND virgin (currently in switchover) - shame it can't be used against those other services, though more understandable
* Sky sports - would need to pay for plus to get f1, and then can't watch on larger screen NOR catchup (since sky don't have FULL, uneditied f1 catchup at all). Now if they did full catchup just maybe, but this is way outside the scope of what vodafone could do
 

Maybe just have more plans without the entertainment pack, though whether that makes financial sense I don't know (I bet it's less than £5 extra for voda to offer, so any cost reduction likely minimal)

[BandOfBrothers]

Hi

Network signal will always fluctuate due to different variables. I live in West Yorkshire and rarely see anything below 3g. 

I personally see little 4g congestion but then population growth etc can affect masts etc. 

Calling Over WiFi is still in its infancy and so sms over this feature is not available. And i see no official info from Vodafone to advise yet when or if it'll be launched or implemented. 

From what I hear voLTE is being tested in a part of the country on a Sony make of phone. I assume for testing so that certainly looks positive for the future. 

I find no issue using the 3g network on my Samsung Galaxy s8 but of.course that can differ for others depending on where they live ,sometimes the phone their using and other variables such as weather etc. 

I'd suggest to use a Vodafone payg sim card for a while to investigate usage in your area and where you commute and work. 

[planetf1]

thanks for the reply. I have a corporate (work) SIM on vodafone anyway so have tested using this - albeit not at the same data volumes that I might use personally and generally getting decent coverage. Generally fewer gaps, speeds variable - win some, lose some. roaming is night and day better. coverage at work a bonus