O2 Named Worst Network For London Commuters

O2’s service in and around London is struggling due to over reliance on ageing 2G connectivity

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A new report has investigated the quality of mobile network connection on the most popular commuter routes in London. According to Global Wireless Solutions O2 is the worst UK network due to its reliance on the ageing 2G network.

The report tested the major UK networks on the 10 most popular commuter routes in and around London. Across all the networks it was found one in four 3G data packets and more than 37 percent of 4G data packets didn’t reach their destination.

O2 came out worst and used its 2G network more than 60 percent of the time. It was also found that O2 used half-rate codecs for almost a third of phone calls. Half-rate codecs reduce the quality of audio.

Know Your Mobile has reached out to O2 to comment on the issue but we are yet to receive a response.

Although O2 came out worst, some other networks didn’t fair much better. EE came second worst falling back on the 2G network 42 percent of the time whilst Vodafone used 2G 40 percent of the time.

Vodafone used half-rate codecs on phone calls only eight percent of the time whilst EE only used them on three percent of calls.

The best network for calls was Three, mainly due to it not having a 2G network. Vodafone came out on top for having the best 3G connectivity whilst EE was ranked best for 4G data.

"Leaves on the track, the wrong kind of snow, having to stand up all the way to work and back - commuters have enough to contend with without the kind of mobile connectivity problems we’re revealing today," said Paul Carter, CEO of GWS.

The research almost discovered the worst stations for connectivity in London. London Kings Cross St Pancras was found to have the most mobile performance issues with over 99 percent data and voice failures.

Paul Carter continued, “It’s hard to believe we’re in 2014 and in a situation where a trained wizard would have a tough time getting a signal on the Hogwart's Express while it’s sitting in St Pancras."

Someone's a Potter fan, then.

For a look at the best 4G network you can get, check out our feature here.

James Peckham 12:11, 14 Oct 2014

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