Cell C Edge any good?

[Dylman80]

Hi there. I live in an area that has no 3G on Cell C's coverage map. I currently use MTN and have a Vodacom dongle. Both painfully slow obviously. I contacted Cell C call centre to try get some idea of the "super fast" network they claim to offer. I was told that if im not in a 3G area on the map (although there is a 3g spot about 300m from my house) I will still get decent speeds on edge. Better than the other operators. I was encouraged to go to the store and get a dongle.

Im no fool. I dont want to try wrestle with refunds 24 hours from now when I get home and realise the call centre person was full of sh*t.

How have the black dongle owners found the Cell C network out of 3G range?

 

[Viva]

Just go buy a prepaid Cell C simcard, load R10 airtaime and test it for yourself. It's really impossible to predict 3G/EDGE performance - it has to be tested.

 

[FrancTheTank]

Just go buy a prepaid Cell C simcard, load R10 airtaime and test it for yourself. It's really impossible to predict 3G/EDGE performance - it has to be tested.

Great idea. esp if you have a dongle.

 

[Ramcat]

I have the Cell C dongle. In my yard i get 3g but in my house i get edge. Edge is really slow for me. I also find that the speed is up and down depending on the weather and the time of the day

 

[sajunky]

If 3G covarage is nearby, you must definitely test reception in your place. What modem do you use? Is it UMTS900 capable? If not, borrow a right dongle. Prepaid SIM card R1 is sufficient for accessing zero-rated Cell-C WEB site. Recharge R50 and receive 500MB bonus to the end of the week, good for testing.

 

[Viva]

I have the Cell C dongle. In my yard i get 3g but in my house i get edge. Edge is really slow for me. I also find that the speed is up and down depending on the weather and the time of the day

I was in the same situation, until I made a corner reflector. Now I'm enjoying a stable 3G connection

 

[ajax]

I have the Cell C dongle. In my yard i get 3g but in my house i get edge. Edge is really slow for me. I also find that the speed is up and down depending on the weather and the time of the day

You may benefit from just putting the modem in the window overlooking your yard and putting your modem on 3G only.

 

[SAsoccerfan]

Does wind affect 3g coverage

 

[Viva]

Does wind affect 3g coverage

I guess extreme wind could have some influence on signal quality, but is shouldn't be major. This is just my experience though.

 

[Terencek]

I've been in exactly this position for almost a year since deciding to give Cell C's coverage a try in our area -- where there is not yet a dedicated Cell C tower but their signal piggybacks on Voda towers.

I have to say my experience has not been great, though your mileage may vary. It may or may not be true, but a Voda technician hinted to me that when traffic volumes are high on such a 'shared' VC tower, Vodacom signals take priority. That's certainly been my experience.

My bottom line may be yours: if you are willing to put up with patchy signals (which rarely reach full EDGE speeds and frequently disconnect or are even entirely unavailable) purely because the promotional Cell C packages are super-cheap, then go for it. But if you're buying a full-price package and you're going to use it at EDGE, I wouldn't even think about it. Wait until your area gets its own Cell C tower.

 

[Jola]

I have not found Cell C Edge to be worth much. YMMV.

 

[BazzaR]

Dont do it in my opinion. Cell C on EGDE is rubbish. Same story as Terence, i get edge signal but hardly ever works or is as slow as dial up! seriously.
But if you have 3G coverage close by, then maybe get a signal booster, or build a box to boost signal

 

[Mr.CookieMonster]

Cell C Claims they have improved their coverage - That is a big lie.

Cell C does not have a 3G Network in South Africa, they got HSPA, HSDPA.

I live in East London and the area I live in has got no HSDPA or 2G or GSM coverage.

I recommend you use 8ta if you want the best and cheapest mobile broadband internet. MTN and Vodacom are building THE REAL 4G NETWORK...

 

[fordguy]

Iv got the Woosh dongle in Someset west and the signal drops every 5 seconds.. Im getting an ADSL line rather

 

[sajunky]

Cell C does not have a 3G Network in South Africa, they got HSPA, HSDPA.

AFAIK, both HSPA and HSDPA are based on 3G. Cell-C network is HSPA+ (3GPP Release 7), also based on 3G. Early 3G devices work on Cell-C.

 

[xera]

In my experience:

Don't go the EDGE path, you will regret it.

EDGE on networks other than MTN and Vodacom is usually rubbish, but recently a lot of people are reporting its rubbish on vodacom too.

In my area, Cell C EDGE only works like it should from 00:00 till about 08:00
But during the day, a webpage can easily take 30min to load, and that's if it doesn't timeout. It's a real nightmare (but in the day). I am not exaggerating.
I have 5GB Cell C, but since I moved out of joburg, I can't even use that 5GB up in a month. If I want to use it all, I have to go into the city (where I can use it all up in +- 4 hours.)

 

[ajax]

In my area, Cell C EDGE only works like it should from 00:00 till about 08:00
But during the day, a webpage can easily take 30min to load

How's performance then if you roam on Vodacom?

 

[elf_lord_ZC5]

I have good speeds on Cell-C edge, with an E220 modem, but, when I plug in a 900MHz capable modem, I also have good speeds. But I am in an area where Cell-C has good coverage ... so your milage might differ, bad coverage = bad juju, whatever the network ...

 

[LeonP]

In my experience it's not worth anything at all.

Sadly Cell C is so useless @ home had to get an ADSL line.