Vodacom data

[Dolby]

Hi,

Spoke to a friend who told me MTN's data was better than Vodacom, due to the equipment being used in the towers. After a quick search, I see he's actually right!

MTN use one brand throughout (Ericsson, from what I saw) while Vodacom use two brands (though, he says three ...). Due to the differing radio's used on the network, he says Vodacoms system is slightly worse than MTN for the data. (speed and consistantly) He says connection dropping is higher and one cannot keep a constant connection through JHB because of this. Is he right?

Lastly - are both networks currently on 3.6? When are both going to 7.6? Will the differing equipment hinder Vodacom in future at all - and do you think they'd ever unifiy equipment?

Thanks,

 

[Keeper]

Hmm..i used to think MTN kicked Vodacom's ass with HSDPA, but I was wrong!
My friends only think MTN rock cause they havent tried Vodacom, or maybe they are closer to a Tower than I am or sumthing...... I will ask for their results on Speedtest.net.

Check my Speed Test with MTN and vodacom:
http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php?t=112092&page=2

The best is to move your ass to Ackermans, get a cheap SIM, and test both.
Whoever is better, doesn't matter - what matters is: Which Tower is closest to your house, as it will prob have a better signal and therefore better speeds. make sense?

 

[vodacom3g]

Hi,

Spoke to a friend who told me MTN's data was better than Vodacom, due to the equipment being used in the towers. After a quick search, I see he's actually right!

MTN use one brand throughout (Ericsson, from what I saw) while Vodacom use two brands (though, he says three ...). Due to the differing radio's used on the network, he says Vodacoms system is slightly worse than MTN for the data. (speed and consistantly) He says connection dropping is higher and one cannot keep a constant connection through JHB because of this. Is he right?

Lastly - are both networks currently on 3.6? When are both going to 7.6? Will the differing equipment hinder Vodacom in future at all - and do you think they'd ever unifiy equipment?

Thanks,

You're friend is pretty much wrong on all counts, including the number of vendors.

But please explain (from your research) how this works? I.e. how does multi-vendor affect radio stability, call drop rates, etc. I'm pretty sure the engineers at Vodacom (and MTN) will kill for this information.

 

[ic]

Whoever is better, doesn't matter - what matters is: Which Tower is closest to your house, as it will prob have a better signal and therefore better speeds. make sense?

While Signal Strength & Signal Quality are extremely important, Backhaul Capacity and the average ratio of HSPA base-stations to HSPA and 2.xG customers in an area at any given point in time, is IMO more important in SA [thanks to Telkodemonopolies' incompetence].

 

[Dolby]

You're friend is pretty much wrong on all counts, including the number of vendors.

But please explain (from your research) how this works? I.e. how does multi-vendor affect radio stability, call drop rates, etc. I'm pretty sure the engineers at Vodacom (and MTN) will kill for this information.

*checks sarcasm* Ey - don't be nasty I'm trying to learn ...

But by 'research' I mean I knew nothing before and started trawling these forums and came across the multi-vendor Vodacom / single vendor MTN posts (http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php?t=16871&highlight=alcatel) Since it mildly linked to what he was saying, I decided to query if in fact it was true. Hence 'is he right?' and the polite thanks at the end *smile*

 

[JimM]

Hi,

Spoke to a friend who told me MTN's data was better than Vodacom, due to the equipment being used in the towers. After a quick search, I see he's actually right!

MTN use one brand throughout (Ericsson, from what I saw) while Vodacom use two brands (though, he says three ...). Due to the differing radio's used on the network, he says Vodacoms system is slightly worse than MTN for the data. (speed and consistantly) He says connection dropping is higher and one cannot keep a constant connection through JHB because of this. Is he right?

Lastly - are both networks currently on 3.6? When are both going to 7.6? Will the differing equipment hinder Vodacom in future at all - and do you think they'd ever unifiy equipment?

Thanks,

And your friends qualifications to pass on such information are?

 

[Starstreak [clone of Skeptik]]

And your friends qualifications to pass on such information are?

Thats an odd question!

I think this is an interesting subject. Ive also heard that the manufacturer of network equipment makes a difference and incompatibilities exist.

 

[vodacom3g]

*checks sarcasm* Ey - don't be nasty I'm trying to learn ...

But by 'research' I mean I knew nothing before and started trawling these forums and came across the multi-vendor Vodacom / single vendor MTN posts (http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php?t=16871&highlight=alcatel) Since it mildly linked to what he was saying, I decided to query if in fact it was true. Hence 'is he right?' and the polite thanks at the end *smile*

Not being nasty but it's quite a wild statement your friend is making as is your statement above that 'it is true'.

But ask your friend to post his results for both networks and we can discuss. He seems to have statistics for both networks on data throughput, 'consistency' and call drop rates. Will be keen to see how his stats compare to the NMC (Network Management Center) stats.

BTW, on the 3G network, Vodacom uses a single vendor.

 

[SUPERMAN89]

Lastly - are both networks currently on 3.6? When are both going to 7.6? Will the differing equipment hinder Vodacom in future at all - and do you think they'd ever unifiy equipment?

Thanks,

hsdpa works on 1.8 / 3.6 / 7.2 / 14.4 ....google it

 

[ic]

I get the impression that there might be a general misconception that the 2.xG and 3.yG [HSPA] radio networks are intertwined - they are actually separate radio networks using different frequencies and different equipment - although they often tend to share the same physical palm-tree disguised mast - don't let that fool you - they are separate radio networks.

<deleted by="ic" reason="did not see the 7.6 that was being highlighted"/>

 

[JK8]

Yip MTN uses Ericsson, worldly rated as the best!! Better than Siemens/Motorola!
The Japs use Ericsson so that should say something, even their test 4G they using Ericsson.
Its just more stable.

Voda for some reason is using Siemens GSM/3G and crappy Moto for PTT and WIMAX I dont know why, but thats the route they going.

As for 14Mbs HSDPA I doubt SA will see it, WIMAX will be the next step after 7.2. Midrand has HSDPA 7.2 on Voda.

 

[vodacom3g]

Yip MTN uses Ericsson, worldly rated as the best!! Better than Siemens/Motorola!
The Japs use Ericsson so that should say something, even their test 4G they using Ericsson.
Its just more stable.

Voda for some reason is using Siemens GSM/3G and crappy Moto for PTT and WIMAX I dont know why, but thats the route they going.

As for 14Mbs HSDPA I doubt SA will see it, WIMAX will be the next step after 7.2. Midrand has HSDPA 7.2 on Voda.

Motorola for WiMax? In Vodacom?

Have you got the same friends as Dolby? (I hope you're not the 'friend' passing Dolby the vendor info )

You have a much better chance of seeing HSDPA 14.4 deployed than WiMax. Think about it: The HSDPA standards are well defined and the current work is to make 14.4 cost-effective and stable. Will be a while but eventually the 14.4 terminals will be out. There are thousands of towers ready to go to 14.4.

WiMax is still struggling with the standards and equipment and there are currently 10's of towers in SA.

So I believe, as a consumer, you'll be using DPA for a very long time still and will eventually switch to LTE and completely bypass WiMax.

Won't you post your comparative evaluations between the various vendors, please? Quite keen to see where, and based on which parameters, Ericsson was "rated the best". I remember, when we did a international search for the best 3G kit, the larger networks were all running Siemens. (Those were the days when 3G was still a twinkle in MTN's eyes )

I don't any special preference for any vendor, but it'll make interesting reading.

 

[Dolby]

hsdpa works on 1.8 / 3.6 / 7.2 / 14.4 ....google it

Yes I know this, thanks It was a typo (7.2 / 7.6). I was actually querying what was currently supported by both and when they/if they planned upgrading in future

Have you got the same friends as Dolby? (I hope you're not the 'friend' passing Dolby the vendor info )

NAh - not the friend

I was actually googling and it seems that the mindset was that a single vendor is better. Yes - this is has changed recently - but there is still the mindset. Perhaps marketing makes us beleive a single network is better? Didn't all telecommunication companies use a single till about 10 years ago?

My question wasn't that outrageous And links? I'll try get them tomorrow ....

 

[vodacom3g]

Yes I know this, thanks It was a typo (7.2 / 7.6). I was actually querying what was currently supported by both and when they/if they planned upgrading in future



NAh - not the friend

I was actually googling and it seems that the mindset was that a single vendor is better. Yes - this is has changed recently - but there is still the mindset. Perhaps marketing makes us beleive a single network is better? Didn't all telecommunication companies use a single till about 10 years ago?

My question wasn't that outrageous And links? I'll try get them tomorrow ....

As with most things there are pros and cons to a single / multi-vendor environment.

Single vendor pros include easier to manage a single vendor and integration should be easier.

Pros for a multi vendor include not falling behind the technology cycle. Often a single-vendor gets complacent and this is seen in technology lagging or not being available at all and in high pricing.

So if you have a single vendor that's always the best with every product / service / support and are always first to market, that's the way to go.

Otherwise you're better of with a multi-vendor environment.

 

[Dolby]

alright - so there ARE pro's Basically what I was interested in upfront.

Thanks

 

[JK8]

Motorola for WiMax? In Vodacom?

Have you got the same friends as Dolby? (I hope you're not the 'friend' passing Dolby the vendor info )

You have a much better chance of seeing HSDPA 14.4 deployed than WiMax. Think about it: The HSDPA standards are well defined and the current work is to make 14.4 cost-effective and stable. Will be a while but eventually the 14.4 terminals will be out. There are thousands of towers ready to go to 14.4.

WiMax is still struggling with the standards and equipment and there are currently 10's of towers in SA.

So I believe, as a consumer, you'll be using DPA for a very long time still and will eventually switch to LTE and completely bypass WiMax.

Won't you post your comparative evaluations between the various vendors, please? Quite keen to see where, and based on which parameters, Ericsson was "rated the best". I remember, when we did a international search for the best 3G kit, the larger networks were all running Siemens. (Those were the days when 3G was still a twinkle in MTN's eyes )

I don't any special preference for any vendor, but it'll make interesting reading.

Sent you a pm.

I also agree, 14Mbs will be the better cheaper deployed option. So maybe.
Wimax can also be another 3G and products could take longer to take to the masses. Why have 75Mbs when you have 14Mbs..... lol.

As for the towers. Siemens SA is only here because of Vodacom. (-their medical and other engineering sides, Voda is their biggest)
Also in terms of telecomunications, NokiaSiemens will take over, I think its because Siemens in terms of GSM are just not upto scratch. If they were, they would be the leader in Mobile infrastructure.... which Ericsson is leading.
Japan is currently testing 4G... with Ericsson, maybe because Ericsson invented UMTS.

Maybe its the frequencied used, but I still feel in terms of connections and call quality, MTN are very good.