Three UK 4G and the Nokia Lumia 930

[GregW93]

Hi everyone. I made my shift from the iPhone 5 to the Nokia Lumia 930, and on the whole the 930 is absolutely fantastic, I'm very pleased with it. I got it from Unlocked-Mobiles.com. However, there's one pretty big problem that I wondered if anyone had any advice on.

I purchased a SIM-Only 'One Plan' from Three last Friday, in order to grab their deal before they removed it a few days ago. Now that I've put my SIM into the Lumia 930, I can make calls, texts and use 3G data (ranging from 0.5mbps to 13mbps depending on where I am), but my phone has never connected to Three's 4G network. It always says either H or H+ in the top left corner.

I have tested it in Birmingham as well as Coventry City Centre, so I know that I am in 4G areas. If I click 'Settings' and then 'Mobile + SIM', it says 'Active Network - 3' and 'Data Connection - On', and under SIM settings, it says 'Highest Connection Speed - 4G', 'Network Selection - Automatic' and 'Mobile Connection Profile - 3 UK'.

So, has anyone managed to connect to Three's 4G network using a Nokia Lumia 930? Three seem to think its a fault with the phone rather than their SIM or network. Do I need to edit any particular APN settings?

 

[David P2]

I'd double check with them to make sure you're on a 4G plan.

 

[MrWhiteman]

NEVER go with Three man, they have no 2G network which means if you can't get 3G or 4G (in the countryside or on a train for example) then you will have NO signal at all.

 

[David P2]

And they accuse you of tethering when using the WPC app.

 

[MrWhiteman]

And they accuse you of tethering when using the WPC app.

I told them what to suck when I said I was tethering, they still wouldn't cancel my contract haha

Yes they have amazing speeds and super cheap prices but the coverage is all or nothing and they are just a plague of a company.

 

[busngabb]

I told them what to suck when I said I was tethering, they still wouldn't cancel my contract haha

Yes they have amazing speeds and super cheap prices but the coverage is all or nothing and they are just a plague of a company.

Where do you live? I've never had anything but superb coverage and their tariffs and policies are outstanding. Only downside to three is that they are very slow in releasing hardware and don't stock the high end Windows phones like the 930 and 1520.

 

[MrWhiteman]

My town has decent coverage, but I drove a few miles out of town to buy a rabbit and got 0 signal where on a proper network I would get 2G at least.

 

[AJE1]

I asked one of the moderators on the Three blog site about 4G on a bought SIM-free Lumia 930.

I was told that after some (unspecified) time the phone would receive an update (again, not specified whether from Three or NOKIA/Microsoft) which would unlock the 4G capabilities.

You may want to call their call centre but, frankly, they are pants!!

Do let us know when you receive the update.

 

[AJE1]

I asked about 4G on a purchased, SIM-free Lumia 930 on the Three blog site.
I was told that, after some (unspecified) time, the phone would receive an update (again unspecified whether from Three or NOKIA/Microsoft) which would unlock the phone's 4G capabilities.
Do let us know when you receive the update.

 

[David P2]

I call BS on that... if a phone already supports 4G out of the box (such as the 1520) then why does it need an update to "Unlock the phone's 4G capabilities"?

Seriously, network representatives know nothing when it comes to stuff like this.

 

[how1ard]

I have an unlocked 930, on the same plan on Three I live in London. Got 4G strong signal out of the box. You don't need to do anything to your phone, my 1020 hooked up to 4G without any hassle. I've never had a problem with Three. Sorry, I know there's nothing more frustrating than someone saying how they're stuff is all working fine, I'm that guy. Thought I'd better post as everyone else just seems to be bashing Three.

 

[scgf]

I have a 930 and I'm on Three. Have had 4G on it in Birmingham.

 

[scgf]

That's what happened with the 920 when it first came out on Three - the max possible data was 3G then when Three launched 4G the phone was updated to enable 4G. Not the case with the 930, or indeed SIM Free 920s - 4G was/is available on the phone from day one.

 

[PabsTheGeek]

NEVER go with Three man, they have no 2G network which means if you can't get 3G or 4G (in the countryside or on a train for example) then you will have NO signal at all.

Ummm you're wrong. They don't own a 2G network, but they share T-Mobiles and Orange (ie EE) 2G Network

 

[Ixia]

I've had 4g on my 1020 with 3, although my phone is unlocked.

I didn't know about the 2g thing. I can see 4 transmitters from my house, but when I switch the phone to 2g I have no connection. Hmmm, need to look into that I think. I like 3 for the all you can eat data though.

 

[scgf]

When you get a Three signal it is always 3G minimum. Never seen it less than that. I moved to Three from O2 because I cycle and rarely got a signal in the sticks with O2. Now I'm with Three I get 3G nearly everywhere and frequently 4G. Best network ever.

 

[Ixia]

Actually having thought about it, I've a vague memory about there being an update from 3 to enable the 4g option on the 1020. Mine didn't need it as I bought my phone outright and it came 4g ready.

 

[Br1an_g]

Ummm you're wrong. They don't own a 2G network, but they share T-Mobiles and Orange (ie EE) 2G Network

Actually he is right, the network share deal was for 3g only. It should have been called mast sharing rather than network. Fact is their 3g network is big enough that their customers shouldn't need to switch to 2g. They did previously have a deal where if threes network was unavailable you would switch to orange for calls and texts but that expired a few years ago.

 

[GregW93]

Thanks everyone for the responses. I'll speak to Three and Nokia/ Unlocked Mobiles and try to get to the bottom of this.

This is my first ever Windows Phone, so just clarify, if I was receiving 4G, how would I know? Am I correct in thinking that the 'H' or 'H+' would change to an 'L'? Thanks.

 

[scgf]

In the UK you will see 4G next to the network strength bars instead of H or H+