Same signal as 3, what do you think?

[WestCoastSurfer]

Opinion time.

I’m really happy with SMARTY, having been with them for a few months now. Prior to that I was a life long Vodafone customer. People even comment on how clear the call quality is on SMARTY so I am staying put. 

But my question to you all is……..

Are we really getting the same signal strength on SMARTY as a customer on 3 would be getting?

If you think Yes or No, add why?

[MSF]

@WestCoastSurfer I do not think that we get exactly the same level of service as Three customers.

The reason I say that is because they are paying more and so they have a right to first dibs on the signal. In many cases where there is no congestion on a mast, this probably makes no difference. My feeling is that when there is congestion, Three customers take preference. For what it's worth, I think this applies to EU Roaming as well; how would you feel as a fully paid up customer of a network to find that occasional users who came into your area (EU Roaming) were getting a better service or perhaps denying you your usual level of service?

I have expressed this view before and nobody has provided any discussion to the contrary.

[WestCoastSurfer]

Thanks for your reply.

So in your opinion if I had two identical phones, same settings etc and one with a SMARTY a sim card and the second with a three SIM card next to each other. Would we both get the same signal strength displaying on the phone in the UK?

I do notice at times that getting on the internet in a town can be slower despite the maps showing good coverage. 

I suppose I’m asking myself the question, do I pay less and sacrifice a small matter of slow internet and less signal bars or pay more and hope I get that faster internet speed and better signal.

[MSF · Accepted solution]

@WestCoastSurfer Yes, it is only an opinion and I freely admit that I have no hard evidence.

I think that you would notice the difference between the two only if the mast became congested.

The thing about Smarty is that it provides a good value service, but it may not necessarily suit everyone - particularly those who need good speeds fairly often.In the end it's a case of "Yer pays yer money, yer takes yer choice!)

For me, it does the job because most of my data is accessed via wifi and I am happy enough as long as calls and texts are available readily (and currently, they are pretty much everywhere I travel).

Using baked beans as an analogy, many people will find supermarket own brand a good price and tasty - but they won't suit everyone and so they must pay more for a big brand.