A question. I have recently transferred from Vodafone to O2, keeping
the same phone. A friend says the sound quality is not as good - more
distorted and too loud. I assumed all networks would operate to the
same technical standards (or at least the 900 MHz ones would). So is
there a difference between networks or is it more likely to be a
different cause? Is the sound quality worse if you call from a mobile
to a cordless phone since I assume both need to digitise the sound?

Scott

"Scott" wrote in message
news
A question. I have recently transferred from Vodafone to O2, keeping
the same phone. A friend says the sound quality is not as good - more
distorted and too loud. I assumed all networks would operate to the
same technical standards (or at least the 900 MHz ones would). So is
there a difference between networks or is it more likely to be a
different cause? Is the sound quality worse if you call from a mobile
to a cordless phone since I assume both need to digitise the sound?
Scott


O2 and Voda at peak times reduce to half rate codec

If you want best sound quality go for a 3g phone / network
(which could be O2 3g)

Keeping the same 2g phone, using 1800MHz Orange or T Mobile
could give you better sound as they don't go to half rate

Steve Terry
--
Get a free Three 3pay Sim with £2 bonus after £10 top up
http://freeagent.three.co.uk/stand/view/id/5276

On Tue, 2 Mar 2010 07:18:27 -0000, "Steve Terry"
wrote:

"Scott" wrote in message
news
A question. I have recently transferred from Vodafone to O2, keeping
the same phone. A friend says the sound quality is not as good - more
distorted and too loud. I assumed all networks would operate to the
same technical standards (or at least the 900 MHz ones would). So is
there a difference between networks or is it more likely to be a
different cause? Is the sound quality worse if you call from a mobile
to a cordless phone since I assume both need to digitise the sound?
Scott


O2 and Voda at peak times reduce to half rate codec

If you want best sound quality go for a 3g phone / network
(which could be O2 3g)

Keeping the same 2g phone, using 1800MHz Orange or T Mobile
could give you better sound as they don't go to half rate

Thanks for that information. I suppose the follow-up is to ask
whether O2 is more prone to cutting the codec than Vodafone.

On Thu, 04 Mar 2010 20:35:40 +0000, Scott
wrote:

On Tue, 2 Mar 2010 07:18:27 -0000, "Steve Terry"
wrote:

"Scott" wrote in message
news
A question. I have recently transferred from Vodafone to O2, keeping
the same phone. A friend says the sound quality is not as good - more
distorted and too loud. I assumed all networks would operate to the
same technical standards (or at least the 900 MHz ones would). So is
there a difference between networks or is it more likely to be a
different cause? Is the sound quality worse if you call from a mobile
to a cordless phone since I assume both need to digitise the sound?
Scott


O2 and Voda at peak times reduce to half rate codec

If you want best sound quality go for a 3g phone / network
(which could be O2 3g)

Keeping the same 2g phone, using 1800MHz Orange or T Mobile
could give you better sound as they don't go to half rate

Thanks for that information. I suppose the follow-up is to ask
whether O2 is more prone to cutting the codec than Vodafone.


I have found that to be so.

On Thu, 04 Mar 2010 22:09:12 +0000, {{{{{Welcome}}}}}
wrote:

On Thu, 04 Mar 2010 20:35:40 +0000, Scott
wrote:

On Tue, 2 Mar 2010 07:18:27 -0000, "Steve Terry"
wrote:

"Scott" wrote in message
news A question. I have recently transferred from Vodafone to O2, keeping
the same phone. A friend says the sound quality is not as good - more
distorted and too loud. I assumed all networks would operate to the
same technical standards (or at least the 900 MHz ones would). So is
there a difference between networks or is it more likely to be a
different cause? Is the sound quality worse if you call from a mobile
to a cordless phone since I assume both need to digitise the sound?
Scott


O2 and Voda at peak times reduce to half rate codec

If you want best sound quality go for a 3g phone / network
(which could be O2 3g)

Keeping the same 2g phone, using 1800MHz Orange or T Mobile
could give you better sound as they don't go to half rate

Thanks for that information. I suppose the follow-up is to ask
whether O2 is more prone to cutting the codec than Vodafone.


I have found that to be so.

I'm still not too sure how this works. Does the whole network get cut
during busy times or is it on a cell by cell basis? Is this a rare
experience or does it happen every day at certain times?

"Scott" wrote in message
...

[snip comments about HR codec usage]


I'm still not too sure how this works. Does the whole network get cut
during busy times or is it on a cell by cell basis? Is this a rare
experience or does it happen every day at certain times?

Individual cells can have half-rate "licences" applied to them, which allows
them to use HR as and when needed. When the network decides that cell is
carrying more traffic than its available capacity can support at full-rate,
it will start using HR. There may well also be a cost implication to using
HR in this way.

On the other hand, it's quite possible to use HR quite widely without the
end user noticing. There is definitely a balancing act to be achieved.

Rgds

Jon.

--
Jon Pitts
Email:

On Sun, 7 Mar 2010 12:29:26 -0000, "Jon Pitts"
wrote:

"Scott" wrote in message
.. .

[snip comments about HR codec usage]


I'm still not too sure how this works. Does the whole network get cut
during busy times or is it on a cell by cell basis? Is this a rare
experience or does it happen every day at certain times?

Individual cells can have half-rate "licences" applied to them, which allows
them to use HR as and when needed. When the network decides that cell is
carrying more traffic than its available capacity can support at full-rate,
it will start using HR. There may well also be a cost implication to using
HR in this way.

Is this a regulatory licence? If so, is it possible to view a list of
licences granted?

On the other hand, it's quite possible to use HR quite widely without the
end user noticing. There is definitely a balancing act to be achieved.

Is it used in this way in practice, and how often does this happen?

On Sun, 07 Mar 2010 16:36:49 +0000, Scott wrote:

On Sun, 7 Mar 2010 12:29:26 -0000, "Jon Pitts"
wrote:

Individual cells can have half-rate "licences" applied to them, which
allows them to use HR as and when needed.

Is this a regulatory licence? If so, is it possible to view a list of
licences granted?

It's more likely to be a patent/software license, if it's for a
compressed voice codec.

--
http://ale.cx/ (AIM:troffasky) )
20:26:18 up 20 days, 1:17, 4 users, load average: 0.02, 0.02, 0.00
It is better to have been wasted and then sober
than to never have been wasted at all

On 07/03/2010 12:29, Jon Pitts wrote:


On the other hand, it's quite possible to use HR quite widely without the
end user noticing. There is definitely a balancing act to be achieved.

It is sometimes quite noticeable when my 3G phone drops back to 2G -
I suspect that is the effect of HR codecs..

regards, Ian