Morning everyone! Thanks for sharing your thoughts so far. I wanted to reply to all of your questions in the one post so bear with me with this long reply. If I haven't responded to you and you wanted me to, please give me a nudge if I haven't responded in another post after this. 🙂
scottliddle25126585 I would be interested to know if the speeds are as stated and are they stable in various areas and scenarios???
Hey scottliddle25126585 Part of the experiment is to do just this. Test lots of different situations - congested area, inside, outside, different weathers, and so on.
endorphin this sounds promising! My first thoughts at questions:
How can 5 members be sufficiently representative for the whole of the UK?
Which network are they trialling 5G on, presumably O2?
What criteria will be used to determine whether or not this is a success?
If it's isn't a success will giffgaff not deploy 5G?
Hey endorphin! Thanks for your questions. I've responded to each one for you. 🙂
How can 5 members be sufficiently representative for the whole of the UK?
Whilst we would love to involve everyone, for this particular experiment we have chosen to focus on five members so that we can explore their 5G usage in detail in the early stages of 5G networks rolling out in the UK. This will allow more in-depth analysis of patterns of usage.
In addition to our selected participants, we have also chosen two members of staff to also join the trial to provide further insight and negate any unidentified issues that may occur, so that we can get the best results from the trial for our members.
Which network are they trialling 5G on, presumably O2?
We are using the O2 network for this experiment
What criteria will be used to determine whether or not this is a success?
We'll know whether the experiment is a success by making sure we gather as much insight from our members as possible from their weekly diaries and daily speed tests.
We are also asking them to record their usage and behaviours in relation to a number of factors from app usage to increased/decreased general usage. They will also provide interesting learnings and thoughts on their 5G trial. Here at giffgaff, we will also be keeping an eye out for any top tips and hints from the trial that could benefit our members.
If it's isn't a success will giffgaff not deploy 5G?
The experiment is not to determine whether members would or would not want 5G. Instead, it is to increase our understanding of how members might use 5G in their everyday lives, enabling us to identify the best packages for their needs.
stephenpperry I’d be interested to know how it’s affected their Phones battery life.
Hi @stephenpperry This is something we'll definitely be keeping an eye on. We're keeping a record of how many hours we're spending on the phones as well and seeing if there's a change in behaviour. I suspect though, with the daily speed tests that will consume battery which is outside of their traditional usage but we'll be keeping an eye on it throughout the 6 weeks.
jeff_elephant I'm curious to know:
1) What range of 5G speeds are the 5 giffgaffers receiving on their handsets? From high to low to average speeds?
2) How often does 5G coverage drop off and they fall onto the 4G network?
3) How much more data are the 5 giffgaffers using each week on 5G compared to their previous data run rate usage on 4G?
4) What other observations have the 5 giffgaffers noticed about their 5G experience?
Hey jeff_elephant I'm super keen to share our findings with you all but I think we'll be saving it for towards the end of the experiment. Hopefully, I'll have some answers for you by the end. 🙂
harrrrrry 1) How closely does your outdoor experience match o2's 5G coverage map -- ie, if you're in at the edge of an area where there is predicted 5G coverage, does your 5G service stop at or near the predicted border, or do you get more or less than it shows?
2) Have you found any area where 5G works indoors, and if so where? Currently, https://www.o2.co.uk/coveragechecker for Central London shows only outdoor coverage for a few patchy parts -- is it really that bad for indoor coverage?
3) Did you try timing and downloading any huge files, and if so what were their sizes and did the overall download time match that which your download speed tester predicted? [reminder: files are typically measured in bytes with a capital B, but your speed tester will probably show results in bits per second with a lower case b.
Hi harrrrrry . We have invited everyone to London this weekend to go on a bit of a 5G scavenger hunt. We'll then be carrying out multiple experiments, like downloading things, streaming, or playing online games (like pokemon go for example) and seeing what those outcomes are. The other two questions we'll hopefully be able to answer further into the experiment for you.
Cheers everyone. 🙂
