Mobile Phone Coverage on the West Coast

[cpedw]

What is reckoned to be the best network these days?

The new SD for Kintyre to Ardnamurchan recommends Vodaphone but round here (Connel) that's pants. The majority view hereabouts favours EE with O2 close second.

I don't suppose there is a simple right answer but I'm interested to know what people's impressions are.

Derek

[wully]

O2 is slightly less crap than Voda Phone but you can get some 3G with EE around the Firth of Lorne...

[SteveN]

Had Voda for years and then changed to O2 (Tesco) a couple of years back. Fairly reliable coverage but the data is rubbish - I've never had 3G north of the central belt.

Picked up an EE (Asda PAYG) sim a while back and it rarely dropped off 3G even out in the wilds but I didn't try it out west. I forgot to use it for 3 months and the b*stards nicked my £10 credit though.

[mm5aho]

Just changed from Vodaphone (wasn't much good in the area questioned) to EE. Will report at summers end.

[pagoda]

Son no. 1 boasts of navigating north of Crinan with a phone and a Navionics APP. Not quite my style. I am pleased if I can actually call somebody or maybe text, but any attempt at real DATA is usually a waste of effort. O2 seems to have fair coverage, though pretty poor data rates.

If you NEED 3G, stay in the Clyde?

[aquaplane]

Chuffing typical, I changed from O2 to Vodafone last year 'coz it was supposed to be better!

[sahona]

Same here Bob, but the lady captain kept hers on Orange/EE so we usually have something. Neither of us use it for data, only the odd text to let folks know where we are. All data is done at the ever-increasing WiFi hotspots for free.

[sahona]

delete dual post

[Alan_D]

Chuffing typical, I changed from O2 to Vodafone last year 'coz it was supposed to be better!

I too changed from O2 to Vodafone and find it better for the Mull/Ardnamurchan area (no data, of course).

[Storyline]

There is a 3 mast on the bottom end of Mull which gives 3G coverage in that area (this is second hand info). As you can get some cards free and just,load them with £10 each, this year I plan to get a variety and test them. I have also been told that Virgin has arrangements with several carriers and will switch to the best automatically.
The providers really should be forced to share resources especially in rural areas, not only to provide a better service but to stop duplication of hardware from an environmental pov.

[Alan_D]

There is a 3 mast on the bottom end of Mull which gives 3G coverage in that area (this is second hand info). As you can get some cards free and just,load them with £10 each, this year I plan to get a variety and test them. I have also been told that Virgin has arrangements with several carriers and will switch to the best automatically.
The providers really should be forced to share resources especially in rural areas, not only to provide a better service but to stop duplication of hardware from an environmental pov.

If you go to the 3 Mobile coverage map (http://www.three.co.uk/mobile/Support/Coverage and zoom in) you will see that they claim the best 3G reception around that area is in the middle of the Sound of Mull, opposite Salen. They also claim good coverage along the east side of Loch Aline, but not the west side where Lochaline village and the pontoons are. There is good reception too, apparently, on the highest part of the A884 between Lochaline and Strontian; a pity nobody lives there.