Community

Eug · ‎10-30-2016

I set my wife up on Public Mobile and it is working well for her. However, I've noticed that the max download speeds are more limited than I was expecting. They're decent and more than sufficient for her, but still, not quite what I might have expected for Telus or Koodo. (She was on Koodo before.)

Thinking it might just be luck of the draw for wireless conditions right at those times tested, I looked online, and it seems a few people have done comparative tests between Public Mobile and Koodo side by side, and Public Mobile is consistently slower. Well, at best Public Mobile is sometimes similar, but most of the time Public Mobile is slower. For example, one test had two Galaxy S6 phones testing Koodo against Public Mobile tested side by side. Koodo was over 100 Mbps, but Public Mobile was 20ish Mbps. Others have done maybe 5 tests in a row with the same phone models and again, Public Mobile usually was slower. Furthermore, I have never seen a Public Mobile speed test benchmark out there hit over 100 Mbps. In fact, over 60 Mbps seems to be rare.

Are Koodo and Telus given priority over Public Mobile in terms of download (and upload speeds), or is Public Mobile actively throttled (but still provided LTE speeds)? Or is Public Mobile using a more limited LTE feature set? Or is this all just by chance? To be fair to Public Mobile, I don't think I've ever seen truly scientific speed test comparisons between Public Mobile vs Telus/Koodo.

BTW, my iPhone 7 Plus on Fido is consistently slower than Public Mobile on my wife's iPhone 6s for upload speeds in my house, with my Fido consistently in the 1.5-2.5 Mbps range, and her Public Mobile in the 8-15 Mbps range. That's a pretty huge difference, and I'd rather have the faster uploads. This is her iPhone 6s on Public Mobile, to show the decent uploads.

kav2001c · ‎03-14-2017

@edward203203 such a huge variance in just a few minutes again pretty much proves something else is happening

BTW @theoc198 there someone posted 122 on Public, happy now?

@edward203203 wrote:
Here are the speed tests, not sure why I couldn't post them in one post.
Single speed test from Koodo

Trying same servers again for Public Mobile

edward203203 · ‎03-14-2017

Here are the speed tests, not sure why I couldn't post them in one post.

Speeds using Public Mobile

Speeds using Fido-Ext (note the ping and R next to the LTE+ icon)

Single speed test from Koodo

Success! Fido-Ext can get fast data speeds

Trying same servers again for Public Mobile

edward203203 · ‎03-14-2017

Did some speed tests and can fully confirm Public Mobile does throttle back your data speed.

If you have a Koodo or Telus SIM (Virgin/Bell also works) you can get truly unthrottled speeds. At least 100mbps+
If you Roam using Rogers/Fido onto either Bell or Telus your data speed will vary, but there is no throttling. That is cause I got 100mbps+.
- However data speeds were not consistent, possibly due to Rogers/Fido users who Roam are forced to use shared Rogers specific roaming servers located in Toronto/Montreal. This means higher ping due to longer connection travel and I suspect more congestion since anyone who is roaming will be accessing those same shared roaming servers, so data speeds should fluctuate.

If your using Public Mobile and possibly PC Mobile your getting throttled. Never got 100mbps and did a second list of tests on the same server that allowed Fido-Ext to achieve 100mbps.
- I mentioned PC mobile because one commonality I noticed between Telus and Koodo is that they have their own specific APN settings. However, Public Mobile and PC mobile both share the same APN settings. So I suspect Telus sorta uses "sp.mb.com" as a generic third party APN for resellers, but has data speed restrictions.

edward203203 · ‎03-14-2017

Did some speed tests and can fully confirm Public Mobile does throttle back your data speed.

Speeds using Public Mobile

Speeds using Fido-Ext (note the ping and R next to the LTE+ icon)

Single speed test from Koodo

Success! Fido-Ext can get fast data speeds

Trying same servers again for Public Mobile

What does this tell us?

If you have a Koodo or Telus SIM (Virgin/Bell also works) you can get truly unthrottled speeds. At least 100mbps+
If you Roam using Rogers/Fido onto either Bell or Telus your data speed will vary, but there is no throttling. That is cause I got 100mbps+.
- However data speeds were not consistent, possibly due to Rogers/Fido users who Roam are forced to use shared Rogers specific roaming servers located in Toronto/Montreal. This means higher ping due to longer connection travel and I suspect more congestion since anyone who is roaming will be accessing those same shared roaming servers, so data speeds should fluctuate.

If your using Public Mobile and possibly PC Mobile your getting throttled. Never got 100mbps and did a second list of tests on the same server that allowed Fido-Ext to achieve 100mbps.
- I mentioned PC mobile because one commonality I noticed between Telus and Koodo is that they have their own specific APN settings. However, Public Mobile and PC mobile both share the same APN settings. So I suspect Telus sorta uses sp.mb.com as a generic third party APN for resellers, but has data speed restrictions.

edward203203 · ‎03-14-2017

Did some speed tests and can fully confirm Public Mobile does throttle back your data speed.

Speeds using Public Mobile

Speeds using Fido-Ext (note the ping and R next to the LTE+ icon)

Single speed test from Koodo

Success! Fido-Ext can get fast data speeds

Trying same servers again for Public Mobile

What does this tell us?

If you have a Koodo or Telus SIM (Virgin/Bell also works) you can get truly unthrottled speeds. At least 100mbps+
If you Roam using Rogers/Fido onto either Bell or Telus your data speed will vary, but there is no throttling. That is cause I got 100mbps+.
- However data speeds were not consistent, possibly due to Rogers/Fido users who Roam are forced to use shared Rogers specific roaming servers located in Toronto/Montreal. This means higher ping due to longer connection travel and I suspect more congestion since anyone who is roaming will be accessing those same shared roaming servers, so data speeds should fluctuate.

If your using Public Mobile and possibly PC Mobile your getting throttled. Never got 100mbps and did a second list of tests on the same server that allowed Fido-Ext to achieve 100mbps.
- I mentioned PC mobile because one commonality I noticed between Telus and Koodo is that they have their own specific APN settings. However, Public Mobile and PC mobile both share the same APN settings. So I suspect Telus sorta uses sp.mb.com as a generic third party APN for resellers, but has data speed restrictions.

edward203203 · ‎03-14-2017

Trying same servers again for Public Mobile

What does this tell us?

If you have a Koodo or Telus SIM (Virgin/Bell also works) you can get truly unthrottled speeds. At least 100mbps+
If you Roam using Rogers/Fido onto either Bell or Telus your data speed will vary, but there is no throttling. That is cause I got 100mbps+.
- However data speeds were not consistent, possibly due to Rogers/Fido users who Roam are forced to use shared Rogers specific roaming servers located in Toronto/Montreal. This means higher ping due to longer connection travel and I suspect more congestion since anyone who is roaming will be accessing those same shared roaming servers, so data speeds should fluctuate.

If your using Public Mobile and possibly PC Mobile your getting throttled. Never got 100mbps and did a second list of tests on the same server that allowed Fido-Ext to achieve 100mbps.
- I mentioned PC mobile because one commonality I noticed between Telus and Koodo is that they have their own specific APN settings. However, Public Mobile and PC mobile both share the same APN settings. So I suspect Telus sorta uses sp.mb.com as a generic third party APN for resellers, but has data speed restrictions.

Quest · ‎03-14-2017

@theoc198 theoc198 I agree with your last post it is absolutely about the truth but I cannot find your latest post on this forum. You said you erased it by mistake I understand it I did it one time myself. If they doing that deliberately and there is a proof for that, real proof not speculation it is not nice. People may join PM with e false impression that PM equals Telus/Koodo/Bell in terms of speed.

theoc198 · ‎03-14-2017

@Quest

I just posted a reply to your earlier post but it looks like it disappeared. After I edited it, it's no longer showing.

This is about finding out the truth as it's misleading to tell customers that they won't be throttled when in fact they are. I'm definitely not wrestling with the question of whether to stay or leave PM. PM is still a great dell for me but I would rather have the truth regarding internet speeds. I don't want my ISP to not be honest regarding their policies and people who are thinking of choosing Public Mobile shouldn't be lied to. Public Mobile stating that they don't throttle when they do throttle would be lying.

theoc198 · ‎03-14-2017

@Quest

@Quest wrote:
I have said that before on that forum that the only way to know that, is to conduct comprehensive test, with data, that came from all over Canada and from coast to coast. Or ask politely Telus if they doing so. Constant testing consume a lot of data so very few wants to do it and I have doubt that Telus would provide, if any, clear answer.

No, it isn't. If no one on this forum can get over a certain speed it's pretty safe to say that we're all being limited to that speed.

You don't need to test all of Canada to see if Public Mobile is throttled. Throttling isn't something that happens accidently. You need equipment to throttle customers and it needs to be configured. Unless there's congestion or some sort of hardware issue there shouldn't be any speed difference between a tower in Toronto and one in Vancouver (ignoring the type of spectrum available).

Either way the issue is still that Public Mobile publicly states that they do not throttle. As a current Public Mobile customer I find that misleading as given the speedtests I've done all over Toronto on a Samsung S7 (One of if not the best phone to do speedtests on. As it's a modern phone with proper band support for Telus/Bell bands) and all the speed tests posted here show that Koodo and Telus speeds are not achievable here. There could be legal issues regarding throttling customers while at the same time stating that Public Mobile does not throttle.

Quest · ‎03-14-2017

I think though raising this questions some members on this forum don't necessary complaining about speeds because they can go between 30 & 80 that is pretty good If you don't use a lot of data but they are really truth seekers and justice warriors. They want answers and when they finally proof that Public Mobile throttling LTE speeds, which is possible, they will wrestle with the question whether to leave or to stay with PM.

This is about principles and truth.

theoc198 · ‎03-14-2017

@kav2001c

@kav2001c wrote:
People post a shot of high speed on Koodo then complain it is throttled here

No it wasn't 1 screenshot. There are many speedtests done on Koodo showing speeds well over 150 mbps. If you want care about this issue take a look at this Koodo speedtest thread: http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php/1777615-KOODO-LTE-speeds-post-em-if-you-got-em/page15

@kav2001c wrote:
I posted a shot of high speed on Chatr (which is physically impossible to get on that network)

First of all it's not physically impossible to get 10 mbps on Rogers 3G (which is the network Chatr runs on). While it does look like Chatr is throttled to 3 mbps generally, that speedtest was done at 2 am. Rogers employees might have been making changes or something could cause throttling to not be in effect. It is wrong to say though that 10 mbps is physically impossible on a 3G network. It's very much possible.

Even if we ignore all that and pretend that the app glitched or there was a bug in that situtaion, for that phone, and other variables, it is ridiculus to completely ignore all speedtests results because of one possibly inaccurate speed test. The app does use an algorithm to figure out the speed available and under certain situations I'm sure it will produce inaccurate results. There doesn't exist software in this world that is bug (error) free. That doesn't mean we can't trust software just because in 1 out of many situations it is possible a certain result will be inaccurate. If you want to know more about how the app works and how it calculates the speed you can read more on their website.

@kav2001c wrote:
Therefore it pretty much proves that the app is flawed
The entire argument to claim Public is throttled is based off the idea noone can get the app to work

Not at all. It's fairly simple to get the app to work. Here's the app working off my home wifi connection and showing very similar speedtests consecutively.

All 6 speedtests are almost the exact same. It's not always exactly the same because Rogers speedboost is variable dependent on network load. Again the app works fine at getting a good idea of download/upload speeds.

You need to realize that the app isn't the issue. If you don't like the speedtest.net app try a different one. Just make sure whatever app you use, has a server preferably within a few hundread km from you and is in Canada.

Quest · ‎03-14-2017

@kav2001c wrote:
@theoc198 take a deep breath and think about it
People post a shot of high speed on Koodo then complain it is throttled here
I posted a shot of high speed on Chatr (which is physically impossible to get on that network)
Therefore it pretty much proves that the app is flawed
The entire argument to claim Public is throttled is based off the idea noone can get the app to work

I have said that before on that forum that the only way to know that, is to conduct comprehensive test, with data, that came from all over Canada and from coast to coast. Or ask politely Telus if they doing so. Constant testing consume a lot of data so very few wants to do it and I have doubt that Telus would provide, if any, clear answer.

Recently someone brought interesting question about latency on Telus / PM network. He wasn't concerned about speed so much as about relatively slow responses when let say trying to open websites.

kav2001c · ‎03-14-2017

@theoc198 take a deep breath and think about it

People post a shot of high speed on Koodo then complain it is throttled here

I posted a shot of high speed on Chatr (which is physically impossible to get on that network)

Therefore it pretty much proves that the app is flawed

The entire argument to claim Public is throttled is based off the idea noone can get the app to work

theoc198 · ‎03-13-2017

@kav2001c

It's not the same thing in any way. No one here has posted speeds anywhere near Koodo/Telus/Bell speeds. No one hear has even ever posted a speed test over 100 mbps.

I'm not sure why you don't think that the speedtest app is accurate and why you keep defending Public Mobile on this. No one on this forum is able to achieve the same speeds as available on Koodo or Telus. I've done plenty of speedtest along with other users showing our experiences. By the current data available and all the speedtests already done, it looks like Public Mobile is throttling customers.

Arguing that the speedtest app is inaccurate is simply false for the purpose of figuring out if users are getting throttled.

kav2001c · ‎03-13-2017

@theoc198 it doesn't make sense that the report is triple what the actual speed is?

That's the exact same issue we have here, some people showing high numbers then everyone else says they can't achieve the same results

theoc198 · ‎03-12-2017

@kav2001c 10 mb/s is easily acievable on a properly managed 3G network. Even on Wind's garbage 3G network you could get 10 mb/s at 3 am.

Your point doesn't make sense.

kav2001c · ‎03-12-2017

For those of you thinking that Speedtest works well I give you exhibit A

http://www.speedtest.net/my-result/a/2692591948

Despite the fact that Chatr only has 3G speeds, according to website there was a 10Mb/s download

pchan · ‎03-05-2017

The subject of this post can be looked at two ways depending on what is meant by throttling.

Definition #1 (from wiki) - Bandwidth throttling is the intentional slowing of Internet service by an Internet service provider. It is a reactive measure employed in communication networks to regulate network traffic and minimize bandwidth congestion.

- If this is your frame of reference then the answer I think is no. It is whatever Telus has agreed to give Public Mobile over the Telus/Bell network.

Definition #2 - PM speed is not equal to Telus/Koodo over the Telus/Bell network.

- If this is the frame of reference then based on the results it is probably throttled.

However, there is no guarantee that the same speed is offered even though over the same network (though it may have been assumed). A similiar analogy is Loblaws, the owned many supermarket chains eg. No Frills, Loblaws, T&T. Don't expect the same services, product selection, and quality across ther chains even though it is owned by the Loblaws. You get what you pay for.

Quest · ‎03-05-2017

I am quite new to this forum so I think by mistake I erased my own response.

That would be interesting to see good comprehensive test to be done regarding that matter Including every corner of Canada.

sheytoon · ‎03-05-2017

@Quest

I think you will find the answer to most of your questions here:

http://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Discussions/LTE-network-fundamentals/m-p/130581

@Quest wrote:

What I want to ask you if you are talking here about 4G LTE advanced. Bell upgraded its LTE network I believe one or two years ago claiming that speed with certain phones can go up to 300 Mbps upload and Telus/Koodo has 4G LTE advanced but even Koodo users cannot use it without proper phones.

If you have additional questions, please ask, and I will be happy to clarify.

Quest · ‎03-05-2017

I think I am a little bit misunderstood here.

I didn't say I am one hundred percent sure about it.
What I wanted to say here is that we prepaid users have privilege to access Telus 4G LTE network so allowing this and at the same time limiting speed doesn't make any sense as far as I am concerned.

I don't claim I did any benchmark testing but I was convinced that 30 – 80 Mbps download was already pretty generous knowing how many different factors can limit and influence it.

Now we can enter into the world of facts, and testing and may indeed discover that they are doing that. The problem is that to confirm that more users have to come up with tests from all over Canada but it is easier said then done if you take into consideration how much data each test can consume.

What I want to ask you if you are talking here about 4G LTE advanced. Bell upgraded its LTE network I believe one or two years ago claiming that speed with certain phones can go up to 300 Mbps upload and Telus/Koodo has 4G LTE advanced but even Koodo users cannot use it without proper phones.

sheytoon · ‎03-04-2017

@Quest

Can you share your test results and methodology for coming to such a conclusion? Have you ever seen a PM user achieve more than 100 Mbps downlink? My testing reveals a speed limit.

See here and here for my tests. Koodo users are not impacted.

With respect to VoLTE, it's only a matter of time before PM users are able to use it. Once Telus decides to move all users to LTE and de-commission the UMTS network, they will open up VoLTE to all their brands, though this may be a few years away.

Quest · ‎03-04-2017

I don't think so.

The beauty of being with Public Mobile is (unlike Rogers) that even you are on prepaid plan they give you access to their 4G LTE network. In some places they have LTE advanced but only newest phones with latest upgrades can handle it.

So, everything depends on area you live in and what kind of phone you're using.

Soon VoLTE comes to Ontario.
Unfortunately only Telus and Koodo going to get it. Basically postpaid customers.

On prepaid plans probably we never going to get it. That would be the only reason to switch to Koodo if VoLTE is deal breaker.

edward203203 · ‎03-01-2017

@theoc198

Yes, I agree. Fewer hops do mean fewer potential slowdowns. However, distance is not the only factor.

Hops are dependant on how network providers connect to each other. However, when connecting much further away, distance does usually indicate possibly more hops as opposed to connecting to servers nearby.

@TheOldVR

It was probably due to congestion to the tower during the day, try again at off peak hours and you should get significantly better speeds.

TheOldVR · ‎03-01-2017

@theoc198 not blaming the app exclusively... there are just so many factors in running these tests that it's hard to do consistant tests with the exact same external factors affecting each test.

For example in my tests - my iPhone was showing that it was on LTE for every test, not 3G as you have mentioned.

Perhaps it was on 3G - but for a dude like me who is just running some basic tests, I wouldn't know that I should question that my phone is on LTE when it says that it is.

Either way - I don't expect the fastest speeds in downtown TO during the day... just adding some tests to the thread with the same phone.

Cheers!

theoc198 · ‎03-01-2017

@edward203203

Distance to the test servers isn't a factor if it's a single fiber line. The internet doesn't work like that though since there are many hops.The further the distance the more hops you have. The more hops you have the more likely you are to take a path which could have congestion/limit/etc. The internet is fast over a very long distance and there are many paths packets can take but max speed is not represented well with a speedtest that takes 5-10 second.

Your second point sure but that's why speed tests where you are interested if you're getting throttled should be done using the closest server.

theoc198 · ‎03-01-2017

@TheOldVR

Other than the 59.79 mbps speed test, it looks like all the other ones were done on 3G not LTE. You've come to a conclusion that makes no sense.

The speed test app is fairly accurate. Those are the speeds you were infact getting at the time you did the speed tests acording to the apps algorithm. The results are not sketchy at all. The speed you get is dependent on many factors but the number it shows is still around the speed your phone was able to get at the time of the speed test.

This thread is about getting throttled though. Public Mobile's reported peak is still only 60-70 mbps on LTE. 3G won't get that fast anyway so it can be ignored.

TheOldVR · ‎03-01-2017

@sheytoon wrote:
@TheOldVR, @srlawren, @kav2001c
If you are testing in a location with high SINR and low eNB load, the test server results will be consistent.

@sheytoon you surpassed my geek knowledge base there mate.... I can't relate that back to seeing wheither the speed results are the same with a PM vs. Telus SIM.

I have much to learn about celluar stuff... that I kinda don't intend on learning :).

sheytoon · ‎03-01-2017

@TheOldVR, @srlawren, @kav2001c

If you are testing in a location with high SINR and low eNB load, the test server results will be consistent.

CaNuCk07 · ‎03-01-2017

These speed t ests do a number on my data usage!

Community

Is Public Mobile's LTE throttled vs Telus/Koodo? Who here has the fastest Public Mobile speed?