PM 3G plan but phone shows faster LTE speed.

[BEER]

Just signed up on the $30 PM plan that includes 1GB data at 3G speeds however when I use the Data my iPhone shows it to be the much faster LTE speed. Is this correct or does my iPhone incorectly displays LTE. ---------(LTE is up to 10 times faster than 3G.)

[jor123]

 I find the latency is much higher on the HSPA network though

[Deez13]

thanks good advice 

[Colinh90]

It's not a placebo effect, when I set my phone to 3G I got 8mbps vs 3 mbps download speed I ran the test two times each and both came out to be around the same

[popping]

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@BEER wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@BEER wrote:

Just another weird thing that shows on my iPhone but all works fine. When I connect to data, even though I only pay for 3G it displays that I connect to LTE. I'm not experiencing any problems and happy if my phone actually connects by LTE but does it ?????

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If you let your phone do things automatically and it supports LTE then it will see the LTE frequencies. But then, as mentioned, PM throttles the default faster LTE speed down to 3Mbps. They call it 3G. It's still LTE though. It has been said before in this forum that it really oughta be called LTE-Lite.

You can also connect to HSDPA which is the real actual "3G".

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As I understand, if a plan is for 3G data and the phone is set to LTE that  then it is  throddled down to 3G. So perhaps it would be better to just set the phone data setting to 3G that would avoid the delay of it being throddled down to 3G.

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If you set your phone at 3G only, the ping time will be longer.  It is better to set your phone to switch between LTE and 3G depending the signal strength.  When your phone switches between signals, you may not using your phone at the time of switching.

[BEER]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@BEER wrote:

Just another weird thing that shows on my iPhone but all works fine. When I connect to data, even though I only pay for 3G it displays that I connect to LTE. I'm not experiencing any problems and happy if my phone actually connects by LTE but does it ?????

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If you let your phone do things automatically and it supports LTE then it will see the LTE frequencies. But then, as mentioned, PM throttles the default faster LTE speed down to 3Mbps. They call it 3G. It's still LTE though. It has been said before in this forum that it really oughta be called LTE-Lite.

You can also connect to HSDPA which is the real actual "3G".

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As I understand, if a plan is for 3G data and the phone is set to LTE that  then it is  throddled down to 3G. So perhaps it would be better to just set the phone data setting to 3G that would avoid the delay of it being throddled down to 3G.

[popping]

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@srlawren wrote:

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@BEER wrote:

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@kimzahir wrote:

The 3G /LTE is an indidcation of your Data speed, and depends mainly on the interenet speed available in your area, if you exit the 3G cover area your phone will read LTE, it will be back to 3G once you are back in the to the 3G covered zone and/or when the interent speed in the area picks up, it also depends on the age and the model of your phone, some older phones are not able to connect to the 3G network.

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I thought LTE was much faster then 3G - do I have things backwards?

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@BEER it is.  Public Mobile is giving you the LTE signal but artificially restricting how fast data can flow to and from you to approximate the experience you might get using an actual 3G network.  It is confusing as hell and I've absolutely hated the terminology ever since they started offering 3G plans a couple of years ago.

@Tiana_V @Alan_K @Dave_M your continued use of the "3G" name for the throttled LTE offering continues to cause confusion to your customers.  We see this question come up over and over again in the community and it is completely avoidable by labelling your product something more accurate like LTE Lite.  Please, please reconsider your nomenclature!

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Agree.  I like the name LTE lite.  This name will have advantage over Chatr real 3G plan comparing with our PM LTE lite plan with low LTE latency. 

I was with Chatr(Mobilicity) 3G plan.  I don't get any 3G data inside big box store like RCSS or Home Depot etc.  There is no point to pay for something which is not available when I need it.  I switched provider.  

If PM continues to advertise as 3G, Chatr 3G subscribers will think that PM service will be the same as Chatr and skip PM to another provider.

[Anonymous]

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@BEER wrote:

Just another weird thing that shows on my iPhone but all works fine. When I connect to data, even though I only pay for 3G it displays that I connect to LTE. I'm not experiencing any problems and happy if my phone actually connects by LTE but does it ?????

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If you let your phone do things automatically and it supports LTE then it will see the LTE frequencies. But then, as mentioned, PM throttles the default faster LTE speed down to 3Mbps. They call it 3G. It's still LTE though. It has been said before in this forum that it really oughta be called LTE-Lite.

You can also connect to HSDPA which is the real actual "3G".

[srlawren]

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@BEER wrote:

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@kimzahir wrote:

The 3G /LTE is an indidcation of your Data speed, and depends mainly on the interenet speed available in your area, if you exit the 3G cover area your phone will read LTE, it will be back to 3G once you are back in the to the 3G covered zone and/or when the interent speed in the area picks up, it also depends on the age and the model of your phone, some older phones are not able to connect to the 3G network.

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I thought LTE was much faster then 3G - do I have things backwards?

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@BEER it is.  Public Mobile is giving you the LTE signal but artificially restricting how fast data can flow to and from you to approximate the experience you might get using an actual 3G network.  It is confusing as hell and I've absolutely hated the terminology ever since they started offering 3G plans a couple of years ago.

@Tiana_V @Alan_K @Dave_M your continued use of the "3G" name for the throttled LTE offering continues to cause confusion to your customers.  We see this question come up over and over again in the community and it is completely avoidable by labelling your product something more accurate like LTE Lite.  Please, please reconsider your nomenclature!

[LovesToPM]

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@BEER wrote:

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@kimzahir wrote:

The 3G /LTE is an indidcation of your Data speed, and depends mainly on the interenet speed available in your area, if you exit the 3G cover area your phone will read LTE, it will be back to 3G once you are back in the to the 3G covered zone and/or when the interent speed in the area picks up, it also depends on the age and the model of your phone, some older phones are not able to connect to the 3G network.

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I thought LTE was much faster then 3G - do I have things backwards?

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Normally it is. If you have a 3G plan with PM and you're connected to LTE/4G, the speed is throttled/capped. Btw for new sign-ups or plan changes to 3G, this cap kicks in after 2 days.

As specified in Public Mobile Terms and Conditions: Plans with 3G data may reach download speeds of up to 3 Mbps, with the coverage and reliability of the LTE network.

[popping]

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@BEER wrote:

Just another weird thing that shows on my iPhone but all works fine. When I connect to data, even though I only pay for 3G it displays that I connect to LTE. I'm not experiencing any problems and happy if my phone actually connects by LTE but does it ?????

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PM 3G data means full 3G speed or LTE capped at 3Mbps.  Your phone will display LTE or 4G is the LTE signal is stronger than 3G signal at your location.

[BEER]

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@kimzahir wrote:

The 3G /LTE is an indidcation of your Data speed, and depends mainly on the interenet speed available in your area, if you exit the 3G cover area your phone will read LTE, it will be back to 3G once you are back in the to the 3G covered zone and/or when the interent speed in the area picks up, it also depends on the age and the model of your phone, some older phones are not able to connect to the 3G network.

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LTE is much faster then 3G - 

3G HSPA+ runs at up to 52 Mbps. LTE runs up to 100Mbps. But this is only when moving rapidly, like in a car. Stationary LTEcan run up to 1Gbps.

[kimzahir]

The 3G /LTE is an indidcation of your Data speed, and depends mainly on the interenet speed available in your area, if you exit the 3G cover area your phone will read LTE, it will be back to 3G once you are back in the to the 3G covered zone and/or when the interent speed in the area picks up, it also depends on the age and the model of your phone, some older phones are not able to connect to the 3G network.

[Triguy]

PM uses Telus and Bell towers which are 4G LTE but PM throttles the speed to 3G.

[BEER]

Just another weird thing that shows on my iPhone but all works fine. When I connect to data, even though I only pay for 3G it displays that I connect to LTE. I'm not experiencing any problems and happy if my phone actually connects by LTE but does it ?????

[computergeek541 · Accepted solution]

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@tehowennathe wrote:

On my Blu Vivo XI+ when I switched to 3G I found it way slower then when I keep it on LTE. I find for me anyway keeping my phone on LTE works better. Could just be my device.

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More likely, it's where you are. Network conditions affect speeds. Where i've tested, even latency on the HSPA network is about on par with the the LTE network. Customers need to figure out what works best for them.  LTE is probably less likely to be slowed from network congestion due to increased capacitty.

[BEER]

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@will13am wrote:

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@BEER wrote:

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@missorange wrote:

maybe not actual "LTE"

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When in settings LTE is enabled it shows LTE and when disabled it shows 3G. Perhaps when it shows LTE it just means that it’s enabled and not that it actually has connected to LTE network.

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What you see is what you get.  As I already mentioned, when on the LTE network, the speed is heavily throttled.

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Cut and pasting a respected suggestion by another Oracle -- I think that it would solve this ongoing question if PM data persons would without speculation address this question.

computergeek541 

If I were to switch to a 3g plan a Public Mobile, I would seriously consider just disabling LTE on my device since the speeds will often be faster after taking that step because of the way that Public Mobile doesn't throttle the 3g network speeds.

[Anonymous]

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@BEER wrote:

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What you see is what you get.  As I already mentioned, when on the LTE network, the speed is heavily throttled.

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Obviously there is more to data speed then meets the novice eye. I am cut and pasting part of an article on the subject.

"The main difference is PM data is actually LTE, just capped at 3mbps. Chatr, as far as I know, is on real 3G which has much lower latency and therefore things take longer to load."

As you mention PM is actualy LTE throttled down so it seems the best option is to enable LTE.

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I'm in a rural area with only one tower about 13km away. There's another a little further. I get less than full bars on all devices with PM. It's interesting to watch when a call comes in that it jumps up to full bars and then starts ringing. That's the phone switching to 3G voice where the reception is solid. Likewise for outgoing.

[BEER]

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What you see is what you get.  As I already mentioned, when on the LTE network, the speed is heavily throttled.

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Obviously there is more to data speed then meets the novice eye. I am cut and pasting part of an article on the subject.

"The main difference is PM data is actually LTE, just capped at 3mbps. Chatr, as far as I know, is on real 3G which has much lower latency and therefore things take longer to load."

As you mention PM is actualy LTE throttled down so it seems the best option is to enable LTE.

[popping]

PM uses 3G for voice calls.  Therefore, configure your phone to switch between 3G and LTE automatically.

[tehowennathe]

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@AE_Collector wrote:

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@tehowennathe wrote:On my Blu Vivo XI+ when I switched to 3G I found it way slower then when I keep it on LTE. I find for me anyway keeping my phone on LTE works better. Could just be my device.

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Or what the actual network is like where you were testing it.

Terry

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Could be as I mostly use phone in Montreal

[AE_Collector]

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@tehowennathe wrote:On my Blu Vivo XI+ when I switched to 3G I found it way slower then when I keep it on LTE. I find for me anyway keeping my phone on LTE works better. Could just be my device.

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Or what the actual network is like where you were testing it.

Terry

[will13am]

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@BEER wrote:

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@missorange wrote:

maybe not actual "LTE"

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When in settings LTE is enabled it shows LTE and when disabled it shows 3G. Perhaps when it shows LTE it just means that it’s enabled and not that it actually has connected to LTE network.

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What you see is what you get.  As I already mentioned, when on the LTE network, the speed is heavily throttled.

[BEER]

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@missorange wrote:

maybe not actual "LTE"

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When in settings LTE is enabled it shows LTE and when disabled it shows 3G. Perhaps when it shows LTE it just means that it’s enabled and not that it actually has connected to LTE network.

So since my plan only includes data at 3G speeds perhaps it would be best to switch off the LTE option and stop the phone to in vain search for an LTE network . With simple reasoning by stopping it from searching  would it not save some battery use. 

[tehowennathe]

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@will13am wrote:

@BEER , the plans come with heavily throttled LTE data that is referred to as 3Gb speed but the marketing department.  Marketing and technical terms don't always mix well.  Alternatively, you can force your phone to stay in 3G and enjoy full 3G speeds which can be faster than the LTE speed throttle at 3 mbits/s.  However, you lose the latency advantage with LTE.  My suggestion is to stay on the LTE network and if you find the speed intolerable, switch to a different service.

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On my Blu Vivo XI+ when I switched to 3G I found it way slower then when I keep it on LTE. I find for me anyway keeping my phone on LTE works better. Could just be my device.

[will13am]

@BEER , the plans come with heavily throttled LTE data that is referred to as 3Gb speed but the marketing department.  Marketing and technical terms don't always mix well.  Alternatively, you can force your phone to stay in 3G and enjoy full 3G speeds which can be faster than the LTE speed throttle at 3 mbits/s.  However, you lose the latency advantage with LTE.  My suggestion is to stay on the LTE network and if you find the speed intolerable, switch to a different service.

[tehowennathe]

You are in fact using LTE network. Yes you are on a 3G plan but it's not true 3G plan. Public Mobile calls it 3G because they throttle the LTE data to 3G speeds. I keep my phone set to automatic this way it stays on LTE when it's available and get decent speeds. 

It will switch to 3G when LTE isn't available. It's confusing for most people who don't know how PM makes their data work.

[missorange]

maybe not actual "LTE"

[BEER]

When  not on WIFI my phone shows that it  alternates between LTE and 3G. Not sure if it actually does connect to LTE because my PM plan only includes data at 3G. 

For the past few days it shows that it’s connected to LTE but I really don’t experience any speed difference. 

[Anonymous]

 @Milk, @BEER 

No one is arguing *against* you. The thread has been about speedtests between the two networks and the found observations. All good. Also old news. But it's always good to re-confirm what has gone on before.

The so-called 3G data is really kind of a misnomer due to the fact that it is actually throttled LTE. Some think it should be called LTE Lite..not 3G.

Setting the phone to not-LTE might be a bug...might be a feature. If a bug then it could be fixed at any time. (as if) If a feature then they sure don't talk about it.

Enjoy what you have.

[BEER]

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@will13am wrote:

Speed test results are so YMMV it is not really informative.  There are so many local factors that come into play.  I have mentioned it many times, at work the 3G network is completely useless for data.  Pretty much all the bandwidth is consumed on phone calls.  The real practical test is every day usage.  If it seems fast enough and everything loads without time outs, it is good.  

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Just a very simple question - 

If for no other reason what's the argument against setting your phone to the data setting that one subscribes and pays for?

Anyways it's a beautifull Sunday  afternoon and it's beer time - cheers to all.