Mobile Network Comparison

O₂ has topped a poll for customer satisfaction rates commissioned by Ofcom. The research involved interviews of thousands of customers between July and September this year and asked customers to rate their satisfaction regarding their interaction with customer services.

The research concerns six mobile network in the UK: O₂, Orange, T-Mobile, Vodafone, Virgin Mobile, and 3. The networks were rated according to various criteria such as how quickly the issues were dealt with, the quality of the service and the competence and attitude of the customer services representative they spoke to.

O₂ topped the poll with a total satisfaction rating of 76%. Following behind were three and T-Mobile who were tied in third place with 67% satisfaction will stop next was orange with 65% followed by virgin Mobile with 64%. The worst rated mobile network for 2012 according to of column is Vodafone. They had a satisfaction rating of only 61% and 18% of customers claim they were dissatisfied after their called the customer services.

Not only did O₂ top the poll by some margin but they also had by far the lowest dissatisfaction levels. Only 8% of O₂ customers reported being dissatisfied compared to the lowest from any other network at 14% of Three Mobile and Orange customers. O₂ also excelled in areas such as the speed it takes to resolve issues and for being easy to contact. There were also commended by Ofcom for frequently offering compensation or goodwill gestures.

The latest findings are very surprising as they come at the end of a terrible year for O₂. The company has been plagued by technical issues and has suffered two lengthy outages across its entire network. In fact, it’s been hard to find a good word said about O₂ customer services in 2012. User forums have been awash with complaints and unresolved issues and the network has been roundly criticised for the poor way with which it has dealt with the outages.

What’s even more baffling is the claim that they are good at offering compensation when it is due. One of the strongest criticisms of O₂‘s handling of its technical problems was the way to dodge the issue of compensation and then gave an incredibly meagre amount for the inconvenience that customers suffered. They didn’t even offer any compensation for the second outage this year. The customer satisfaction surveys also don’t have any mention of satisfaction with the service itself which could also be a problem for O₂ as they are renowned for having by far the worst 3G coverage in the country.

Still, O₂ will be very pleased with the results which showed head and shoulders above the other networks. It remains to be seen whether this customer satisfaction will translate into increased loyalty to the brand. Vodafone and of course will be very disappointed and it it will be interesting to see over the coming months what they can do to turn these results around.

Another thing learned from the research is that mobile customers are becoming ever more dissatisfied with their networks. The average percentage of dissatisfied customers has risen from 9% to 14% since 2009 – this is a 50% increase. Clearly mobile networks will have to work harder to keep customers happy.

Which mobile network are you with? Have you ever had to contact them about an issue and, if so, how do you rate the customer service you get from them? Finally, does your experience of various mobile networks equates to the findings of the Ofcom survey?

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The next stage in bringing 4G to all UK users is coming up soon. The long-awaited auction of frequency spectrum is expected next month now. Ofcom has been involved in litany of delays and arguments but, at long last, it now seems that it will go ahead.

The latest news concerns the final list of approved bidders for the vital radio frequency spectra that will be used to carry the super-fast 4G signal. EE already owns some usable spectrum which it re-purposed for 4G which is how it came to be the first 4G carrier in the UK and also explains the reason why it was able to secure a monopoly this year. Meanwhile, Ofcom made all the other networks wait until this auction was completed before they could get their hands on the correct frequencies for 4G communication. Part of the reasoning behind this was to force the other networks to stop delaying the auction with tedious legal complaints no matter how unfair the head start ruling seems.

The finalised list of bidders includes UK operators Vodafone, Telefónica (which owns O₂) and Hutchison Whampoa which owns Hutchinson 3G and hence Three Mobile (and which should probably think about changing its name soon lest it become even more out of date). EE is also bidding for an even bigger slice of the action. The remaining three companies hoping to get involved are MLL Telecom, BT (who used to own BT Cellnet and O₂) and much maligned Hong Kong company PCCW Limited.

Ofcom is claiming that the upcoming auction will raise a huge amount of money for the government. The previous auction of frequency bands for 3G generated over £20 billion but, post hoc, operators complained that they had overpaid and that they were left too deep in the red. The auction occurred at the apex of the tech boom and nowadays we are in the middle of a double-dip recession. The government is only expecting an income of about £3.5 billion from the 4G auction. In comparison, a similar 4G auction was recently conducted in Holland and raised on £3 billion. However, that represents a per capita cost of about £190 compared to just £60 expected in the UK auction.

It is thought the bidding from BT, MLL Telecom and PCCW Limited is only going to be speculative with the existing British network operators picking up the vast majority of frequencies available. MLL Telecom in particular have publicly stated that they don’t intend to offer a consumer 4G service.

There will be twenty eight separate blocks of bandwidth available this time round compared to just five for the previous 3G auction. Please let us know your thoughts on the upcoming spectrum auction and we’ll bring you more information and updates as things progress.

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Francis West is urging for greater cooperation in humanitarian efforts so that technology can make the biggest positive difference possible. In an article in today’s Guardian, the senior advisor of the charity Save the Children, explains how mobile technology isn’t a panacea that will ensure the success of humanitarian projects. Instead, far greater and more effective collaboration is also required to make the most of mobile phones in disaster areas.

The article is sponsored by Adam Smith International and describes how the potential of mobile phones to make a difference has not yet been fully realised. There is still a lot more work to do to make the most of this technology. A new report funded by Vodafone argues that better cooperation between NGOs, the private sector, governments and charities will make the biggest difference in helping out during disasters.

Francis West explains how mobile phones have made a massive difference in areas such as the fight against cholera. This deadly intestine infection causes over 100,000 deaths a year still and is very common in third world countries with unclean water supplies. Untreated outbreaks often develop into pandemics. In Haiti, a report by the American Journal of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine showed that mobile communications and social media dramatically helped against the spread of the disease when compared to older methods.

Since then, the proliferation of mobile phones in developing countries has helped in other similar instances. Nowadays almost 80% of the developing world have mobile phones. But an important factor that hasn’t been adequately addressed is accountability. In humanitarian work, mobile phones excel as they allow access to instantaneous information assisting in triage and assessing the most pressing needs. Part of this is ensuring that the most vulnerable to actually have access to mobile phones and functional networks. The best solution is to oblige mobile phone companies to divert capacity to the most remote or damaged areas during emergencies and for government bodies to prioritise bringing mobile networks back up in their initial disaster-response plans.

Another important issue for consideration is being prepared. It is vital that sufficient training is in place to make the most of this powerful technology. As communication is so quick and easy with mobile phones, it’s important that people know how to use it in the best possible way. Similarly, it is absolutely imperative that the hierarchical structure is optimised for this. Without preparation, mobile technology can cause even great confusion and an disjointed emergency response. All organisations from the private sector to governments should investigate the appropriate training in advance.

Finally, a charitable spirit and helpful collaboration can make huge differences on the ground. For example, mobile phones are frequently used nowadays to collect and coordinate urgently needed donations as well as distribute money. With advanced coordination of policies for reducing costs such as transfer fees in the wake of a disaster, things can be massively sped up. There is no point having mobiles provide an instant means of communication if discussions for services fees take hours or days to be fleshed out.

What the research shows us best is that mobile phones and technology alone will not improve people’s lives or disaster response on their own. What is also needed is forward-planning and motivation to remove structural and systemic obstacles that still impede good work.

What do you think? Have mobiles revolutionised disaster response and the way we can help in humanitarian disasters? And what more can be done to make their use more efficient?

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