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[Varche]

We live in the sticks and so have limited choice of internet. No copper or fibre and never will be.

We have 4G internet ( SIM in a router) and it works . However in the last four weeks it has become noticeably useless. I suspect more of our neighbours are either streaming tv , gaming etc.

I am going to prod our village “ mayor” to make noises on our behalf to the phone company. It would be handy to arm him with what the solution is. Anyone tech savvy please?  Another rack of cards?

There are only around 35 occupied houses so maybe 60 users. Being blunt the phone co  wont give a damn being as it is Spain but I feel I have to do something as we have given up trying to stream TV.. Even posting this is a trial at 1 am our time.

[Doctor Gollum]

Different network?

I would think that nheighbours streaming would only affect your connection if they are using your connection because it is via a sim, so effectively a personal connection rather than shared from the landline connection. 

[Marks DTM Calib]

Probably dropped an 5G NSA install at the 4G base station, anyway of seeing if you now have 5G coverage in your area?

[Marks DTM Calib]

Different network?

I would think that nheighbours streaming would only affect your connection if they are using your connection because it is via a sim, so effectively a personal connection rather than shared from the landline connection. 

Back haul network is always the bottleneck, more users less to go around 

[Kevin Wood]

Different network?

I would think that nheighbours streaming would only affect your connection if they are using your connection because it is via a sim, so effectively a personal connection rather than shared from the landline connection. 

Back haul network is always the bottleneck, more users less to go around 

Yes, there's nothing "personal" about a mobile network. You are all sharing a limited resource (often quite limited in a rural area).

As said, if they've added some 5G it will likely have reduced the local 4G capacity, so might be useful to get ahead of the trend and get a 5G capable router.

Sadly, the network is probably not making enough money from a rural cell to convince them to spend significant money upgrading it.

[Varche]

That is interesting about 5G.  Months ago, a neighbour spotted planning permission for 5G kit on the village hall. Movistar have a national rollout as part of the EU plan to improve rural internet. I regularly ask in the local Movistar shop but get the shrug. Might have been a blanket batch of applications or a signal of specific work.

I don’t know anyone with a 5G device but I am going to start doing Ookla speed tests and making enquiries. I did one last night after my post and it was the advertised speeds and ping.

Kevin. You are right about not making enough money off our village but there is a bigger village the otherside of the river that is a not spot that will be served by the 5G new kit. When it is installed, I checked and we will get free hardware upgrade.

[Doctor Gollum]

Probably dropped an 5G NSA install at the 4G base station, anyway of seeing if you now have 5G coverage in your area?

Would that be one base for all networks or one each.

[Marks DTM Calib]

Probably dropped an 5G NSA install at the 4G base station, anyway of seeing if you now have 5G coverage in your area?

Would that be one base for all networks or one each.

The cheap quick approach to 5G roll out is to just drop a 5G radio onto a 4G install, hence no upgrade of the backhaul and still sat on the 4G limitations, hence the NSA (Not Stand Alone). Just requires a mast and a bit of electronics

Its likely that more 5G SA (Stand Alone) will appear in the fullness of time

[Doctor Gollum]

Let's say Snr Vs router has a Movistar sim.

If he switches to, say, O2, would that use the same mast for its signal?

[Sir Tigger KC]

I expect the Spanish use Huawei kit and the Chinese have spotted the Brit in the sticks and are throttling you! 

[TheBoy]

As DTM suspects, probably "upgrading" to 5G, but via 5G NSA.

5G NSA uses the 5G frequencies and techniques on the radio network, but the rest of the infrastructure like backhaul and the servers that run it all are the 4G ones, which is why most 5G speeds are shockingly slow.  In many cases, the 5G NSA is given a reserved capacity VP on the backhaul to make it seem a bit better than the 4G, which therefore gets less of the backhaul it had before, increasing contention, thus slowing it down.

The other thing that can bugger it all up during the changeover, quite often they change frequencies and power levels of nearby older masts, so as to reduce interference with the 4G one.  This can also impact, as it might be you are pushed to another cell, or repeatedly swap cells as the individual cells "breath".


In the UK, the vast, vast majority of 5G is NSA, with minimal public SA.  NSA is easier, cheaper, and most importantly faster to deploy.  And many UK/EU/US mobile networks are otherwise distracted ripping out the Chinky shite