"Geoff Lane" <geoff@nospam.invalid> wrote in message
news:Xns9C50587BF964Egeoffnospam097akdsh@216.196.1 09.145...
> iain <spamtrap@hairydog.co.uk> wrote in
> news:mkva655q3ui6fjdt0hecjnaf9q6jo275jn@4ax.com:
>
>>>It would be simpler to buy a 39.99 Skype S2 PAYG from Three,
>>>pop into any Three shop or buy online.
>>
>> Simpler, yes, but also 39.99 more expensive.
>>
>> Ony useful if you phone people on skype.
>
> I bought two S1 Skypephones from 3 on contract to "take advantage" of the
> free Skype calls. I have an Asterisk system and my plan was to purchase
> an Asterisk to Skype gateway and include my mobile in the main ring
> group. Effectively, that should have given me call diversion of my home
> phones to my mobile at zero cost.
>
> However, I found that Skype on 3 is not ready for the big time. Skype
> converage is intermittent and only seems available in 3G areas. Even in
> 3G areas, the Skype login periodically disconnects and the latency can be
> horrific (much worse than "normal" - i.e. computer-to-computer - Skype
> calls). Thus we found the service too unreliable even to make Skype calls
> from home to the mobile and vice versa. Also, the S1 phones locked up at
> random and the only way to reset them was to take the back off and pull
> the battery. Three replaced one for a basic Nokia but insisted the other
> was fine provided I followed their recommendation to completely power
> down and reboot the phone once per day and refused to replace that
>
> We're now waiting for our contract to expire in a few months so that we
> can go back to O2!
> Geoff
>
>
The Skype S1 is a load of crap, without a HSDPA modem it can't
d/l at more than 380kbps

The S2 has a HSDPA modem (up to 3.6Mbps) (I get up to 2Mbps
on a 3.5g cell) and is better in all other aspects

Three were foolish to accept the S1, I'd only use a S1 now as a door stop

BTW in the last year Three have added on average at least 3 new BTS
a day everyday, why they aren't publicising that fact is beyond me!

They are planning to cover 98.5% of the UK population by the end of next
year

Long term plan is when (if) they reach 99% of UK population they'll
then be able to drop Orange 2g roaming

Three are without doubt the most improved network in the last 3 years

Steve Terry