The customer experience of a patchy mobile network

EE, Vodafone, O2 all claim to have the best mobile network in the UK with EE leading the way in 4G coverage. I have been trialling a 4G phone alongside my other 3G lesser devices keen to feel the lightning speed of 4G which thus far has been underwhelming. What is has lead me to consider more is the reliability of my 3G networks. The third generation mobile network (3G) has been with us for nearly ten years now in the UK having been pioneered even earlier in other parts of the globe such as japan and the states. Such a retro classic piece of tech should by now be completely bullet proof which makes it totally exasperating when we feel connectivity issues. Last week the whole O2 network went down for a few hours which is a pain but it is not these hugely public failures that trouble me most but loss of signal on any given day on a network over ten years old. The massive explosion in smart phones has clearly stretched 3G to breaking point but basic functionality should not be a problem. Why do I experience call drop outs from loss of signal when driving across Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire. I'm not asking for super fast 3G data services here. Just to use the phone for - phone calls!  A crazy phenonenom I grant you but obviously a stretch too far. Yes I want 4G and better data services but as a minimum allow me to make a phone call without complete meltdown. Epic. Far from it.