Have a look at where the masts are actually sited and who owns them here:http://sitefinder.ofcom.org.uk/searchstick in W3 and zoom down a few levels. There's a cluster of masts around the Police station, then few and far between. This means that these masts are servicing a huge number of people.I'm on O2 and exactly between the Market Place microcell mast and the Vale Grove macrocell mast. My signal is always poor. I suspect I'm on the edge of their range and that the geography of acton also contributes to the problem. The O2 mast at the fire station is a macrocell, so the Market Place one must have been installed to act as a local booster. A macrocell provides the main radio coverage infrastructure for a mobile network. The antennas for macrocells are mounted on ground-based masts, rooftops and other existing structures, at a height that provides a clear view over the surrounding buildings and terrain. Macrocells provide radio coverage over varying distances dependent upon frequency capacity and clutter. Macrocell base stations have power outputs of typically tens of watts.Microcells provide infill radio coverage and additional capacity where there are high numbers of users within urban and suburban macrocells. The antennas for microcells are mounted at street level (i.e. below the surrounding buildings and terrain) typically on the external walls of existing structures, lamp-posts and other street furniture. Microcell antennas are smaller than macrocell antennas and when mounted on existing structures can often be disguised as building features. Microcells provide radio coverage over distances, typically, between 300m and 1000m. Microcell base stations have lower output powers than macrocells, typically a few watts.The solution is of course more masts. However the same old story, no one wants a mast near them, so they are opposed where possible and the service doesn't improve.Many people get round the problem by getting a 3G signal booster, like SureSignal from Vodaphone, or using a phone from Orange with a similar system built-in (UMA).
David Scott ● 4723d