Vodafone has once again criticised O2's data network following a recent interview with O2 CTO Derek McManus.
The CTO told Mobile Today that the problem with creating robust networks to carry all the date generated by smartphones is an ongoing issue:
"'The capacity problem isn't going to go away. It's a positive challenge. How do you ensure you have coverage?"
Vodafone, fresh from being announced as the fastest network in the UK in a recent survey, sent a statement to TechRadar to press its own claims as the place for data:
"It's extraordinary to see that O2's CTO has admitted that network capacity is a problem that won't go away for them. We have robust and reliable capacity which is why even O2's customers recognise us as the best network," said Mairead Cullen, Head of Network for Vodafone in the UK and Ireland.
Smartphone demand
"We have seen a great demand for smartphones, including the iPhone, from customers who insist on an outstanding experience.
"Vodafone has continually invested in the UK's best network to make sure our customers are confident that they can make calls, send texts, download music or search the internet whenever they need to."
While Vodafone has invested in elements like Sure Signal to boost indoor 3G signal and has also been awarded British Standard Certification for the reliability of its network, there's no public data to show O2's customers have been moving to Vodafone.
O2 has one of the lowest churns (people leaving the network) in the industry, and Matthew Key of Telefonica O2 Europe previously said: "We are seeing absolutely no evidence of customers leaving us to go back to Orange or Vodafone who had previously come to us from them to buy an iPhone."
O2 declined to comment to TechRadar over Vodafone's statement.
The war of words shows no sign of abating, as all networks invest and develop infrastructure to maintain data to users.
O2 has recently completed a £30m investment in London networks in order to improve its service, and with T-Mobile and Orange merging in the near future (and 3 making continued efforts into data provision) the constant moaning of the British public about data failure could soon be a thing of the past.
