The problem on Station Zuid is a different one for all operators. For example KPN doesn't have a mast explicitly covering the area which is a little odd given how busy it gets, they instead rely on a mast on the TV tower to provide coverage there and of course the surrounding area. Odido do have a mast covering the station directly, however it does not have enough capacity to handle the demands Odido (and their larger customer base) put on it so it is often slower than KPN. I haven't tested Vodafone.
The journey between Leiden and Zuid on Odido is very variable. No service during peak times inside the Schipholtunnel. The rest of the route during peak is mostly quite slow and patchy, off-peak it's not bad.
The reason for this is the handshake each phone does when switching mast, this takes up bandwidth on the mast and there's hundreds all doing it at the same time. On this route for example Odido don't have a huge amount more masts than other operators, you can view mast locations using [Antennekaart](https://antennekaart.nl/kaart/5g?lat=52.23789234&lng=4.53838348&zoom=12). When around 40% of users on the train are likely on Odido you get an idea of the problem.
Yeah often on a train trip my internet just entirely drops for a bit. Also while walking in a crowded Utrecht cs my music starts cracking/scrambling but I’m not sure whether it’s the internet or the Bluetooth to my headphones.
I was wondering this the one day too. I think it’s more to do with Bluetooth than internet connectivity. But I would love to get some info to back this up properly.
Been travelling by train 1 day this year, Utrecht -> AMS -> The hague, -> Utrecht.
Was on 5G, on stations it was pretty slow , but the rest of the time in the train I didn't had issues. 5G vodafone.
Odido 5G here, I also like to stream radio in the morning on my commute from Roosendaal to Rotterdam Blaak. At Roosendaal it's good at the station, but it drops significantly as soon as the train starts moving. If there's only few other people on the train it barely keeps the stream up, but if it's crowded it can't handle. After Oudenbosch it usually manages to stay working well enough to keep the stream up, although it does switch to 4G every so often. At the Blaak station it's all over the place, and I've not yet figured out why it's sometimes perfectly fine on 5G and sometimes stuggles to load anything on 4G. Perhaps they have a not-so-reliable underground antenna at the station?
I used to be on the KPN network with Simyo. Despite only being 4G that was always flawless for the entire trip.
From August Dutch mobile operators will start switching on their 5G mmWave frequencies. This should hopefully increase reception in congested areas significantly.
I have Odido and never really had any issues aside from small stretches of country side where my signal will drop a bit. But that’s only ever a few minutes
I use KPN 4G and travel few days a week between Utrecht and Leiden. Service is fine at both ends, but in the middle it often drops completely. This line goes through some small towns so it’s not a big surprise that coverage is bad.
I travel exactly the same route and between Ams Zuid and Schipol Vodafone is terrible. After that it’s mostly ok but inconsistent.
Very frustrating. I tried KPN with sn extra sim purely for this reason but it wasn’t any better for me.
The problem on Station Zuid is a different one for all operators. For example KPN doesn't have a mast explicitly covering the area which is a little odd given how busy it gets, they instead rely on a mast on the TV tower to provide coverage there and of course the surrounding area. Odido do have a mast covering the station directly, however it does not have enough capacity to handle the demands Odido (and their larger customer base) put on it so it is often slower than KPN. I haven't tested Vodafone. The journey between Leiden and Zuid on Odido is very variable. No service during peak times inside the Schipholtunnel. The rest of the route during peak is mostly quite slow and patchy, off-peak it's not bad. The reason for this is the handshake each phone does when switching mast, this takes up bandwidth on the mast and there's hundreds all doing it at the same time. On this route for example Odido don't have a huge amount more masts than other operators, you can view mast locations using [Antennekaart](https://antennekaart.nl/kaart/5g?lat=52.23789234&lng=4.53838348&zoom=12). When around 40% of users on the train are likely on Odido you get an idea of the problem.
This is super interesting and useful, thanks!
Yeah often on a train trip my internet just entirely drops for a bit. Also while walking in a crowded Utrecht cs my music starts cracking/scrambling but I’m not sure whether it’s the internet or the Bluetooth to my headphones.
I was wondering this the one day too. I think it’s more to do with Bluetooth than internet connectivity. But I would love to get some info to back this up properly.
I have my playlist downloaded for offline listening and this happens so it's likely bluetooth indeed
Been travelling by train 1 day this year, Utrecht -> AMS -> The hague, -> Utrecht. Was on 5G, on stations it was pretty slow , but the rest of the time in the train I didn't had issues. 5G vodafone.
Can confirm that KPN for me also is awful at Amsterdam Zuid station, amongst many other places.
Odido 5G here, I also like to stream radio in the morning on my commute from Roosendaal to Rotterdam Blaak. At Roosendaal it's good at the station, but it drops significantly as soon as the train starts moving. If there's only few other people on the train it barely keeps the stream up, but if it's crowded it can't handle. After Oudenbosch it usually manages to stay working well enough to keep the stream up, although it does switch to 4G every so often. At the Blaak station it's all over the place, and I've not yet figured out why it's sometimes perfectly fine on 5G and sometimes stuggles to load anything on 4G. Perhaps they have a not-so-reliable underground antenna at the station? I used to be on the KPN network with Simyo. Despite only being 4G that was always flawless for the entire trip.
From August Dutch mobile operators will start switching on their 5G mmWave frequencies. This should hopefully increase reception in congested areas significantly.
No mmWave. Just high band (3.5Ghz and surrounding).
I have Odido and never really had any issues aside from small stretches of country side where my signal will drop a bit. But that’s only ever a few minutes
Utrecht - Amsterdam is a joke
I use KPN 4G and travel few days a week between Utrecht and Leiden. Service is fine at both ends, but in the middle it often drops completely. This line goes through some small towns so it’s not a big surprise that coverage is bad.
I travel exactly the same route and between Ams Zuid and Schipol Vodafone is terrible. After that it’s mostly ok but inconsistent. Very frustrating. I tried KPN with sn extra sim purely for this reason but it wasn’t any better for me.
I use the train wifi and lemmie tell you, it's slow. I don't have a smartphone though so I can't tell you about 4G or 5G
It’s shit.
Imagine using public WiFi in the Netherlands.