The Cricket was Great – The 3G Was Not

I went to the SCG on Sunday night to see Australia play India in the tri-nations one-day series that includes Sri Lanka. While the cricket was entertaining enough (helped by an emphatic Australian win), I also took the opportunity to test the 3G network of ALL the carriers.

I tested speeds and ping times, and whatever else I could think of. I borrowed phones from friends who I was there with and tried the same test on their handsets (even a new 4G handset, too).

I didn’t take adequate notes of my tests to make them a true and balanced network performance experiment, but overall, in general, it was below par. There were only 35,000 people at the ground, Telstra had intermittent data at best, Optus was much the same. Surprisingly, Vodafone was actually the best of the three, however with a big sponsorship of the game I would hope so.

Anyone who thinks that wireless should power the NBN, go to the cricket and experience a saturated network and then think again – the 3G reception was horrible. The good thing about not being able to stuff around with your phone during the breaks, was that you had more time for sledging the Indian supporters.

Cricket is a great game, and playing against India makes it even better. I love the spectacle the Indians bring, the energy and emotion. I love it when the players lose their temper, when they are unhappy with the result of the game and the decisions along the way. It just all adds to the feeling and the overall experience.

Yesterday’s one day match had it all, and I loved it. In my family cricket has an extra special feeling. My Grandfather played Australian test cricket (his wiki page has all the details – here). Playing against India though has always been a bone of contention, because for if not for Bill, the word ‘Mankaded’ may not exist today.

 

So India, you lost, Australia won. Good luck against Sri Lanka – you are still in it.