Putting together carrier contracts - sim only - UK

[arophous]

Howdy folks,

I am gearing up for a choice and just wanted to chat about carrier options in the UK. I brought the N1 and simply popped my Sim which still had 3 months left on the contract (runs out end of this month). Now I find myself in a good position, for the first time ever I get to dictate which provider I use, not by which shiny phones they sell but by which services they offer!

Looking over the past month or so I was very much ready to leave o2 after emailing their support department about their fair usage. Crazy fact: It turns out video streaming (i.e youtube) is not allowed under their policies and they don't specify the 1GB anywhere, until you go over it .

They were also offering tethering but after questioning, only iphone users were eligible for that option... they also said I was eligible to upgrade to an iphone!!!?!, that one made me chuckle.

After visiting the o2 store today though it seems they have relaxed data options on sim and other contracts. You can now opt for 1gb a month for £10 or 3GB for £15. Now I fit that with a £10 monthly contract sim with 100 mins and unlimited texts and I think I am getting a reasonable price, £25. I believe this sim is also rolling monthly so I could change at a time when other providers offer better deals.

What are you guys doing with your carrier plans and is data as important to you?

Aro

[the gnarly panda]

I'm with O2 on a Sim only rolling 30-day contract. It's called iPhone simplicity (but it's the same as normal simplicity) and I get 300 minutes, unlimited texts and unlimited (or as you point out 1gb) internet for £20 a month.

I don't think it's that bad, but I don't really use the minutes. I found a deal on T-Mobile, although it's for the HTC Desire I'm sure they'd do it Sim only, 100 minutes, unlimted (1gb again) internet and unlimited texts - £15 a month. An 18 month contract though.

However, I think the 3G on both networks is pretty poor. On O2 even when my phone says I have 3G as soon as I start using it I watch the bars go down, all the way till I'm on Edge then they continue till they reach GPRS and then I get shitty speeds. I can't speak for T-Mobile though, never tried them.

[DaveC]

T-Mobile are good and the joint networking with 3 (to be completed October) means wide 3G coverage. What advantage the tie in with Orange will bring is to be seen.

Something to watch is that t-mobile's standard data plan in not HSDPA! You need to tell them you have an Android phone.

I'm fortunate as I have a SIM only upgrade: 100 min (fine for me) Unlimited Text and 3GB of HSDPA for £10

[dd4005]

I'm surprised that O2 UK aren't as flexible as O2 Germany. I just got a sim-only deal where I have no contract as such, I pay no monthly charge - I pay only for the calls I make at about 10p per minute and 10p per SMS. That suits me perfectly as I don't make all that many outgoing calls on it. Of course all incoming is free.

As for the internet side, in Germany O2 are offering a 3G "Internet Pack M" tariff where it's unlimited data for €8.50/month (about £7.50). If I want to get an unlimited "3G stick" for use with a computer, even that's only double that price.

So if I make 15 minutes of outgoing calls in a month, then my total bill will be €10 (£9).

[the gnarly panda]

Originally Posted by dd4005

I'm surprised that O2 UK aren't as flexible as O2 Germany. I just got a sim-only deal where I have no contract as such, I pay no monthly charge - I pay only for the calls I make at about 10p per minute and 10p per SMS. That suits me perfectly as I don't make all that many outgoing calls on it. Of course all incoming is free.

As for the internet side, in Germany O2 are offering a 3G "Internet Pack M" tariff where it's unlimited data for €8.50/month (about £7.50). If I want to get an unlimited "3G stick" for use with a computer, even that's only double that price.

So if I make 15 minutes of outgoing calls in a month, then my total bill will be €10 (£9).

We have this in the UK too, it's called pay as you go. I would do this, however it's a pain to have to top up the balance every time I run out. Yes, I am lazy.

[dd4005]

Originally Posted by the gnarly panda

We have this in the UK too, it's called pay as you go. I would do this, however it's a pain to have to top up the balance every time I run out. Yes, I am lazy.

It's similar but not exactly PAYG. I just switched from a PAYG/Prepaid to this one which is a "contract but not a contract" effectively. I'll get a bill each month for my 8.50 internet + whatever phone calls I make and it's paid by direct debit. I don't have to "stay in credit", I just get billed. They also have a thing attached to it called an "O2 Airbag" which means the bill can't go higher than €51 in a month, if you manage to reach that, your Airbag cushions the blow effectively and caps your bill.

So I effectively have a contract with no free minutes/calls, but I don't pay any regular monthly fee, only my internet (flat) & calls.

Might be worth asking O2 UK about it.

[the gnarly panda]

Originally Posted by dd4005

It's similar but not exactly PAYG. I just switched from a PAYG/Prepaid to this one which is a "contract but not a contract" effectively. I'll get a bill each month for my 8.50 internet + whatever phone calls I make and it's paid by direct debit. I don't have to "stay in credit", I just get billed. They also have a thing attached to it called an "O2 Airbag" which means the bill can't go higher than €51 in a month, if you manage to reach that, your Airbag cushions the blow effectively and caps your bill.

So I effectively have a contract with no free minutes/calls, but I don't pay any regular monthly fee, only my internet (flat) & calls.

Might be worth asking O2 UK about it.

This seems too good an idea for O2UK to actually implement. This is exactly what I want.