Fatgadget
macrumors newbie
That would tie in with that mobile phone retailer posting a Vodafone contract on their website and not a T-Mobile one, its all speculation at the moment though.
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3G iPhone for UK Customers?
- Thread starter tttexxan
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That would tie in with that mobile phone retailer posting a Vodafone contract on their website and not a T-Mobile one, its all speculation at the moment though.
michelepri
macrumors 6502a
I just got a 3.5G USB modem for my laptop for Vodafone in UK, £45 per month buys you 3.6Mbps and unlimited bandwidth. *
* They then caveat, they don't want you to download more than 4GB per month.
Still, not bad.
They also do 250MB download per month for £25 per month, but then it's £1/MB after that.
I hope they do similar tarrifs and speeds with iPhone.
My UK 3.5G is way way way way faster than any EDGE.
* They then caveat, they don't want you to download more than 4GB per month.
Still, not bad.
They also do 250MB download per month for £25 per month, but then it's £1/MB after that.
I hope they do similar tarrifs and speeds with iPhone.
My UK 3.5G is way way way way faster than any EDGE.
Check out the tech specs in the Google cache version of the listing, it says GSM and Edge, nothing about 3G.
Vodafone have already announced a major drop in their data plan costs, starting on Monday (July 2nd), unlimited plan down from £45+VAT to £25+VAT, making it just pennies more expensive than T-Mobile's "Unlimited but no VOIP" plan.
T-Mobile have a more expensive unlimited plan (£45-ish?) which allows VOIP. I wrote to Vodafone a few days ago asking if their £25+VAT plan would allow VOIP, no reply, so I guess that's a no, meaning you should choose based on coverage etc rather than price.
Vodafone have already announced a major drop in their data plan costs, starting on Monday (July 2nd), unlimited plan down from £45+VAT to £25+VAT, making it just pennies more expensive than T-Mobile's "Unlimited but no VOIP" plan.
T-Mobile have a more expensive unlimited plan (£45-ish?) which allows VOIP. I wrote to Vodafone a few days ago asking if their £25+VAT plan would allow VOIP, no reply, so I guess that's a no, meaning you should choose based on coverage etc rather than price.
Vanillacide, you should have waited a few days, not sure if you will now get the reduced tariff, they announced the price drop about a week ago.
BTW, I also asked all the providers if they would offer an Express card 3G modem - none will be doing so in the foreseeable future.
T-mobile sent me a very detailed reply, saying they had plans to but dropped them when it became apparent that Mac users were happy to use the far cheaper USB dongle modem.
T-mobile sent me a very detailed reply, saying they had plans to but dropped them when it became apparent that Mac users were happy to use the far cheaper USB dongle modem.
I think that's a reasonable rumor...as we all know, the size & battery consumption of 3G radios is expected to diminish a huge amount between now and Monday.
superleccy
macrumors 6502a
Yes, I didn't think of that, you could well be right. On the other hand, Vodafone make a big deal out of being "Global" and would probably fight hard to get rights across the whole of Europe, even if it means sharing them with T-mobile.
Not saying this is impossible, but switching from "GSM" to "Dual Mode" (and vice versa) on my Nokia N95 does requires a restart.
However, 3G handsets handover back-and-forth between 2G and 3G anyway, sometimes in mid call/session (often a reason for dropped calls on some handsets/networks).
SL
I got it about a week ago! Just checked their site, and that is the current price. 🙂
http://online.vodafone.co.uk/dispat...ageLabel=template09&pageID=BS_0201&tabIndex=2
Although, it's a business expense so not too much of an issue if the price drops a couple of quid a month.
I used to think 3G was crap, but I have een impressed so far ... it's very fast in Docklands area.
B/s
This is total b/s you can tell ... they wouldn't be a able to have kept it so quiet and yes it would piss you us customers off.
Vodafone also is the s***est network of all in the uk ...they may have the biggest 3g network but they chrage a stupid amount for it and voice calls are a rip off
o2 or orange would be the best uk networks but we'll see im hoping it'l be
o2!
Only problem is how to get edge to work
This is total b/s you can tell ... they wouldn't be a able to have kept it so quiet and yes it would piss you us customers off.
Vodafone also is the s***est network of all in the uk ...they may have the biggest 3g network but they chrage a stupid amount for it and voice calls are a rip off
o2 or orange would be the best uk networks but we'll see im hoping it'l be
o2!
Only problem is how to get edge to work
I just hope we get it with SUNRISE here in CH...no Swisscom nor Orange, please...way overpriced or undercovered...Sunrise has the best of both worlds.
leenoble
macrumors member
I hate to rain on everyone's parade but...
...last October Vodafone entered an exclusivity deal with The Link (I think) which meant that Carphone Warehouse and indeed anybody else can no longer sell Vodafone contracts.
The people I work for think that Voda will ultimately drop this exclusivity deal as it can only be losing them customers but for the time being tying voda in with CW simply ain't happening.
If perhaps the exclusivity deal finishes in October when the iPhone is due out in the UK then this may have some shred of possibility but there's simply no way the iPhone is coming out in this way before then. Sorry.
...last October Vodafone entered an exclusivity deal with The Link (I think) which meant that Carphone Warehouse and indeed anybody else can no longer sell Vodafone contracts.
The people I work for think that Voda will ultimately drop this exclusivity deal as it can only be losing them customers but for the time being tying voda in with CW simply ain't happening.
If perhaps the exclusivity deal finishes in October when the iPhone is due out in the UK then this may have some shred of possibility but there's simply no way the iPhone is coming out in this way before then. Sorry.
leenoble
macrumors member
That doesn;t necessarily have any meaning. I work for "a large mobile phone retailer" and we were asked to set up iPhone templates and pages on the website as soon as it was announced even though no-one had any idea whether we would even be selling it at that point.
stephenc92
macrumors regular
Ahem.
Hard to believe there's anything in this at all. I think the first comments in this thread highlighted the fact that this is basically spam.
"A new 3G (European) version of the iPhone will be launched Monday in the UK by Apple"
Yes, that exactly what Apple are gonna do at the height of one of the most brilliantly executed marketing campaigns in recent years- announce a better iPhone less than a week after the first model drops. f***wit.
Still, if it's one of the big European carriers- I hope it's Vodafone. Only 'cause I'm in Italy and they're the only one of Europe's big 4 who operate here..
Hard to believe there's anything in this at all. I think the first comments in this thread highlighted the fact that this is basically spam.
"A new 3G (European) version of the iPhone will be launched Monday in the UK by Apple"
Yes, that exactly what Apple are gonna do at the height of one of the most brilliantly executed marketing campaigns in recent years- announce a better iPhone less than a week after the first model drops. f***wit.
Still, if it's one of the big European carriers- I hope it's Vodafone. Only 'cause I'm in Italy and they're the only one of Europe's big 4 who operate here..
I think The Link was gone by October, and all throuogh its existance it was part owned by O2 (and part by Dixons Stores Group). must have been someone else I think (phones4u?).
I'm sure Carphone Warehouse have had exclusive sets before, and there's always the possibility of not really marketing it as 3G, just having that as a better way to connect online, because its more feasible in this continent. Doesn't even need front camera (wouldn't be the first 3G phone not to do video calling - Nokia 7600 - and video calling's not popular anyway), so just an iPhone 1st Gen Europe Edition really.
What, do you think the iPhone is going to come out with 3G in the US? Is EDGE going to suddenly speed up to 768kbps? Models are out, and they've been reviewed, and there's a big complaint on the download speeds.
This seems to have some feasibility.
OK, it's unlikely a phone will be launched on Monday, but it could well be announced.
It's reasonable to criticise the 2G speeds - we all know that they are slow without having to wait for the iPhone to come out. I also agree that the US price plans are hefty, especially for a phone that's not subsidised.
There has been a rumour that a European iPhone would have a different form factor. This suggests a slightly thicker case for 3G. Doesn't have to be huge though, I have a SE K800i which is very neat. Sure, battery life isn't as good as 2G, but then you're going to dock your iPhone each night to sync with your Mac.
My concerns about the iPhone in the UK, as well as the lack of 3G, are it's lack of features. Namely:
1, MMS; this is essential for this market. It's no good saying that you can send an email - you can't because most people don't have their phones set up to receive email (and you can't assume all your mates will have iPhones).
2, High res camera: 2Mp just doesn't cut the mustard for a high-end phone. It needs to be at least 3Mp
3, Video recording and playback: Just about every phone does video now; the iPhone needs to if it's going to appeal.
4, Video calling: never used this myself, do others?
5, Ring tones: People will not like not being able to personalise their ringtone (yes, I know they can be annoying, but...)
Finally, can we avoid the 'Vodafone is better than Orange' comments - the yanks got very tedious with their "Cinguluar is better than AT&T' ones 🙄
OK, it's unlikely a phone will be launched on Monday, but it could well be announced.
It's reasonable to criticise the 2G speeds - we all know that they are slow without having to wait for the iPhone to come out. I also agree that the US price plans are hefty, especially for a phone that's not subsidised.
There has been a rumour that a European iPhone would have a different form factor. This suggests a slightly thicker case for 3G. Doesn't have to be huge though, I have a SE K800i which is very neat. Sure, battery life isn't as good as 2G, but then you're going to dock your iPhone each night to sync with your Mac.
My concerns about the iPhone in the UK, as well as the lack of 3G, are it's lack of features. Namely:
1, MMS; this is essential for this market. It's no good saying that you can send an email - you can't because most people don't have their phones set up to receive email (and you can't assume all your mates will have iPhones).
2, High res camera: 2Mp just doesn't cut the mustard for a high-end phone. It needs to be at least 3Mp
3, Video recording and playback: Just about every phone does video now; the iPhone needs to if it's going to appeal.
4, Video calling: never used this myself, do others?
5, Ring tones: People will not like not being able to personalise their ringtone (yes, I know they can be annoying, but...)
Finally, can we avoid the 'Vodafone is better than Orange' comments - the yanks got very tedious with their "Cinguluar is better than AT&T' ones 🙄
Maccus Aurelius
macrumors 6502a
Not when the stock exchanges have closed for the weekend! Besides, talk of a UK launch is more likely to push the stock up
Nye
macrumors newbie
Nope, ive never used it and ive never seen anyone else use it!
I hope that the provider wont be Three as they are crap!
Virgin Mobile is simply a brand using the T-Mobile network, they don't do data.
Orange are massively more expensive than the £25+VAT unlimited plan Vodafone are launching on Monday. The nearest Orange have is £20+VAT and 26.50p+VAT for every MB used, no inclusive MBs. Think about that.
They probably will but, just like AT&T's iPhone pay as you go plan, it will work out a lot more expensive.