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Carrier iPhone 5S… EE or Vodafone??

laminarpanda

laminarpanda

macrumors member
Original poster
Jan 28, 2008
59
72
London
So, I'm planning to get an unlocked 5s (I always get them unlocked) and get a SIM only plan. I've been with O2 for over 5 years now, on SIM only. But their 4G tariffs are too expensive compared to EE or Vodafone.
I'm struggling to make a decision. You read lots of bad and good things about both carriers, so it's not a straight forward decision. :confused:
I live in London and very rarely travel in the rest of the UK, so Vodafone lack of coverage is not a big deal for me.
I've found very few reviews of Vodafone 4G service so far, I know it's only been a couple of weeks, but it would be great if anyone here has been using Vodafone 4G and what their thoughts are.
Thanks in advance!
 
Have you considered 3 as a network?
4G in London by the end of this year (their 3G is pretty fast too).
Also some of the more reasonable tariff prices (based on the 5c and the One Plan which includes unlimited data) that I've seen.

Just something to consider.
 
I moved from O2 to Three last year, and it was truly one of the best tech-decisions I have ever made. I love their network!

The difference in data speed was like night and day. One 'bar' of 3G on Three's network was so much faster than when I had maximum 'bars' of 3G on O2.

Three is fast, cheap, and most importantly there won't be an extra charge for 4G if you sign up now. I pay £15 a month for a SIM-only plan with unlimited data. When 4G arrives, I'll still be on the same tariff.

It's a 'no-brainer' in my opinion.
 
Hi,
Thanks for the replies. I did consider Three, I'm just a bit worried since a couple of friends didn't have very good experience with them.
You're right that the price of their plans are great, specially considering unlimited data. I might give it a go for a month and see how it goes.
Thanks
 
laminarpanda said:
Hi,
Thanks for the replies. I did consider Three, I'm just a bit worried since a couple of friends didn't have very good experience with them.
You're right that the price of their plans are great, specially considering unlimited data. I might give it a go for a month and see how it goes.
Thanks
Click to expand...

I'm busy leaving VF for Three for all my lines. VF network performance is pants. You always get a signal but the network is awesomely slow. Three rocks. 10MB plus download against 3MB max for VF.

No way I'd recommend VF ever.
 
I love the 3 network. Left Vodafone for them and won't look back.
For me it's the unlimited data including the tethering.
Also, reasonable price at the moment and 4G free when it comes out.
So much so, that I am looking to keep my current plan running and when the iPhone 6 inevitably comes out next year sometime I will likely keep my current tariff and buy sim free.
 
Never use EE youll be flobbed around like anything. Vodafone have beeb good to me.. but there early termination is a nightmare
 
SayCheese said:
I love the 3 network. Left Vodafone for them and won't look back.
For me it's the unlimited data including the tethering.
Also, reasonable price at the moment and 4G free when it comes out.
So much so, that I am looking to keep my current plan running and when the iPhone 6 inevitably comes out next year sometime I will likely keep my current tariff and buy sim free.
Click to expand...

How do you get unlimited data with tethering on Three? I thought none of their unlimited plans allowed tethering?
 
Hi

Go for the network that offers the best signal.

If its a simple choice between Vodafone and EE I would go for Vodafone. EE's signal in my part of the UK is great when its there but there are lots of areas including inside my house were they just don't have any signal. Vodafone have much slower data speeds but tend to have a signal in most places I spend time.

Its worth buying a few pay as you go sim's and seeing what the signal is like with various networks before signing up to a contract.

Alex
 
Hi,

Thanks for all the replies!
This is the perfect example of how people experiences are so different. I guess there are too many factors to narrow it down to a general consensus! ;)
But I think I've made up my mind.
1. Won't try EE. Most people don't recommend it.
2. Will try 3 for a month and if I'm happy I'll wait until the end of the year to get 4G.
3. If I'm not happy with them after a month then I will give Vodafone a go.

Thanks for all your comments, this has been really useful!
 
You can order free payg sims and try them in your current phone, for signal testing purposes....
 
I can't speak about 4G but I recently switched from Vodafone to t-mobile on 3G. I don't make many calls, so overall coverage isn't that important, but 3G speed was. There are so many places, e.g. The middle of Brackley where I would be on 2G, whereas now I get a decent 3G signal on t-mobile.

I'm getting cell switching issues on EE as reported elsewhere, so I have to keep an eye on my iPhone5 and airplane mode it to kick it into gear, so not overly impressed at this. My husbands android phones don't suffer this at all, so there must be something to do with the phone..

I'd jump to three without hesitation, but there is a pocket at my office in MK where there is no signal. They sort that out, I'd be there in a flash!
 
I was with EE and had been for many years (from when it was 1-2-1!!) I found there service, signal and network went downhill dramatically when they merged with orange

But they annoyed me to much last year so looked around and decided on 3

I was a bit wary about signal issues and don't get me wrong....it's not perfect BUT would wont find a perfect network anywhere.

Once I signed up to the one plan, got the SIM card in the phone, the signal was the same as EE....some places I travelled to was better....some worse, but most of all the places I never got signal with EE was the same on 3 so I have not really lost out.

I just had to change my sim for the 5s with 3 and they never charged....but I had to call EE, speak to cs to credit my account £10 and then buy one for £10!! (Why the shop could not give me one free is beyond me). A lot of hassle for nothing

So I am in a 3G area on 3 as it's not been upgraded and just done a speedtest and getting between 16-21mb on the network.

If your unsure...get a 30day rolling sim only deal to try it and to make sure it's good for your area. Then either stay with them or look elsewhere if it's no good.

I'm glad I switched and never looked back
 
Three are a chore to get a PAC code from if you ever want to leave them though. They keep people on the phone for over an hour at times and even then refuse to hand over a PAC code.

Not saying other networks don't put up a fight, but three genuinely break the law when it comes to keeping customers who are trying to leave.

That being said, their 3G is the quickest, but people who work for them have been telling me they'll cap 4G speeds on current unlimited plans when it launches in December. Can't prove it myself, but it wouldn't surprise me if it does turn out to be true.
 
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