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UK iPhone 4 Updates: O2 Axes Unlimited Data and Announces Upgrade Offer, T-Mobile and 3 On Board
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Goodbye O2
I don't think I'll be staying with O2 now that they have massively effectively increased the price like this.
I can't say I'm unhappy though. They are a truly third rate network...
I don't think I'll be staying with O2 now that they have massively effectively increased the price like this.
I can't say I'm unhappy though. They are a truly third rate network...
http://iphone.tvcatchup.com
Using this and Youtube on long, slow 12 hour night shifts will ramp up data usage very quickly.
Hmmm, one thing I didn't see was the price. Is it a free upgrade?
I'm out of contract and on the £45 p/m tariff. Tbh, I've never gone over 500Mb, and never used 1200 minutes. The £35 or £45 p/m tariffs might be enough for me, plus I'd save a few quid.
Still sucks for a lot of you though, I'll admit.
I'm out of contract and on the £45 p/m tariff. Tbh, I've never gone over 500Mb, and never used 1200 minutes. The £35 or £45 p/m tariffs might be enough for me, plus I'd save a few quid.
Still sucks for a lot of you though, I'll admit.
STAY AWAY FROM THREE!!
I repeat
STAY AWAY FROM THREE!!
If you want to be able to stuff like phone calling, SMSing, using 3G, don't ever, EVER sign up with three.
I repeat
STAY AWAY FROM THREE!!
If you want to be able to stuff like phone calling, SMSing, using 3G, don't ever, EVER sign up with three.
Well that sucks,
I currently use my 3GS for text, quite a few MMS and surfing the net whilst out and about, I find my current £35 tariff sorts this out nicely even covering me when we went to the states with it's traveller scheme, now I'm expected to pay a fiver more and expected to get less
But I'll be sticking with O2, partially because it would cost too much to go elsewhere, as I still have 6 Months left on my contract.
I also find that where I live O2 has better data coverage too. Ive been with Orange and Vodafone and where O2 doens't work in my house, niether did Orange and whilst Vodafone did work at home it didn't work at my GF's house and nor did it work at work plus they had a ***** approach to business.
Guess I'm just gonna have to accept what they offer, just would like to see what the other's are offering.
I currently use my 3GS for text, quite a few MMS and surfing the net whilst out and about, I find my current £35 tariff sorts this out nicely even covering me when we went to the states with it's traveller scheme, now I'm expected to pay a fiver more and expected to get less
But I'll be sticking with O2, partially because it would cost too much to go elsewhere, as I still have 6 Months left on my contract.
I also find that where I live O2 has better data coverage too. Ive been with Orange and Vodafone and where O2 doens't work in my house, niether did Orange and whilst Vodafone did work at home it didn't work at my GF's house and nor did it work at work plus they had a ***** approach to business.
Guess I'm just gonna have to accept what they offer, just would like to see what the other's are offering.
Exactly. Right now I'm on a 2G iphone, so i dont come close to 500MB/month. But once I get that new iphone4 and get streaming music and streaming netflix, say bye-bye 500MB; probably to 2GB as well. Definitely going for the unlimited data since I can be grandfathered in for $30/month.
How I'm staying with o2..
Hmm so what I've done is changed my regular simplicity tariff to an iPhone specific on, 12 month contract, £15 per month, unlimited texts, data and wifi and 300 mins. That goes through overnight then next week I'll request a microSIM and buy a pay and go iPhone from my local Apple store on launch date. I wouldn't buy from an o2 store/Phones 4 u/Carphone Warehouse if my life depended on it!
They won't cap data downloading for existing customers (this was confirmed on their Twitter earlier).
I know it's a large initial outset of buying the phone, but I can sell my 3G and at £15 per month its like half of even their most basic tariff on an 18/24 month contract.. I hate to say it but I quite like o2 and I want to stay with them. This option works for me!
Hmm so what I've done is changed my regular simplicity tariff to an iPhone specific on, 12 month contract, £15 per month, unlimited texts, data and wifi and 300 mins. That goes through overnight then next week I'll request a microSIM and buy a pay and go iPhone from my local Apple store on launch date. I wouldn't buy from an o2 store/Phones 4 u/Carphone Warehouse if my life depended on it!
They won't cap data downloading for existing customers (this was confirmed on their Twitter earlier).
I know it's a large initial outset of buying the phone, but I can sell my 3G and at £15 per month its like half of even their most basic tariff on an 18/24 month contract.. I hate to say it but I quite like o2 and I want to stay with them. This option works for me!
Thanks. I just checked a few months at random and it seems like I hover between 100mb and 200mb max. It's weird because I've always thought of myself as a heavy user. However, in thinking about my usage: I give up on big stuff when it's either slow or I get impatient and switch apps -- I wonder if a faster phone (I have a 3G, not S right now) and multi-tasking will increase my data usage.
Does seem like there will be no more unlimited data on any plan. So given that, who's got the strongest signal (best coverage indoors) of any carrier? Thanks again.
I don't like where these data plans are going.
I don't understand how people are even for the new plans. It's a step back and truly kills the experience of having a smartphone. Sure some of you don't use data right NOW but wait till more apps come out and you actually see how much you're using; Netflix, streaming radio, etc. You'll be limited and the same people that were all for these new plans are going to be complaining how they're going over their limits and paying MORE. If anything these providers should raised the price of unlimited data just a TAD and allow smaller data plans in between. It's just another way for carriers to make more money because people are using data more than ever.
I don't understand how people are even for the new plans. It's a step back and truly kills the experience of having a smartphone. Sure some of you don't use data right NOW but wait till more apps come out and you actually see how much you're using; Netflix, streaming radio, etc. You'll be limited and the same people that were all for these new plans are going to be complaining how they're going over their limits and paying MORE. If anything these providers should raised the price of unlimited data just a TAD and allow smaller data plans in between. It's just another way for carriers to make more money because people are using data more than ever.
Question from an ignorant American
I don't hear many of you complaining about the data caps like so many on these boards are in the US. Is the reason because you have wifi in so many places?
I have wifi a few miles away at McDonald's and a few miles in the other direction at Barnes & Noble. There is a Starbucks somewhat near me but that's about it. I have wifi in my home but that doesn't help when I'm out and about.
I don't hear many of you complaining about the data caps like so many on these boards are in the US. Is the reason because you have wifi in so many places?
I have wifi a few miles away at McDonald's and a few miles in the other direction at Barnes & Noble. There is a Starbucks somewhat near me but that's about it. I have wifi in my home but that doesn't help when I'm out and about.
Wait, are you saying that if a person is out of contract but just renews and takes an upgrade it is possible to preserve unlimited data? Are you talking about pay as you go or pay monthly?
In the same boat here. I'm never changing contract again!!! O2 has also gotten rid of the 4 for 1 texts when abroad, so those old iphone simplicity contracts now sound like christmas...
Hi, I am originally from New York but I have lived in London for a while. There is much less wifi in London than in New York and San Francisco (I visit both regularly). Also, broadband in general is way slower here, even at universities, etc.
Car analogies seem to be all the rage these days, so let's use one to illustrate this "bandwidth vs data" issue:
Keeping it British - take the M25 (orbital motorway around London). In any given period of time a number of cars use this road. Let's call that number of cars D. That's the data.
At any given moment there is another number of cars on the road at the same time. That number will clearly be less than X. Let's be more specific. Take the number of cars driving past Heathrow airport at any given moment. Let's call that number B. That's the bandwidth (in use).
Clearly at some times B is going to be much higher than at others - as anyone that has had to commute along the M25 past Heathrow will know all too well. The problems tend to occur at peak times - ie when B is highest. It's that peak bandwidth that's the issue with traffic congestion - just as it is with data traffic congestion on 3G networks.
So how do D and B relate?
As more and more cars use the M25 overall, the trend will be that there will be more cars trying to drive past Heathrow during the rush hour.
So while B and D are different numbers - which may vary independently - in practice they will approximately be in ratio. As D increases, B will correspondingly increase.
In the same way, if you're think, "I have an unlimited data plan - therefore I can listen to streaming music all day every day" - you are much more likely to contribute to data traffic congestion than if you're being more cautious about any sort of heavy data usage as a result of a capped data plan.
Does this mean that some people end up worse off than they were before?
Yes of course - those that were previously taking the lions share of the bandwidth.
Will anyone be better off?
Yes - everyone else - who will now benefit from less congested airwaves deliverying high bandwidth more reliably.
At least that's the theory. It will be interesting to see how it works in practice. I do know that service improved noticably when Vodafone and Orange took the iPhone - and presumably a number of people - particularly those dissatisfied with O2s data service previously - migrated to the new carriers.
I've worked on a project that offered an unlimited service and can confirm that it's always a tiny minority of users that account for a very large chunk of usage - and are usually at the root of any problems. Unlimited services are very hard to make work once enough people start using it actively.
Our current 3G frequencies were sold off at the end of the 90s! No way did we account for today's mass usage patterns back then.
That's not to say that the networks can't be improved - but in many places I believe we're getting closer to physical limits with current frequencies.
I hope that 4G has taken this more into account - but by then our appetite for capacity will have increased even further...
Welcome to the bleeding edge.
Keeping it British - take the M25 (orbital motorway around London). In any given period of time a number of cars use this road. Let's call that number of cars D. That's the data.
At any given moment there is another number of cars on the road at the same time. That number will clearly be less than X. Let's be more specific. Take the number of cars driving past Heathrow airport at any given moment. Let's call that number B. That's the bandwidth (in use).
Clearly at some times B is going to be much higher than at others - as anyone that has had to commute along the M25 past Heathrow will know all too well. The problems tend to occur at peak times - ie when B is highest. It's that peak bandwidth that's the issue with traffic congestion - just as it is with data traffic congestion on 3G networks.
So how do D and B relate?
As more and more cars use the M25 overall, the trend will be that there will be more cars trying to drive past Heathrow during the rush hour.
So while B and D are different numbers - which may vary independently - in practice they will approximately be in ratio. As D increases, B will correspondingly increase.
In the same way, if you're think, "I have an unlimited data plan - therefore I can listen to streaming music all day every day" - you are much more likely to contribute to data traffic congestion than if you're being more cautious about any sort of heavy data usage as a result of a capped data plan.
Does this mean that some people end up worse off than they were before?
Yes of course - those that were previously taking the lions share of the bandwidth.
Will anyone be better off?
Yes - everyone else - who will now benefit from less congested airwaves deliverying high bandwidth more reliably.
At least that's the theory. It will be interesting to see how it works in practice. I do know that service improved noticably when Vodafone and Orange took the iPhone - and presumably a number of people - particularly those dissatisfied with O2s data service previously - migrated to the new carriers.
I've worked on a project that offered an unlimited service and can confirm that it's always a tiny minority of users that account for a very large chunk of usage - and are usually at the root of any problems. Unlimited services are very hard to make work once enough people start using it actively.
Our current 3G frequencies were sold off at the end of the 90s! No way did we account for today's mass usage patterns back then.
That's not to say that the networks can't be improved - but in many places I believe we're getting closer to physical limits with current frequencies.
I hope that 4G has taken this more into account - but by then our appetite for capacity will have increased even further...
Welcome to the bleeding edge.
^ All it would take are a few (much needed) network updates to support more bandwidth. To widen the road, as it were. My ISP offers unlimited data. BT have just done the upgrading rounds as well (still waiting for them to activate it all though), why can't o2 upgrade their networks? It's not like they can't afford it.
Possibly! Alternatively one network might offer unlimited bandwidth and bam - everyone migrates to them.
It's going to be very interesting to see what other networks start offering.
And to the Mifi comments. I don't want anything needlessly complicated like that. Everything works fine as it is now - whenever the land connection goes bad I switch to mobile data. I'm not adding another device to that list and another monthly fee.
But as ever if you don't like this switch networks. Vote with your wallets, and all that.
yep but all the carriers will soon start charging similar rates
Possibly! Alternatively one network might offer unlimited bandwidth and bam - everyone migrates to them.
It's going to be very interesting to see what other networks start offering.
And to the Mifi comments. I don't want anything needlessly complicated like that. Everything works fine as it is now - whenever the land connection goes bad I switch to mobile data. I'm not adding another device to that list and another monthly fee.
But as ever if you don't like this switch networks. Vote with your wallets, and all that.
I'm sure they've thought it through. The network cannae handle it cap'n!
Bet 3's can though, and it'll be interesting to see what tariffs they come up with.
That link almost generated a very appropriate tab title:
They certainly can 'blog off'
Just to keep it clear..
The tweet on o2 said:
If you upgrade you HAVE TO take a new contract with new restrictions. If you do NOT upgrade but just connect your contract to a PAYG iphone 4 then you can keep your current terms.
also
Option 2:
You can buy a PAYG iPhone 4 get o2 to swap you to a micro sim and carry on your contract... a sim swap from a regular to a micro sim is not an upgrade. It is the same card, I tried to cut one down for my iPad and made a mess of it... just get a micro sim from o2. Its a simple process of taking the serial number off the micro sim and applying it your account.. nothing but the sim card changes.
Early Upgrade terms & conditions say:
If you upgrade no matter how long you have been with o2 you have to take a new contract where you pay 20p for MMS and you get less data.
You can not use the early upgrade with any priority list upgrade
You can not change your mind once you upgrade - No tariff change back and no cooling off
Also, for those unsure about your data allowance, check your "My o2" and look at what I have used it will show how much data you used in the last month
The tweet on o2 said:
If you upgrade you HAVE TO take a new contract with new restrictions. If you do NOT upgrade but just connect your contract to a PAYG iphone 4 then you can keep your current terms.
also
Option 2:
You can buy a PAYG iPhone 4 get o2 to swap you to a micro sim and carry on your contract... a sim swap from a regular to a micro sim is not an upgrade. It is the same card, I tried to cut one down for my iPad and made a mess of it... just get a micro sim from o2. Its a simple process of taking the serial number off the micro sim and applying it your account.. nothing but the sim card changes.
Early Upgrade terms & conditions say:
If you upgrade no matter how long you have been with o2 you have to take a new contract where you pay 20p for MMS and you get less data.
You can not use the early upgrade with any priority list upgrade
You can not change your mind once you upgrade - No tariff change back and no cooling off
Also, for those unsure about your data allowance, check your "My o2" and look at what I have used it will show how much data you used in the last month
Erm, if you read through the various questions and responses on Twitter (http://twitter.com/O2/) hopefully that'll answer your question! I'm a tad confused! I'm on pay monthly simplicity..
Your usage is exceptionally small. This allowance reduction will not affect everyone but it will affect more than 3% of users — you're misinterpreting another statistic.
The new OS brings multitasking which is going to see an increase, for example, in already popular audio streaming applications such as Wunderradio and Spotify — these alone will eat that allowance, nevermind video (ie tvcatchup). I would mention iPlayer, but O2 won't even allow that over network. This is all before browsing alone, plus we're on the brink of HTML5 with its web apps and rich media embedding taking off.
You know, it seems to me that if ANYONE causes the iPhone to sink, it won't be just the Android phones....
If you look at both the Android phones AND carriers like Sprint with Unlimited everything plans, it seems like it may be BOTH the Phone AND Carrier that will be Apple's biggest competitor. The carriers are going to sink iPhone sales, if Apple isn't careful.
If you look at both the Android phones AND carriers like Sprint with Unlimited everything plans, it seems like it may be BOTH the Phone AND Carrier that will be Apple's biggest competitor. The carriers are going to sink iPhone sales, if Apple isn't careful.