O2 scrapping unlimited data

ganesh · 10 Jun 2010 at 18:31

This is such a backwards step, as smartphones become more prevalent always on internet access is going to be more and more important and data usage is only ever going to go up. I want data to be cheaper both domestically and internationally.

chriscpritchard · 10 Jun 2010 at 20:10

I was thinking of going with O2 because I want to start using google maps navigation on a regular basis. Now I'll have to sort out going with someone else, don't want to accidentally go over. I'm not video streaming or anything, but I just can't risk it!

kona786 · 10 Jun 2010 at 20:23

i really hope T-Mobile don't go down this route.

413x · 10 Jun 2010 at 20:29

its a non issue for anyone like me with a 3g phone but not a 3g area, my monthly usuage is barely 50mb lol

subbass · 10 Jun 2010 at 20:33

brainiac ghost said:
I was thinking of going with O2 because I want to start using google maps navigation on a regular basis. Now I'll have to sort out going with someone else, don't want to accidentally go over. I'm not video streaming or anything, but I just can't risk it!

Google Maps doesn't use that much data. I was surprised myself as I was using it for about 2-3 hours straight one day and if I remember correctly, it used no more than 15mb. Might be less because I had been browsing etc..

muon · 10 Jun 2010 at 20:40

So thats now:

Orange offering 500MB (hard limit) or 1GB FUP.
O2 offering 500MB or 1GB (hard limits)
Vodafone offering 500MB (hard limit) or 1GB (hard limit and only on certain phones)
3 offering 1GB FUP
T-Mobile offering 1GB or 3GB FUP

jaybee · 10 Jun 2010 at 20:54

ghost101 said:
So thats now:

Orange offering 500MB (hard limit) or 1GB FUP.
O2 offering 500MB or 1GB (hard limits)
Vodafone offering 500MB (hard limit) or 1GB (hard limit and only on certain phones)
3 offering 1GB FUP
T-Mobile offering 1GB or 3GB FUP

explain? What do you mean 500mb "OR" 1GB FUP? I'm not digging, I just don't know/understand and want to.

muon · 10 Jun 2010 at 20:57

jaybee said:
explain? What do you mean 500mb "OR" 1GB FUP? I'm not digging, I just don't know/understand and want to.

Simply 2 options. Panther tariff includes the latter I believe. All others bundle the first with the option to pay £5 extra a month for the latter.

fowler002 · 10 Jun 2010 at 21:27

ghost check your facts, it's 500mb hard limit(can get another 2gb, can't remember if it's extra £5/month or £10/month) for new customers on 3. this happened in the last couple of months, there was a thread on here about it.

and I thought it was 750mb not 1gb fub for orange.

looking at the price plans chart on the linked page there are 3 options for o2, 500mb, 750mb and 1gb dependent on which price plan you choose. is that only for iphone or for all phones/smrt phones?

iamtheoneneo · 10 Jun 2010 at 22:20

Zarf said:
I've just worked this out as their top 3% of users are consuming an average of around 3750GB. In a month that's not such an obscene amount of data considering that Smartphones full fat websites.

That 500MB limit translates to about 3 minutes of video streaming a day if you don't use the web for anything else.
not exactly Those top 3% of users are only doing the equivalent of 25minutes streaming video a day ... thats not even a single tv ep on iplayer a day.

Throw in google maps streaming for your GPS, Spotify, and full fat browsing (Just opening the BBC front page of news runs you almost 0.4MB) and i'm not surprised that people are finding it easy to go over.

Their stats are a bit dodgy, I'd like the numbers on the breakdown of phone model ownership. I bet that the 97% people with low usage is largely made up of people with phones that provide a terrible internet experience, whilst the 3% is almost entirely their iPhone owners.

^^all this. questions:
1 )why are people streaming vids on their phones? i would have though most (and i would say sensible would preload vids)
2) why would you realistically want to use spotify on the move...again preloading music?

i know people might do this occasionally and thats fair enough but i wouldnt ever want to do this religiously like im sure many people do, that does seem like using bandwidth for the sake of it and i can then sympathise with networks who dont have the bandwidth/infrastructure...

anyhow. i would class myself as an average user in a 3g area that has wifi at home and i would say 500mb is plenty for a months use.

Tee Hee Johnson · 10 Jun 2010 at 22:32

Im quite a user, websites... not video really, the odd clip now and then

I tend to hit around 300odd, never been over 400!

muon · 10 Jun 2010 at 22:44

fowler002 said:
ghost check your facts, it's 500mb hard limit(can get another 2gb, can't remember if it's extra £5/month or £10/month) for new customers on 3. this happened in the last couple of months, there was a thread on here about it.

and I thought it was 750mb not 1gb fub for orange.

looking at the price plans chart on the linked page there are 3 options for o2, 500mb, 750mb and 1gb dependent on which price plan you choose. is that only for iphone or for all phones/smrt phones?

For orange at the very least, I was basing my prices off here

http://www1.orange.co.uk/service_plans/downloads/PAYM_PG.v5.17(20100430).pdf

their latest pay monthly T&Cs. Check page 30 of the leaflet. That is what I understand to be the "unlimited" internet bundle when talking about Panther tariffs.

As for o2 I was simply going off the various media articles.

And yep, you are correct about three.

http://www.three.co.uk/_standalone/Link_Document?content_aid=1220460947016

Pages 3-4 state the 500MB policy.

Van Diemen · 10 Jun 2010 at 22:45

I was planning on watching some of the World Cup games on my shiny new iPhone 4.

O2 have just lost a potential customer

I think networks like Three have the correct idea. They give a 1GB allowance per month (at least according to my contract)
but will only enforce it if the user repeatedly & excessively goes over.

moid · 10 Jun 2010 at 22:50

Where are you guys checking your useage stats? Is this somewhere within the Iphone settings menus?

Gaidin109 · 10 Jun 2010 at 23:03

I thought that O2 were bringing in the 500/750/1000MB limits with the new iPhone and new contracts immediately and then all other tariffs from October.

Does this mean my unlimited iPhone 24mth contract will be changed to 500MB from October?

If so it is a major change to the terms of my contract so I should be able to cancel without any penalties even though I have 18mths to run.

And waht about the advertised unlimited contract for the Dell Streak?

Ghosteh · 10 Jun 2010 at 23:09

Gaidin109 said:
Does this mean my unlimited iPhone 24mth contract will be changed to 500MB from October?

If so it is a major change to the terms of my contract so I should be able to cancel without any penalties even though I have 18mths to run.

Not from what I can see, as I was thinking the same about cancelling, as I have around 10 months left on my contract.

Existing customers will continue under their present terms, unlimited data usage with an excessive use policy.

jaybee · 11 Jun 2010 at 10:25

So if I sign up to an O2 simplicity 12 month contract before iPhone4 launch then I get a year with unlimited use still.

!TIMMY! · 11 Jun 2010 at 10:54

jaybee said:
So if I sign up to an O2 simplicity 12 month contract before iPhone4 launch then I get a year with unlimited use still.

Thats how I understand it. What I am unsure about is whe the 12 months are up will they force us to renew under the new T and C's or can we just keep a rolling over the old contact?

bam0 · 11 Jun 2010 at 10:58

Glad I got my T-Mobile contract when I did, 3Gb FUP and included tethering

stoofa · 11 Jun 2010 at 10:58

They will force you onto the new contracts.
If you decide not to then they will not renew.
There is no chance they will allow existing contracts to use unlimited data for ever-more.

Get a new contract before the iPhone release and get a years grace.