Best for data - still T-Mobile?

manveruppd

manveruppd

manveruppd

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Looking for a new price plan, and wanted something that won't gouge me if I use the internet. I'm not a heavy user, will just check my Gmail a few times a day and occasionally look up a website if I need to check something when I'm out and about. However, if I can find a plan that gives you a big enough allowance, I'd like to also use it for Skype, so I can call my friends and family who live in various far-flung parts of the world without getting gouged with international calling rates.

I notice everyone except T-Mobile has dropped the lying, scurrilous "unlimited internet (except we charge you when you exceed 1GB)" claims, which is good. I don't mind being charged for my usage, as long as they're not telling me it's "unlimited" and THEN charging me for my usage!

T-Mobile still have "unlimited with a 1GB cap", but their T&Cs say they don't charge you for exceeding it. That sounds reasonable to me, but checking through their T&Cs it says that you can't use your allowance to make VOIP calls! That's no good for me, as I was hoping to make the odd phone call with Skype like I mentioned (I have no landline and international call charges through mobiles are murder). They're even excluding IM from their "fair use" thing, which sounds absurd to me - I mean, how much bandwidth does an MSN conversation use?
[URL="http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/services/uk/fairuse/#fup5" said:
T-Mobile T&Cs[/URL]]you can’t use your phone as a modem or use internet on your phone for peer to peer file sharing, instant messaging or making internet phone calls.
Click to expand...

So, in disgust, I go and check 3's website instead, cause I remembered they used to offer "Free Skype" on all their plans. Happily the offer's still there, but on closer inspection what it actually says is "Free Skype-to-Skype" calls, which I suppose excludes using your Skype account to make paid phone calls to landlines abroad... Bummer!

Can anyone who's with T-Mobile confirm that they indeed throttled you or tell you off for using VOIP or IM? And can anyone who's with 3 let me know whether making Skype calls to landlines gets taken off their normal allowance? Is anyone aware of a better offer through another network? I checked them all, but these two seem to be the best.
 
I've never heard of anyone getting into bother for skyping/IM/tethering on any operator, even though it's forbidden in the ToS.
 
You'll never use 1gb with your usage, I class myself as a medium user (lots of websites daily, occasional youtube and downloads) and I rarely use over 200mb a month.
 
Contract bought from T-mobile 3GB or from a 3rd party 1GB BUT T-mobile will not charge you going over, only slow you down. The rest I believe charge.
 
I broke my router and was using my phone for internet,(for a week) internet radio and tv (on my phone all the time) on t-mobile and i only just managed to rack up 3 gig in a month.
 
That's reassuring! Sadly I don't think I'm buying the phone from T-Mobile, so I'll probably be on a SIM only tariff with the 1GB bolt-on, but going by your experiences that'll probably be enough.
Actually, I've been thinking about it a bit and doesn't their saying you can't use Skype violate some net neutrality principle?
 
If you buy through T-Mobile and get an android/smart phone, then you get 3gb a month

internet as standard + a free bolt-on ie unlimited txt, landline calls etc.

If you buy from a 3rd party, then you have to use the bolt-on for 1gb internet.

edit: as far as I know!
 
Yeah, I know, it's just that I might be moving out of the UK in 12months or so, so don't want to be saddled with an 18 month contract.
 
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