Switching from O2 to 3, worth doing?

Feek

Feek

Feek

Commissario
Joined
16 Oct 2002
Posts
343,947
Location
In the radio shack
I'm currently on a rolling monthly Simplicity iPhone contract with O2 that gives me more minutes and text I can use in a month and unlimited data for £20/month. I got it before they put a cap on the data plans and it's always stayed as unlimited. I don't use much data anyway but it's nice to know I've got unlimited if I need it.

I have a 3 MiFi which costs me £7.50/month for 1Gb which I use with the iPad. I say 'use', I've sold the iPad and will get an iPad 2 when it's released.

My original plan was to get a 3G iPad2 and put the SIM from the MiFi in it and use that for data.

However, my O2 coverage is absolutely terrible at home and I've been less than impressed by their 3G speeds elsewhere. The MiFi on the 3 network works like a dream though and I had good connectivity with the iPad wherever I used it.

So I'm seriously thinking about moving to 3. I plugged my MiFi SIM into a phone and it seems that I have five bar 3G all over the house. w00t.

If I do that, I can pay £20/month and get more minutes and texts that I'll ever use, the ability to hotspot/tether the iPhone and 1Gb data. This is a rolling monthly contract, or I can pay £25/month and get even more minutes and texts and unlimited data. This is a 12 month contract though.

Either way, I could dump the MiFi contract and not have to buy a 3G iPad.

So, I'll be paying less than I am now, I'll have tethering and hotspot included for the cost and will save £100 by not buying the 3G iPad (although I will still have the faff of enabling the hotspot each time I want to use the iPad when I'm out of wireless range).

The only reason I can think of for NOT doing this is that I'll lose the visual voicemail on the iPhone. I don't get a lot of voicemails anyway so it doesn't really matter. It's always been a 'nice to have' but I don't think it's a deal clincher.

Am I missing something? Is there any reason to stay with O2?
 
I am moving from T-Mobile to Three soon too.

I personally find O2 expensive and nothing special at all, even though they have quite a good signal where I live so are quite popular.

I got a load of free Three sims not long ago and found their signal to actually be better than O2/T-Mobile at my house, which was quite a nice surprise.

Add that to the fact I'll get Personal Hotspot thrown in free (even though I dont need it on my Desire HD at the moment, I will when I swap back to an iPhone 4 this week for when I get an iPad2 at the end of the month) and Three data/call/text allowances are extremely good, I'm going for it.

Visual voicemail could be useful if you get a lot of voicemails, but as you said, you dont.
 
If i remember rightly three do a package for £25pm and gives you something like 2000 minutes 5000 texts and all the data you want.

No limits neither to tethering is fine, anyway could be worth a look.
 
Last edited:
Have been amazed with improved 3G speed on the 3 network, not just in my home but pretty much everywhere ive been.

I was previously on 02, and found it very hit and miss.

Could always get a 1 month contract 3 sim from them for < £10 and try it out, although by sounds of it you will receive good signal anyway.
 
Visual Voicemail is more than a gimmick, if I got lots of VMSs then it would be invaluable but I don't so I'm not too bothered about it.

I've just seen this on the 3 website:

sim-20110313-211422.png


The SIM Only 300 - 1 Month at £15 looks as though it'd be ideal, does anyone know if that includes Tethering/Hotspots on the iPhone?
 
Tethering should still be fine on all Three contracts, esp with a 1GB cap.

My O2 iPhone Simplicity contract (1 month rolling) got nerfed to the 500mb cap in November, I though all the 1 month contracts did? :(
 
I'll ask the cute doris in the 3 shop in Brentwood today about the tethering.

I was under the impression that O2 were nerfing all the unlimited tariffs but I had no notification and the O2 app still lists my data as unlimited. I've not even used 2Gb since the iPhone 4 launch anyway so it's not a big issue for me.
 
I am so glad to see that someone has got the same problem as myself. I used to get great signal in and around where I live, now literally the only place I can get signal is London. It is very confusing though as my phone does not struggle at all. Only my iPad cannot get signal and I have gone through all the settings etc. Definately a problem with o2!!
 
I signed up for the Sim Only 300 1 Month jobbie at £15/month and cancelled my MiFi SIM. Sorted.
 
I recently cancelling my Orange contract and moved to a Three contract as they are the only provider that offer consistent 3G coverage over here.

This was all well and good until they seemingly turned off 2G roaming over here, so now, if I have no 3G signal, I have nothing.

I currently pay £20pm with Three for 600 Minutes, 3000 texts and 1GB of Data.

I'm very tempted to stump up the extra £5pm for unlimited data and loads more minutes/texts so I can use my laptop when I'm out and about more often without worrying about data usage, but part of my reason for going sim only was so that I can chop and change as I like, and I may be tempted by an iPhone 5 deal when it comes along :/
 
Feek, you've gone through the same motions I am about to from the looks of it.

My 32gb 3G/Wifi iPad has had a 3 3G sim in it since December (iirc) and I get 5bars constantly when I journey from home to work (Harrow Middlesex, to Northolt). Compared to my iPhone's o2 reception where I barely manage to hold onto a 1 bar 3G signal with my o2 20 Simplicity sim.

Visual Voicemail wouldn't be much of a loss as I rarely rely on it, instead a good amount of data and say 600mins or more is all I really need for the most part. I've been comtemplating 3 for a while for use on my iPhone, just never got around to doing it. Guess this thread has revived that need.
 
Feek said:
I signed up for the Sim Only 300 1 Month jobbie at £15/month and cancelled my MiFi SIM. Sorted.
Click to expand...

Did you have to pay a penalty for stopping the MiFi contract?

I'm in exactly the same position as you. I'm also an O2 customer and have a Three MiFi contract on the side. I use it on train journeys because the reception is typically a lot better than O2.
 
No penalty at all, it was a rolling one month contract on the MiFi. In fact they cancelled it on the spot and by the time I got back to the office it had already gone off.
 
Does anyone know if its possible to port my number from Simplicity 20 over to 3's £25 pm plan? I'm going to give o2 a ring tomorrow about this. Not clued up on number/pac stuff.
 
yes thats what i'm just doing :)

I signed up through quidco so get a £106 credit against my chosen one plan so works out at £16 a month rather than the £25 :)

moving from o2. cancelled my 3g dongle with o2 and got my PAC code today :)
 
Personal Hotspot is included and the cost is inclusive. I've been using it today.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom