All the networks offer internet bundles for mobile web browsing [free on 02, Vodafone, Orange when on £35 plus tariff and free on 3 and TMobile for less than this].
Has anyone asked to have it added on to their existing contract?. Or do you wait until you need a new contract/phone?

[itsamac]

With 3, the Internet Maxx add-on for existing customers is £5 a month for 1GB of data, 10,000 MSN messages and 4,000 Skype minutes. If you roam to a country with a 3 network, you can use the inclusive limit provided you roam onto the 3 network. You can add it on yourself using the My3 site.

[chromosome]

You can add internet bundle to existing contracts, you just got to pay extra every month.

[EnigmaCode]

Originally Posted by claremc

All the networks offer internet bundles for mobile web browsing [free on 02, Vodafone, Orange when on £35 plus tariff and free on 3 and TMobile for less than this].
Has anyone asked to have it added on to their existing contract?. Or do you wait until you need a new contract/phone?

on orange, you can get "unlimited"(well, capped at 250MB anyway) as an add on bundle for £7. or £5 for unlimited(literally) for weekends and evenings.
i'm thinking of getting one soon. well, i'm going to try it for a month or 2 anyway.

Thanks guys that's useful.
I wonder how many people realise they can add on the internet bundle to their existing tariff. The networks don't seem to pro-actively let existing customers know this? Am I being synical or is all the the interest more in getting you on a new contract?

[Vausey]

Originally Posted by claremc

Thanks guys that's useful.
I wonder how many people realise they can add on the internet bundle to their existing tariff. The networks don't seem to pro-actively let existing customers know this? Am I being synical or is all the the interest more in getting you on a new contract?

O2 have the best one there iPhone unlimited add-ons are capped at 10GB EDGE!!!!!

Orange and Vodafone are both useless at 250mb and 500mb - which is fine if you've got something like a samsung pixon but if you're using anything with GPS or youtube (iPhone, HTC Touch, N96 etc) its pitiful and you'll end up using it almost immediately

[internetuser]

I am stuck on Tmobile due to this, I use data all the time and they offer the most for the cheapest price

[Vausey]

What I don't understand is why no other providers have followed O2's lead and jumped in with higher mobile internet limits surely people are flocking to O2 at the min what with iPhone exclusivity and 10gb limits!?!?!

[dodger747]

Whilst Vodafone say there is a 500mb limit, it is just a suggestion, and if you go over the 500mb you aren't capped or charged any extra. On their support forums they say that you will be sent a letter suggesting ways of how to stay under the 'limit' but in the past 3 months I've used well over 3gb a month and haven't heard anything...

But yes it would be much better if everyone had truly unlimited plans.

[internetuser]

Tmobile is basicly unlimited as well

[Vausey]

so its only Orange that capped it at 250mb then?

Is this a suggestion as per Vodafone or a true cap?

Think based on this info - its out with the HTC Touch HD and in with the Android G1???

[Serpico]

There is no £7.50 bolt on for Orange from what I've seen and been told by their utterly useless customer service reps.

[Vausey]

Originally Posted by Serpico

There is no £7.50 bolt on for Orange from what I've seen and been told by their utterly useless customer service reps.

Orange are offically rubbish!

[EnigmaCode]

Originally Posted by Serpico

There is no £7.50 bolt on for Orange from what I've seen and been told by their utterly useless customer service reps.

you've been told wrongly. i ordered one last night

[Desmo]

Originally Posted by Vausey

Orange and Vodafone are both useless at 250mb and 500mb - which is fine if you've got something like a samsung pixon but if you're using anything with GPS or youtube (iPhone, HTC Touch, N96 etc) its pitiful and you'll end up using it almost immediately

Most average users won't even hit 100MB a month, let alone 250-500MB. And what has having GPS on a phone got to do with data?

[Serpico]

Originally Posted by EnigmaCode

on orange, you can get "unlimited"(well, capped at 250MB anyway) as an add on bundle for £7. or £5 for unlimited(literally) for weekends and evenings.
i'm thinking of getting one soon. well, i'm going to try it for a month or 2 anyway.

Originally Posted by EnigmaCode

you've been told wrongly. i ordered one last night

Five advisors I've spoken to. I've changed tariff twice and still I'm paying for my data, despite explicitly asking for a data package. I hate them with a passion.

Originally Posted by Vausey

What I don't understand is why no other providers have followed O2's lead and jumped in with higher mobile internet limits surely people are flocking to O2 at the min what with iPhone exclusivity and 10gb limits!?!?!

I think they're more interested in plugging their mobile broadband as this is additional revenue and new contract. Apparantly there are now over 7million UK mobile broadband users. So maybe they are holding back because of potential network capacity issues? Maybe they want us to carry around our laptops all the time to get on the internet!

[ElRazur]

T-mobile is probably the best out there. Coverage and internet capacity is excellent. I have the unlimited 3G bolt on with the G1 and yes it is truly unlimited.

Vausey, I believe the GPS function on some of the recent smart phones allows the phone to use the network mast as a form of location when location via gps is not availabe.....for example when indoors. Some phone will also make use of the network wifi if you are close to one to measure your location. All of these requires some sort of data [mobile internet] I believe.....unless am wrong.

[Desmo]

Yo yo yo El, how's it hanging

It was me that questioned GPS and data usage. I know that sometimes you can use network data to get a quicker fix, but the amount used is very little

250MB is a lot to get through if you're just using it on your phone. If you tether it to a laptop or computer then yes, you'll get through it much quicker but for the average user, 250MB is fine IMO.

[Vausey]

Originally Posted by Desmo

Yo yo yo El, how's it hanging

It was me that questioned GPS and data usage. I know that sometimes you can use network data to get a quicker fix, but the amount used is very little

250MB is a lot to get through if you're just using it on your phone. If you tether it to a laptop or computer then yes, you'll get through it much quicker but for the average user, 250MB is fine IMO.

Really? Does the iPhone not tell you that using the youtube portal will use around 10MB?

unless I've mis-understood, this means you can't even go on youtube every day? What are people currently using data wise? I'd like to hear from people who use the mobile interent heavily as I'm sure I've come close to this mark before on my old Sammy never mind a truely web-capable machine like the HD?

[Desmo]

Obviously youtube is going to be heavy usage, but does the average person really go on youtube every day?

I'd not call myself a heavy user by any means, but I'd definitely say I was an average user. I collect email a couple of times a day, do a bit of web surfing and also use SSH.

Here's my usage over the last few months...

August : 15.8MB (only last few days)
September : 44MB
October : 16.1MB
November : 9.34MB
December : 7.44MB (up until yesterday)

So as you can see, I get nowhere near my usage allowance. You need to do, IMO, a LOT of web surfing or video watching to really start racking up the data.

[Vausey]

Originally Posted by Desmo

Obviously youtube is going to be heavy usage, but does the average person really go on youtube every day?

I'd not call myself a heavy user by any means, but I'd definitely say I was an average user. I collect email a couple of times a day, do a bit of web surfing and also use SSH.

Here's my usage over the last few months...

August : 15.8MB (only last few days)
September : 44MB
October : 16.1MB
November : 9.34MB
December : 7.44MB (up until yesterday)

So as you can see, I get nowhere near my usage allowance. You need to do, IMO, a LOT of web surfing or video watching to really start racking up the data.

Well that makes things abit clearer cheers mate.

I just think its strange that O2 cap there's at 10GB and T-mobile at 2GB yet Orange still only have 250mb - Whats so different about how people use the iPhone and the G1??

I'm still not convinced that Orange aren't trying to suckerpunch me into going over my limit

[rickinyorkshire]

I just wish the prices were more rational. £7.50 extra on top of a £35 tariff is a bit much imo. Paying that much they should include it for free (orange that is).

[Desmo]

Maybe I'm not as heavy a user as I think, I dunno. I think O2 have pushed the iPhone so heavily as a "look what you can do with internet" style phone that they had to show big numbers so people didn't worry. And we all know that big numbers sell things. In reality, nobody really gets near those numbers.

Like I said, maybe I'm not considered a big user but I'm barely hitting 10% of my allowance. I'd have to be on the thing a bloody lot to get ear my cap.

[Vausey]

Originally Posted by Desmo

Maybe I'm not as heavy a user as I think, I dunno. I think O2 have pushed the iPhone so heavily as a "look what you can do with internet" style phone that they had to show big numbers so people didn't worry. And we all know that big numbers sell things. In reality, nobody really gets near those numbers.

Like I said, maybe I'm not considered a big user but I'm barely hitting 10% of my allowance. I'd have to be on the thing a bloody lot to get ear my cap.

Yeah maybe i'm just being sceptical!

Just always thinking I'm being swindled by phone companies they are the least honest bunch of companies I've ever dealt with - apart from maybe Energy suppliers! ha ha ha

[ElRazur]

Originally Posted by Desmo

Yo yo yo El, how's it hanging

It was me that questioned GPS and data usage. I know that sometimes you can use network data to get a quicker fix, but the amount used is very little
.

Word.

Originally Posted by Vausey

Yeah maybe i'm just being sceptical!

Just always thinking I'm being swindled by phone companies they are the least honest bunch of companies I've ever dealt with - apart from maybe Energy suppliers! ha ha ha

Have to agree. You only get if you ask. Most people don't ask til the end of their contract so they miss out.

[Vausey]

Does anyone know if you can get more than 250mb limiti on Orange? Its just no where near enough for a phone like the HTC Touch HD!

[McPhee]

I moved from T-Mob to Vodafone. Well impressed, coverage seems better (covers the whole of my town, my home and most of the train journey between my town and brum with HSDPA).

It all depends on your area though, everywhere is different for speed and coverage. As an example there is no 3G (never ming HSDPA) coverage from O2 in my local town. It seems to end at Wolvo and not kick in again until up at Stoke