Database Develop

o2 vs t-mobile

Ok, I know this isnt really the place for this post - but my motives will become clear. My faithful Vario II is now reaching the end of its useful life (the battery dies without warning and lasts about 4 hours max at the moment). Its served me well these past 18 months.
I need a phone with Qwerty and WM, plus 3G is useful so the obvious choice is the Kaiser/TyTN II/Vario III/Stella. With that in mind I've been looking at rejoining o2 now they have released unlimited data (again! - I've still got my o2 genie sim card with unlimited WAP somewhere). T-mobiles service can be shocking at best, especially when in London when you'd expect full signal, sometimes it can take 2-3 minutes to make one call. So I put it to the floor - these are the current state of the offers I've recieved - and you'll see its a tough choice.
o2 (Business)
34.68 + VAT (41ish pounds) / Month
700 minutes, 450 texts
200Mb data (business contracts are like that)
Free o2 to o2 calls
Free voicemail
Free land line calls for 3 months - then to 10 changable landline numbers for the rest
free international call option thing (80% off all international calls)
free bluetooth headset
Free 3 months line rental
Phone - £76
However - 24 month contract - upgrade available after 12 months
T-mobile (this is where it gets interesting - after explaining the o2 deal)
£35 / month (inc VAT)
Flex 35 + Web and Walk (2Gb data) (equates to a combination of 900 minutes / 1800 texts, not both)
Free weekend calls
Free voicemail
(heres the interesting part) - Free USB Modem with data (laptop dongle).
18 month contract.
Free Phone.
What do you think? its a tough decision - even if I go for the stella on o2's consumer tarrifs id have to pay a whopping £90 for the phone. - and that usb modem could be useful...

If you push O2 hard you can get the phone for free. I did on the same business tariff, but it was an upgrade as opposed to a new contract. Tell them the phone is free with t-mobile & Orange (http://www.fones4free.com/FrontOffice/YourDealPage.aspx?ModelName=TyTN 2&DealReference=WGEX21).
Then at the last minute say you won't sign for 24 months & see if they reduce it to 12. They did for me.

As someone who is tied into a T-Mobile deal at the moment, it's a no-brainer. Coverage is everything - the best deal in the world is no comfort without a signal! Vodafone or O2 for me when I leave this contract.
chuk

crazy horse uk said:
As someone who is tied into a T-Mobile deal at the moment, it's a no-brainer. Coverage is everything - the best deal in the world is no comfort without a signal! Vodafone or O2 for me when I leave this contract.
chuk
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Can't argue there - without coverage, what matter the contract deal. Personally I have great T-Mobile coverage, which is why I swapped from O2. If your coverage from T-Mobile is OK, then the deal looks great

I'm on O2, and I live and work in areas with poor coverage but I always have 2 bars of 2G when inside. My GF and some work mates have orange and get no coverage at all.
This is todo with the 900mhz frequency that o2 and vodaphone uses (See here).
Depends on what you need.

I'd go for the T-Mobile deal. I'm on an 18 month contract, having left 3. Before I was with 3, I was with 02. I also had a Vodaphone contract running whilst with 3, but have recently dumped that. S, you could say I've tried everyone. T-Mobile coverage is great in my neck of the woods - and I'm out in the sticks...I even get HSDPA where I am, and I'm rural. Money-wise and deal-wise, T-Mobile is your best bet.

Bothsound ok, but as Crazy Horse said, make sure your coverage is going to be good. Tip - Google for "free O2 SIM" (here's a link). It's free (as in literally - you don't have to do an initial topup) and it will let you know whether it is going to work for you.
If you are already on T-Mobile then you should know whether that will work for you.

Thanks guys. T-mobile signal can be annoying - but as I'm in london most of time signal is OK.. The frustrating thing is the lack of t-mob signal downstairs in my house - whilst o2 is kinda border line!
Does o2 has HSPA yet?

your either a very VERY good customer with t-mobile or they have lied to you. if the offer was true it will not be available for very long, i work on the loyalty team in t-mobile and that offer has broken several different policys. so i would confirm that offer from them if i was you

Buzbe said:
Thanks guys. T-mobile signal can be annoying - but as I'm in london most of time signal is OK.. The frustrating thing is the lack of t-mob signal downstairs in my house - whilst o2 is kinda border line!
Does o2 has HSPA yet?
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Yes o2 has HSDPA, but it's not up to full speed yet. I believe it is currently running at 1.8mbps. I am getting full signal HSDPA in south london.
Also, are you aware that o2 re-launched their tarrifs on Friday?? The data bolt-ons are now "truly unlimited" (with a few limitations Ha Ha Ha, FUP applies etc.).
Unlimited data can be added for FREE to any 18month consumer tarrif that is £35pm+.

yep - but I prefer to bill through the business - thus i go for a business tariff, sure its 24 months, but I get the added bonus of 3 months free (paying for the phone) and an upgrade after 3 months..
I still cant decide. Right now I have GPRS and one bar on t-mobile in my home office - not great..

yakleback55 said:
your either a very VERY good customer with t-mobile or they have lied to you. if the offer was true it will not be available for very long, i work on the loyalty team in t-mobile and that offer has broken several different policys. so i would confirm that offer from them if i was you
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What part breaks the policies.... from what I've been told its £20 off a deal they were offering for £50, which is Flex 35 + Usb modem with unlimited date.... thus working out £30 pm, (then plus the 7.50 I would need for WnW on the mobile).

they cant send a phone and a usb modem out from the same account the modem is classed as a phone. it can be done but it shoul not be done

also web & walk is web & walk once its on your line u can use the same sim in a modem or a handset you dont need 2 different options. None of it sound right thats all i would just advise you double check it with them

nah it would be two separate accounts - "a new deal" which normally would be £50 pm but they were offering it at £30 to me.
However I just asked for the £20 discount - now i have flext 35 + wnw and a free phone for 22.50pm.

I am about to transfer from O2 to (probably) t-mobile as I can no longer get my Kaiser to work where I live (and work).
I have made several calls to O2, in which they have admitted to "upgrading" my local transmitter a week last Friday. Since then, my Kaiser cannot make or receive calls (or use GPRS/3G etc) within about a couple of mile radius of my house. The display shows a very strong signal and (usually) the "H" or "3G" symbols.
O2 continue to say things like "your (Kaiser) phone is not compatible with the O2 network" and "you definitely have a defective phone". This is despite me pointing out that I have used the phone on their network since November and I can still use it everywhere else in this country.
As I work at home (for myself), my mobile phone is very important to me and I now have to remember to swap my SIM card into my old Nokia 6310i when I get back home.
So, I have no real alternative to switching away from O2 as they have refused to investigate the issue.
Does anyone have any bad news to tell me about reception in the Midlands on t-mobile (or any other network) before I take the plunge? Alternatively, is it really my fault that I am unable to use my Kaiser phone when I am at home?

You've got me worried now - I'm just about to jump from T-Mobile to O2 because of coverage problems! I didn't have any problems with O2 before, but then I never had a 3G phone before. I notice the free O2 sim deal has dried up - perhaps I should try a month's O2 sim-only deal to check coverage.
chuk

Heading to Europe, should I use roaming or get a SIM over there?

Hi all,
I know a fair amount of XDA-Developer members are from Europe so I thought I would ask you:
I am travelling all of Europe for five months, visiting about 15 countries.
Do you think it is better to take my current SIM card over to Europe and pay the huge roaming fees, or would it be cheaper to buy a SIM over there to call home?
Is there a SIM that covers the whole of Europe. Google says that there isn't, and I will have to get a new SIM in each country if I don't use roaming.
Obviously, I will be using Skype and VOIP as much as possible if I can.
Any ideas?

skype + voip = data roaming=massive fees
use local sims.

Sorry, I should have been more specific. I meant Skype and Voip at Internet Cafes etc. Not on my mobile device.

Jadel said:
Sorry, I should have been more specific. I meant Skype and Voip at Internet Cafes etc. Not on my mobile device.
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Places in UK that provide free WiFi access are few and far between. The Cloud and BT provide access points but charge an arm and a leg for it!
Local PAYG SIM's will eat your cash if you call international.
O2 and others who say they are independant but actually use O2's network will not give you SMTP and POP3 free access only a basic WAP access.
IMHO after trying loads (Live in UAE but go home to UK 4x per year) I found the Orange PAYG best overall as it will give you full web access but checkout 3's PAYG if ya want faster access to Tínternet.
Travelling Europe means many different providers. If you plan on staying in any one country then get a local SIM but free WiFi is most prevalent outside of UK. I personally have a wallet full of various cards from my service engineer days but it is becoming much easier to find cafe's and hotel lobby's that give free WiFi in continental Europe.
Load up a WiFi scanning prog before you go such as WiFiFoFum and you will find them.

It has to be said the T-Mobile in the UK offer a fairly decent PAYG deal, £2.50 for 5 days "unlimited", you want the 5-day WebnWalk pass.
Free WiFi via the Cloud can be had at most McDonalds, again not ideal but better than nothing.

If you're going to be traveling to over 15 countries, then purchasing a bunch of local prepaid SIM cards can be a hassle. There are a bunch of companies that make international prepaid SIM cards that specifically cater to businesspeople/ travelers. Most work in over 150 countries so you can make calls from just one sim card anywhere, and rates are pretty cheap. I personally used a card by onesimcard.com when in Europe. Had no problems and the sound quality was excellent. The onesimcard website has a great rate calculation page where you can compare against providers like T-Mobile.

roaming fees are ca. 0.60 € pro minute. even you receive call you have to pay something like 0.40 € pro minute..
its better that u buy simcard for every country
for example in Austria there is a PREPAID simcard for 20 € which has 2 GB DATA Transfer volume for Internet usage... its very cheap for national and international calls, you can also call and send sms with this simcard
check here: www.yesss.at and here http://www.yesss.at/diskont-surfen/home.php
OR
if you have a Wifi phone, there are a lot free wifi spots, you can use wifi + voip from your phone to make a call,
have a nice trip

Maybe this is something you can look at.
https://www.united-mobile.com/?p=&l=en
You would only need to buy one sim-card.
No experience myself with this product.

in france there is not so much wifi spot (too bad)...
in france there is europeane formula with Orange and SFR (perhaps bouygue but this operator not using a standard range... so forget with your foreigner phone lol)...
the only problem is that those formula are not in prepaid simcard... only with normal formula.
perhaps you should ask your provider... sometime there is some solution with them. (when i go to USA Orange make me a special offer for the 2 month i go over there...).

Kaiser UK User to Canadian User - Best Carrier and Plan

I am a heavy data and call user within the uk. I have just moved to canada and wonderedd what would be the best value price plan and carrier to support my heavy data and call useage I would say in total i Use up to 600 - 1000 minutes a month and need an unlimited data plan for web browsing and exchange mail downloading!! Any similar usersgot any carriers/price plans they can recommend? Prefereably I would like only a 12 month contract. I am tempted to buy the Raphael and just use a Canadian Sim - is this possible?
In addition any advice on the best pay as you go carrier (Sim only) which has minimal call and data useage - for the girlfriend??
Finally - will call cards work fine on my mobile so i can call the uk for minimal cost???
Thank you

I can't speak to the exact data plans cause they seem to change all the time. I can tell you that without a contract I pay $15CDN/month for 2MB of data on Rogers. If you sign a new 3 year contract the reps claim you can get the iPhone data plan (https://www.rogers.com/web/content/wireless-plans/iphone_adpacks) which allows for 6GBs of data for 30$. Otherwise the rates are ridiculous (6GBs/100$)up here. I don't believe there is an unlimited data plan on any of the providers (I could be wrong though).
The main 4 Canadian Providers
Rogers
Fido (which is owned by Rogers)
Bell
Telus
There are other smaller providers too
Virgin
Koodo (Telus)
Good luck

Ooops....
nothing to see here.
If only I read stuff before I posted....

wireless plans
i am on rogers (GSM carrier), using an unlocked TyTN II
I signed up for the 300MB/$30 data plan (not just for iphones) which is available separately from voice plans. It is a month to month so you do not need a 3-year term for it as you do for the 6Gig plan.
there is no unlimited usage data plan in canada, i have a 1500 minute voice plan for 150$ which also gives weekends and after 6pm free. I pay $10 for unlimited incoming calls as well.
you may want to check on that 6GB/$30 plan as i think it might only be available until end of august, but YMMV
that said there are a number of decent options, i don't find the prices too crazy anymore (i used to pay $60/30MB until this new pricing)... 500MB/$50 is not too outrageous is it? 500MB is a lot to pull on a phone.
virgin has a pretty good pay as you go but i don't think it is a sim service, not GSM?
as far as i know call cards will work fine on the cell, they don't have the restrictions like in europe. beware though you will want to unlock your phone before you bring it here, if it isn't already

95% sure your only options are rogers and fido, and if you're looking to use data then you need to jump on the 6gb plan. aside from that you can get a decent monthly plan for voice at $35

goodpill said:
i am on rogers (GSM carrier), using an unlocked TyTN II
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could you please tell me how to setup my TyTn II to receive emails (through microsoft push). I have my data plan with Fido and they do not support this phone so I have to do it myself.
Thanks

oi, that's the one function I do not use is push email... but it's built into the OS so there must be some tutorials here. sorry I wish I could help!

Orange UK won't update SIM to 3G

I have an orange uk Dolphin 35 contract that I took out and got the original HTC Touch (2G)
I have now got a diamond that obvioulsly is 3G capable but Orange refuse to update my SIM card.
Has anybody else experienced something similar and did you get it fixed

You're not the only person I've heard say this. I remember reading a very similar thread on here a while ago. Good luck hope you manage to get it sorted.

What about instead of asking for a new Sim, you call tech support and make out you are unable to make a video call to a friend/family.
As you would require 3G to make video calls, they may suggest they update your sim.

sbonera said:
What about instead of asking for a new Sim, you call tech support and make out you are unable to make a video call to a friend/family.
As you would require 3G to make video calls, they may suggest they update your sim.
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Tried something similar - they just said you have a 2G contract so you can't!!!

did you really think the rom update would also update your SIM?????
i guess you didnt upgrade to the diamond through orange then... bought the diamond sim free?? would it not have been cheaper to u/g?

I don't think i mentioned upgradeing the rom - and no i don't think that a ROM upgrade would change my SIM.
no a ROM upgrade would not be cheaper - it cost me £40! And I cannot u/g until July.
So thank you for you helpful post!!!!

guess you have had it till july then.
if you took out a 2g contract thats what you get.
why should they upgrade you to 3g.that would cost them more.

It won't cost Orange anything to upgrade his SIM - data is data. They are just being awkward. I had the very same thing with O2 a couple of years ago so I called them and told them my sim was no longer working and they sent me a new one provisioned correctly for 3g. I'd be very surprised that if Orange sent you a new card that it wasn't provisioned for 3G.

orange are really awkward like that. just tell em your phone wont start, keeps asking you for a sim card even though there is already one in the phone. Blag it.
they did the same thing to me when i got a SE k608i years ago too.

of course it would cost more.
if hes got 3g he will download more.

Hi I work for orange and im afraid if you have a 2g phone registered to your account then orange will only supply you with a 2g sim card it doesn’t matter if you have purchased a 3g phone.

well said
people always seem to want something for nothing.

964rs777 said:
of course it would cost more.
if hes got 3g he will download more.
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You are talking rubbish!
If i download more i pay more - i dont have an unlimited contract! Orange don't do them (nit at a sensible price anyway)

964rs777 said:
well said
people always seam to want something for nothing.
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Ok!
I dont think I want anything for nothing! I have been with Orange for about 8 years! and always paid them quite a lot for the pleasure.
Orange Dolphin 35 is the same contract whether you have a 2G or 3G phone. No difference - same price. just because I didnt upgrade with them they won't do it and the only reason I didn't upgrade with them is because I committed to a 2 year contract and it is too early (how loyal am I - well not anymore!)

orange dont do them!!!
well in that case how come i have unlimited data contract with orange?
thought everyone with diamond had one.
guess its just tuff **** then lol.
just to make you even more sick i get 600 minutes,unlimited text,
unlimited data.got the phone free and got a sony psp free.
all for £35 a month.
sometimes you have just got to love orange.

964rs777 said:
orange dont do them!!!
well in that case how come i have unlimited data contract with orange?
thought everyone with diamond had one.
guess its just tuff **** then lol.
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What contract/bundle do you have (cost?)

Orange were offering unlimited data a couple of months ago on new contracts - I have unlimited data on my Dolphin 35, but they stopped it soon after.
If you're close to the end of your contract then just speak to retentions.

flykthewiz said:
What contract/bundle do you have (cost?)
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updated previous answer.
thought about it after lol.

Orange where offering the unlimited data on most talk plans in july. i must say they call it unlimited but it is subject to a 3gb limit a month.

I just got in with Orange's free unlimited download offer, as long as you had 18 month contract for £35 or more per month. I got Racoon 35. It is ridiculous and incredibly shortsighted of Orange to offer better terms to new customers than existing ones - reminds me of the Nationwide ads running at the moment on UK TV.
How long does your existing contract have left to run? Orange, like all of the other mobile providers in the UK, have a special team to encourage you to stay with them. That team are able to offer much better deals than any one else in the organisation in order to keep you.
I would phone Orange and then hit the Option for "thinking of leaving us", and speak to that team. Tell them you are so annoyed by this policy that the moment you can you are going to leave them. Sound like you really mean it but do not be rude or lose your temper - after all you want them on your side!
Remember that if you do leave in the UK you can ALWAYS move your existing phone number (I have moved mine 3 times now) to a new provider and you will get some very good SIM only deals from them all

Orange UK diamond in USA?

I have 3 quick questions please.
1) I have a UK Diamond from Orange. I am going to the US next month. Will I be able to use my phone with an American SIM card?
2) and if so, which one? My phone is unlocked.
3) any good tarrifs to recommend? (on pay as you go, as I'm only staying for 2 weeks).
Thanks a lot.

I am going to bump this because I have exactly the same set up and want to know the answer please for when I visit New Jersey in the new year

as long as it's unlocked it should work.
att charges 25 cents a minute on a pay as you go plan. And i think t-mobile is around the same.

Thanks for that info - that is a lot cheaper than using a UK SIM card on roaming in the USA. How much does it cost to buy a pay as you go SIM and are they easy to find?

e3esxt02 said:
as long as it's unlocked it should work.
att charges 25 cents a minute on a pay as you go plan. And i think t-mobile is around the same.
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thanks a lot...

peterc10 said:
Thanks for that info - that is a lot cheaper than using a UK SIM card on roaming in the USA. How much does it cost to buy a pay as you go SIM and are they easy to find?
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they should be easy to find... However, you (and I) have to consider that in the US you pay to receive calls as well.. (right? correct me if I'm wrong)

You have to pay to receive calls when roaming, i.e. using a UK SIM in the USA. I do not know if you have to pay to receive calls when using a US SIM in the USA. Can someone living in the USA answer that please?
Can you only buy these SIMs in phone shops in the US. Or do supermarkets and other general stores sell them , as they do in the Uk and many other countries? And how much does the SIM itself cost please?

Yes, you pay as much when receiving calls in the US by the use of US Sim. More details on AT&T Pay-As-You-Go can be found at http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/go-phones/pyg-plans-phones.jsp?_requestid=16571. Similar can be found at T-Mobile website, at http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/plans/Cell-Phone-Plans.aspx?catgroup=prepaid-cell-phone-plan, where the rate depends on the number of minutes you purchase. The difference lies in the charge per minute as well as the period that you can keep/roll-over the unused minutes. For short-term visit, obviously, the charge per minute is more important. You can find the various phone cards (including AT&T's) in most grocery stores, such as food stores, Wal-Mart, Sears, etc. You chose the minutes, insert the sim with included minutes, and you call a number to activate the number.
There are international roaming SIMs that are tailored to the country (including the US of course) you will be visiting with the calling-back-home plan at a much cheper rate. Calling from China back home to the US, for example, the rate is $0.38/min as compared to 1.89/min on AT&T International Roaming. Type "International SIM" on google search to find all these deals.
Welcome and have a nice trip to the US