Best Supplier For Mobile Data?

[threegee]

Any opinions as to who I should go to for a PAYG UK SIM? They don't need to have the best coverage, just reasonable coverage and reasonable rates.

I'm used to paying between 20p and 25p an hour on the continent (charged in 15 minute increments), and use as much or as little per month of the non-expiring credit up as I want. So I guess the top-up credit must be non-expiring, there mustn't be any minimum monthly commitment, and of course no contract! All three seem like deal breakers at the moment.

[Mr Darn]

O2 seem to be the market leaders for the youth.

All the younguns seem to have them, and they are free.

No expiry on top-ups, and spend about £5 a month on mine.

[threegee]

http://www.v3.co.uk/...service-crashes

Which doubtless proves your point about all the younguns using them.

Last time I had an O2 PAYG phone SIM they zapped all my remaining credit before I had time to use it. But that was a few years back now and maybe they've changed. Will check them out.

So far it sort of looks like just about everyone except Vodaphone expire your mobile data credit in 90 days or less. I'd go with a £20+topup USB HSDPA dongle from Three if this wasn't the case. They seem to charge about 1/3 of Vodaphone for bandwidth.

Three's next generation Skype phone with built-in HSDPA dongle for £70 looks a massively good deal, except I'm not in a position to get value out of it through the occasional use, expiring credit, thing, and I don't actualy need a Skype phone as I most often pocket a real computer. Though the actual deal breaker is that it's only for use in the UK.

The price comparison websites aren't terribly helpful as they focus on all the wrong things. Nor are the suppliers who don't seem to want to tell you if their gismo is network locked or not. And, if it is, can it be used on their own networks outside the UK.

[threegee]

So... I go to research O2's T&Cs and I get:

Thanks for visiting the O2 Online Shop Unfortunately, we are unable to sell to countries outside the UK.

So let's say my credit is out (or stolen - read expired - by them), and I want to top up my account so I've got an O2 data connection immediately I arrive in the UK. Can't prudently top it up in advance from an overseas network because they block overseas IPs. Can't, it seems, even check my account in advance.

Arrive in the UK and, to add to all the other travel hassle, I have to find a WiFi hotspot (or use one of their competitor's networks) for the privilege of getting their shaky offering functioning again.

Is this company run by idiots? Vodaphone's high prices are starting to look more attractive.

Update:

O2: Various PAYG Tariff "Urgh” is the most apt way to describe O2 for accessing data and mobile internet. It costs £3 per MB and there are no caps. You even have to pay to access O2's own mobile site, O2 Active. If you want the internet on the move, stay well clear of O2 PAYG.

Cost: £3 per MB

http://cow.neondrago...od-bad-and-ugly

[threegee]

OK Bedlington Comsumers here's the final roundup:

The Bedlington.co.uk Guide to Erratic Mobile Broadband Choice

Cheapest for Erratic Heavy Use: T-Mobile (But...)

HSDPA dongle, and a £10 top up costs inside of £30. The charge is a flat £2/day, or £7/week (used as a block of seven days). Going weekly, and then using an odd day of your choice, leaves an awkward £1 credit from a £10 top up - which you can't use for mobile calls or SMS. Fair usage is 3GB/month but they don't cut you off completely. If you're only using the PC mobile for a few casual days a month this isn't a consideration anyway.

Credit is valid 180 days from last use of service. But they imply they'll zap the dongle against further use then - which is cruel; but will they do the deed and cut their own noses off?

The gotcha here is that they are not Skype and Internet messaging friendly. No VoIP traffic!

http://www.t-mobile....ayg/allowances/

Best for Occasional Random Light Use: Vodaphone

£15 a Gigabyte and use it any time any day any year without loss of credit. The no-strings champion, but when you do use it the per megabyte cost it isn't at all cheap.

Best for Heavy Use, Skype, other chat services, and not having to count the cost: Three

The options and freebies make my head hurt. But they do like Skype. They like it so much that they don't take any of your bandwidth allowance when you use it!

£15 for 5GB which you can use any time in the month. HSDPA dongle is very friendly £9.99 to buy too.

Credit expires after 30 days - bummer! But seems you can carry on with the freebies, and they don't kill the card/dongle, almost never.

They've also got the best UK data coverage, which has to count for a lot - especially in Bedlington!

Conclusion

Three wins by a knockout. T-Mobile is worth considering if you are going to use the mobile Internet heavily now and again (especially in a one-off weekly block, or the odd day now and again), but beware the 180 day no-use cut you off without a dongle. If you only want coverage for week or two, it's still probably more sensible to pay Three their £15 for better coverage, get unmetered Skype, and be done with all the counting days hassle. The Three card can also be used in a moby, and there's a free SMS allowance, and other user delights to explore.

However Vodaphone is the lightweight champion if you need to check email and the odd web page etc. on the road now and then, any day any year, without worries if your unused credit might have expired.

The rest don't feature unless anyone can pitch differently. I know there are deals which cap your daily charge at £2 (Orange), but they ruthlessly expire your credit if you don't use it.

[Monsta®]

would it not just be cheaper to use you computer/ laptop/ netbook when you get home!

save up the money for new eye straining net books!

[threegee]

would it not just be cheaper to use you computer/ laptop/ netbook when you get home!

save up the money for new eye straining net books!

Terrific idea Monsta! But why stop there? No, no, I've also decided to...

1. Send back my mobile phone, and simply stay out of touch for 23 hours a day.
2. Tame some wild pigeons for semi-instant messaging (PidMS).
3. Get the old ZX81 out of the attic for tracking my expenses (the 40 characters per line on a huge TV will eliminate all eye-strain).
4. Put the GPS up on That online auction site that is in no way as good as Free Bedlington.co.uk Classifieds (difficult with a ZX81 though ) and mark my tracks on the road with a large lump of chalk.
5. Ditto the new digital camera; going to take art lessons.

P.S. The money saving, technology eliminating, ideas are flooding in now. Selling the house and living in a cave seems like the best money saver of the lot though. Then I'll be your neighbour!

[Monsta®]

Terrific idea Monsta! But why stop there? No, no, I've also decided to...

1. Send back my mobile phone, and simply stay out of touch for 23 hours a day.
2. Tame some wild pigeons for semi-instant messaging (PidMS).
3. Get the old ZX81 out of the attic for tracking my expenses (the 40 characters per line on a huge TV will eliminate all eye-strain).
4. Put the GPS up on That online auction site that is in no way as good as Free Bedlington.co.uk Classifieds (difficult with a ZX81 though ) and mark my tracks on the road with a large lump of chalk.
5. Ditto the new digital camera; going to take art lessons.

P.S. The money saving, technology eliminating, ideas are flooding in now. Selling the house and living in a cave seems like the best money saver of the lot though. Then I'll be your neighbour!

calm your self! a just mean you can keep in touch just the mobile network for internet connection is the scam of the century for example you said 02 is £7 a week so thats £28 a month for 3gb WHAT do they insert fishing hooks in your eyes when you buy the dongle? so they can pull them out.

sorry i prefer unlimited usage for 9.99 a month so what i cant carry it round the streets but i leave the house to get away from the p.c and take in the freah air! mmmm

[threegee]

No it's not £28 for 30 days. For the record the t-mobile 30 day rate is £15. And, I pointed out that Three provides a better deal for much over a week.

Once again you've entirely missed the point. The point of the thread is to find who gives the best value when you occasionally find yourself away from home for an odd day or an odd few days now and then in a totally unpredictable and erratic manner. Where you waste the least money, and get the best service. It's not instead of a copper to the home service, it's in addition to it.

[Guest mrsvic]

I thought o2 was offering a reasonable deal when I checked recently... seemed to be a PAYG deal which didn't tie you down... Didn't check out the T&Cs mind... I was only looking for a deal to take on holidays to the continent, but sadly coverage was for usage in the UK only... That online auction site that is in no way as good as Free Bedlington.co.uk Classifieds or a UK resident could help you out perhaps? There shouldn't be a problem without a contract...

GGG, do you know of a European ser vice provider on a PAYG basis? Been checking out OrangeFR, but my language skills fail me when it gets down to the fine details... The next best advice I seem to get on the net is go to McDonalds for free wifi, mind I would rather pay over the odds for a contract than do that

[threegee]

...

GGG, do you know of a European ser vice provider on a PAYG basis? Been checking out OrangeFR, but my language skills fail me when it gets down to the fine details... The next best advice I seem to get on the net is go to McDonalds for free wifi, mind I would rather pay over the odds for a contract than do that

Yes, but I can only speak for Italia at the moment. I get 100 hours for €25 charged in 15 minute chunks. Can get this down to 20 euro cents an hour by paying more up front. Credit is completely non-expiring, or so the shop claims. But the thing in Italy is that tourists can't buy Italian SIMs. Of course this MUST be against european free market rules, but try telling someone that! I believe the Italian economy would collapse if there wasn't a steady stream of other mug Europeans paying ludicrous roaming charges. Hey, I have that t-shirt too!

Strangely the deal in the shops is even better than the deal you can get topping up on the web. Well, not too strange, because holiday home owners pay almost three times as much for their electricity as locals! Doubtless all part of the great self-interest lottery that is the EU.

For some obscure reason McD's are thin on the ground in Italia. I've sniffed the spectrum at the odd one or two and there's no trace of McWiFi, free or not!

[Mr Darn]

Appologies! i never read the title!

I thought you wanted a PAYG sim card, for phonecalls, not for a dongle.

[Andy Millne]

For some obscure reason McD's are thin on the ground in Italia. I've sniffed the spectrum at the odd one or two and there's no trace of WiFi, free or not!

Free wi-fi in at least one McDonalds in Rome.

[threegee]

Free wi-fi in at least one McDonalds in Rome.

Airport? Those dont count! Seriously I will start to pay more attention to McD's when passing them - which is always my inclination.

BTW if you use paid-for WiFi it could turn out a lot cheaper to pack a Wireless Broadband dongle. I was checking some rates the other day and they were nothing short of extortionate. At Stanstead for instance it should be easily possible to bypass what looks like a cozy monopoly in the terminal.

[kris]

Buy an iPhone sim off That online auction site that is in no way as good as Free Bedlington.co.uk Classifieds.. They go for about £15 - £20 and have unlimited downloads, and also include free use of o2/bt wifi hotspots for 12 months. If you don't have an iPhone you can also use them in o2 usb dongles.

Edited October 7, 2009 by kris

[threegee]

Buy an iPhone sim off That online auction site that is in no way as good as Free Bedlington.co.uk Classifieds.. They go for about £15 - £20 and have unlimited downloads, and also include free use of o2/bt wifi hotspots for 12 months. If you don't have an iPhone you can also use them in o2 usb dongles.

You can be fairly sure I don't have an iPhoneâ„¢ Kris!

But many thanks for that. It could easily turn out to be amongst the best advice published here.

My situation was solved - for a few months at least - by discovering that the 3 SIM I'd borrowed had almost 150 hours free imternet accumulated (unknowingly!) by its regular user. In desperation I'd stuck the 3 SIM in a Vodaphone card at the airport when the Vodaphone card - with over £20 credit on it - failed to connect.

A later call to Vodaphone confirmed that it did indeed still have £20+ credit, but somehow had no phone number attached to it any longer! Near instant connection on 3 and a really good data rate. Thanks for the card Vodaphone; maybe if/when I get the fourth SIM from you I might finally be able to use it on your network?