Continue reading »]]> O2 recently announced that Pay Monthly customers will lose their free access to The Cloud wifi services as of February 2012.

If you’re on a data plan with O2, you may be aware that you currently have free access to both BT Openzone and The Cloud as part of your contract. Handy for making sure you’re not using your limited data allowance when you’re in a public place.

Sadly, as of 1st February 2012, O2 customers won’t be able to use The Cloud for free wifi. O2 say all data customers will still have access to BT Openzone and also to their own wifi networks (but O2 wifi networks are free to anyone, anyway).

This probably has something to do with the sale of The Cloud to BSkyB. Bit of a shame really, as there are The Cloud hotspots at my local train station and at various other public places that I use – but no major loss I guess.

Continue reading »]]> BT has recently announced that as of December 2011, a number of charges (including line rental) will be increased. This is the second price increase from BT this year.

So, as of 3rd December, line rental will increase from £13.90 per month to £14.60 per month. On top of that, their unlimited anytime call plan is increasing by 20p per month to £4.90 per month – and considering this is BT’s most popular calling plan, this is bound to hit home. If you’re not on the unlimited call plan (or making a chargeable call), your call connection fee is going up to 13.1p per call. And to finish you off, your daytime and evening call rates are going up too. “Terrific!”, I hear you say.

Somewhat strange to remember, though, that BT announced in July that their quaterly profits were up 20% due to increased demand. Does that sound strange to you?

We have to bear in mind that a large majority of people living in out-of-city areas are on market one telephone exchanges. This basically means that you’re stuck with BT wholesale for your telephone and broadband services whether you like it or not, as no other operator can provide a service. What this really means is that there’s no competition – and so BT can charge whatever they like for your telephony services.

If you’re lucky enough to have the availability of cable in your area, perhaps you might want to consider the option of moving to cable broadband and scrapping your landline altogether. We all seem to be on these huge mobile contracts which offer endless minutes – so why do we need a landline? It’s worth a thought – as cable broadband will give you a much faster speed and generally a better service.

It is annoying though – BT are just taking advantage of the fact that they can do whatever they like to charges at the moment – they have control over most of the phone exchanges in the UK and no other operator can do much about it. The only group that can make a difference is Ofcom – but they often seem to cause more trouble than good. And to the average household suffering from money shortages (having already had the warning of increased energy charges), this can only be bad news.

Oh, and if you’ve just joined their supposedly amazing “summer deal” of free service for 4 months, then £16 a month – remember, it’s an 18 month contract.

Continue reading »]]> Giffgaff, the increasingly popular MVNO (mobile virtual network operator), has recently introduced it’s new £20 goodybag after multiple requests from customers.

The new goodybag now offers 600 minutes, unlimited texts and unlimited internet – with no fair use as per usual.

In addition, giffgaff have increased the allowance on the £10 goodybag from 100 minutes to 150 minutes at no extra charge. This goodybag appears to be the most popular of the 5 goodybags available considering that it also offers unlimited texts and unlimited internet.

Finally, giffgaff have also said that they will continue to offer the free mobile internet until 1st of December 2010. This means that giffgaff will have ran this promotion for over a year when it finally comes to an end.

Continue reading »]]> 3 UK, the network which claims to have the best 3G coverage in the UK, has recently announced that it will start offering the iPhone 4 from June 24th.

There’s no news on pricing as yet, but 3 have said that they’re aiming to announce tariffs on June 15th.

I’m personally very pleased with the idea. Despite the fact that I left 3 earlier this year, it’s good that 3 are finally offering one of the most popular smartphones around. And it could be perfect time, as O2 are cutting their mobile internet down later this month, coinciding with the iPhone 4 launch.

With their extensive 3G coverage in the UK, this could see a lot of customers moving from other networks to 3 for the brand new iPhone, which claims to have a bucket-load of new features that will interest a wide range of smartphone users.

Continue reading »]]> Giffgaff – the new “people powered” mobile network – has today announced it’s brand new bundles that will come into play very shortly (tomorrow – I believe?). The new plans make calling and texting much more economical.

The new plans (or goodybags, as they are being called) are explained as follows (all last for one month):

• For the texter, £5 will give you unlimited texts.
• £10 will give you 100 off-net minutes (calls to networks other than giffgaff – all giffgaff calls and texts are free), unlimited texts and unlimited internet (no fair use policy – providing you aren’t tethering)
• £15 will give you 300 off-net minutes (calls to networks other than giffgaff – all giffgaff calls and texts are free), unlimited texts and unlimited internet (no fair use policy – providing you aren’t tethering)
• £35 will give you unlimited off-net minutes (calls to networks other than giffgaff – all giffgaff calls and texts are free), unlimited texts and unlimited internet (no fair use policy – providing you aren’t tethering).

Here’s a couple of things you may want to know that aren’t in the original forum post:

• Voicemail is included in your minutes. On that basis, you won’t be charged 8p per call but presumably you’ll be charged 1 minute out of your allowance.
• There is no fair use policy on the unlimited internet – you can use as much as you like. However, tethering is not permitted. Tethering means connecting your phone to your computer to provide a connection to the internet.
• Calls and texts to other giffgaff members are still free – they will not come out of your allowance providing you stick to the 60 minute per call limit (hang up and redial).
• If you use one part of your allowance (ie you use all your calls), you will need to use all other parts of your allowance before another goodybag can be started. So if you still have unlimited internet for the rest of the month, you’ll be charged 8p per minute on calls until next month, if you have another goodybag queued.

The initial feedback on the forum seems good. A few people are concerned that there is too longer line between the £15 goodybag and the £35 goodybag. I would probably agree, but the £15 goodybag is plenty for me.

Overall, I’m really impressed. I think it will prove popular in time, but we’ll have to see what comes of all this. Bring on my PAC transfer .

Continue reading »]]>

I recently stumbled across this new UK mobile network, and I have to say – it’s a dream come true for me.

They are a very interesting phone network because they are unique in many ways. When you’ve got your SIM card running and you’re using the network, it all seems very standard and basic – but take a look under the hood and you’ll notice a very clever concept.

The basic idea behind giffgaff is very simple. They cut all the expensive marketing and support services and replace them with much cheaper and efficient solutions. By doing this, they can provide a mobile phone service that is considerably cheaper than competitors whilst having happy customers.

For example, they don’t do telephone customer service. Instead, they provide an online community forum that people can submit problems to and members of the network respond with possible solutions. There are also moderators and managers who can help with the slightly more technical problems. And for peace of mind, they also provide an “Ask an Agent” service for the people who need administrative help such as call bars and setup help.

They don’t own any masts – these are provided by O2 and work pretty well. 3G coverage is not brilliant (O2 have always had a bad reputation for 3G coverage) but 2G is coverage is very good for calls and texts. You’ll get 3G in large towns and cities but don’t expect to get it in your rural countryside home.

That brings me nicely onto the subject of costs. They are trying to keep things simple by simply providing one pay as you go tariff. The basic cost of this tariff is as follows:

• FREE calls (anytime) to other giffgaff members (as long as you top up £10 per 3 months)
• FREE texts (anytime) to other giffgaff members (as long as you top up £10 per 3 months)
• 8p per minute calls (flat rate, anytime) to any other UK landline or mobile phone
• 4p per text to any UK phone.
• 8p per call to voicemail
• FREE (100MB per day FUP) internet usage until 25th May 2010 (as long as you top up £10 per 3 months), internet price after that date to be confirmed
• FREE calls to any 0800 number (I believe you have to remove the 0 at the beginning – ie 800 not 0800 - no longer true, just dial the number as normal and it’s free), and many other freephone numbers including 0500 and 0808 numbers.

So as you can you see, it’s pretty good value. They haven’t sorted bundles (eg for texts or calls) yet, but as far as I am aware, they are working on that.

If you’d like to give it a try, head over to giffgaff.com and request your free SIM. You’ll have to pay £10 when you get it to activate it (this will give you £10 credit) and you’ll be away within a few minutes of activation.

I really love it and I’m pretty sure 3 will be losing my custom as I’m not impressed by their upcoming price increase. I suggest you give it a try. You’ll need an unlocked phone – that’s it.

Continue reading »]]> Many customers of Hutchison 3G in the UK have expressed their anger at the upcoming changes to pay as you go prices on the company’s blog.

The company recently proposed changes to the price plans starting April 22nd. The changes will include a charge for voicemail and slightly more expensive calls for people on the 3Pay plan.

I am one of the people who complained, and as a result I have now got my PAC code from the company.

I’ve just spotted the network Giffgaff and have ordered a FREE SIM from them. They look brilliant as they are totally community based – just what a phone network needs to be. Anyhow, I’ll review them when I’ve got my SIM.

I’ll be sad to leave 3 as they used to be fantastic. I have been with them for over 18 months on PAYG and loved them up until the price change. However, if they are going to rip us off with unfair charges, I’ll just walk away.

3 should have thought their plans through a bit more carefully. I think they’ll regret making a move like that so quickly.

Continue reading »]]> 3 to join Vodafone? I hope not…

I am outraged at this news story I’ve just read on the internet. It claims that Vodafone are looking to do a merger with 3 after Orange’s merger with T-Mobile has been approved with the EU.

If that happens, I will be the first person to leave 3! Vodafone suck – full stop.

The whole reason I went to 3 in the first place was because Vodafone and Orange had rubbish network coverage – especially in terms of 3G. 3 has fantastic network coverage across the UK and that’s what makes it great.

If the filth that is Vodafone takes over 3 in the UK, 3 will go downhill horribly quickly. 3 is great as it is – keep it that way! Super cheap calls and texts, fantastic mobile broadband, great coverage – 3 has it all.

Will the senior people at 3 UK please think very carefully if a merger is offered with Vodafone – it could be a big mistake!

Continue reading »]]> At the end of November 2009, I wrote a blog post about how public internet hotspots (commonly known as wi-fi hotspots) may be coming to a premature end thanks to the government.

Four months on, and it doesn’t look like circumstances have improved. According to ISPReview, the government is still hinting that hotspot owners will be responsible for what their customers do on the internet. This could be disastrous for many public buildings – such as pubs, restaurants, train stations and shops. It may put them out of business if they are judged as guilty for something unlawful that their customers have done online.

If the new laws do go ahead, you may find that most wi-fi hotspots are shutting down. It is far too much of a risk for hotspot owners – a couple of illegal MP3 downloads and they could be out of business.

So if I were you, I’d look your last at the free wi-fi you have at your local pub. In a matter of months, it could disappear.

Continue reading »]]> Avoid the expensive 0871 number

I love JustHost (it’s a referral link I know – if you join I’ll get a little cash for it. I have to make a bit of money for the site! Thanks very much if you do sign up – it’s no extra cost to you)- it’s perfect. I’ve been hosting GEEK! on it for about 6 months now and it has never let me down – not once.

Anyhow, there is one thing that annoys me. The United States gets free telephone support but us Brits don’t. Seems a little silly to me, but there is a way round it.

Instead of dialing the expensive 0871 number, get Skype and call the freephone American number on +1 888 755 7585. Since it is a freephone number, you don’t need any Skype credit for it. You’ll get through to exactly the same people, but it’ll save you a bit of money (especially as they usually take 10 minutes to answer the phone).