Oxymoron of the day: Microsoft Works
|
|
|
O2 cuts cost of Iphone plans
MOBILE OPERATOR O2 announced a raft of new price plans in the hope of retaining Iphone customers now that its exclusive on the device has vanished.
The new plans include two sim-only tariffs aimed at Iphone users who are finishing their existing 18 month terms. Those who can do without data are also presented with two new options should they wish to forgo a subsidised handset. And to round things off, O2 presented a "mobile broadband" plan which includes a whopping 1GB per month transfer on either 30 day or 18 month contracts.
Seemingly in denial about not being Apple's only child, O2 apologised about claiming until earlier this week, incorrectly, that it was still the only operator in the UK that had the blessing of Steve Jobs. Of course that isn't the case with Vodafone, Orange and virtual operator Tesco Mobile now peddling the devices.
For Iphone users on O2 that are thinking of jumping ship, O2 are trying to tempt them with a £15 or £20 per month deal with contract lengths of 18 months and 30 days respectively. Both plans comprise of 300 talk minutes, unlimited UK texting and "unlimited" 3G and WiFi data they are a sharp drop from the plans at the Iphone launch.
The good news for Iphone users rolls on with the release of O2's "tethering bolt on". For the measly sum of £2 per day you can use your Iphone as a modem. Just make sure you don't breach their excessive use policy, a policy according to an O2 spokeswoman that doesn't have a figure. Indeed after hours of parsing O2's terms and conditions, we couldn't find an exact figure listed. For now it seems be a case of seeing how far you can push them.
Quite why O2 chose today to make a big song and dance about their Iphone "simplicity" plans is a mystery, as current users have been offered the deal for over a month now. Given that O2's two year exclusivity deal ran out before Christmas, the chosen announcement date remains a pertinent question and one that our O2 spokeswoman was unable to answer.
Maybe a clue could be the launch date of the Iphone 3G. Sales of the original Iphone were lacklustre and only picked up when the second generation device tipped up in July 2008. After some simple arithmetic would tend to suggest a fair chunk of customers' contracts are coming up for renewal very soon.
For O2, the Iphone helped them pinch a vast amount of users from competing networks. Now it seems that it is they, not Apple who will have to work hard in order to keep them.
Share this:
Share
I think I'm gonna switch when my iPhone contract expires unless O2 tariffs are compelling because I'm v disappointed with the O2 3G coverage. Orange is already reckoned to be better and if they join with T-Mobile it'll presumably be better still.
Their fair use policy is 1.5GB/month (I've seen one of their internal memos on the subject ;) )
...and "unlimited" 3G and WiFi data they are a sharp drop from the plans at the Iphone launch.
Shouldn't WiFi be unlimited anyway since O2 can't control whatever access point you happen to be using.
They can only monitor how much data you're transfering when you're using their Cell network.
"For the measly sum of £2 per day you can use your Iphone as a modem."
But why shouldn't you just be able to use it as a modem anyway?
Isn't it just a matter of setting the appropriate settings on Iphone/laptop/netbook and connecting via BlueTooth or the USB cable?
@Steve T
Jason Ravek is correct. Up until today the "Simplicity 20 for iPhone" which 02 were offering under the counter to people going off contract basically offered exactly the same benefits as the 35 quid iphone tariff, plus a bunch more free texts for twenty quid. It was different from the standard Simplicity package and for former iPhone users only.
.. because I switched over to O2's Simplicity 20 for iPhone only last week (Tuesday or Wednesday) and got 600 minutes, 1200 texts, plus the 'unlimited' data for iPhone, and the Visual voicemail and Wifi Roaming (to The Cloud and BT) still work.
A data-less contract for an iPhone?
Isn't that a bit like choosing to buy alcohol free beer?
Or are their really that many iPhone owners who have no friends and spend their lives within range of their home wifi?
Actually, I think I just answered my own question... Forget I mentioned anything. :o)
You're comparing apples and oranges. Your £20 Simplicity plan (assuming you've included the data bolt on as your free choice) has a 200MB data cap, no WiFi access and no visual voice mail. Cheaper Simplicity plans didn't allow you to include data as your free bolt-on, so the cheapest option was £10 for 100 minutes, plus £7.50 for 200MB. £17.50 for 100 minutes and 200MB of data vs £20 for 300 minutes, unlimited data and WiFi, and visual voicemail thrown in doesn't seem like a bad deal to me.
Until today, O2 did a SIMplicity tariff of 600 mins, 1,200 texts and a free unlimited web bolt on for £20 a month on a 30-day rolling contract. That's now £25. For £20 you get only 300 mins now. So this is actually a WORSE deal (and not competitive with T-mobile, you do a £20 Solo with unlimited web and unlimited texts plus 600 mins). On this evidence, O2 seem to want iphone customers to switch!