Orange Best mobile carrier for wp7 (IMO) - Windows Phone 7 General

usually we moan about how the carriers are doing wp7 no favors and are steering people away from wp7 and pointing them towards iphone and android instead, however Orange UK seem to be doing a bit more than most UK carriers to promote. here are the reason why i think orange deserves some credit
1)I walked past an Orange store and was very surprised to see the ZUNE player software right at the FRONT of the store so you couldnt miss it at all, (usually this is reserved for iphone) it was playing the stores music so people could see how it worked. This was shown on a large dominating 60 inch ( i think TV) of course this would make people ask whats that? then they could guide you towards their WP7 phones...smart, very smart.
2)Orange were also one of the first stores to supply wp7 devices at launch in the UK even though there was a shortage, main orange stores had them.
3)Orange offer Turn by turn Orange Maps Navigation. now its not as good as TOM TOM. but i dont see any other carriers doing it.
4) unlimited internet ( im looking at you t mobile) i phone and asked orange if i could find out how much data i was using because i could go over my "unlimited usually 1gb limit) i couldnt i was was told, because i was on an unlimited plan. sweet.
and finally 5) Orange are the Only store where i have seen reps from HTC or other people who have been drafted in to actually promote WP7!!! i havnt seen this done anywhere else!
so well done Orange, you deserve the credit!

davidebanks said:
4) unlimited internet ( im looking at you t mobile) i phone and asked orange if i could find out how much data i was using because i could go over my "unlimited usually 1gb limit) i couldnt i was was told, because i was on an unlimited plan. sweet.
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I'd double check on the internet if I were you.
Orange only do 500MB bundles which you can top up for a little more a month.
It depends on who you talk to.. I found that a few call centre people would claim that the internet was unlimited and would say that as long as you don't download, you can browse and listen to music as much as you want. Speak to someone else and you will find that there is a "fair usage policy" which is at 500MB (or more depending on how many bundles you bought) and they start charging you for extra usage.
UNLESS things have changed!

I don't think they even have "unlimited" (with fair usage policy) internet as an option. They have fixed amount MB per month and they're going to charge you if go above it.
I don’t know if they are a good WP7 promoter, however I had a terrible experience with their customer support and will definitely avoid them as a network provider. I am not surprised that someone of their representative told to OP the nonsense about the "unlimited" internet. Most of them are so incompetent.

Orange have given me unlimited data on my contract but they seem to artifically limit it by not giving me signal anywhere....

I got an omnia 7 a couple days after launch & at the time my contract, panther 35, unlimited data had a fair usage limit of 3gb but the salesman said the limit would be dropping to 1gb for new customers in november so id ring them back & make sure they tell you what you need to know.

davidebanks said:
unlimited internet ( im looking at you t mobile)
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Orange have a FUP of 500mb, T-Mobile's is 1gb, 3gb if you say you have an android phone.
T-Mobile are cheaper than orange.
Other than that, there is no difference AT ALL between the 2 networks.

Related

mobilephonesdirect - tmbobile data usage ???

Not sure if anyone can help .....
I'm looking at a £25 per month, 18 month contract (300 mins, unlimited texts) and unlimited data.
Sounds goods.
But, my main concern is the data. I've spoken to them this evening and they assure me that as it is an Android device that it will have the standard tmobile 3gb fair usage allowance.
I'm concerned that, despite what they say, that it will default to the standard non-Android 1gb fair usage policy as they are effectively selling it as a non-standard deal ?
Am I being over cautious ??!?!?
can anyone advise (please) ?
I dunno the answer but how much are the charging for the phone?
If you go direct through T-Mobile you get 3 gig of data but through other sites its only 1 gig.
the phone is free, £3.99 delivery.
Try phoning T-Mobile up, go for the 18 month £25 plan, 600 mins, 500 texts, 3gb internet, flexible booster (unlim texts or something else) and tell them that the same deal is online with a free phone.
If it doesn't work hang up and try again. Eventually it either will work or you'll be able to get a reduction in the handset price.
I got mine on launch day with T-Mobile 300 mins/texts 3 gig data usage and unlimited landlines, got them to wave the cost of the phone so got it free on £25 a month for 24 months.
simondavo said:
Not sure if anyone can help .....
I'm looking at a £25 per month, 18 month contract (300 mins, unlimited texts) and unlimited data.
Sounds goods.
But, my main concern is the data. I've spoken to them this evening and they assure me that as it is an Android device that it will have the standard tmobile 3gb fair usage allowance.
I'm concerned that, despite what they say, that it will default to the standard non-Android 1gb fair usage policy as they are effectively selling it as a non-standard deal ?
Am I being over cautious ??!?!?
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Click to collapse
Hi, What I would do is get the £15 a month , 300 mins, unlimited texts and internet. It will cost £130 for the phone - totaling £490.
Then you get £40 cashback - which is therefore the same cost as your phone. And for 6 extra months so if you wanted to change it after £18 months it would still be the same cost
And no you are not being over cautious
Just to clarify this for people:
I've been trying to figure out why my HSDPA data speed was so slow (looked like throttled to ~350kbps d/l speed).
It appears that buying via MPD and T-Mobile with "unlimited" data (at least on the £25/month tariff I chose) you are only put on the standard 1Gb FUP data plan. This also has speed restrictions (which I read about elsewhere - and is definitely true since I've experienced it first-hand).
I was under no impression from MPD that I was getting only 1Gb, and it was never mentioned anywhere - all the literature on the web re: Android phones and T-Mobile UK imply we all should be on the 3Gb - which also included no speed throttle.
I just called T-Mobile and made the case - they first tried to get me to pay an extra £5 a month to be put onto the 3Gb, but I persisted mentioning that ANY Android phone bought now with a T-Mobile contract should be on the 3Gb FUP product.
After a bit of to-ing and fro-ing they agreed and changed me over instantly. I also got to choose a free booster since the 3Gb one is included in the plan...
Stick to your guns and you should get a result - don't let them try to make you pay for it - it's MPD's fault for not making it clear, and I argued that since my contract is with T-Mob and not them I should be on the same product as anyone who bought with T-Mobile direct...
simondavo said:
Not sure if anyone can help .....
I'm looking at a £25 per month, 18 month contract (300 mins, unlimited texts) and unlimited data.
Sounds goods.
But, my main concern is the data. I've spoken to them this evening and they assure me that as it is an Android device that it will have the standard tmobile 3gb fair usage allowance.
I'm concerned that, despite what they say, that it will default to the standard non-Android 1gb fair usage policy as they are effectively selling it as a non-standard deal ?
Am I being over cautious ??!?!?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
get the one from mobilephonesdirect its unlocked and u will get updates first
and
T-mobile cant do anything since its advertised as ultd so have fun remember its fair usage they cant chage u anything extra if u go over
I also purchased via MPD.
At the time of ordering, I tried to get an answer from MPD on what TMobile FUP I would get, they assured me that I'd get 3gnarled, although I was not convinced.
When connected, I checked with TMobile and confirmed that I had my flexible booster setup to use the unlimited internet with 1gb FUP.
Didn't really think much of it until today.
Just spoken to the Loyalty Team and argued my case. They have now upgraded me to use the 3gb FUP and allowed me to use my flexible booster for something else.
Also, speedtest app is now returning an average download speed of 1900 kbps rather than 350 kbps.
Very happy !!!
Sent from my HTC Desire using the XDA mobile application powered by Tapatalk
Excellent! Mine jumped (in a poor signal area - only 1-2 bars) from 350kbps to @1.5Mbps which is pretty good. Will check when I'm in London at work tomorrow - I reckon it should be even higher.
MPD have been a bit shoddy up until now what with the stock problems and non-registration of SIMs (I had to register mine myself since I'd been waiting a number of days for MPD to do anything about it).
Has anyone had anything in writing from MPD saying that they would definitely be on the 3Gb FUP? I can't find any mention of it on their site...(actually, I can't find anything about *any* FUP on T-Mobile plans).
Since it's not mentioned by MPD that the "unlimited mobile internet" is an add-on, I think it's perfectly safe to assume it's "included" with the plan which in T-Mobile's language means that it's 3Gb straight away for Android devices.
I can't see how T-Mobile can argue any other way when anyone buying direct gets the 3Gb without even asking for it...the contracts are almost (and in some cases) exactly the same amount...
Does it matter?
I got one from MPD yesterday, read this message and called TMobile who say
a) the allowance is for all intents and purposes the same, eg 1gb or 3gb, they don't count it unless you overshoot it dramatically
b) no throttling is applied, any issues experienced are with the quality of the connection
Are both these points correct?
Should I persist complain? I agree nothing was said about this in any of MPD's literature.
Beware MPD
I too have had problems with MPD. They have sent the wrong memory card. Their customer service is terrible. The £25 contract with 300 mins and 300 texts turns out the internet is restricted to 356kbps as the sim was registered to a Nokia phone?
Contacted T-Mobile as others did and got the flexible booster switched to texts. But to get HSDPA speed I had to have the unlimited internet booster added for £5. Argued to case that I should have the speed but the would not budge. Threaten to leave and they offered me 3 months free then £5 a month for last 15 months. So can complain too much as the Phone was free from MPD, whereas it £157 for T-Mobile on the same contract.
al89nut said:
Does it matter?
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Click to collapse
Depends on if you plan on using your phone for what it's intended, and wish to get nearer to the cell connectivity speeds it's capable of supporting...I wouldn't want to be stuck with an expensive piece of hardware and only being able to use a fraction of its capacity in terms of download speeds...going from ~350kbps to only 1.5Mbps is a more than four-fold increase...
al89nut said:
a) the allowance is for all intents and purposes the same, eg 1gb or 3gb, they don't count it unless you overshoot it dramatically
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Click to collapse
This is likely the case - 1Gb is a fair bit, but it's not impossible to go over it if you're using the phone intensively without a WiFi connection (things like downloading multiple podcasts with Google Listen - lots of Maps, e-mail and YouTube usage etc.)
al89nut said:
b) no throttling is applied, any issues experienced are with the quality of the connection
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Click to collapse
This is a fallacy. T-Mobile will tell you there is no speed restriction each time you speak to them, and say the connections are contended (which *is* true) but there clearly is massive throttling for regular Web 'n Walk (1Gb) users - look at this thread for more evidence from others outside this forum.
As others have attested, as soon as they apply the Web 'n Walk Plus (3Gb) and remove the "unlimited internet flexible booster" which is what MPD customers seem to have all received, if you are already in an HSDPA area after a phone reboot your speed WILL increase immediately. There are no coincidences here!
al89nut said:
Should I persist complain? I agree nothing was said about this in any of MPD's literature.
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Click to collapse
I certainly did, and would urge others to - I might have to do it again soon since my wife may order a Desire on the same deal...I prefer to have an unlocked unbranded handset, going through T-Mobile direct (despite the fact you'd have to haggle to get the same deal as on MPD) doesn't guarantee an unlocked/unbranded phone.
claptnei said:
The £25 contract with 300 mins and 300 texts turns out the internet is restricted to 356kbps as the sim was registered to a Nokia phone?
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Click to collapse
I was also told that my "new" SIM bundled with the MPD order had been previously registered to another user...the connections team sorted it in a flash, however...
claptnei said:
Argued to case that I should have the speed but the would not budge.
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Click to collapse
That doesn't sound correct. I would have pushed further - they are wrong, not you. Argue that it had been incorrectly provisioned when the connection was set up, and as per the standard T-Mobile FUP (quote it from the website to them), users starting new contracts with new Android devices at the same time are obliged to be on the 3Gb Web 'n Walk Plus bundle...
claptnei said:
I too have had problems with MPD. They have sent the wrong memory card. Their customer service is terrible. The £25 contract with 300 mins and 300 texts turns out the internet is restricted to 356kbps as the sim was registered to a Nokia phone?
Contacted T-Mobile as others did and got the flexible booster switched to texts. But to get HSDPA speed I had to have the unlimited internet booster added for £5. Argued to case that I should have the speed but the would not budge. Threaten to leave and they offered me 3 months free then £5 a month for last 15 months. So can complain too much as the Phone was free from MPD, whereas it £157 for T-Mobile on the same contract.
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Click to collapse
I was lead to believe that the internet was a part of this contract and nothing to do with the flexible boosters.
I received my phone last Tuesday, does anyone know if today would count as part of my 7 days cooling off period or would that have ended yesterday?
edit: i would as its 7 working days.
TH1882FC said:
I was lead to believe that the internet was a part of this contract and nothing to do with the flexible boosters.
I received my phone last Tuesday, does anyone know if today would count as part of my 7 days cooling off period or would that have ended yesterday?
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Click to collapse
your 7 days should end on Thursday's end of business day.
7 days cooling period are working days, it start the next working day when you received the phone and they do not count weekend. This is what I was inform when I replaced my Desire.
blackfox888 said:
your 7 days should end on Thursday's end of business day.
7 days cooling period are working days, it start the next working day when you received the phone and they do not count weekend. This is what I was inform when I replaced my Desire.
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Click to collapse
cheers, i know MPD say you have 14 days but thats with everything in its original packaging etc so want to make sure they dont try and wriggle out using that as an excuse.
Phoned TMobile again.
Phone was registered as a Nokia
They say the price plan is between me and MPD aka Go Away
They say that 3gb and 1gb amounts to no practical difference
They say that a 1gb d/l limit has no throttling back compared to 3gb
(is the throttling just on H?)
So, do I try to take the phone back to MPD and pay the extra £45? What's their return policy and do I have to factory set the phone to erase data, etc?
What would Old Hands here do?
I bought a desire through MPD and my bill says I have an "Internet Booster (FB)" package applied (for free).
Before I call up T-Mobile can someone just confirm to me that...
1) This is incorrect
2) What I should have is 'web&walk plus'
3) 'web&walk plus' is the only way to get HSPDA connectivity?
Have many people been successful in getting their account corrected? Or am I fighting a losing battle before I start!?

Android 3gig allowance Tmobile

Can anyone help me find this on Tmobile's UK website (that the fair use allowance for android phones is 3 gig?)
I was one of those who bought from Mobile Phones Direct, found I had a 1 gig fair use allowance, phoned up Tmobile tech support and got it changed to 3 gig.
Anyway, just had my first bill and it was for £44! They told me I had no internet allowance.They admitted it was an error, then put me back on a 1gig allowance...
That led to my protests and so they then put me on Web and Walk plus for free, but I am concerned that in some way W&W will still prejudice my d/l speed.
While on the phone I tried to find the statement on their site about andriod phones to quote back to the sales staff but could not.
Anyone?
Regular WnW: http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/services/uk/fairuse/#fup1
WnW Plus: http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/services/uk/fairuse/#fup11
OK
Link #1 says (my bold):
"Pay monthly plans which include internet on your phone on an Android phone
You'll need internet coverage, check it at t-mobile.co.uk/streetcheck. Remember that you can only use your internet on your phone Booster in the UK and you can't use your phone as a modem or use web'n'walk Plus for peer to peer file sharing, or making internet phone calls. *Internet on your phone comes with a fair use policy of 3GB a month."
which is what I thought I had
Link#2 says
Mobile Broadband Plus
"You'll need a compatible laptop, an enabled device like a USB modem and mobile broadband coverage. You can check your coverage at t-mobile.co.uk/mobilebroadband, remember that you can't use your plan to make internet phone calls. This plan comes with a fair use policy of 3GB a month. We'll monitor how much you send and receive each calendar month so that we can protect our network for all our Mobile Broadband customers. If you use more than your fair use policy amount, we won't charge you any more, but we may restrict how you can use your plan, depending on how often you go over your amount and by how much."
which is what I've now got.
Good? Bad? No different? Especially the issue of speed.
Should I get back to them?
Edit
Speedtest says dl speed is 0.35mbps, upload .051mbps. Can't remember what it was before.
My Speedtest results vary depending on where I am. At home I get at most 500kbps, but at the office I get 1800kbps. Seeing as I need internet when I'm NOT at home, that's fine with me as I have WiFi at home anyway.
So, you should check in different locations.
al89nut said:
OK
Link #1 says (my bold):
"Pay monthly plans which include internet on your phone on an Android phone
You'll need internet coverage, check it at t-mobile.co.uk/streetcheck. Remember that you can only use your internet on your phone Booster in the UK and you can't use your phone as a modem or use web'n'walk Plus for peer to peer file sharing, or making internet phone calls. *Internet on your phone comes with a fair use policy of 3GB a month."
which is what I thought I had
Link#2 says
Mobile Broadband Plus
"You'll need a compatible laptop, an enabled device like a USB modem and mobile broadband coverage. You can check your coverage at t-mobile.co.uk/mobilebroadband, remember that you can't use your plan to make internet phone calls. This plan comes with a fair use policy of 3GB a month. We'll monitor how much you send and receive each calendar month so that we can protect our network for all our Mobile Broadband customers. If you use more than your fair use policy amount, we won't charge you any more, but we may restrict how you can use your plan, depending on how often you go over your amount and by how much."
which is what I've now got.
Good? Bad? No different? Especially the issue of speed.
Should I get back to them?
Edit
Speedtest says dl speed is 0.35mbps, upload .051mbps. Can't remember what it was before.
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Click to collapse
I would read them the riot act!!
You are paying for a service for which you are not getting, you were not advised it would only be 1gig.
Push for the 3gig.
My last phone on T-mobile was G1, even that had 3gig webnwalk.
Just tell them their breaking their terms of agreement, and you should either be allowed what you should be paying for of they terminate the contract at their own cost.For breach of T&C's.
Many hours on the phone later, calling agent after agent to get sense from them...
I have web and walk plus - which is the same as the 3gig allowance???????? - on my Desire.
Or at least the lady (in India) tells me.
I will believe it when I see it on MyTmobile.
And when the £44 is wiped.
And when the dl speed is not ****e.
Sigh.
al89nut said:
Many hours on the phone later, calling agent after agent to get sense from them...
I have web and walk plus - which is the same as the 3gig allowance???????? - on my Desire.
Or at least the lady (in India) tells me.
I will believe it when I see it on MyTmobile.
And when the £44 is wiped.
And when the dl speed is not ****e.
Sigh.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Web n Walk plus is the correct addition for android devices. Web n Walk standard only gives you 1GB allowance and your download speed is restricted. Web n Walk plus gives you 3GB allowance and un-restricts your download speed.
Use the free speedtest.net app from android market to test your speed. If it has been activated, turn off your phone for 5 mins turn it on. It can take up to 24 hours for your download speed to sync up and get faster.
What they do is add Web n Walk plus to your account and then apply a monthly loyalty discount equal to the same amount.
Your download speed will vary depending on the usage on the cell site your connected to and your signal strength.
The download speed on a good day can easily exceed 2000kbps or 2 Mbps.
http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/services/uk/fairuse/
is the link and you can navigate to it by going to the T-Mobile UK home page, then click on the ‘Services’ tab along the top, then click on the ‘Internet & mobile broadband’ link on the left hand side, then click on the ‘Web’n’walk the legal stuff >’ link at the bottom of the page.
Hope this helps...
Thank you - speed test now shows 1400 kps. This is what it showed before they messed me around, but I was paying for it! Here's hoping.
I rather suspect that your problem is more to do with MobilePhonesDirect giving T-Mobile duff information than T-Mobile itself.
A friend of mine had real problems getting MPD to correctly provision data on their account.
Regards,
Dave
foxmeister said:
I rather suspect that your problem is more to do with MobilePhonesDirect giving T-Mobile duff information than T-Mobile itself.
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Click to collapse
Every chance, I've read of Desires sold by MPD registered with T-Mob as Nokia's
Mine was registered as a Nokia when I first got the allowance raised from 1gb to 3gb in April. My problem was that a month later they promptly sent me a bill for the internet use, then when I protested, they waived the bill, but changed me to 1gb unlimited. The online staff have no idea of the 3gb allowance for android phones out there in a call centre somewhere East. I was directing the lady to the particular TMob UK webpage for ages.
Yeah the call centre is in the east, but hey none of the other networks are any better. Just stay calm and guide them slowly through it, they get there in the end!
At 1400 kbps your on HSDPA unrestricted, so as long as you don’t get charged your fine...
I have had a 30 day rolling sim only contract with t-mobile. I thought that was sorted with unlimited web & walk but they didnt tell me there was a speed restriction on it. The full speed w&w plus is only availalable on 12 month contracts they tell me so I cant even change it. Fed up trying to talk to them so off to O2 now I think.
O2 is full of iphone users, so their network seems to be really full, dropped calls and restricted 3G, so im not sure if you will be any better with them.
Good luck though!
dwj said:
I have had a 30 day rolling sim only contract with t-mobile. I thought that was sorted with unlimited web & walk but they didnt tell me there was a speed restriction on it. The full speed w&w plus is only availalable on 12 month contracts they tell me so I cant even change it. Fed up trying to talk to them so off to O2 now I think.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Persevere ,talk to technical assistance,no one else !
Took me about a week to convince them,but got there in the end.
I tried to get my internet allowance changed from 1GB to 3GB today as i've just received my phone today from MPD.
However i was told they can't change anything until the first bill is through and paid for?
Anyone else encountered that?
If you ask to get transferred to sales or technical support then they are UK based, make sense of what you're saying and will help you if you explain that you're getting nowhere with the call centre people.
I went straight through to tech support and told them I should have 3gb as per the website. They changed it there and then and let me use my internet booster for somthing else. Lets hope it sticks. I got a confirmation txt for my new booster but not web and walk +
I had the same problem from mobiles.co.uk
I got it changed and used my addon as internet as well, so should get 4gb really!
herghost said:
I had the same problem from mobiles.co.uk
I got it changed and used my addon as internet as well, so should get 4gb really!
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Click to collapse
Was this straight away or did you have to wait a couple days until your bill came through?

Desire + Orange?

Hi, im currently up for renewal on my vodafone contract, but with them not being able to offer a decent tarrif or give me an actual date for when they think they will be getting stock (been told approx 2weeks but nothing confirmed) ive been forced to shop around, ive been offered 500mins 3000texts and internet (500mb, is that enough for the desire?) and a free phone tomorrow so to speak from orange. I know from past experience with orange that back in the day they would fill there phones of junk, i was wondering if the Desire was full of the old orange stuff? or is it unbranded so to speak?
Cheers, Joe
Oh, i can however get a nexus one with vodafone on a contract that i could live with, is it worth jsut going for a nexus over the desire? is there any major differences between the two other than the sense ui? which is the main reason i prefer the desire over the nexus tbh.
I think it all depends where you get the phone from. Orange, Phones4U and most Orange stockists will sell you their crapware filled, branded, crippled Desire that really is an awful experience in comparison to stock Desire. Thankfully this branding is pretty easily removed.
The Carphone Warehouse will sell you an unlocked, branding free Desire on contract from Orange etc. and they may give you quite a good deal.
As for the Nexus, it has pros and cons. It has Froyo, gets updates seemingly quicker than other Android phones, and has a uni-body design (honestly, it's not that much different). The Desire IMHO is better due to HTC Sense, more RAM and physical buttons which are more responsive than the touch buttons on the Nexus One.
It's your choice but I'd go with the Desire -- preferably NOT on Orange (they even give you a measly 500mb data plan [I've had the phone three months and gone over twice due to Spotify and podcast streaming] unless you pay another tenner and their customer service sucks) or via The Carphone Warehouse. Look around for the best deals
Cheap Desire offer!
Ive just bought one via mobiles.co.uk, it comes from them and it is a stock desire rather than an orange.
They have an offer on half price line rental for 12 months on one of them cash back thingys. Only had the phone a couple of days but pretty happy with it!!
The Orange phone is filled with rubbish you can't rid of.
I've just unbranded mine.
As above. Mobiles.co.uk i found were offering the best deals.
The Orange Network i've found to be very good, and the customer service again has been excellent
I came from O2 with an iffy data network and rubbish customer service
Rickalicious said:
The Orange phone is filled with rubbish you can't rid of.
I've just unbranded mine.
As above. Mobiles.co.uk i found were offering the best deals.
The Orange Network i've found to be very good, and the customer service again has been excellent
I came from O2 with an iffy data network and rubbish customer service
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Click to collapse
Orange have been terrible to me. They even got my name wrong on a bloody direct debit when my name is on the account!
steve228uk said:
Orange have been terrible to me. They even got my name wrong on a bloody direct debit when my name is on the account!
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Click to collapse
I guess they can't get it right all of the time, I can testify to that on O2's behalf, they were crap for me.
Yea whatever you do dont go on 02, had a 30 day rolling contract with them.. took me 3months to get that canceled.
Im on orange now 500mb of internet is fine for me, i just do general internet browsing facebook etc. Ive worked out 500mb will get you 16mb a day. Mines from phones4u had no problem with them, just make sure you cancel all the insurance addons they give you (unless you want them)
Cheers
Sorry to sound like I'm fighting the tide but I've always found O2 to be decent, both for customer service and network. I've always managed to negotiate a deal with retentions that is comparable to the best competitor tariff. I'm kind of limited because O2 are the only network that get a signal inside my house. Voda, Orange and T-Mob are all low signal but that's because I'm in a semi-rural location.
In fact my local mast must have been upgraded recently because I started getting a strong H signal inside the house a few days ago when I ALWAYS had plain G before.
As for data plans, ALL the main networks in the UK are going to tiered data plans. There's no such thing as unlimited data any more, it's 500MB for starters and then increasing cost for more MBs (750,1000 etc).
I spoke to O2 about the data and they told me it was only going tiered on the iPhone. I didn't think it was true but it was kinda interesting to hear.
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App
If that's true then fair enough, but it would be sensible to keep an eye open in case O2 do change the data plans across the board. I took out a new contract on 22-June with "unlimited data". My understanding is that O2 are looking to review "unlimited" sometime in October. It doesn't afect me as such anyway because I tend to run at 200-300MB per month.
Im on the same tariff and I got the phone from carphone warehouse for 2 reasons, Orange weren't selling it at the time, and it was unbranded.
The tarrif works fine for me (Managed to go over the 3000 texts , I know not to do to much with the phone on 3G, So it only gets used for emails using the net and stuff, I don't watch videos on it or stream or anything for to keep myself covered
Install at 3G Usage monitor for good measure
I am on the same tariff too. Mine is locked and a pain, just wondering whether to root it or not. Is it actually worth it? I am only wanting to do it because I want to change how many apps boot up to save battery life since all the apps take up 60%+ of battery power?
Anyway, 500mb is fine for internet usage, so far. I have 3g.Watchdog app so it tells me when I go over 75% and warns me when I get close to my quota. Just don't stream and use it for MSN and browsing when your out. When I am in I use the WiFi
I'm on a similar tariff, only with 300 minutes but with a free phone at £25/mth on an 18-month contract I'm not complaining
I just use the 'Your Orange' app from the market to keep track of it all. Seems to work a treat.
steve228uk said:
I'm on a similar tariff, only with 300 minutes but with a free phone at £25/mth on an 18-month contract I'm not complaining
I just use the 'Your Orange' app from the market to keep track of it all. Seems to work a treat.
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It does, but it doesn't give you a up-to date usage all the time, Im sure it states in the app minutes and data may be up-to 48 hours old
well due to the first few posts i decided to go against orange, just got off the phone from vodafone they hae stock but im on the end of the waiting list though it wont be soon before the phone is in the post, got the phone for free on £35 a month over 18months with 600mins unlimited texts + unlimited internet cant really complain!
i'm on orange and upgraded through them. i got
1100 mins
unlimited landline
unlimited internet
600 texts
£25 a month for 18 Months
I got my desire on orange, i have debranded mine & got it unlocked.
orange have been good to me never had any probs with customer service.
By the sounds of it some of you still run the stock Orange app, any chance someone could back the stock Rom up an send me a copy, would be mucho appreciated.
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App

Cheeky T Mobile UK Dropping data to 500mb!!

found a link saying that t mobile are dropping down to 500mb for feb 1st! fortunately im not with t mobile as im on an unlimited internet plan with orange but will others follow suit? having unlimited internet was the reason i didnt end up with a hd7 so important is the internet to me. especially with the amount of data that wp7 needs and will need even more in the future....anyone think this is acceptable???
I agree, it is quite cheeky for them to be reducing the data plans down to 500MB. I've noticed a few providers going that direction, which is kind of silly because especially at a time like this when we are heading towards an internet driven society where having internet access is becoming a necessity, rather than a luxury.
Providers should be increasing the data plans, not reducing them, seeing as the data infrastructure is already in place. In fact they should be investing in improving and increasing bandwidth capabilities. Just seems like they want to suck more money out of consumers...
I do understand they need money to improve and increase bandwidth capabilities, but reducing data plans is not the way to go. Perhaps providing truly unlimited plans at a slightly higher price should be available.
davidebanks, you mention you are on Orange. Just be aware that T-Mobile UK and Orange are now joint companies, and may steer towards combining their tariff policies. You may get a letter telling you that they will be restricting your data plan too!
t mobile and orange are using can now use eachothers networks not sure if thats the same as joining companies. hope not now. so im paying £35 pounds a month for my service which includes unlimited internet. if mine goes down to 500mb, is there anything i can do about this? like cancel contract or something? i just dont get why they are doing it. im sure its for good reason but i own wp7 device so with all its facebook updating all friends stuff and pictures, Bing maps + internet, the Cloud service which microsoft strongly encourage us wp7 to use and then fob us uk customers with mainly 8gb devices....the list goes on......
I really can't understand how a carrier dares to provide a dataplan with less than 1GB in the year 2011 -500MB have been up-to-date in the year 2008!
I hope that they'll lose all users due to this stupid decision.
I have a 3GB dataplan for 2 years now included with my phone-plan and I'm absolutely sure that I'm paying less for this than T-Mobile users are paying for their 500MB-plan.
yes i reckon you are paying less. our `unlimited` internet is usually 1gb, whilst other countries have 3gb `unlimited` I also forgot to mention Zune as well! low memory storage, then ask us to use and pay for cloud storage. then carriers start dropping our monthly limit.
If you have an Android phone, or you say you have an android phone they give you 3GB. I'm sure they'll extend that to WP7 when it becomes more popular (although they don't actually check what phone you have).
And yeah Orange and T-Mobile are now the same network, in the UK at least (T-Mobile and Orange still exist as separate entities in other countries, France, Germany etc). It doesn't mean we'll be seeing Orange tarrifs on T-Mobile though. Infact the reason why they are still called Orange and T-Mobile and not 1 network called Everything Everywhere is because they didn't want to ruin the brand of T-Mobile being "Value" and Orange being "Premium".
@davidebanks: Phone them up, tell them you have an android phone, ask to be upgraded to 3GB and they'll to it at no extra cost.
davidebanks said:
so im paying £35 pounds a month for my service which includes unlimited internet. if mine goes down to 500mb, is there anything i can do about this? like cancel contract or something?
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Yes, that would be considered a rather large change in their T&C's so you could cancel the contract no questions asked. However, for this reason - they are unlikely to apply the 500MB limit to exsiting contracts. More likely than not you will continue on your existing plan until your contract runs out at which time you will be offered a renewal with the new limit in place.
Here in Sweden, I have the "basic" data addon which costs me something like 6 quid a month, that includes 1GB of data at full speed - once I've used the 1GB speed is limited to 120kbps. Additional packages (costing between 12-18 quid) give you 5 and 10 GB of traffic before the speed is limited. There are also offers of truly unlimited plans where you can use as much as you want at full speed (although they are rather pricey).
Hopefully this is not implemented state side, but I would say this is a pretty messed up cut back and you can't download. The high limit before you are throttled on t-mobile is the only reason I stuck with them, if I'm not mistaken its 3gigs. I mean I am paying for the data service I should be able to use it however I like. There only two US carriers that I know of that doesn't have a limit on data and the other one is Sprint. So I guess I might be changing over if they try and pull this over here.
I've got a 500Mb per month plan with orange and samsung omnia 7, i'm adding on a further 500Mb soon though as 500 just isn't enough for WP7, even with my minimal usage i'm still going through at least 150Mb a week. Someone needs to make a Data consumer app, that's if microsoft would let them :/
emigrating said:
Yes, that would be considered a rather large change in their T&C's so you could cancel the contract no questions asked. However, for this reason - they are unlikely to apply the 500MB limit to exsiting contracts. More likely than not you will continue on your existing plan until your contract runs out at which time you will be offered a renewal with the new limit in place.
Here in Sweden, I have the "basic" data addon which costs me something like 6 quid a month, that includes 1GB of data at full speed - once I've used the 1GB speed is limited to 120kbps. Additional packages (costing between 12-18 quid) give you 5 and 10 GB of traffic before the speed is limited. There are also offers of truly unlimited plans where you can use as much as you want at full speed (although they are rather pricey).
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Click to collapse
Actually, I have an unlimited dataplan with Tele2 in Sweden, and I pay 7 £ for that (80kr) a month.
Strutten said:
Actually, I have an unlimited dataplan with Tele2 in Sweden, and I pay 7 £ for that (80kr) a month.
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That must be an old plan in that case, as the ones they do these days are fairly similar in both price and limitations to the ones I mentioned above (although Tele2 limits the speed to 64kbps rather than 120).
Most of Tele2's services are however advertised as "fri surf" with a footnote explaining that after X gigabytes speed is limited.
I reckon all of you affected by this change should cut'n'paste the letter found at the Uri below and send to T-Mobile UK.
http://cantankerous.co.uk/?p=499
Looks like exisiting customers will not be affected anymore:
http://support.t-mobile.co.uk/help-and-support/index?page=home&cat=DATA_CHANGES
T-Mobile Statement:
“On Monday 10 January 2011 we announced that, in line with the rest of the industry, T-Mobile would be reducing its Fair Use Policy for data usage to 500MB a month for all mobile phone customers. Following a further review of our policy, these changes will now be introduced from 1 February, to new and upgrading customers only - not existing customers.
There will be no change to the data packages for existing customers for the duration of their contract and we apologise for any confusion caused. The revision to the Fair Use Policy is designed to ensure an improved quality of service for all mobile internet users."
Lysa Hardy, VP, T-Mobile UK
Information on new data policy:
From 1 February 2011 new and upgrading customers will be given a monthly 500MB data allowance. There will be no charge for those customers exceeding that limit, and those who do will still be able to access important services such as email and web browsing, however file downloading and streaming services will be restricted. Customers will then have the option to increase their monthly Fair Use Policy to 1GB a month by purchasing a Mobile Broadband Booster. This will ensure an improved quality of service for all of our mobile internet users.
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[Q] Three vs Orange - Omnia 7

Hi guys, let me give you a brief background...
My contract with 3 (UK) has just run out and I'm going to get the Omnia 7. I'm stuck between staying with 3 or moving across to Orange and both have offered deals that appeal to me.
Three offer 2000 mins, 5000 texts, unlimited internet, 5000 3-3 calls for £35/m
They also offered me 500 mins, 5000 texts, 1GB interent but on a RECONDITIONED phone for £25/m so that I would stay. Sounds perfect although they have no reconditioned phones in stock and aren't likely to get any.
Now I phoned Orange and they offered 600 mins, unlimited texts, 750mb 3g data, 3GB wifi data + a magic number for £30/m.
I feel the Orange deal suits my useage however as I haven't owned the phone I don't know how much data I would use as an average user.
Are there any other factors I should consider that would make it worth my while paying more/waiting longer to get the phone by sticking with 3?
Not the most technical of threads but hopefully you guys will point me in the right direction
Cheers, Jacob
I'm what I would consider average user of mobile data, lots of Facebook, a few apps, a bit of YouTube and get through about 400-450mb a month.
There is an app on my orange Mozart called Your Orange where you can check data consumption up until that point
Sent from my LG-P500 using XDA Premium App
Thanks Clive, that is exactly what I wanted to hear!
The cost is a large factor seeing as I'm at uni at the moment! And Orange haven't messed with the basics of the phone have they? I heard somewhere that you could only have your live tiles in Orange...
Cheers for the quick reply, Jacob
How much data you'll be using is very personal so hard to give a good answer here. That said, my data usage (3G) has dropped significantly since going WP7 (compared to WM and Droid). This is likely due to me leaving wifi enabled 24/7 these days, something I didn't earlier due to battery life taking a beating.
My plan gives me 1GB/mo at full speed (i.e. 7Mbps) after which it will limit my speed (but still give me unlimited usage) and since using WP7 I haven't hit this once. Previously I would hit this limit around the 20th of the month.
Are minutes a deciding factor?
If you order online, you can get the Omnia 7 for free on Orange with 300 Minutes, Unlimited Texts and Internet for £25 a month. Or you can pay £49.99 to get the phone with 200 Minutes, Unlimited Texts and Internet for £20 a month.
If you're ok with 300 minutes I'd go for the £25 a month plan, it's cheap(ish) and you get the phone free.
They're also offering 3 months of Free Zune Pass, if you like music then you'll love zune pass... I remember being sceptical about it and not thinking it could replace Spotify Premium for me but after the 2 week trial I was converted!!
Suprisingly... Orange is Cheaper than T-Mobile which isn't usually the case
In terms of the difference between the networks Orange will generally be better as they share coverage with T-Mobile. I'm on TMob but the coverage of both networks is now great after their merge.
750mb Internet isn't much but should be ok for general browsing and downloading apps. Remember on Windows Phone 7 you can't download big games/apps over 3G (has to be via wifi) so you don't need to worry that much. If you are concerned about data, consider T-Mobile who will give you 3GB if you tell them you have a smartphone.
brummiesteven that deal you just mentioned is for £30/m on the Orange site not £25 as far as I can see? Panther 30 it's called.
Minutes aren't too much of a factor however a minimum of 300 will be needed as I'm hitting about 250/m on my current (expired) plan.
Okay well I imagine I will use facebook a lot, youtube occaisionally, my fair few apps. I will be spending the majority of my time at home or in uni (both with accessible wifi) so I won't be relying on the 3g data too much I guess.
jaaacob said:
brummiesteven that deal you just mentioned is for £30/m on the Orange site not £25 as far as I can see? Panther 30 it's called.
Minutes aren't too much of a factor however a minimum of 300 will be needed as I'm hitting about 250/m on my current (expired) plan.
Okay well I imagine I will use facebook a lot, youtube occaisionally, my fair few apps. I will be spending the majority of my time at home or in uni (both with accessible wifi) so I won't be relying on the 3g data too much I guess.
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Click to collapse
Hey Mate, I was referring to Dolphin 25.
Whatever you pick I'd reccomend you order online for the 3 months Zune Pass (Unless you couldn't care less about music).
Ah right gotcha.
A bit too late though as I went ahead and ordered it on the phone earlier :/
Although, good news! He ended up giving me a deal of 400 mins, unlimited texts, 750MB internet and a free phone for £22/m!!!
To be fair the zune pass would of been awesome but I think the saving money wise is best for me.
Thanks for all your help, I'll be getting my phone on tuesday and I imagine I'll be back on this forum very soon!
jaaacob said:
Ah right gotcha.
A bit too late though as I went ahead and ordered it on the phone earlier :/
Although, good news! He ended up giving me a deal of 400 mins, unlimited texts, 750MB internet and a free phone for £22/m!!!
To be fair the zune pass would of been awesome but I think the saving money wise is best for me.
Thanks for all your help, I'll be getting my phone on tuesday and I imagine I'll be back on this forum very soon!
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Click to collapse
That is an awesome deal tbf.
I have an Omnia 7 on Orange UK.
My deal only has 500mb a month data and i have never come close to it. I think i use a max of around 250mb and i do a lot of browsing and everything is set to push on the phone.
The way to kill it would be streaming a lot of youtube videos that i don't do.
brummiesteven said:
That is an awesome deal tbf.
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I was very pleased when he told me, I actually made him repeat the deal to make sure I heard it correctly.
Roll on Monday!
what does a magic number mean
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
A magic number is someone you have unlimited calls to. They have to be on Orange and you start off with one magic number. Every 6 months you get to choose an extra magic number. Hope that helps.
I'm going to try out 3's "All-you-can-eat" data offer on their pay-as-you-go SIM card - top up £15 each month to get as much data as you can gobble up. I was finding O2's 500MB per month limit to be too constricting - I could only get by if I didn't stream any videos or music and restricted my app downloads over 3G to just those less than 1MB (anything bigger I had to wait until I got home to do it over Wi-fi).
They include enough minutes and texts in that £15 for me.
O2's deal was £10 per month for 500MB, incidentally.
3's SIM is in the post :O) Looking forward to absolute FREEDOM in my data usage!
Incidentally, I'm using an O2 branded HD7 that I've unlocked.
That sim from 3 is very good value and I would have done it if I could afford the cost of the handset (I'm at uni and have no money!). I'm know wondering if 8GB will be too small...
Too late now as the phone is being delivered today/tomorrow!
I am ridiculously impatient
ORANGE! you get orange maps navigation!!
comeradealexi said:
ORANGE! you get orange maps navigation!!
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If it's included in your contract. Otherwise like for me its £5 a month. I refuse to pay £5 a month for a satnav that requires a data connection.
Congratulations, £22 a month with a free phone is a great deal.
Hope you enjoy your phone.
No-one at Orange mentioned the Navigation so I doubt I will get it free...
I just wish they would hurry up and deliver the freakin thing! Waited in my house from 9 til 5 yesterday for it not to be delivered! Typical wasted day! I'm sure it will be worth the wait though!
jaaacob said:
No-one at Orange mentioned the Navigation so I doubt I will get it free...
I just wish they would hurry up and deliver the freakin thing! Waited in my house from 9 til 5 yesterday for it not to be delivered! Typical wasted day! I'm sure it will be worth the wait though!
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How long are you tied in for? 2 years? You might find that the 8GB memory is a bit limiting, and with devices coming soon with the new chassis specs, you may end up buying yourself out of that deal. Without a gyroscope and front-facing camera, you'll not be able to use things like Skype video calls or Augmented Reality apps like Layar.
It's usually best to buy your phone outright and then go SIM-only or PAYG, as the smartphone market is moving way too fast for 2 year contracts to keep up.

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