O2 "Unlimited" Data Bolt-on!

[andrew_green]

At last, O2 have joined the civilised world (maybe as a result of sustained lobbying by members of various forums such a this) and has launched an "unlimited" bolt-on browsing package!

This supplements the inclusive data allowances already forming part of O2 tariffs, namely:
512kb for high-street Tariffs (100kb if inclusive munites are less than 600 pcm), and
1Mb for online Tariffs,

In addition, a package is available for use with data cards.

Ok - to the "unlimited" data bolt-on...which O2 have dubbed "O2 Web" - the data card option is known as "O2 Max".

So, why the quotes surrounding 'unlimited'? Well, it's not actually unlimited....a fair use policy of 200Mb applies, only time will tell whether this will be sufficient, but it's hardly unlimited. I've read posts by Orbit users stating that 20Mb per day is not unusual, this would take people past 600Mb per month, so this allowance looks somewhat stingy in that case.

The good news:
- at £7.50 per month this is better news for O2 customers,

The bad news:
- 200Mb still is not competitive (when compared to, say, T-Mobile web'n'walk, which has a 1Gb Fair Use limit),
- "O2 Web" is available only to 'April 2007 or later' Tariff customers. Everybody else is warned that a Tariff change may be required.

Further details are to be found at http://www.o2.co.uk/mobilestariffs/tariffs/consumerdatabolton.

As a pre-April 2007 O2 Customer myself, I'm going to give Customer Services a call and "see what I can do"...

[sl9]

Obviously this is for the iPhone, the total cost (including full term line rental and purchase price) of which btw will be £900, which is insane. £900 for a mobile phone that doesn't even have 3G or let you install any software applications on it, lol!

All I can say is thank god for T-Mobile :D
I use between 200 and 600MB of data per month, mostly from remote desktop (terminal services) sessions to my home PC from work, with my phone (HTC Universal) acting as a 3G modem http://forum.xda-developers.com/images/icons/icon6.gif That is way below the 1GB+ that T-Mobile allow on my WnW PRO plan.

This move from O2 is a lot better than Orange, and definitely better than nothing, but nowhere near as good as T-Mobile. 200MB is quite pathetic in this day and age. But with O2's crappy network, you'll be lucky if you can manage even 10MB in a month ;) <G>

[andrew_green]

Obviously this is for the iPhone, the total cost (including full term line rental and purchase price) of which btw will be £900, which is insane. £900 for a mobile phone that doesn't even have 3G or let you install any software applications on it, lol!

Actually, no. iPhone users get a "special" contract which prompted many customers (myself included) to barrack O2 about how they were going to translate this 'unlimited' provision to existing non-iPhone customers. The "O2 Web" package is a bolt-on to existing voice/text Tariffs.

All I can say is thank god for T-Mobile :D
I use between 200 and 600MB of data per month, mostly from remote desktop (terminal services) sessions to my home PC from work, with my phone (HTC Universal) acting as a 3G modem http://forum.xda-developers.com/images/icons/icon6.gif That is way below the 1GB+ that T-Mobile allow on my WnW PRO plan.

Yeah, 200Mb looks paltry by comparison, hopefully they'll see the light at some point when customers continue to drift away.

This move from O2 is a lot better than Orange, and definitely better than nothing, but nowhere near as good as T-Mobile. 200MB is quite pathetic in this day and age. But with O2's crappy network, you'll be lucky if you can manage even 10MB in a month ;) <G>

Already done 10Mb in a month - paid for it too! I don't use the same volumes as you, but I for one am relatively happy at this development.

[s4vva]

I just called O2 about applying this to my account (currently i have the 5mb bolt on which costs £4). However they cant apply this to my tarrif as I have an old tarrif :(

The thing is I dont want to switch tarriffs as none of their current tarrifs come any where near my exisiting tarrif. Did you have any luck apllying the bolt on to your 'old tariff' ?

[andrew_green]

I just called O2 about applying this to my account (currently i have the 5mb bolt on which costs £4). However they cant apply this to my tarrif as I have an old tarrif :(

The thing is I dont want to switch tarriffs as none of their current tarrifs come any where near my exisiting tarrif. Did you have any luck apllying the bolt on to your 'old tariff' ?

Yes. Absolutely. The nice young lady transferred my "old" Tariff to the (identical) "new" Tariff - without re-starting my contract - and is then exchanging my 4Mb bolt-on for the 'unlimited' bolt-on. She's ringing me back in the next 72 hours to confirm that the changes have been applied.

[s4vva]

Yes. Absolutely. The nice young lady transferred my "old" Tariff to the (identical) "new" Tariff - without re-starting my contract - and is then exchanging my 4Mb bolt-on for the 'unlimited' bolt-on. She's ringing me back in the next 72 hours to confirm that the changes have been applied.

the problem I have is there is no 'new equivelent', at the mo I get...

1000 mins
150 texts
1 mb browsing

all for £35 per month, WITH A £15 monthly discount, so the whole shabang costs me £20 per month!!!!!

and right now I pay £5 per month for the data bolt on. O2 have been trying to get me off this tarrif for years.

[andrew_green]

the problem I have is there is no 'new equivelent', at the mo I get...

1000 mins
150 texts
1 mb browsing

all for £35 per month, WITH A £15 monthly discount, so the whole shabang costs me £20 per month!!!!!

and right now I pay £5 per month for the data bolt on. O2 have been trying to get me off this tarrif for years.

Ah. That could be your problem then. No wonder they won't touch it...

[s4vva]

Ah. That could be your problem then. No wonder they won't touch it...

yeah I know, it is a great tarrif, dont know how much longer they will let me hang on to it :)

[robboy]

has anyone gone over this 200 mb limit, what happens? do you get charged or do they stop any data after this limit.

[ducamie]

i would totally subscribe if o2's gprs was even half decent. i cant update any weather applications/windows live due to the http problems, i can just about browse the web (slowly) if i enter wsp:// before every site i want to access.

whats up with that?

[jaymit]

Actually I get a decent GPRS connection at home and EDGE (yes I know its no were near HSDPA speeds) in London. I've been able to get mail through MS Exchange and browse web at decent speeds on opera mobile - bbc news only takes a few seconds to load with all the pics and flash, etc!. Although i totally agree, I've only been using it for a week or so and the only reason I'm not over the limit already is because I try and connect over wifi where possible. I reckon in this day and age they should have edge as a minimum everywhere and 1gb or 2gb minimum...my monthly email (without images, just text) goes over 200mb, loll. Isnt web'n'walk only available for contact customers? I heard that vodafone don't charge you over a pound for upto 15MB usage, but there was a way to get around that so it would end up being £1 for 2 weeks or something, but you have to reset some setting daily :s

[dellkia]

has anyone gone over this 200 mb limit, what happens? do you get charged or do they stop any data after this limit.

Didn't realised about the fair usage policy and downloaded a file more than 300Mb. Received a call from o2 next day and got warning letter in few days later.

O2 didn't say that there's a fair usage policy in their web on "unlimited" when i signed a new contract with them. :confused:

[jaymit]

hey i got actual unlimited data on o2!!! i was monitoring my data because i wasnt hitting a limit or getting a message from o2. apparently when the guy unblocked something at customer service he removed the 200mb thing on my a/c :)

[dragon2611]

Better not be 200MB, I decided to go with O2 on the basis theirs was unlimited, looking in the T&c of the bolt on theres no mention of a 200MB limit and I was assured that it was infact unlimited as long as you don't try and use it for a modem. (which is fair enough)


I could have gone with Vodafone and got pretty much the same amount of minutes and texts with 500mb of browsing for the same money but I didn't want to risk getting a large bill if I went over.