There are many more things to put right in mobile broadband before it becomes the multi billion dollar business that home broadband is today, even though the technology is capable, which is shown by this week 3 Group saying that it has reached the 1 million customer mark for mobile broadband.
3 was the earliest to offer flat rate broadband pricing, and has captured a lead for its HSDPA USB modems in the UK, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Denmark and Austria, most of them used plugged into a PCs as a cellular initernet connection. These will move increasingly into devices that will offer portable broadband in the home as well – creating completely wire free homes.
But unwary consumers still need to keep an eye on the fine detail of just how broadband billing is working for them, both and 3 and other cellular operators, notably Vodafone are falling foul of broadband billing. Vodafone had the horrible publicity earlier this week of billing someone over half a million pounds for the data element of a phone bill, which it took several days to rectify, while similar stories abound about 3 across Europe, which has run into trouble with the Italian regulator, after sending out bills for €10,000 (£8,000) for one month of data usage.
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Posted by Peter on July 29th 2008 in General, Three
3 have called on the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) to give T-Mobile a telling off over their recent best value for minutes guarantee on a range of £30 monthly tariffs.
T-Mobile quite rightly claim that no other operator bundles more minutes for £30, but 3 can offer more minutes for less money on their £27 Mix & Match tariff, and they want the regulator to intervene. Still, £27 inst £30, so T-Mobile, technically aren’t fibbing.
Apparently, T-Mobile have price-matched against “the other four networks,” which presumably means Vodafone, Virgin Mobile, Orange and O2, conveniently cutting 3 out of the loop.
What is misleading is the implication that no other network offers better minutes-per-pound value, which is 3’s specific beef. When contacted, the ASA stated that they are still looking into the complaint.
Posted by Tom on July 8th 2008 in O2, Orange, T-Mobile, Three, Virgin Mobile, Vodafone
Today is the deadline for European networks to announce cuts in roaming rates for texts and surfing the web on mobiles.
Both O2 and T-Mobile have promised to cut the cost of sending texts home from abroad down to 25p per text message from the previous rate of 40p per message. The cost of mobile internet access is also due to fall, with O2 customers now paying just £3 per MB of data used (down from £7) and T-Mobile punters paying half that, at £1.50 per MB down £6 from £7.50.
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Posted by Tom on July 1st 2008 in O2, Orange, T-Mobile, Three, Vodafone
T-Mobile are all set to announce some pretty impressive shake ups to their mainstream mobile tariffs - customers on £30 Solo and Combi plans are to be offered an unbeatable service. Under the new scheme, T-Mobile promise to match or beat the amount of minutes being offered on similarly priced contracts from rival network operators. Presumably, this means that customers halfway through their contract will be able to ring up and ask for an upgrade if there is a better deal going, on say 3 or Orange.
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Posted by Tom on June 26th 2008 in General, Orange, T-Mobile, Three
T-Mobile has announced that it is to cut data roaming charges by 80 per cent from the 1st of July, and simultaneously reduce the cost of sending texts from EU countries by 30 per cent from 30 August, in a bid to appease the European Commission. The official T-Mobile statement said:
“We will cut the cost of international internet access from a handset and mobile broadband connectivity via a USB dongle or data card from £7.50 per megabyte to £1.50, and the cost of sending a text from EU countries will be brought down by 38 per cent, from 0.40p to 0.25p.”
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Posted by Tom on June 24th 2008 in O2, Orange, T-Mobile, Three
O2 have finally caught up with the rest of the networks with the launch of their new O2 Mobile Broadband platform for their mobile customers.
As with, 3, T-Mobile, Vodafone et al, O2’s mobile surfing offer allows laptop users to connect to the net on the move by way of a plug and play USB dongle. The O2 packages offer customers 3GB worth of monthly surfing over the O2 network, and unlimited Wi-Fi access via The Cloud’s 7,500 UK hotspots.
O2 Mobile Broadband automatically hooks users up to the fastest connection available – GPRS, EDGE, 3G, HSDPA, or Wi-Fi, and the plug and play aspect of the USB dongle makes it super easy to use. The dongle also comes with a stylish LED display panel which indicates what network is being used, so you’ll be able to easily estimate what speed you should be getting.
Talking of which, for the moment broadband speeds of O2 Mobile Broadband will be around 1.8Mbps, which O2 plan to beef up to a faster average speed of 3.6Mbps this June.
There are two separate price plans available, a £20 a month 18 month contract, which includes the price of the USB dongle, or a rolling monthly package also costing £20 a month, plus a one-off charge for the dongle (£120).
Posted by Tom on April 23rd 2008 in O2, T-Mobile, Three, Vodafone
More iPhone rumours doing the rounds concerning the forthcoming 3G-enhanced version of the touchscreen wunderkind include one that could potentially see sales of Apple-branded handsets shoot through the roof; a 9to5 Mac post reveals that Apple resellers in Australia have apparently been told the following:
- The 3G iPhone is due for release in the last week of June
- There will be more than one carrier
- There will be no contract lock ins.
Wow. This is pretty big news; even if it pertains exclusively to the Australian market, whats to say it won’t happen elsewhere in the world? Remember when O2 said they had no plans to follow T-Mobile’s German manoeuvre by slashing UK prices and then they unexpectedly did?
Apple have said in the past they’re, “not married to the current carrier lock in model,” so maybe this means that Vodafone might get a look in this time round. Last year, Voda chief Arun Sarin infamously pooh-poohed the iPhone, rating the user experience of the device as pretty poor.
As the handset will be 3G, it would make sense to include Vodafone, who, along with 3 and T-Mobile have extensive 3G coverage across the UK, which has allowed them to unroll mobile broadband services for laptops and PDAs. Also, Orange really ought to be allowed to sell iPhone in the UK; each one could come with a copy of Pink Floyd’s ‘Apples and Oranges’ pre loaded on the music player. Imagine…
Other reports say that overall performance of the phone will also be a cut above the run time of the original, and aesthetics freaks will be keen to note that Apple have succeeded in trimming a couple of millimetres here and there off the chassis, meaning that the new handset won’t cause such an unsightly bulge in the pocket of your skinny jeans.
Posted by Tom on April 17th 2008 in O2, Orange, T-Mobile, Three, Vodafone, iPhone
As of today, 3 customers will be able to watch free music videos of artists signed to labels under the Sony BMG umbrella, following a deal with the music giant.
In theory videos featuring the likes of Bob Dylan, Alicia Keys and Santana, ought to be available for on demand mobile viewing; videos will be listed on 3’s music portal, and will come with adverts of up to 20 seconds before and after each song. Ads are targeted according to the age and gender of the customer, and no doubt their tastes in music.
According to 3’s head of portal advertising Neil Andrews, the UK’s leading 3G provider is the biggest retailer of digital media after iTunes; “The time is right for this type of business model,” said Neil Andrews, the head of portal advertising for 3… Even one year ago there were concerns in the industry about whether this type of advertising would perform. But when we sell enough [advertising] inventory, we need to generate more impressions so need compelling content to do that.”
According to a report in today’s Guardian, 1.4 million of 3’s 4 million customers regularly use the mobile video services. The service is an extension of the platform provided by Rhythm Media, with whom 3 launched their ad-funded mobile video service in March last year.
Posted by Tom on March 31st 2008 in Three
3 are slashing the cost of their USB Dongles for their Pay As You Go Mobile Broadband service. The modem, which comes free on certain mobile broadband contracts, which was up until now available for a one-off fee of £100, is now on offer to punters for £69.99.
With the current Pay As You Go price plan customers can get a 1GB data allowance with a £10 add-on, 3GB with a £15 add-on and 7GB with a £25 add-on. Each add-on lasts for 30 days.
3 claim that the 3GB package provides users with up to 2000 plain text emails, 100 hours of surfing the web, and the capacity for 200 audio files.
Posted by Tom on March 27th 2008 in Three
Mobile giants 3 and O2 have joined forces to create EyeVibe – the union of the rather rubbishly named ‘SeeMeTV’ and ‘LookAtMe’ video clip sites owned by the mobile networks.
The merger has been done in conjunction with the yoof-savvy sounding Yospace – the media company which made and ran SeeMe and LookAtMe – which was recently acquired by publishing leviathan Emap, who even more recently announced that they are to be swallowed whole by private equity group Eden Bidco Ltd.
Yospace have said that their plan for 2008 is: “to make EyeVibe the biggest and brightest mobile community in the UK,” and the word on the street is that Vodafone, T-Mobile and Orange will also be joining EyeVibe later this month.
EyeVibe is available to anyone with a video-enabled handset, and allows people to upload their own videos a la YouTube. Browsing EyeVibe is free, downloading videos costs the user around 10p per download on 3 and O2, with owners of popular clips being rewarded with cash payouts from EyeVibe.
Posted by Tom on February 18th 2008 in O2, Orange, T-Mobile, Three, Vodafone
