Vodafone or Three? Serious phone, serious network.

Foxhole Norman

Have you looked at 3's Bill Pay options with the Note 2?

Danger781

Foxhole Norman wrote: »

Have you looked at 3's Bill Pay options with the Note 2?

He's a huge texter. Smartphone plans would be close to useless, and the Flexi plans charge extortionate prices.

I'm in the same boat.

StaticNoise

Thanks for stepping in for me there, Danger781

Yeah, I'm hitting 1700 - 2000 SMS per month. And, people I contact mostly don't (and won't) use Viber, Whatsapp, and the like.

As you probably did, I researched going for the FlexiFix 25.

€25.71 - 200 minutes, unlimited texts, unlimited 3 to 3 stuff, etc. + €6 for 500MB
€30 p/m - Cool, sounds OK.

Phone is €439.
I can buy it, SIM Free, for €50 more.

No brainer to stay SIM Free on the FlexiFix offer.

Surely the networks will announce new price plans or offers soon?

thund3rbird_

@staticnoise ....



only saw this thread now so this may be too late

I have the original note & was trying to compare re upgrading / switching

I was trying to compare as best I could in excel based on what I could find on the network websites.

I just added a payg section on the end

2 screenshots pasted into a jpeg for size (& other) reasons

hopefully it's 100% acurate but I take no responsibility for any errors etc etc
hope it helps

StaticNoise

Thanks Thund3rbird_, that is not too late, and the topic is still going it appears, and I most certainly have not made a final decision yet. I'm taking a look at it now and will report back. I really appreciate you sharing it. Thank you.


Just to check: this is current?
Secondly, it is shocking that a network would charge for the phone when you are giving them over a grand in business each year.

Danger781

Buying it SIM Free and paying it off over a number of months seems far better.

StaticNoise

It is just the overall initial outset, when it is unavailable directly.
Thanks for your help.

ED E

StaticNoise wrote: »

Sony Xperia S, de-branded and updated.

Yes, I am in that neck of the woods. Now, that's interesting. As you know, if you are down there, there is a load of masts in the surrounding areas, so that shouldn't be a problem. I say, shouldn't.


Yes, they are not without problems, but it is clear that they are the best value network, by miles.

Forgot you were another S user

I think its a focusing issue, the masts dont cover a flat 360*, they're directional and focused, so a mast near you may not actually be the one you're using.

StaticNoise

I've now installed 'Signal Finder' to determine which masts I am being connected to, and to see from there what is going on.
Here's the link for anyone who may be interested: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.akvelon.signaltracker


Current test:
398 ms ping
429 kbps download
Average signal: 18% 105dBm 4asu

12 towers nearby. Connected to 6 towers.
5 Vodafone, 1 Three.
3 Vodafone are 2G/3G mix, 2 are 3G only. Three mast is 3G only, obviously.

Strangely, it appears that the main tower I am connected to (from 6 of them) is a Vodafone 3G tower.
It is very interesting how I am getting 3G coverage from a Vodafone mast now. I never was before.

Again, all locations and mast details confirmed by SiteViewer (ComReg).
Cell/Mast IDs removed for privacy reasons.

ED E

3 Towers near me. Tried to do a lookup on the comreg siteviewer(horribly slow?) but it didnt find it.


I'm actually really close to them though(all within 1500ft).

StaticNoise

That site viewer is disgraceful, and they need to fix it. It is a problem on their end.
The entire ComReg website is not simple to use, and it is clear that it is not helpful to the general public. Typical Irish Government body carry-on. I bet other countries wouldn't let these things slide. I know our neighbours wouldn't.

Anyway, there seems to be a mast issue in the South Dublin area for Three. I'm not sure, ED E, if you are nearby also.

ED E

I'm closer to town than you, I've a friend in knocklyon and a parent in rathfarnham though so I have an idea of what its like all over. Up by the M50 is the only area where I've had trouble.

thund3rbird_

StaticNoise wrote: »

Just to check: this is current?

excel file created 14th Jan, updated to add the payg section about 30mins before I posted it.

I added the "I take no responsibility" disclaimer as I may have missed something in the T&Cs. if i did i don't think it would change the overall prices that much.

StaticNoise wrote: »

Secondly, it is shocking that a network would charge for the phone when you are giving them over a grand in business each year.

considering the amount of networks here (5 major & a few smaller piggyback ones) for a population of approx 4.5million you'd think competition would be better for the consumer.

when you consider there are 5 major networks (Vodafone, Orange, O2, T-Mobile and 3) in britain with a few others that piggyback (a la tesco here on O2) catering for a population of 60million+ & then look at how cutthroat it is there with pricing/bundling.


for example - three.co.uk:

The One Plan.
Plan Includes.
Contract Length:
24 months
Inclusive UK voice minutes:
2000 mins
Inclusive UK text messages:
5000 texts
Three-to-Three UK calls:
5000 mins
Internet Allowance:
All-you-can-eat data
£36 per month
Handset cost - £69

total cost over contract - £933 (1,109.85 EUR)


The nearest equivalent here, unlimited flex units / all you can eat data based on a 24 month contract also, would result in getting the handset free but at a cost of €96.57 p/m

total cost over contract - €2317.68 :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:
over DOUBLE the cost


we are STILL being ripped off here

cgarrad

Vodafone all the way.

Only Dual Carrier network and the got the best bands for 4G i the auction last year.

Meteor are cheaper but so is Lidl.....

StaticNoise

Vodafone is a seriously tempting choice, but the fact that it is an extra twenty or so Euro a month seems like a lot for me. €43, when I am getting the same things on 3Pay for €20.

Signal and whatnot seems important to me, however.

griffdaddy

I'm currently using the galaxy note 2 sim free from amazon.de. Think I paid about 500 for it at the time. I'm using it with the 3pay 20 quid deal. For me you can't beat the freedom of owning your own hardware and not being tied down to a contract.

Once you have a note every other phone just looks tiny. I'll never go smaller than this again. It's basically like having a computer in your pocket and the battery is fantastic. Needs to be insured of course.

If you can manage to eat the 500 quid in the beginning its definitely the way to go

cgarrad

New Vodafone plans:

StaticNoise

griffdaddy wrote: »

I'm currently using the galaxy note 2 sim free from amazon.de. Think I paid about 500 for it at the time. I'm using it with the 3pay 20 quid deal. For me you can't beat the freedom of owning your own hardware and not being tied down to a contract.

Once you have a note every other phone just looks tiny. I'll never go smaller than this again. It's basically like having a computer in your pocket and the battery is fantastic. Needs to be insured of course.

If you can manage to eat the 500 quid in the beginning its definitely the way to go

That is exactly what I want, but the initial cost is super-high.
How good is your battery, with your use?
And, who have you insured with- this is a question I have raised also, as there are so many scare stories about insurers being, well, feckers.

cgarrad wrote: »

New Vodafone plans:
[Image removed]

How is that cheaper in the brochure? MyWay Plus is €30 minimum online:

I was calculating it at:

€30 - buy in + €7 (100 mins) + €6 (unlimited texts) = €43 (online price)

The image you posted says:

€15 - buy in + €6 (100 mins) + €10 (unlimited texts) = €31


That's €12 cheaper.

griffdaddy

StaticNoise wrote: »

That is exactly what I want, but the initial cost is super-high.
How good is your battery, with your use?
And, who have you insured with- this is a question I have raised also, as there are so many scare stories about insurers being, well, feckers.

The initial cost is always going to be high unless you want to lower it a bit by buying an almost new one on adverts.ie. You'd need a receipt to insure it though.
I'd consider myself to be a fairly heavy user and I still have about 25-30% left in the late evenings. I bought 2 Anker batteries for it from Amazon.co.uk the other day because they were on special but I won't have much use for them unless I travel.
Insurance-wise I have a ufirst account with Ulsterbank and that gives free mobile insurance with CPW. It's 10 quid a month but includes free travel insurance and 25% off all ticketmaster tickets.

StaticNoise

Hang on... You get the Lifeline insurance? The one I have been paying €13 per month for. The one that is costing me a bomb for 'just insurance'. You get that for a tenner a month, with the travel insurance and the like. That's savage.

I was going to sign up for this, but I feared that the insurance would be a mickey mouse operation.

I am already with Lifeline and have had my phone, which was lost, become magically replaced.

griffdaddy

StaticNoise wrote: »

Hang on... You get the Lifeline insurance? The one I have been paying €13 per month for. The one that is costing me a bomb for 'just insurance'. You get that for a tenner a month, with the travel insurance and the like. That's savage.

I was going to sign up for this, but I feared that the insurance would be a mickey mouse operation.

I am already with Lifeline and have had my phone, which was lost, become magically replaced.

It's actually with CPP, not sure why I said CPW. I think it's reliable enough though. Never had to use it but it includes water damage etc. One of the main reason I bought the phone new was so I could insure it properly and not have any problems if I bought it on adverts or anything if I claim. (I used to buy all my phones there)

StaticNoise

They're the same folks who help track down your credit card if lost or stolen, right?
http://www.cpp.co.uk/

If you buy your phone from Amazon (€495), they'll gladly insure it? I am always afraid that they'll cop out on you at the last minute if something does hit the fan.

cgarrad

StaticNoise wrote: »

How is that cheaper in the brochure? MyWay Plus is €30 minimum online:

I was calculating it at:

You get a phone subsidy with the dearer plan, above one I posted is sim only

StaticNoise

Ah, feck. Thanks anyway.

I was really getting my hope up there. In that case I won't get the phone cheaper, and I'll be paying €11 extra for less features.

Danger781

cgarrad wrote: »

New Vodafone plans:

That's the SIM only price I think...

Bob24

cgarrad wrote: »

You get a phone subsidy with the dearer plan, above one I posted is sim only

Is that play available in-store only? I can't find it one the website (they only have a plan call Simply for sim only contracts, which is different)

cgarrad

cgarrad wrote: »

You get a phone subsidy with the dearer plan, above one I posted is sim only

Danger781 wrote: »

That's the SIM only price I think...

Yep

cgarrad

Bob24 wrote: »

Is that play available in-store only? I can't find it one the website (they only have a plan call Simply for sim only contracts, which is different)

Call the idiots on 1907. Their website is incredibly bad for a multi-national company.

StaticNoise

Yeah, their website is dreadful. However, I find O2's website to be the very worst. Shocking, to say the least.

Bob24

Thanks :-)
I went to the store and indeed the brochure has exactly what cgarrad posted ... So I guess it is a store only offer.

Almost got me to switch from my prepaid Tesco Mobile as I make more international than local calls and the worldwide option for 1.50 sounds really good to me ... But my monthly data consumption is around 2 gb and clearly the plan is not targeted at people using more than 500mb/1gb (then the price becomes dreadful).