Three curbs data tariff excesses

Three has abolished out of bundle data charges on all new smartphone contracts, so that customers who aren't on the network's all-you-can-eat plan can surf without the fear of costly overspend. Starting at £18 per month, the Ultimate Internet packages offer Three's renowned all-you-can-eat data plan, with 100 free minutes and …

[Lee Dowling]

Eventually, someone will realise that the difference between 499Mb a month and 500Mb a month is less than one-499th of your phone package cost, and make them charge relative to that.

And then, hopefully, someone will spot that data local to the cell tower is virtually free to the operators (hell, buy an 100Mbps business cable connection on each antenna if it comes to it - and 100 users can get simultaneous 1Mbps for less than the cost of a single smartphone package) and make them price according.

People should NOT, out of fear of running up costs, need to manage their data. The phone should do it. The operator should do it (BY LAW!). Or it should be so damned cheap that it doesn't matter.

Don't even get me starting on roaming, which the EU really needs to clamp down on (and costs the operators NOTHING if they weren't all stinging each other for money so millions of ponds changes hands back and forth but they all make the same HUMONGOUS profit from each other in the end anyway - again, what's to stop you charging me the same as you charge those other customers who are local data users? Does a FLAG_FOREIGNER bit in the packet cause the cost to the local cell's Internet connection to sky-rocket?)

[I think so I am?]

And what will stop the smaller telecoms just leaching off the big telecoms that spend billions on infrastructure?

[Funkstain]

Free Towers

Who built the towers again? And invested in the necessary R&D, rolled out GPRS then Edge then HSPA then HSPA+? Sure it took far too long and definitely they charge far too much, but there has to be some return on investment, surely.

Agree with the points regarding data management, and vociferously agree with the roaming rant. Termination rates are totally stifling innovation in roaming propositions, and it's insane that operators aren't doing everything they can to make international roaming more attractive to mobile phone users, and instead leaving the whole market to prepay cards and similar, whilst picking up crumbs from customers desperate enough to use their phone overseas.

[FunkyEric]

Yeah roaming sucks

If you thought the EU was bad, just got back from Egypt, call charges £1.50 a minute ffs.

[Gadget Rage is BAD]

iPhone tarriffs

Perhaps 3 could explain why when you can get unlimited internet for £15 a month on a sim only deal they charge you £25 for unlimited on an iPhone micro sim? Is iPhone data somehow more expensive than anyone elses? The £25 tariff is a joke anyway, who on earth wants 4000 texts a month on an iPhone with email and iMessage??

[John Wolf]

Re: iPhone tarriffs

You can get a micro-SIM with 300 minutes, 3000 texts and all-you-can-eat data for £15 a month SIM only, 1 month rolling contract. It's on Three's micro-sim page on the website.

[Anonymous Coward]

@Lee Dowling - No such thing as free

"someone will spot that data local to the cell tower is virtually free to the operators"

And from the cell tower to the rest of the planet?

[Erudite Luddite]

I'm still waiting for 3 to reply my query as to why you can get unlimited internets for £15 a month on a SIM only deal (or for £25 by tethering a smartphone to your laptop on the One Plan) but a mere max of 15Gb per month when popping a 3 SIM into a MiFi or WiBE (when using mobile BB as a replacement for a slooow ADSL connection in the back of beyond).

Actually I can guess the answer, but I just like asking questions.