Which network for a txter

Im a txter. I hardly ring people. Currently with meteor but thinking of either changing network or just getting a new phone. Im tied between staying with meteor or moving in with 3- meteor have the free txts to meteor customers. But three have free calls and txts to every network(once you purchase an add-on). Have been advised to move to billpay but neither network is really suited to my needs(ie txting). So which network would be best for me. Also i would like a phone with internet capabilities such as skype or which fring(?) Works on

Im a txter. I hardly ring people. Currently with meteor but thinking of either changing network or just getting a new phone. Im tied between staying with meteor or moving in with 3- meteor have the free txts to meteor customers. But three have free calls and txts to every network(once you purchase an add-on). Have been advised to move to billpay but neither network is really suited to my needs(ie txting). So which network would be best for me. Also i would like a phone with internet capabilities such as skype or which fring(?) Works on

dubber

Deleted User wrote: »

Im a txter. I hardly ring people. Currently with meteor but thinking of either changing network or just getting a new phone. Im tied between staying with meteor or moving in with 3- meteor have the free txts to meteor customers. But three have free calls and txts to every network(once you purchase an add-on). Have been advised to move to billpay but neither network is really suited to my needs(ie txting). So which network would be best for me. Also i would like a phone with internet capabilities such as skype or which fring(?) Works on

Meteor have free texts to any network on pre-pay if you top up by €20:

http://www.meteor.ie/plans/pay_as_you_go/latest_offers/offerofalifetime/

You could get a Nokia N73 and download Fring or iSkoot.

Thomas_S_Hunterson

Yopu can now get free texts to all networks on meteor with a top-up of 20 squid a month AFAIK.

star-pants

Sean_K wrote: »

Yopu can now get free texts to all networks on meteor with a top-up of 20 squid a month AFAIK.

same deal with O2

Sam Vimes

star-pants wrote: »

same deal with O2

but with more expensive calls

drunkmonkey

you can get 700 any network texts and 200 voice minutes at the weekend for €6.92 on 3, you also get free msn text chat and free skype talk and texts..
the add on is opt in ever 7days so if your not going to be sending much on week there's no need to buy it...
you can pick up a Nokia 3120 with a free 2GB memory card and €80 free top up for €99....you only need to spend €10pm to get your free top up, €20pm with all the other networks...

drunkmonkey

I believe 3 is what you looking for, make sure and get a good phone if your after high speed internet, there the cheapest out there for internet and data...

Sam Vimes

let me just be clear here:

the guy texts a lot
the guy barely calls
the guy wants fring, which i'm taking to mean skypeout, ie to non skype numbers

so you recommended a plan:
that costs e29.70 a month
that includes 800 minutes he won't use
that includes a skype service that's of extremely limited use, and i would venture no use because it can only call skype-skype (which you failed to mention)

and you recommended this over a plan:
that costs 20 a month
that includes 2200 more texts than the one you recommended

just so i understand the situation

drunkmonkey

sorry didn't see the pay monthly bit....3's relax plan is what i'd recommend, you can just use the data and texts...seems like the logical choice for someone who dosen't call much..

I don't see where any other networks plans would be more suitable....

Sam Vimes

so now you've recommended a plan that will give 2850 texts for e99 over one that will give 5000 for e20.

op, none of the bill pay plans on any network beat the pre pay ones for texts. the only benefit you'd get would be a cheaper phone but you'd end up spending more on your monthly bill than you would have on the phone

drunkmonkey

Sam Vimes wrote: »

so now you've recommended a plan that will give 2850 texts for e99 over one that will give 5000 for e20.

Scrap that it was a stupid idea, didn't think, if your a heavy texter you could easily blow any bill pay offer in a few days........Sam is 100% right about you being better off on prepay....

Take it from someone actually on 3, you will be able to do a lot more on your phone in a lot more places....Meteor have nothing to compete with 3 only free texts.....your already on Meteor so you know the score....If you want internet to go with your texts 3 is your best bet....

those 800 any network free calls would cost you €240 on meteor, just in case you did want to call somebody at the weekend...it's definatly worth the extra €2pw....you'll be saving money on the internet anyway so I wouldn't worry to much about it....

whisht

One advantage of O2's plan is you can stick a fiver a week on it and as long as there is 20 euro a month you are fine, but with the others it must be in one go (as far as i am aware)

I think meteor you can top up five then fifteen in one day and it registers that youve topped up twenty in one day and get their free txts. I checked out that nokia phone and it was only available with billpay. Pay as you go works out cheaper with regards to being a txter

dubber

Deleted User wrote: »

I think meteor you can top up five then fifteen in one day and it registers that youve topped up twenty in one day and get their free txts. I checked out that nokia phone and it was only available with billpay. Pay as you go works out cheaper with regards to being a txter

You should be able to pick up one on eBay cheap enough. I know I'll have one for sale (used) when I get around to listing it!

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

drunkmonkey

Solitaryman666 wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Deleted User wrote: »

Also i would like a phone with internet

boneyarse said he would like a phone with internet capability, Meteor are expensive for data, they are also only a 2G network....i.e very slow internet on Meteor....
It's nothing got to do with pimping 3, i'm just stating an obvious fact that if you want internet on your phone, 3 is the way to go. You can't tell me that Meteor would be the better choice for internet, that is just plain misleading...

Sam Vimes

drunkmonkey wrote: »

boneyarse said he would like a phone with internet capability, Meteor are expensive for data, they are also only a 2G network....i.e very slow internet on Meteor....

the 3g network is now available and the difference between 2g and 3g is marginal in the real world. The people with "3.6mbps hsdpa" on 3 are mostly getting about 100kbps

edit: and more often 0 kbps :P


3 are cheaper for data though, i'll give you that. But skype will not be free like you said. To get the usage he wants he'd have to get a data package and use fring

drunkmonkey wrote: »

It's nothing got to do with pimping 3, i'm just stating an obvious fact that if you want internet on your phone, 3 is the way to go. You can't tell me that Meteor would be the better choice for internet, that is just plain misleading...

yes 3 are better for internet but you have to ask yourself if getting the internet is worth putting up with all the things they're not better for. For me the answer is no and that's why i used to carry a separate 3 phone just for the net and now i'm spending e29.70 a month for meteor data rather than switching to 3. It's just not worth it

Jonathan

Sam Vimes wrote: »

For me the answer is no and that's why i used to carry a separate 3 phone just for the net and now i'm spending e29.70 a month for meteor data rather than switching to 3. It's just not worth it

I thought better of you..

Sam Vimes

jmccrohan wrote: »

I thought better of you..

i know i know i went over to the dark side. i wanted internet without a contract and at the time meteor would charge me €20,000 for what 3 were charging me €10. can you forgive me

Ron DMC

Sam Vimes wrote: »

can you forgive me

No.

Sam Vimes

Ronny Mitchell wrote: »

No.

/cry

drunkmonkey

Sam Vimes wrote: »

yes 3 are better for internet but you have to ask yourself if getting the internet is worth putting up with all the things they're not better for.

yes they are, Sam you haven't been with 3 in 2years by your own admission....i'm with them 3 years and I can honestly say the bad times are over....everthing seems to work well for the last few months.....there mobile broadband is a pile of ****e but the phone service is brillant...

50% or less of 3G coverage doesn not count for **** in this day and age, metero are way behind everyone else bar tesco......the sooner you grow up and admit this to yourself, the sooner you can start to move on and catch up with the rest of us......:D

Jonathan

Sam Vimes wrote: »

can you forgive me

No. It's only me and ronny holding up the fort now


My total internet usage this month
And this was only to test if I was being charged for internet use :P

Call Date    Call Time    Call Duration    Network    Destination Number    Total Charge
01 Sep 08    12:53           0:0:11                     Internet Access        €   0.22

drunkmonkey

jmccrohan wrote: »

No. It's only me and ronny holding up the fort now

:DDumb & Dumber:D

jazus JMC your really a power user....hard to see how Eircom will wipe out that 3.5 Billion debt mountain with you signed up...

Sam Vimes

drunkmonkey wrote: »

yes they are, Sam you haven't been with 3 in 2years by your own admission....i'm with them 3 years and I can honestly say the bad times are over....everthing seems to work well for the last few months.....there mobile broadband is a pile of ****e but the phone service is brillant...

you misunderstand me. I was signed up FOR 2 years on a contract. When i cancelled the contract i started using a 3pay sim which i used up until the day the meteor trial started. Basically i've been using data on 3 since about a month after they launched in ireland until july this year.

and during the trial i noticed little if any difference between the user experience on meteor and 3. If anything meteor had better coverage, indoors anyway. 2g signal penetrates further than 3g into buildings so i could use the 2g network in areas with no 3g, something you can do on very few 3 masts

drunkmonkey wrote: »

50% or less of 3G coverage doesn not count for **** in this day and age, metero are way behind everyone else bar tesco

you're really vastly overestimating the difference between edge and 3g. Edge goes at 236kbps and 3g goes at 384kbps. Hardly an earth shattering difference in speed. And meteor's entire network has edge. On 3 there are huge areas of the country where i can get NO data coverage. With meteor it might be very slightly slower in a few more places but at least it works everywhere

honestly drunkmonkey, you're not going to make people switch based on network quality. As far as i'm concerned, anyone would choose a service that's very slightly slower than another in some areas of the country over one that doesn't work at all in large parts of it. Where 3 beats meteor on data is pricing

Jonathan

EDGE is *technically* a 3G service.

So in theory.. Meteor have a better 3G network than three

Sam Vimes

officially it's 2.75g but there is some debate on the topic. Let's say it's 3g for the purposes of his thread. When will 3 ever catch up to meteor :rolleyes:

Jonathan

Sam Vimes wrote: »

officially it's 2.75g but there is some debate on the topic. Let's say it's 3g for the purposes of his thread. When will 3 ever catch up to meteor :rolleyes:

ITU says it's 3G

drunkmonkey

Sam Vimes wrote: »

officially it's 2.75g but there is some debate on the topic. Let's say it's 3g for the purposes of his thread

Artistic license (also known as dramatic license, poetic license, narrative license, licentia poetica, or simply license) is a colloquial term used to denote the distortion or complete ignorance of fact, ignoring the conventions of grammar or language, or the changing of an established fact that an artist may undertake in the name of art.

Sam you are not an artist...I call Shennagians!!!

3 Rock, Oh Yea!!!!:D

Sam Vimes

drunkmonkey wrote: »

Artistic license (also known as dramatic license, poetic license, narrative license, licentia poetica, or simply license) is a colloquial term used to denote the distortion or complete ignorance of fact, ignoring the conventions of grammar or language, or the changing of an established fact that an artist may undertake in the name of art.

Sam you are not an artist...I call Shennagians!!!

3 Rock, Oh Yea!!!!:D

i assure you i could describe in quite a lot of detail how each of the involved technologies work. i was joking when i said edge is 3g, it's 2.75g. but there are those that call it 3g, for example the link that jmc gave.

let's look at the average nationwide speed of the network:

3 covers 85% of the population with their masts, which could be estimated at about 60% of the nation covered by area.

so they have 60% at 384kbps and 40% at 0kbps. this means an average countrywide speed of 230.4 kpbs

i don't know meteor's exact coverage map but let's say they cover 20% of the population and about 10% of the area

so they have 10% at 384kbps and 90% at 236kbps. this means an average countrywide speed of 250.8 kpbs.

so even if meteor only cover 10% of the country with 3g, their average network speed is still faster than 3's

dubber

Sam Vimes wrote: »

i assure you i could describe in quite a lot of detail how each of the involved technologies work. i was joking when i said edge is 3g, it's 2.75g. but there are those that call it 3g, for example the link that jmc gave.

let's look at the average nationwide speed of the network:

3 covers 85% of the population with their masts, which could be estimated at about 60% of the nation covered by area.

so they have 60% at 384kbps and 40% at 0kbps. this means an average countrywide speed of 230.4 kpbs

i don't know meteor's exact coverage map but let's say they cover 20% of the population and about 10% of the area

so they have 10% at 384kbps and 90% at 236kbps. this means an average countrywide speed of 250.8 kpbs.

so even if meteor only cover 10% of the country with 3g, their average network speed is still faster than 3's

Population coverage isn't the only story ... IIRC a recent press release said that 3 were increasing the number of sites from 700 to 770 which seems pretty low and suggests that their network is pretty thin on the ground (more people sharing the same resource ... which would explain the poor data rates achieved on their network).

drunkmonkey

Sam Vimes wrote: »

so even if meteor only cover 10% of the country with 3g, their average network speed is still faster than 3's

what did you tell me about working the numbers to appear in 3's favour:rolleyes:

There's only one thing for me to do and that's actually test Meteor for myself......I'm going to get myself a free sim, stick in €5 credit, hook up to my mobile poker account and see how it goes....If it's a pile of ****e and I can't even play, you'll be the first to know....
If it works well and I win a pile of cash, I might eat a sock or 2.....

Sam Vimes

i've been streaming tv with it from my slingbox so it's pretty good

Jonathan

drunkmonkey wrote: »

There's only one thing for me to do and that's actually test Meteor for myself......

Finally \o/

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

drunkmonkey

Right the test unit is a Sony C902, what metero setting should I be putting in, it's currently set up for you know who....(the test is aces royal poker, so data will be flowing both ways quickly)

Do I need to call metero to activate anything, I'm using a brand new pay as you go sim.....

Won't be able to try it until this evening.....

Sam Vimes

drunkmonkey wrote: »

Right the test unit is a Sony C902, what metero setting should I be putting in, it's currently set up for you know who....(the test is aces royal poker, so data will be flowing both ways quickly)

Do I need to call metero to activate anything, I'm using a brand new pay as you go sim.....

Won't be able to try it until this evening.....

you need the meteor data settings which you can get at www.powermyphone.com. You don't need to activate anything

but you can't access the 3g network because only the people who were on the trial have been provisioned so it's not really a fair comparison

if you're trying to compare edge to 3g, make sure you have full edge coverage. No network's going to give you good performance with low coverage

drunkmonkey

Sam Vimes wrote: »

if you're trying to compare edge to 3g, make sure you have full edge coverage. No network's going to give you good performance with low coverage

Here hold on a minute, did you not say earlier that there's not much difference between edge and 3G, In fact meteor edge is on average quicker than 3's 3G network is what you said.....

I'll be testing what ever metero signal I have versus 3's HSDPA, i'm not in a very populated area and the mast is less than 1Km away with full line of sight....so I would expect the metero signal to be full edge...

It all boils down to the poker test, if you can strem live TV over edge there's no reason I can't play poker....

Sam Vimes

drunkmonkey wrote: »

Here hold on a minute, did you not say earlier that there's not much difference between edge and 3G,

no there isn't much of a difference but there is a small difference. for something like poker i doubt you'll notice any difference. i barely notice any with the tv

drunkmonkey wrote: »

In fact meteor edge is on average quicker than 3's 3G network is what you said.....

in fact that's not what i said. i said that when you look at the national average speed of both networks, meteor's is higher when you take in account the fact that 3 don't have any data coverage in about 40% of the country. i never said that edge is faster than 3g.

drunkmonkey wrote: »

I'll be testing what ever metero signal I have versus 3's HSDPA, i'm not in a very populated area and the mast is less than 1Km away with full line of sight....so I would expect the metero signal to be full edge...

now that is definitely not a fair comparison. i said that there wasn't much of a difference between edge (236kbps) and 3g (384 kbps). i never said anything about hsdpa which is obviously going to be faster (3.6 mbps). i didn't include hsdpa in my calculations because hsdpa phones are still very rare in comparison to 3g phones


edit: and when you say "I'll be testing what ever metero signal I have", i could go to the 40% of the country where 3 have no coverage to compare it to meteor's edge and find that meteor's coverage is infinitely faster because nothing would work on 3. it's not fair to compare speeds in one specific place and make a judgement about the whole network based on it. you could well be in a meteor blackspot that has a 3 mast 20 feet away. you should compare proper coverage versus proper coverage. 3 has an awful lot more blackspots than meteor after all