What's the best network to use with an iPhone

costacurta

Hey guys,

I just ordered myself an iPhone from o2 but I'm not a fan of o2 so I'm contemplating what network to run the phone on. I want to make the most of all the features and the Internet on the phone but also get good value calls and text too. Anyone have any advice?

irish1967

If you are ordering a new iPhone it will come loaded with 3.1 firmware and unlocking it to work with any network apart from o2 could be a problem. As far as I know 3.1 cannot be unlocked. (yet)

Victor_M

costacurta wrote: »

Hey guys,

I just ordered myself an iPhone from o2 but I'm not a fan of o2 so I'm contemplating what network to run the phone on. I want to make the most of all the features and the Internet on the phone but also get good value calls and text too. Anyone have any advice?

Could i ask why you are not a fan of 02? Could you give any specific example of what caused you to not like them?

They are the same as Vodafone for the most part, very little pricing difference between them. 3 & Meteor are cheaper but by the time you add on data allowances there is only a small difference in the pricing. Not sure about the coverage on 3 or Meteor, but 02 and VF are more or less the same.

Bluefoam

Even after adding a data package to meteor, it is a yenner a month cheaper and you get at least 150 more texts and 150 more minutes. O2 is a rip off. Plus with meteor you don't need to sign up for an excessive contract.

G-Money

OP - Bear in mind that Vodafone are getting the iPhone 3GS in the next few months it seems. They're advertising it on their website. It would allow you to have an iPhone on a network other than O2 with no hacks necessary.

I bought an iPhone a few weeks ago from O2 and luckily enough it came with the 3.0.1 software so I was able to unlock it and I'm using it on Vodafone. No problems at all, the only thing is that I dare not update the software on the phone as I'll lose the unlock.

I don't know if the phones are coming with the latest software on them or not.

Dingleye

The only thing i'd worried about would be losing some of the features by switching to another network, so you should check that out before you get it unlocked

Dades

Unless you have some serious issue (tariff or other) with O2 it's the best network imo.

You get your 1GB allowance, and don't have to be dealing with unlocking and jailbreaking every time a new update comes out. (And can actually update without fear of relocking your phone).

I find MMS on the missis' Vodafone iPhone dodgy as well.

Bluefoam

Why would you leave O2 - they are the official carrier for the iPhone - so if you leave them you will lose your iPhone specific features such as visual voicemail - it is for this reason they charge you such extortionate prices, but at least they give you a fully featured phone....

...Right?

chrislad

Bluefoam wrote: »

Why would you leave O2 - they are the official carrier for the iPhone - so if you leave them you will lose your iPhone specific features such as visual voicemail - it is for this reason they charge you such extortionate prices, but at least they give you a fully featured phone....

...Right?

O2 don't have Visual Voicemail. In fact, I don't think there is any feature on the iPhone that is exclusive to O2 and will only work on O2.

Bluefoam

chrislad wrote: »

O2 don't have Visual Voicemail. In fact, I don't think there is any feature on the iPhone that is exclusive to O2 and will only work on O2.

My point exactly - O2 are a waste of space... They are charging Irish consumers a premium for a second rate product. They still haven't provided visual voicemail as they will not willing to put the investment into it - preferring to add the extortionate iphone tarrifs to their profits and not giving anything back to the consumer...

It has been discussed at length that they have also held back tethering in order to find the best way to double bill their customers for the data plan they already pay for...

Dingleye

I think I heard recently that Vodafone were meant to be bringing out the iphone, you'll probably see the prices coming down on both networks if they do

chrislad

Dingleye wrote: »

I think I heard recently that Vodafone were meant to be bringing out the iphone, you'll probably see the prices coming down on both networks if they do

Like on their main website?

http://www.vodafone.ie/

banquo

Vodaphone have no reason to charge less than 02. Both companies can make loads of money by keeping their prices unfairly high.

Dingleye

chrislad wrote: »

Like on their main website?

http://www.vodafone.ie/

Well there you go.... it wasn't just a dream :rolleyes:

Dades

banquo wrote: »

Both companies can make loads of money by keeping their prices unfairly high.

Unless they have a monopoly on selling a certain type of medicine, I can't see why a company would consider "fairness" a factor in it's pricing.

You charge what the market will pay or your shareholders will not thank you come AGM time.

gunnerfitzy

If you plan to use the iPhone abroad then Vodafone is the better option. Vodafone Live! allows you 50mb a day for 99c a day anywhere in the world. I'm not going to even mention O2's data roaming rates. Lets just say that you should get some vasline...

G-Money

Also don't forget that O2 charge you to access your voicemail.

Vodafone have also now brought in free international webtexts which O2 have already. If you are in no hurry I'd wait and see what price plans/packages Vodafone have.

joss

I don't use data much since I'm usually on a network.
Paying around €20 per month using the Iphone on 3.

Purple Gorilla

Dades wrote: »

Unless they have a monopoly on selling a certain type of medicine, I can't see why a company would consider "fairness" a factor in it's pricing.

You charge what the market will pay or your shareholders will not thank you come AGM time.

You obviously haven't read the Compecon Report into Vodafone-O2 Collusion in Ireland or the European Commission's comments on the relationship between the companies, saying "tacit collusion possibly existed between O2 and Vodafone".

The report says that Vodafone and O2 keep prices artificially high together and give the illusion of competition between each other. If they see that Meteor or 3 are actually taking customers from them, they had a plan to revert to competitive pricing to squeeze them back out of the main market.

What makes you think they'll act any differently with the iPhone? O2 shows no signs of reducing their prices anytime soon.

philiporeilly

According to www.siliconrepublic.com Meteor will be releasing a Google Android phone soon. I'm an Apple fanboy and its the only reason I'm with O2 now but if this phone is any good I may switch back to Meteor as I found them better to deal with.

smackyB

Also bear in mind when considering switching to Vodafone that they have no EDGE network so if you're out of 3G signal range (a very common occurrence I find) your stuck using their ****e GPRS service where data comes in at a crawl