Text Increases

kilk

Hi I'm considering changing my network to 087 due to poor coverage in my area. However I was told recently they have increased their charges to 15c per text. I thought it was 13c. Can anybody confirm this or not?

SpaceTime

Which network are you having coverage issues with?

Try Three which can be quite OK.
Also Tesco Mobile (hosted on O2)

kilk

I'm 086 but my query is about the charges. O87 works well in my area I think.

SpaceTime

By 086, do you mean 02?
The network access codes are pretty meaningless these days as people port around a lot.

O2's radio infrastructure also hosts Tesco Mobile and "24 Go Conquer" (or whatever they're called)

Three has its own 3G and 4G infrastructure and hops onto Vodafone Ireland 2G (GPRS/EDGE) where coverage is weak.

Meteor and Emobile are the same network.

I'd suggest that you try out a few prepay sims from various networks before you commit to one of them. Coverage isn't universally good on any of them and you could just be in a blind spot for O2 and might actually have good coverage for Vodafone, Meteor or 3.

The only way to know is to actually check it out by either borrowing someone's mobile and checking the signal, or if you've an unlocked phone, just get a few SIM cards. They're usually free / very cheap.

Browse their prepay plans and see what works best for you and then pick a network that works in your house. There's really no other way to do it apart from testing the signal yourself. The maps are only a rough guide.

kilk

SpaceTime wrote: »

By 086, do you mean 02?
The network access codes are pretty meaningless these days as people port around a lot.

O2's radio infrastructure also hosts Tesco Mobile and "24 Go Conquer" (or whatever they're called)

Three has its own 3G and 4G infrastructure and hops onto Vodafone Ireland 2G (GPRS/EDGE) where coverage is weak.

Meteor and Emobile are the same network.

I'd suggest that you try out a few prepay sims from various networks before you commit to one of them. Coverage isn't universally good on any of them and you could just be in a blind spot for O2 and might actually have good coverage for Vodafone, Meteor or 3.

The only way to know is to actually check it out by either borrowing someone's mobile and checking the signal, or if you've an unlocked phone, just get a few SIM cards. They're usually free / very cheap.

Thanks SpaceTime for your helpful info

SpaceTime

kilk wrote: »

Thanks SpaceTime for your helpful info

Good luck with it. Unfortunately, there's no way to be accurate on signal strength other than to test it out yourself.

If you are looking for cheap text bundles though most of them do €20 top up bundles that include unlimited texts.

Three's got the cheapest data plans (unlimited included with your €20 top up) but their coverage and sometimes their data speed can be quite bad, especially outside urban areas. That being said, they've just launched 4G (today) and it's very fast and seems to have improved things for some 3G areas too as their backbone network's been upgraded and they can also be unusually good in areas that have been using 3 for the National Broadband Scheme e.g. remote parts of North Leitrim and other exotic locations.

If you can find a decent network and you own your own phone, you might consider one of the month-to-month SIM only plans that doesn't have a contract (other than 1 month's notice). They often provide really huge amounts of service for a lot less than prepay prices.

kilk

I have however tried out a friend's 087 in my area and it worked fine. My friend wasn't aware though of any price increase and had not received any notification of same, and I wondered if this was true of everybody?

SpaceTime

I'm not familiar with their text rates. I do know though that they've a €20 top up bundle that includes unlimited texts to all networks.

Most of the time you wouldn't be paying for individual texts anyway if you're doing a top up like that.

Also, try a Meteor and a Three phone in your area too if you can before you decide which network to pick.

StaticNoise

Three.

Signal is a bit rough in places, and you shouldn't expect the best data speeds in some locations, but they've got the best overall rates.

Unlimited Texts (Max. 3000 p/m)
Unlimited 3 to 3 Calls (Max 3000 p/m)
Unlimited Data (15+ GB may be slowed down)
Unlimited Weekend Calls (Max 3000 p/m)
Free Skype

They have attempted to buy O2, so the service and signal should improve once the bid goes through.

They're fairly good for the money, to be honest.