Unlimited mobile data, is it really needed? (UK based)

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

Debating whether to change my HTC One X pre-order from Orange over to Three to get unlimited data for the next 2 years.

I have a feeling streaming services are going to boom and the current ?10 price tag for music services for mobiles should come down.

Differences in contracts are

Orange

600 mins

Unlimited Texts

1GB Data

Free HTC Media Link from Dialaphone

Free monthly sub to Deezer, music streaming service

?28.50 p/m

?59.99 for phone (I have quidco cashback at ?65, but will have to wait on it)

Three

500 mins

5000 texts (basically unlimited for me)

Unlimited data

?29 p/m

Free phone

Orange is good in that I have a music service to use for 'free', but it's through Orange swappables and I have no idea if they'll keep swappables or Deezer around for 2 years.

What other sort of stuff will I benefit from having unlimited data with on a mobile? Tethering? TVCatchup? Podcasts? Videos? Any specific apps?

[metallithrax]

Better check the coverage you will get with three. A couple of friends have had problems

[sharpy2k4]

Im on O2 900 with my iPhone 4. That came with no data and had to buy a bolt on for ?6 for 500mb.

I really wish i never upgraded from my 3g as i was on a better contract, cheaper, and had unlimited data. (lost my phone so decided to upgrade).

They've recently changed their iPhone tarriffs to now have 1gb data as standard and i cannot up or downgrade without losing a loyalty discount i have.

As soon as my contract is up i am switching to a provider that offers me unlimited data.

I have jailbroken my iPhone so i'd like to watch freeview through tvcatchup.com when im on the train and i also stream skygo through my phone and through an app called SkyFire (which is a web browser app like Safari but can play embedded videos). At the moment cause of the data limit i only do this when i'm connected to Wifi.

In two weeks i've already used 300mb and thats from light use; emails, facebook, twitter and whatsapp.

Also, if i had unlimited data, i would use my phone to tether to my laptop if i didn't have a wireless access point.

Only down side is that 3 dont have very good coverage and haven't had so for the past few years and that seems to be peoples main gripe with 3.

[Amarok]

I mostly use my phone as a phone, and for Twitter/browsing, and I listen to about 2 hours of streaming music (through Spotify) each day, although that's done from home and might be using my home network. I'm not really sure, it seems kind of random what does and what doesn't use WiFi when available. Either way I'm day 26 out of my 30 day billing cycle and I've used 862MB of data. I'm on an unlimited plan currently and aside from the first month or so when I was downloading a lot of apps I've never gone over 1GB of data.

[Ently]

I use Orange in Austria and I only pay 7.50 euro per month for 1000 calls/txt's and unlimited data (shaped after 1 gb) but I don't think I have ever gone over it. But still it's nice to not be charged if I do.

[+InsaneNutter MVC]

In regards to Three's coverage it honestly depends on where you live. Three are fantastic here, i get a full signal in my house, where as o2 and Orange struggle to get one bar here unless you go outside.

You will also not find a better network for mobile internet, i'm able to get 7mbps download speeds over 3g at work (hspa+) and I usually get around 4mbps at home.

I dont think coverage will be a problem, maybe get a free pay and go sim and see how three are in your area if its a concern? I would personally go for the deal on Three, its a much better network in my opinion, especially for data.

As for data intensive apps besides tethering i use Dropbox to upload / download stuff to my phone (photos / video), streaming internet radio, BBC iplayer and TV Catchup. That totals a couple of gigs a month for me, i would expect that to rise within the net couple of years as apps become more data intensive.

[Manish]

Will this be your first smartphone with a data plan?

[thealexweb]

Look in to buying your phone sim-free then going on Giffgaff, yes it costs you more upfront but it saves hundreds later on :D

[metallithrax]

In regards to Three's coverage it honestly depends on where you live. Three are fantastic here, i get a full signal in my house, where as o2 and Orange struggle to get one bar here unless you go outside.

My brother struggled to get a signal in Wakefield, and the other weekend I was in Manchester and a friend couldn't get a signal (we were next door to the Trafford Centre), while I had a full signal (on vodafone).

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

Will this be your first smartphone with a data plan?

I used my Desire on GiffGaff for last year and a half with unlimited data. Can't really say I ever done anything intensive, but this phone has much more powerful hardware (HD screen for example), and streaming services really are starting to kick off.

[LightShadow]

It really depends. I have an iPhone on an unlimited (or so so) and never really go above 2GB a month and I use online radio and YouTube then the casual apps.

You'd only need unlimited if you do heavy video watching and streaming regularly.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

Look in to buying your phone sim-free then going on Giffgaff, yes it costs you more upfront but it saves hundreds later on :D

Not really. The HTC One X is around ?460+ sim free, nearer ?480+ I think most places. GiffGaff at ?10 for 2 years is ?240. ?480 + 240 is ?720.

?29 x 24 is ?696.

It has all the pluses of not being tied in and what not, but I don't really fancy paying ?480 up front right now.

[tsupersonic]

I am in the US, and have Verizon. They got rid of unlimited data, but luckily I had the unlimited data plan on my previous phone, so I'm grandfathered in to the plan. I now have a Galaxy Nexus, and I just eat through unlimited data. Before on my Droid Incredible, I would use 1-2 GB a month, but with the Galaxy Nexus, I've been averaging 5-6 GB a month. 4G is really fast, so I see no point being connected to WiFi when I'm at work or at home. Ultimately it depends on your use case, but I tether a lot, watch many youtube videos, stream music (through slacker, pandora), browse, etc.

[Manish]

I used my Desire on GiffGaff for last year and a half with unlimited data.

Have you checked the phone or with GiffGaff as to how much data you used per month? It'll provide a baseline at least. For example, if you discover that you've only been using 100-200MB/month up to now, then an upgrade to 1GB should be plenty. If you've been using 600-700MB, then the Orange plan won't suffice.

[thealexweb]

Not really. The HTC One X is around ?460+ sim free, nearer ?480+ I think most places. GiffGaff at ?10 for 2 years is ?240. ?480 + 240 is ?720.

?29 x 24 is ?696.

It has all the pluses of not being tied in and what not, but I don't really fancy paying ?480 up front right now.

For most phones it does work out cheaper by quite a bit, also your unlocked phone is worth more than one shackled to a network.

[Hardcore Til I Die]

Think about how often you have access to WiFi. Most pubs, trains, train stations etc have WiFi. You probably have WiFi at home. Will you actually use a lot of data when you don't have access to WiFi? If not then 1GB is probably enough.

Other things to think about are which will have the better coverage for you. Three have the best 3G network in the UK from what I understand, as they're a 3G-only network. Their 2G services piggyback off Orange's network. Three are also the only company in the UK that have a HSPA+ network - if this is available near you I'd say it's a no brainer.

[Hardcore Til I Die]

For most phones it does work out cheaper by quite a bit, also your unlocked phone is worth more than one shackled to a network.

Carphone warehouse sells unlocked phones on contract :)

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

For most phones it does work out cheaper by quite a bit, also your unlocked phone is worth more than one shackled to a network.

Phone will be unlocked :)

Good advice all round everyone, I'm going to go for unlimited data and stay safe knowing over the next 2 years I won't have to think about downloads/streaming.

[AbandonedTrolley]

Yeah I would go with the unlimited option if possible. I use WiFi at home wherever possible and still was going over 750meg on my previous contract. It's now been upped to 1GB but as you say with all the streaming etc it will soon get used up.

[Old Man Pickle]

3 offered me unlimited data for ?3 a month (on top of my current plan), that's the only reason I have it.

[dancedar]

Uk iPlayer + commute + Giffgaff = bliss. Once you go unlimited you'll never go back. ?10 a month, too.

[MalwaresUcksbaDly]

without using any interweb videos I consume about 2gigs a month. I has "unlimited" data, also. But as the cheapskates add very little to infrastructure, and continue to oversell... if your provider isn't too unlike verizon you can expect similar abysmal performance as everywhere else but with possibly less fee gouging for not-unlimited

Not a fan of HTC, though: led colors are weak in Light Flow

[Biohead]

I was a naysayer of unlimited internet as I never really found a use for it. That was until I found myself in a hotel where wifi wasn't free and I was going to miss the F1. It's always good to have it even if you don't know how you'll use it yet.

I do believe on Three, they allow tethering on their unlimited contracts too, so no legal problems.

Coverage wise... Here's my experience.

Vodafone 3G was the worst of the lot. Not far ahead was O2 3G - both REALLY poor compared to the other networks.

Three: Pretty much 3G everywhere. Problem was deep in buildings I'd lose signal completely.

Orange - not actually tried them, however I often roam onto it on my iPad:

TMobile: I've taken my iPad 2 with me just about everywhere and I've always had a 3G, medium to strong, signal. About 75% of the time it's a standard T-Mobile signal, the rest it'll show T-Mobile-Orange (i.e. the Orange network). I'm assuming the opposite is true for Orange customers so they'll be able to use the TMob 3G signal too.

[satukoro]

I think about my internet use when these topics come up and immediately I think something along the lines of "I've gone through at least six gigs today alone." But then, I realize that it's on my computer. I hardly use my phone for internet unless I'm in need of directions while driving. For topics like these, you need to observe your internet usage and decide whether or not you sincerely need the extra data. My current phone plan is 300m Talk, Unlimited Text and Data for $25/month and despite having unlimited data, I hardly come close to reaching the 2GB throttle limit unless I'm torrenting on the go or I need to tether while on a road trip. It all really depends on your preference and your data usage.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

I was a naysayer of unlimited internet as I never really found a use for it. That was until I found myself in a hotel where wifi wasn't free and I was going to miss the F1. It's always good to have it even if you don't know how you'll use it yet.

I do believe on Three, they allow tethering on their unlimited contracts too, so no legal problems.

Coverage wise... Here's my experience.

Vodafone 3G was the worst of the lot. Not far ahead was O2 3G - both REALLY poor compared to the other networks.

Three: Pretty much 3G everywhere. Problem was deep in buildings I'd lose signal completely.

Orange - not actually tried them, however I often roam onto it on my iPad:

TMobile: I've taken my iPad 2 with me just about everywhere and I've always had a 3G, medium to strong, signal. About 75% of the time it's a standard T-Mobile signal, the rest it'll show T-Mobile-Orange (i.e. the Orange network). I'm assuming the opposite is true for Orange customers so they'll be able to use the TMob 3G signal too.

Yeah me and the other half end up in hotels a few times throughout the year.

I've got myself on Three's One Plan for ?25 a month for two years - This is the only plan that 'legally' allows tethering with them. My phone cost me ?117.99 upfront, but that contract price is very attractive for what it offers, and if I decide to sell the phone and upgrade myself one year in, I'm not stuck with some ?30+ p/m contract eating into my budget for a new phone.

I also think when it comes to upgrading, being at ?25 is going to be good for haggling with Three.

The other day I started using Google Music, I'm uploading all my songs to the cloud (20,000 songs is a great allowance for me) - Working great so far, and this will definitely be something that's going to eat away at a monthly allowance if I had one. I know you can cache songs to your phone, and I will do that for aeroplane journeys for example, but I'll stream the rest of the time.

I'll be using pockcasts for podcast streaming, always hated using iTunes to download all the podcasts, then sync them to my phone (especially as I use Android).

TVCatchup, BBC iPlayer and Love Film on the video front for me also.