Mobile phones & tethering

timdownieuk

jayme1 wrote: »

whereas 3 mobile may not want to allow tethering on their truly unlimited One Plan, they do fully allow it on their normal data add ons.

Um, strange use of the term "truly unlimited" then.

I know that I could pay for an upgrade or add on with my existing network but my point is that I'm already paying for 1GB a month and its seems wrong to me that network providers are effectively holding my data supply "hostage" in order to force me to pay for the same amount of data all over again, but this time accessible by tethered devices.

Now I know folk will say, "It's in the terms and conditions" and that I should just accept it but speaking as the "average man", why on earth should we be forced to buy so many different services when what the vast majority of us want is a simple phone contract with inclusive minutes, texts and data, to use however we like within our permitted limits? Just because something is in the T&Cs doesn't make it reasonable, particularly when there is little (or no) effective competition (on this specific issue of tethering within a "standard" phone contract with data).

I've not gone over my limits, in fact barely a tenth of the way through my monthly allowance but my tethering capability has been cut off, as I see it, as an attempt to force me to pay yet more.

Network providers are happy to dangle the carrots of inclusive minutes, inclusive texts and inclusive data in their shop windows, what they don't seem to want you to do is to actually use them.

Dreamnine

I'm with T-Mobile and have their 6 month internet add-on for £20 on PAYG.

I'm able to insert the sim in my netbook or tether via my phone (Nokia). After I've used a few GB it does limit my downloading between 4pm and midnight, but I'm able to browse and download at other times.

I'm downloading a couple of 700mb .avi files as I type this.

asylum_seeker

timdownieuk wrote: »

Um, strange use of the term "truly unlimited" then.

I know that I could pay for an upgrade or add on with my existing network but my point is that I'm already paying for 1GB a month and its seems wrong to me that network providers are effectively holding my data supply "hostage" in order to force me to pay for the same amount of data all over again, but this time accessible by tethered devices.

Now I know folk will say, "It's in the terms and conditions" and that I should just accept it but speaking as the "average man", why on earth should we be forced to buy so many different services when what the vast majority of us want is a simple phone contract with inclusive minutes, texts and data, to use however we like within our permitted limits? Just because something is in the T&Cs doesn't make it reasonable, particularly when there is little (or no) effective competition (on this specific issue of tethering within a "standard" phone contract with data).

I've not gone over my limits, in fact barely a tenth of the way through my monthly allowance but my tethering capability has been cut off, as I see it, as an attempt to force me to pay yet more.

Network providers are happy to dangle the carrots of inclusive minutes, inclusive texts and inclusive data in their shop windows, what they don't seem to want you to do is to actually use them.

I understand what you're saying; when you pay for X mb/GB data you should be able to use it the way you want it. I can partially understand why tethering would be charged on unlimited data plans but on fixed data plans? Like i said there are solutions; on iphone you can use apps such as MyWi to get around tethering restrictions, i'm sure similar apps exist on Android also.

David_Scott

If you are on the one plan with three you can you tethering as much as you like as you have 'eat as much as you want data' without restrictions, including the iphone 4.

http://ask3.three.co.uk/srvs/cgi-bin/webisapi.dll/,/?new,kb=mobile,ts=mobile,t=casedoc.tem,case=obj(1883),varset_username=Mobile:mobileUser

timdownieuk

asylum_seeker wrote: »

I understand what you're saying; when you pay for X mb/GB data you should be able to use it the way you want it. I can partially understand why tethering would be charged on unlimited data plans but on fixed data plans? Like i said there are solutions; on iphone you can use apps such as MyWi to get around tethering restrictions, i'm sure similar apps exist on Android also.

I've not got an iPhone or an android one, I'm using a Nokia E72 (Symbian) phone. I'm using Joikuspot to provide my "hotspot" to link my iPod touch.

Am I stuffed? ;-)

fiendishlyclever

timdownieuk wrote: »

I've not got an iPhone or an android one, I'm using a Nokia E72 (Symbian) phone. I'm using Joikuspot to provide my "hotspot" to link my iPod touch.

Am I stuffed? ;-)

The odds of being caught/told off using an iPod touch are low since they won't be downloading tonnes of content and will be using a mobile browser etc.

I never had a problem using mine on Three with Joikuspot.

timdownieuk

Dreamnine wrote: »

I'm with T-Mobile and have their 6 month internet add-on for £20 on PAYG.

I'm able to insert the sim in my netbook or tether via my phone (Nokia). After I've used a few GB it does limit my downloading between 4pm and midnight, but I'm able to browse and download at other times.

I'm downloading a couple of 700mb .avi files as I type this.

Yeahbut, that £5 more a month than I'm paying at present for my 1GB/month internet and I have no need to access a much larger amount of data.

You're kinda missing the point that I resent the fact that I should have to pay more to access the data allowance (1GB) that I'm already allowed on my existing contract in the way that I want to (i.e. with a tethered device).

timdownieuk

fiendishlyclever wrote: »

The odds of being caught/told off using an iPod touch are low since they won't be downloading tonnes of content and will be using a mobile browser etc.

I never had a problem using mine on Three with Joikuspot.

It all started actually when we were on a long road trip and my wife used my hotspot to download a podcast (25MB). I've been blocked from tethering ever since.

timdownieuk

David_Scott wrote: »

If you are on the one plan with three you can you tethering as much as you like as you have 'eat as much as you want data' without restrictions, including the iphone 4.

If I was prepared to pay £25 a month I wouldn't have this problem!

Okay, yes it does look like 3 allowing tethering but then, so they should at that price.

Dreamnine

The £20 is for 6 months unlimited internet - £40 for a year.

Or Giff-gaff do good offers, or 3 on PAYG. You'd be better off just buying a sim.