MSE News: The top mobile providers revealed - where cheaper can mean better

Smaller - and cheaper - networks have come out on top in MoneySavingExpert's mobile provider poll...
Read the full story:
'The top mobile providers revealed - where cheaper can mean better'
OfficialStamp.gif
Click reply below to discuss. If you haven’t already, join the forum to reply.
«13

Comments

  • glider3560
    glider3560 Posts: 4,115
    Name Dropper First Anniversary First Post
    Forumite
    I think the "coverage" section shows how rubbish the survey is. All the virtual networks should get the same coverage rating as their host network, surely?
  • ValiantSon
    ValiantSon Posts: 2,586 Forumite
    Switching to Giffgaff from O2 could save £132/yr on a 3G plan with no contract.

    How was this random figure calculated? Comparing SIM only with O2 and GIffgaff "goodybags" shows the following:

    Giffgaff's cheapest goodybag is £5 p/m (£60 p.a.) for 100MB, 150 min and 500 texts. O2's cheapest SIM only deal is £11 p/m (£132 p.a.) for 250MB, 500 min and 500 texts. While Giffgaff is £72 cheaper, it also offers less.

    Giffgaff's next cheapest goodybag is £7.50 p/m (£90 p.a.) for 1GB data, 250 min and unlimited texts. The aforementioned O2 deal offers double the minutes, but much less data and fewer texts. The price difference is £42 p.a. Alternatively, their next cheapest SIM costs £13 p/m (£156 p.a.) and offers 2GB data, unlimited minutes and unlimited texts. This, obviously offers a lot more than the Giffgaff deal, and the price difference is £66 p.a.

    Giffgaff's next cheapest goodybag is £10 p/m (£120 p.a.) for 3GB data, unlimited minutes and unlimited texts. The £13 p/m (£156 p.a.) O2 deal is clearly more expensive for a similar(ish) offering, but the price difference is still only £36 p.a.

    The next cheapest Giffgaff goodybag is £12 (£144 p.a.) for 4GB data, unlimited minutes and unlimited texts. O2 have their £13 deal (£156 p.a.), which offers 1GB less per month and the price difference is only £12 p.a. Alternatively they offer a £15 p/m (£180 p.a.) deal giving 5GB data, unlimited minutes and unlimited texts, so the price difference is £36 p.a.

    The £15 (£180 p.a.) Giffgaff goodybag offers 6GB data, unlimited minutes and unlimited texts. O2's £15 (£180 p.a.) deal offers 1GB less for the same price. The next available SIM only deal from O2 is for 12GB (double the data), unlimited minutes and unlimited texts, and so isn't even vaguely comparable. It costs £18 p/m (£216 p.a.).

    Giffgaff have an £18 p/m (£216 p.a.) goodybag next in their line-up. It offers 9GB data, unlimited minutes and unlimited texts, so it is, actualy a better deal than Giffgaff offer, with their £18 offer giving you only 75% of the data that O2 give for the same price.

    Giffgaff's most expensive goodybag is £20 p/m (£240 p.a.) and offers unlimited data between 8.00am and midnight, i.e. 16 hours a day - but with a heavily throttled connection once you get to 9GB - unlimited minutes and unlimited texts. For the same price, O2 offer 18GB of unthrottled data, unlimited minutes and unlimited texts.


    None of these different deals seems to come to a £132 price advantage with O2. Once again, MSE's lazy (make it up as you go along) journalism spreads untruths. When will they stop and actually check these things, and then report real figures? The statement is blatantly nonsense, as it doesn't give any information about what is actually being compared.

    FWIW, I actually like what Giffgaff offer on many of their goodybags, but there are better deals available for some people, including with O2.

    Sort your sloppy journalism out MSE.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 1,655
    Name Dropper First Post First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Forumite
    glider3560 wrote: »
    I think the "coverage" section shows how rubbish the survey is. All the virtual networks should get the same coverage rating as their host network, surely?
    No, I'm afraid not.
    Each virtual network gets the coverage it pays for by buying use of the various frequencies ranges that the network operates. They may not be able to buy access to all of the frequencies as the network operator may want to keep some frequencies for itself.
    Plusnet Mobile uses EE but does not have access to the 800MHz range. BT Mobile do though but then again BT plc own all 3 brands (BT, Plusnet , EE).
  • ValiantSon
    ValiantSon Posts: 2,586 Forumite
    gsmlnx wrote: »
    No, I'm afraid not.
    Each virtual network gets the coverage it pays for by buying use of the various frequencies ranges that the network operates. They may not be able to buy access to all of the frequencies as the network operator may want to keep some frequencies for itself.
    Plusnet Mobile uses EE but does not have access to the 800MHz range. BT Mobile do though but then again BT plc own all 3 brands (BT, Plusnet , EE).

    Except the survey suggests that people are getting better coverage on MVNOs, as opposed to the networks, which is clearly drivel. Some examples for network coverage being, "great" (however you quantify that!):

    Giffgaff = 53%, but O2 = 33%
    Tesco = 49%, but O2 = 33%
    PlusNet = 39%, but EE = 35%

    The survey is garbage.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 1,655
    Name Dropper First Post First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Forumite
    @Valiantson
    I agree as most of these surveys are useless. You cannot trust this survey as the participants are self selecting.

    All this coverage surveying can be measured independently of the consumer but costs a lot of money to do properly. So it doesn't happen.
  • ValiantSon
    ValiantSon Posts: 2,586 Forumite
    gsmlnx wrote: »
    @Valiantson
    I agree as most of these surveys are useless. You cannot trust this survey as the participants are self selecting.

    All this coverage surveying can be measured independently of the consumer but costs a lot of money to do properly. So it doesn't happen.

    Agreed. MSE's surveys are simply designed to generate copy for the website. The content of that copy is almost always garbage.
  • pmduk
    pmduk Posts: 10,655
    First Anniversary Name Dropper First Post Combo Breaker
    Forumite
    ValiantSon wrote: »
    Agreed. MSE's surveys are simply designed to generate copy for the website. The content of that copy is almost always garbage.

    MSE hopes that they won' t just provide copy for this website, the story will have been released to other media, They all report each others surveys in the hope it will generate web traffic.
  • ValiantSon
    ValiantSon Posts: 2,586 Forumite
    pmduk wrote: »
    MSE hopes that they won' t just provide copy for this website, the story will have been released to other media, They all report each others surveys in the hope it will generate web traffic.

    I know. Depressing, isn't it?
  • sully1311
    sully1311 Posts: 375
    Name Dropper First Post First Anniversary
    Forumite
    glider3560 wrote: »
    I think the "coverage" section shows how rubbish the survey is. All the virtual networks should get the same coverage rating as their host network, surely?

    o2 and vodafone mvno's yes, ee or three's no
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 5,186
    Combo Breaker First Post
    Forumite
    It's based on a poll on here from an average of just 660 per carrier, of course it's going to be nonsense. MSE should set a (higher) minimum number of inputs before posting these surveys and if they don't reach it just junk the "data".
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 342.5K Banking & Borrowing
  • 249.9K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 449.4K Spending & Discounts
  • 234.6K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 607.1K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 172.8K Life & Family
  • 247.4K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 15.8K Discuss & Feedback
  • 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards