Tag Archives: mobile phone networks

-analogue Phones - Make phone calls over the internet - (1/27/2012)

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The days of two receivers and a lot of coiled cable are long gone

Keeping household costs down has never been so important, so why not save money by making phone calls over the internet? there are many services that let you do this for little or no cost.

Broadly termed Voice over Internet Protocol (or VoIP), there are essentially two types of internet phone call. The first uses Microsoft’s proprietary (but very popular) Skype service while the second relies on a widely supported standard called Sip (Session Initiation Protocol).

Skype is great for calls made from computers to other computers or telephones, while Sip-based services tend to be better equipped for direct calls – cutting out the computer.

What you will need to make internet phone callsThe most important requirement is a good internet connection. this doesn’t have to mean a fixed broadband line, as some VoIP services will work over mobile phone networks.

Whether choosing Skype or a Sip-based service, you’ll need a way to make and receive calls. On a computer this means headphones and a microphone, or a dedicated headset (such as this £20 headset from Creative).

However, phone-style handsets that can connect via USB are also available (Maplin has a USB headset for £10).

When it comes to Sip services, the same applies. It’s also possible to buy adapters into which domestic telephones can be plugged (such as Cisco’s £37 Internet Phone Adapter). some services (including Skype) can also make use of a webcam, if you have one, for video calls.

What you can expect from VoIPVoIP services can be basic or as well-appointed as you please. in many cases, for example, VoIP services will include a dial-in number that people can use to call you. to the caller, it looks and operates like any other UK telephone number and they will be charged accordingly.

Other services offer a selection of special numbers, such as those beginning with 08 or with a particular local dialling code – and you can expect to pay extra for these kinds of option.

Also, depending on the specific provider, hardware and software used, it is possible to emulate services associated with traditional landline services, from voicemail to caller ID. indeed, still more may be possible (such as the aforementioned video calls).

Choosing a service providerMany different companies offer internet calls and they all have different pricing plans. We’ll look at some specific examples in just a moment but, as with traditional phone services, the most significant factor can be whether any friends or family already have an account.

If so, joining the same service is generally best. two Skype users, for example, can natter forever, for free, no matter where they’re located.

If you can manage the numbers and passwords, there is no reason you couldn’t set up accounts with several providers – so you can ensure your costs are kept as low as possible, no matter what service your contacts use.

Preparing direct comparisons of call costs is all but impossible because the permutations are effectively infinite. However, for the sake of example, we’ve considered some particular undiscounted BT call costs alongside what’s on offer from internet-telephony providers.

The daytime BT rates for calling landlines in the UK, Spain, Japan, the USA, and Australia are respectively 7.6p, 25p, 11p, 17.5p and 27.5p per minute. Note that call set-up costs may also apply. BT’s full pricing information can be found by clicking here.

Mobile Phones - The Little Mobile Network Sharing One Million Pounds With Its Users - (12/30/2011)

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Within all the talk of big monolithic mobile phone networks with byzantine practices, mazes of customer support mechanisms and unfathomable contract structure, it’s always nice to remember giffgaff, the little network in the UK that continues to gather support and impressive numbers after running for two years.

The UK based MVNO runs on the O2 network, which is no surprise as it was set up by Mike Fairman and a team from O2. It’s now a fully owned subsidiary of O2, but runs as a separate company, a company that promised to be a “people powered mobile network”.

Two years later the evidence is there for everyone to see.

Giffgaff pared everything to the bone. They only have one product on offer, the SIM card (the assumption being most people have a phone lying around they can use, or are happy to buy a handset unlocked), and almost no support staff. Issues are brought up in the online forums and knowledge bases, and answered partly by giffgaff moderator, but mostly by the users of the network.

Marketing is handled in a similar way – every user of giffgaff has a URL landing page they can pass to friends, family or associates. When someone order and activates a SIM, they’ll get a kickback of some mobile phone credit. They can even request some unactivated SIMS to carry around and hand out as needed – I tend to have one or two in my bag while travelling in the UK.

All of these contributions to marketing, support, and network promotion earn users giffgaff points, which are exchanged twice a year for more credit, donated to charity, or cold hard cash. how much cash? well in the last six months, close to £700,000 has been earned, and is being distributed just in time for Christmas. Add in the quarter of a million they distributed in May 2011, and the 2010 ‘payback’ and you hit the magic million.

-irish Sim Cards - Pay-as-you-go mobiles: get the best deal - (11/7/2011)

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Sheta Chow/Flickr

Getting a free SIM card couldn’t be easier and these days PAYG deals don’t cost the earth. in fact, some offer great rates and free minutes/texts when you top up by a certain amount each month. we show you how to find the right package for you and how to cut costs with some simple steps.

  • Compare PAYG extras
  • Where to buy your phone
  • Other mobile options

As a general rule of thumb, if you’re spending £25 or more every month on PAYG, you can probably get a better deal on contract. However, if you decide that you don’t want to commit yourself to a contract, then finding the best PAYG deal is a little time-consuming, but reasonably simple – and will inevitably save you a lot of money. Here’s how to do it:

Here are the main mobile phone networks:

Each of these will provide a range of different PAYG deals, with different call rates, text rates and special offers. You’ll get dizzy looking at all the different deals – it’s impossible to compare them until you know what you want and need.

Step 1: Decide what you need.

Take a look at some recent bills to see how many minutes and texts you use on average per month. this is probably the easiest way to do it.

If you don’t have the bills, you can use the call duration log on your current mobile phone to work out which deal to go for. this tool records how long you’ve spent on the phone since the log has last been reset, and usually shows outbound and inbound calls. Reset the log and in a week, see how many minutes you’ve used up – times this number by four and you’ll be able to see roughly how many minutes you’d require a month in your contract.

If you’ve got a message counter you can do the same. If not, you can save all your sent messages in a file and in a week count them up and do the same. If for some reason you make far fewer calls or texts than usual then try again on a week that’s about average for you.

Step 2: Decide how much you want to spend every month.

If you’ve decided on PAYG then it’s not really worth paying out more than £25 a month on topping up unless you’re dead set against getting a contract.

The whole idea of a PAYG phone is that you’re not tied down to a contract. It tends to work out more expensive this way but you don’t have to pay every month if you don’t want to.

However, it’s worth noting that with some PAYG deals, if you don’t top up every month then you risk losing out on some deals like free texts or bonus top-ups for that particular month.

Be sure to set yourself a reasonable spending limit for what you need and, perhaps more importantly, what you can afford.

Step 3: Pick a network – Ask your friends and family what they are on.

Think about the people you’re calling or texting the most – make a list of them, and ask which network they’re on.

A lot of mobile phone networks will offer you cheaper calls or texts to numbers on the same network. some networks offer specific deals between you and your friends.

If you’re a close family or have a small friendship group that’s always at it on the phone, why not discuss the possibility of all changing to the same network?

Step 4: Shop around.

This is the lengthy part. For PAYG, it’s a good idea to buy your SIM card separately from your phone, to make sure you get all the deals you can possibly get. To make sure you get the best deal you have no choice but to shop around.

Carphone Warehouse has lots of PAYG phones to choose from. Check out the ‘Summer Savings’ selection of cut price PAYG phones – you can save up to £150! there are also phones for under £20 if you’re just looking for the cheapest model you can find, or, if you have a budget in mind you can search by price.

OneStopPhoneShop offers free next day delivery. It also has a deal of the day promotion which is worth keeping an eye on. PAYG phones range from under a tenner to just shy of £400 so you should find something to suit your budget.

If you already know what phone you want you can head to eBay where some top phones go for far less than their retail price.

ThePhoneSpot has some good deals and is worth a look. Prices range from around £10 to £400 and delivery is free.

To be sure you’re getting the best deal you’ll also need to visit each network’s website and break down their deals. this isn’t really as hard as it sounds. as you work through all the networks, some might be more difficult than others to break down because of all the deals. Try to firstly work out how many minutes and texts you get for your money if you divide the cost equally between the two. Then consider any additional offers afterwards. Try to think about it logically, and think about your needs and what will suit them.

Step 5: Cut the costs.

If you use credit cards – find yourself a handy cashback one like the Capital one World MasterCard. this card offers 5% cashback for the first three months for spending up to £1,000 and then rates vary after that -  if you spend under £6,000 you can receive 0.5% cashback and the percentage goes up if you spend more and ends up at 1.25% if you spend over £10,00.

Use it to buy your credit and you’ll effectively be getting 5% off the monthly cost of your phone. 5% may not sound like much but every penny counts! see our full cashback cards article for more on how it works.

T-Mobile

Customers can get a free SIM here and there are a range of freebies up for grabs when you top up from just £10:

  • Top up £10 Monday to Friday for free unlimited calls to other T-Mobile customers for a whole weekend – Text WEEKEND TALK to 441 before you top up.
  • Top up £10 Monday to Friday for free unlimited texts for a whole weekend – Text WEEKEND TEXT to 441 before you top up.
  • Top up £10 Monday to Friday for £10 FREE weekend credit – Text WEEKEND CREDIT to 441 before you top up.
  • Top up £20 in the month for free unlimited calls & texts to T-Mobile phones for a whole month – Text MONTHLY TALK to 441 before you top up.
  • Top up £20 in the month for free unlimited texts to any network for a whole month -Text MONTHLY TEXT to 441 before you top up.

Vodafone

Get a free Vodafone SIM here. with Vodafone PAYG there are several extras to enjoy:

  1. Get Vodafone Family to call relatives (three numbers) as often as like for just £5 a month.
  2. Get Vodafone International for calls to any country from 5p-30p per minute.
  3. Vodafone IOU gives you an extra £2 when you run out of credit – use on calls and texts then pay it back next time round (plus a 30p charge so try not to use this unless you’re desperate)
  4. Vodafone Passport is a new summer promotion – running until 31 August – giving customers the chance to call, text or send picture messages when abroad in over 35 European countries plus Australia and New Zealand for the same rate they would pay here in the UK (so you get to use any inclusive minutes or texts).

Get all the info on how to get these PAYG perks here.

Virgin

Get a free Virgin SIM here.

  • Top up by £10 and you still get 300 free texts, or 600 if you top up by £15, plus unlimited web access for 30p a day.
  • Customers get unlimited free texts when you top up by £20 a month and free unlimited web access.
  • You can also send five free call back texts a month to get your mates or family to call you when you’ve run out of credit – perfect for an emergency.

3 Mobile

Get a free 3 SIM card here. Every time you top-up you get free texts and 150Mb internet mobile access. And, the freebies last for a very generous 90 days. find out more here.

  • Top up £5 for 25 free texts
  • Top up £10 for 300 free texts – or 600 if you top-up online
  • Top up £15 for 500 free texts – or 1000 if you top up online
  • Top up £20 for 1000 free texts – or 2000 if you top up online
  • Top up £25 for unlimited texts

Orange

Get a free Orange SIM here. there is a real variety of offers up for grabs if you’re an Orange PAYG customer. Firstly, join Orange now and get £5 free credit with your first £10 top-up. Then, depending on which PAYG animal you choose, you’ll get other freebies. Before choosing your animal you’ll be on Orange Starter, with calls 20p per minute and texts 10p. Call 342 from your Orange phone to select your animal.

  • Dolphin – unlimited free texts if you top up by £30 and free mobile access to Facebook, MySpace and Bebo. Subject to a 50MB cap.
  • Canary – 120 mins of free evening and weekend minutes every month when you top up by £10. Or 180 mins if you top up by £20 and 240 mins if you top up by £30.
  • Racoon – 15p flat call rate and 10p texts to any network, any time.
  • Camel – calls to over 50 countries from just 5p per minute

Also, whenever you top up, you have a 1 in 3 chance of winning a prize. Orange send a text to let you know if you’ve won and how to claim your prize.

Even better, there is a Phone Fund promotion which rewards you every time you top up. Orange will automatically put an additional 10% of that amount in your Phone Fund – so if you top up £10 you get £10 credit and an additional £1 in your Phone Fund. each month they let you know how much is in the fund and you can spend it whenever you like on an Orange phone – although the fund can’t go over £200. get a full run down of Orange PAYG charges here.

Get the best contract deal you can get. find out out to get the right contract with our article on mobile phone contracts.

Consider getting a SIM only contract – they’re ultra flexible so you won’t be tied to an 18 month contract. in fact, you only need to give 30 days cancellation notice, which means that you can always keep on top of the very best and latest phone deals. find out more in our guide to switching to a SIM only contracts here.