Orange currently has more than 800,000 fixed line customers but plans to ditch their own problematic fixed-line broadband – which covers around 65% of the UK - in favour of BT. Although Orange has invested millions in broadband equipment and telephone exchanges; their customer base has been declining and their commercial performance rated as poor. In 2009 of 17 ISPs Orange was rated as 15th in the Service and Reliability Awards.
BT will take over Orange’s fixed-line business and a proportion of Orange staff will move over to BT as part of the re-organisation. The Times suggests the move to BT will increase Orange’s network coverage and free up their resources to invest in its broadband products and improve customer services.
Be aware that 1GB of data = 400 emails + 28 hours of internet surfing + watching a dozen short video clips.
Mobile broadband is easy to access, if you decide to sign up to a contract you will get either a small USB modem or a dongle that plugs into your laptop. Chose a data allowance that meets your needs because if you go over your allowance you will get hefty charges. If you buy online and you are not happy with connection speed or reliability you have a 7 day cooling off period when you can cancel your IP. Mobile broadband will not replace a fixed line connection for most users unless you are a light user or a student who does not require a fixed line.
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Mobile broadband providers -connection speeds vs reliability
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If you want a short term deal for broadband only three providers offer deals lasting three months or less.
1. AOL is the cheapest, charging £4.99 a month offering up to 8Mb speeds and 10GB download limit. The minimum contract is one month and if you stay longer than 3 months you will pay £9.99 a month. Check it out on the AOL website.
2. Be Broadband will offer you a faster 24Mb service with minimum contract of 3 months at £24.43 a month as well as line rental. Visit the Be website for more details.
Telecom Plus is unusual in that it is thriving by selling multi-utilities from gas to telecoms, mobile and broadband on a single bill. By keeping costs low, Telecom Plus, which trades as Utility Warehouse, is drawing in new customers with cheap gas and electricity rates. It is becoming a one-stop-shop for customers looking to source different services says Nic Fildes in the Sunday Times.
The company founded in 1997 has more than 300,000 customers to whom it sells more than one million services. The company has a policy of cutting costs by limiting their advertising and marketing – they rely on word of mouth recommendations.
Bundling your telephone, TV and broadband services could save you serious money. If you are currently a Tiscali customer you will be aware that your brand ceased to exist on Jan 7th this year and TalkTalk took you over and will now be bringing you in line with with their prices and package options. Some of you may be offered cheaper deals but others will have to pay more. Be aware that if you have been asked to pay more, or your package has changed, you are free to end your contract and move to another provider.
A good 3G signal which gives you faster mobile internet access, video messaging and downloads and the ability to watch TV on your mobile is essential. Currently 3 www.three.co.uk and Orange www.orange.co.uk have the most extensive coverage across the UK. However, O2 have announced plans to build 1,500 new mobile network sites across the UK in 2010. O2 suggests its focus is also on being number one for customer satisfaction.
Money is tight when you are a student. Why not consider switching to Orange for the following 5 great reasons?
1. £10 free credit.
Switch to Orange, use your old number and they will give you £10 free credit. You will need to know your previous PAC network code before visiting www.orange.co.uk
2. 1 in 3 chance to win
Every time you top up you could win a prize with Bright Top Ups: a one in three chance to bag laptops, texts and maybe a holiday.
3. Magic Numbers
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Student Savings on pay as you go mobiles
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January is sale time and the right time to save on pay as you go phones. Visit www.orange.co.uk to see their great bargains – including some half-price pay as you go phones! For example, get a nifty Nokia 2730 with MP3 player and FM radio, for just £49 + £10 top up
Alternatively, save £10 on a handsome Alcatel OT-708 with touchscreen. When you buy either of these phones with Dolphin, you will also get free internet browsing -for Facebook, Twitter, Bebo and more … visit www.orange.co.uk/shop
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Pay as you go – hot January offers from Orange
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Pay as you go mobile broadband is now half price! O2 broaband is now offering half-price mobile broadband on it pay and go broadband service. The offer is avaibable until midnight on the 17th November 2009.
The price of a pay as you go mobile broadband dongle with o2 is £14.67 for this limited time offer – that is a bargain!
- Pay as you go daily price = £2 for upto 500MB of downloads
- Pay as you go weekly price = £7.50 for upto 1GB of downloads
- Pay as you go monthly price = £15 for upto 3GB of downloads
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Half price pay as you go broadband with o2
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Some users of the 3G mobile broadband dongle with a laptop have found that their browser seems unable to display any web pages at all. What, if anything can be done?
The Problem
Although mobile phone networks market 3G data-connected dongles as ‘broadband’ they are usually slower than wired broadband. The speed of the 3G connection and its ability to load web pages is affected by your location and how busy the network is at any given time. 4Mps is needed for landline broadband and the speed of your 3G connection in built up areas will probably be between 1Mbps-2Mbps.
