In the last few years, web pages and apps have ballooned in size. In 2014, how many gigabytes of data do you actually need?
One of the most common questions I’m asked by readers of the blog is how much data they need when choosing a new smartphone tariff. Many people get bamboozled by the large choice of data allowances: you can now choose a tariff with everything from 100MB to 50GB of data. There’s also a couple of unlimited data deals from Three, giffgaff and T-Mobile.
With the introduction of 4G, things have intensified in the area of mobile download allowances. Whereas 500MB per month used to be a standard data offering, 4G mobile tariffs are now widely differentiated in the amount of included mobile data. On their 4G plans, EE offers between 500MB and 50GB of data. O2 offers between 1GB and 8GB per month whereas Vodafone offers between 3GB and 9GB. On the three networks, calling and texting is now free and unlimited on most 4G Pay Monthly tariffs. Three is the sole network offering all-you-can-eat data with 4G on most of their price plans.
With download allowances becoming the next big battleground, I wanted to revisit the topic and to look at how much data is required in 2014. In the summer of 2010, Ken’s Tech Tips produced the first version of our mobile data guide. Back then, we looked at the meaning of 500MB and 1GB allowances. We gave a rough estimate of how many web pages you were able to view using your allowance. Although the guide has been updated several times, it’s now time for a radical overhaul. In this article, I’ll discuss my most recent findings. It’s a little bit technical but hopefully it’ll give some background on how our data estimates are calculated.
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With Pay As You Go, there’s no need to sign any contracts. Find out how to get a free SIM card and which PAYG networks offer the lowest prices.
Instead of getting a Pay Monthly contract, many consumers prefer to use their phone on a Pay As You Go basis. Compared to Pay Monthly, Pay As You Go offers better flexibility: there’s no need to sign any 24-month contracts and you have the ability to change networks or tariffs at any time you like. There’s also no need to undergo a credit check and there’s no chance of spending more than your top-up. With better spend control, Pay As You Go can often be the perfect product for younger mobile users.
In the UK, we’re spoilt for choice when it comes to Pay As You Go. There are more than 20 networks offering a Pay As You Go service. Frequent smartphone users can take advantage of a bundle for even better rates. In this section, read more about the UK’s Pay As You Go tariffs.
Are you new to the UK’s telephone system? Here’s our guide for complete beginners: understand UK phone numbers and how much they cost.
If you’re new to the UK’s mobile telephone system, the articles here will help you to get started. Find out how UK phone numbers are formatted and how much you’ll pay to call them. You can also find out how to receive phone calls from other countries. Finally, we’ll also look at new calling technologies such as Wi-Fi Calling and 4G Calling which can help you to call from more places.
Vodafone is the UK’s oldest mobile network. They offer 4G & 5G mobile services on a choice of personal and business mobile plans.
Vodafone was the UK’s first mobile network, launching all the way back in 1984. Over 35 years, the UK company has grown to become one of the world’s largest telecommunication providers, with its own mobile network in 25 countries.
Today, the company offers 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G coverage in the UK. This is available across a range of different price plans, including on both Pay Monthly and Pay As You Go. Alongside this, Vodafone offers home broadband (both through a 4G or 5G connection and also through a fixed-line fibre broadband connection).
In the following articles, you can learn more about Vodafone’s UK network, products and services.
As a smartphone user, it’s essential to choose a good data plan. Find out how much data you need and how download speeds will affect your experience.
Nowadays, the most important component of your mobile phone tariff is the data plan that allows you to access the internet when you’re on-the-go.
Your data plan is used by almost every single app including e-mail, messaging, social networking and gaming applications. It’s also used when you’re browsing the internet and when you’re watching videos online.
When choosing a data plan, you’ll need to consider two main things:
- How much data you need each month: This determines how much content you’re able to access on your phone each month.
- The download speeds you need: This affects how quickly you can access your content (e.g. 4G speeds or 5G speeds, etc). It may also affect the types of content you can access.
Please select an article in order to find out more:
EE offers a choice of 5G plans, including No Frills, Essential, All Rounder & Full Works plans. Find out more about EE’s mobile plans.
EE (previously known as Everything Everywhere) claims to be the UK’s largest 4G and 5G mobile network. They offer 99% population coverage on 4G as well as 5G coverage in selected UK towns and cities.
Now part of the BT Group (alongside BT and Plusnet), EE offers Pay Monthly plans with inclusive Smart Benefits. They also offer Essential plans without these extra features and Pay As You Go plans with no need for a credit check.
Alongside their mobile phone plans, EE also offers a home broadband service with the choice of ADSL, fibre, 4G and 5G broadband services.
In this section, you can read more about EE’s mobile offerings.
O2 is one of the UK’s longest established mobile networks. They offer 4G & 5G coverage with O2 Priority and O2 Extras.
O2 is one of the oldest mobile networks in the UK. They originally launched as Cellnet in 1985 and have been using the O2 brand since 2001. During their 31 years of operation, O2 has grown to become the UK’s 2nd largest network. They currently have 26 million subscribers and offer 99% population coverage across the UK.
Unique tariff offerings on O2 include the ability to build your own custom plan, with the cost of your airtime and device split into two separate agreements. O2 customers can also get access to the O2 Priority app which gives exclusive access to entertainment tickets up to 48 hours before general release.
In this section, you can learn more about O2’s tariff offerings.
In this section, we’ll help you to change mobile network providers. We’ll also show you how to upgrade to the latest handset. Keep your old phone number & transfer your old data.
Have you decided to change either your mobile network or mobile handset? Whether it’s one or the other, this section of our website aims to help you out. For anyone changing network, we’ll show you how to keep an old phone number and also how you can unlock a smartphone for use on different networks. For those changing handset, we’ll show you how to get a new SIM card and also how to transfer your data to a brand new device.
Please select an article to begin reading more:
As an alternative to buying your smartphone directly from a mobile network, you can buy it from a third-party retailer like the Carphone Warehouse.
In the UK, many people like to buy their smartphone from a third-party retailer as you can often get an unlocked handset at lower prices than directly from the mobile network. This will sometimes come in the form a 24-month contract with cashback, or it might allow you to get a cheaper SIM-only plan from elsewhere.
In this section, we’ll review and compare the UK’s mobile phone retailers.
| Which retailers sell mobile phones in the UK? |
Popular third-party retailers include the following:
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| What’s the difference between buying your phone from a retailer and buying direct from a network? |
You’ll have a lot more flexibility when you buy your mobile phone from a retailer as there’s no need to take out a 24-month contract. You can use the handset with any SIM-only deal and you can also compare prices across multiple retailers. |
| Is it cheaper to buy a SIM-free handset or to buy a mobile phone on contract? |
Usually, it works out cheaper to buy a SIM-free handset from an electronics retailer and to combine this with a SIM-only deal. You’ll pay more for the handset upfront but will then save money on your phone bill each month. You’ll also have more flexibility with regards to changing mobile network or price plan. |
| How about things like customer warranty? |
Apple and Motorola offer a 12-month warranty as standard whereas most other smartphone manufacturers offer a 24-month warranty. If you buy your iPhone from John Lewis & Partners, they’ll upgrade this to a 2 year guarantee at no extra charge. |
Three is the UK’s challenger mobile network. Popular features include 5G at no extra cost and the Three+ rewards app.
Three is the smallest of the UK’s four major mobile networks, having launched in March 2003. Since then, they’ve been paving the way for the smartphone revolution from launching the UK’s first 3G mobile network to introducing unlimited data plans.
Some of Three’s unique offerings include 5G at no extra cost on all of their plans and the Three+ rewards app. Three also has a range of home broadband plans which utilise 4G or 5G technology instead of using a landline or cable connection.
As of June 2019, Three has 11.6 million customers in the UK.