By You can get an unlimited data plan from £16/month, allowing you to download as much as you like. Compare the UK’s best unlimited data SIM cards.
Whether you’re a heavy smartphone user or whether you just want the reassurance that you’ll never run out of data, most UK mobile networks now offer an unlimited data plan so you can download as much as you like.
In total, there are currently 14 mobile networks that offer an unlimited data plan in the UK. Most of them offer 5G coverage at no extra cost. The cheapest unlimited data plans start from £16/month.
In this article, we’ll compare the best value unlimited data plans in the UK. We’ll start with an overview of the mobile networks with unlimited data. We’ll then look at the unlimited data plans on each mobile network in more detail, including any fair usage limits or restrictions that apply.
| Unlimited Data Plans: | From £16/month |
|---|---|
| With EE Coverage: |
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| With O2 Coverage: | |
| With Three Coverage: |
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| With Vodafone Coverage: |
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| Exclusive Offer: | £12.50/month for unlimited data on Lebara (use the KEN3 voucher code to get 3 months half price, reverts to £25/month) |
| Unlimited Data No Contract: | £16/month for unlimited data on SMARTY (with no contract & 5G coverage from Three) |
Overview of Unlimited Data Plans
Best Unlimited Data Plans
In the UK, there are currently fourteen mobile networks that offer an unlimited data plan.
The following table shows the cheapest unlimited data plans that are currently available on each network:
| Network | Data | Monthly Cost | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unlimited data | £16.00 per month 1 month contract | See deal |
| Unlimited data | £16.00 per month 1 month contract | See deal |
| Unlimited data | £16.00 per month 24 month contract | See deal |
| Unlimited data 2Mbps max | £20.00 per month 1 month contract | See deal |
| Unlimited data | £22.00 per month 24 month contract Monthly cost will rise each April by CPI inflation plus 3.9% | See deal |
| Unlimited data | £22.50 per month 12 month contract Monthly cost will drop by 5% each year | See deal |
| Unlimited data | £22.50 per month 3 months half price 12 month contract | See deal |
| Unlimited data | £25.00 per month 24 month contract | See deal |
| Unlimited data | £25.00 per month 18 month contract | See deal |
| Unlimited data 10Mbps max | £30.00 per month 24 month contract Monthly cost will rise each April by £1.80 | See deal |
| Unlimited data | £31.00 per month 24 month contract Monthly cost will rise each April by RPI inflation plus 3.9% | See deal |
| Unlimited data | £35.00 per month 1 month contract | See deal |
Coverage, Speeds & Limitations
When choosing an unlimited data SIM card, it’s important to consider the coverage you’ll get on it, along with any fair usage limits or restrictions.
The following table shows a summary of this information for each UK network:
| Mobile Network | Coverage Provider | Speed | Key Limits & Restrictions |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASDA Mobile | Vodafone | 5G |
|
| EE | EE | 5G |
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| giffgaff | O2 | 5G |
|
| Honest Mobile | Three | 5G |
|
| iD Mobile | Three | 5G | |
| Lebara Mobile | Vodafone | 5G | |
| Lyca Mobile | EE | 5G |
|
| O2 | O2 | 5G |
|
| SMARTY | Three | 5G | |
| Talkmobile | Vodafone | 5G | |
| Tesco Mobile | O2 | 5G |
|
| Three | Three | 5G | |
| Vodafone | Vodafone | 5G |
|
| VOXI | Vodafone | 5G |
For further information about the unlimited data plans on each network, read on to learn more about unlimited data on each network.
Contents
Unlimited Data Plans: By Mobile Network
At present, you can get an unlimited data plan from 14 UK mobile networks. In the following section, we’ll look at the unlimited data plans on each mobile network in more detail:
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ASDA Mobile
You can choose from three different plans, each of which has unlimited data. The key difference is the download speed that you’re able to get:
ASDA Mobile’s unlimited data plans are shown in the following table:
There’s no contract and no credit check required on ASDA Mobile. This means you can easily change or cancel your plan at any time.
For more information, see our ASDA Mobile unlimited data review. Source: ASDA Mobile Unlimited Data Plan |
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EE
The cheapest way to get unlimited data on EE is to get one of their No Frills unlimited data plans from £27 per month. This will have a maximum download speed of 10Mbps (roughly equivalent to a basic 4G connection):
For download speeds of up to 100Mbps and the ability to gift up to 100GB of spare data to another EE SIM card on your account, you can upgrade to an EE Essentials unlimited data plan from £23 per month:
Meanwhile, if you’re looking for uncapped download speeds and Inclusive Extras on your plan, choose one of EE’s All Rounder or Full Works SIM cards. With All Rounder, you can choose to have one Inclusive Extra for the lifetime of your plan. Options include Apple Music, Netflix, the Roam Abroad Pass, TNT Sports on discovery+, the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, or Microsoft 365 Personal. Depending on the option you choose, this Inclusive Extra is worth up to £25 per month.
EE’s Full Works plans come with three Inclusive Extras such as Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, TNT Sports Ultimate on discovery+, and the Roam Abroad Pass:
There are three key restrictions worth being aware on EE’s unlimited data plans:
If you’re using the Data Gifting feature on an EE Family account, you’ll be able to gift up to 100GB of data to other users on your plan (or 120GB if you’re on a 5G handset plan with unlimited data). The Data Gifting feature is not available on the No Frills plan.
For more information, read our EE unlimited data review. Source: EE Website |
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giffgaff
For unlimited data without any speed restrictions, the best value option is giffgaff's £25 per month contract. This gives you unlimited UK data with 5G speeds, along with unlimited UK minutes and unlimited UK texts. For extra flexibility, this is also available on a one-month rolling basis, though you’ll need to pay £35 per month for this.
On giffgaff’s unlimited data plans, there’s a fair use limit of 650GB per month. In addition, giffgaff says you shouldn’t tether your phone to more than 12 devices at the same time. Always-On data
Once the full-speed data allowance is used up, your download speeds will drop to a maximum of 384kbps between 8am and midnight each day (about 0.4Mbps). This is roughly equivalent to the speed of a basic 3G connection. It won’t stop you from browsing the internet or sending messages through WhatsApp. However, things like online video streaming are unlikely to work at this reduced speed.
If you’re travelling abroad to another European country, you’ll be able to use up to 5GB of data at no extra cost each month. Beyond this, a surcharge of 10p/MB will be charged against your Pay As You Go balance.
For more information, see our guide to unlimited data on giffgaff. Source: giffgaff Website |
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Honest MobileIf you’re looking for unlimited data on an “ethical mobile network”, Honest Mobile offers unlimited data plans from £22.50/month. According to Honest, they’ll remove twice the carbon footprint of your smartphone, making them a carbon negative mobile network. Honest Mobile offers 4G & 5G coverage from Three on the following unlimited data plans:
In the UK, there’s a 650GB per month fair use limit, above which your service will be “limited to 3G speeds”. You’ll also 5 days of inclusive EU roaming per trip (up to a maximum of 20GB per month).
For more information, read our Honest Mobile review. Source: Honest Mobile Plan Terms |
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iD MobileiD Mobile is the own-brand mobile network from the Carphone Warehouse. They offer 4G & 5G coverage from Three. At present, iD Mobile offers the following unlimited data plans from £16/month:
iD Mobile haven’t published a fair usage policy for their unlimited data plan, but their terms and conditions say the plan is for “personal use only”. You’ll need to undergo a credit check when you join the iD Mobile network.
Source: iD Mobile Terms and Conditions |
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Lebara Mobile
The most popular and most flexible option is Lebara’s £25 unlimited data SIM. This comes on a one-month rolling basis, with no contract and no credit check required. You’ll also get unlimited UK minutes, unlimited UK texts, and 100 international minutes to 42 countries. As there’s no contract, you can change or cancel your plan at any time. As an exclusive offer for our readers in September 2024, you can get 3 months half price when you order through this link, entering KEN3 as your voucher code at checkout. This will allow you to get the £25 unlimited data SIM for just £12.50 per month for 3 months.
For even bigger savings, you can sign up to Lebara on a 12-month plan. This will give you a further 10% off, bringing the price down to as little as £11.25 per month for 3 months (then £22.50 per month thereafter).
As before, you’ll need to enter KEN3 as your voucher code at checkout to get the 3 months half price. According to Lebara Mobile, there are no usage caps on their unlimited data service, with exceptions for fraudulent usage and their general terms and conditions:
If you’re using your Lebara Mobile SIM card abroad in Europe, you can use up to 30GB data per month at no extra cost. If you use the entire 30GB allowance, you can choose to renew your plan early to get a fresh 30GB allowance. Alternatively, you can buy a 5GB roaming bolt-on for £10. If you’re travelling abroad to India, you can use up to 10GB data per month at no extra cost on Lebara. You’ll also get 200 minutes and 200 texts to use in India each month.
For more information, see our Lebara Mobile unlimited data review. Source: Lebara Mobile Terms and Conditions |
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Lyca Mobile
There’s no contract and no credit check on Lyca Mobile’s unlimited data plan. You’ll also get unlimited UK minutes, unlimited UK texts and 100 international minutes included on your plan every month.
There’s a fair use limit of 450GB per month in the UK, above which the speed of your service will reduce to 1Mbps (roughly equivalent to 3G speeds). You can use up to 35GB data per month at no extra cost when you’re travelling abroad in the EU. You’ll get access to 4G & 5G coverage from EE. On Lyca Mobile, the use of tethering and personal hotspot is not permitted. For more information, see our guide to unlimited data on Lyca Mobile.
Source: Lyca Mobile Website |
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O2
At present, you can get an O2 unlimited data SIM card from £31/month, with the lowest prices being available when you choose a 24-month plan:
You’ll get up to 3 months Apple Music included, along with 3 months of a different O2 Extra of your choice (such as Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, or Amazon Music). If you upgrade to the more expensive ‘Unlimited Plus’ plans from O2, you’ll get up to 6 months of Apple Music included, along with 6 months of another O2 Extra. You’ll also get the O2 Travel Inclusive Zone Bolt-On included when you choose an Unlimited Plus plan. On O2’s unlimited data plan, there are several fair usage limits worth being aware of. The most important is their 650GB per month fair usage limit. In addition, the use of tethering and personal hotspot is limited to a maximum of 12 devices. If you exceed these limits twice in any six-month period, O2 says they “reserve the right to transfer you to a more suitable plan”. O2’s terms and conditions also require you to use their unlimited data SIM card inside a battery-powered mobile device. This is intended to prevent you from using the SIM card for 4G home broadband or 5G home broadband:
If you’re travelling abroad to another European country, you can use up to 25GB of data abroad in O2 Europe Zone countries. In addition, if you’re a Virgin Media customer or if you choose an Unlimited Plus plan, you’ll be able to use your SIM card abroad in a further 27 O2 Travel Inclusive Zone countries at no extra cost (this is subject to speed restrictions after the first 150MB of general data usage each day, or after the first 50MB of streaming data usage each day).
For more information, read our guide to O2’s unlimited data plans. Source: O2 Website: Unlimited Plan Terms |
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SMARTY
On SMARTY, you’ll get unlimited minutes, unlimited texts and unlimited 5G data. You can also use the unlimited data SIM card in other devices like your tablet, dongle or mobile broadband router. According to SMARTY, tethering and personal hotspot usage is included in the plan and there are no speed restrictions for using too much data. There is, however, a fair use limit of 12GB per month when you’re using your SMARTY SIM card abroad in Europe. SMARTY offers 99% population coverage, using 4G and 5G coverage from Three.
The following table shows a summary of the key things to know about unlimited data on SMARTY:
For more information, see our SMARTY unlimited data review. Source: SMARTY Website: Unlimited Plan |
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TalkmobileTalkmobile is a low-cost sub-brand of Vodafone. At present, they’re offering unlimited 5G data for just £16 per month on a one-month rolling basis, with access to Vodafone’s 5G network and their fastest available speeds. This makes it one of the best value ways of getting unlimited data on the Vodafone network.
According to their terms and conditions, Talkmobile says the plan “is for personal use only and cannot be used for commercial or business purposes”. However, beyond that, there are no hidden limits on how much data you can use.
Source: Talkmobile: Terms and Conditions |
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Tesco Mobile
The following table shows Tesco Mobile’s unlimited data SIM cards:
Tesco hasn’t set a fair usage limit for their unlimited data plan. Instead, their terms and conditions simply state that you’re unable to use the service for commercial purposes, or for usage that adversely impacts other customers on Tesco Mobile. Tesco says on their website that you can use the unlimited data SIM card for personal use in mobile devices, but not in 4G home broadband routers.
For more information, see our guide to Tesco Mobile unlimited data plans. Source: Tesco Mobile Terms and Conditions |
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Three
There are no fair usage limits for unlimited data inside the UK. You’ll also get 5G coverage with no speed restrictions. However, commercial usage of the service is not permitted:
The following table shows the best SIM-only plans from Three with unlimited data:
The cheapest way to get unlimited data on Three is through their £22 unlimited data SIM card deal. This is available exclusively when you order through this link. It’s a hidden deal so you won’t find it if you look directly on Three’s website. Most customers choose one of Three’s Lite plans as this will give you unlimited data for the lowest possible price. For an extra £5 per month, you can upgrade to an Unlimited Value plan which gives you Paramount+ for the first half of your plan, and 14 daily Go Roam passes each year. The Unlimited Complete plan costs £10 per month extra. It comes with Paramount+ for the entire duration of your plan, plus 28 daily Go Roam passes per year. As well as getting an unlimited data SIM card, you can also buy a smartphone from Three with unlimited data on a contract. Three also offers unlimited 4G home broadband and unlimited 5G home broadband.
Prior to September 2019, Three had a fair usage policy of 1,000GB per month (1TB) on their unlimited data plans. They’ve confirmed that this fair usage policy no longer applies on their plans:
For more information, see our guide to unlimited data on Three. Source: Three Help: What is unlimited data? |
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Vodafone
When you choose a Vodafone unlimited data plan, you’ll need to decide between three different download speeds. The Unlimited Lite plan only gives you download speeds of up to 2Mbps. Meanwhile, the Unlimited plan is capped at 10Mbps download speeds and the Unlimited Max plan has uncapped speeds. There’s no fair usage policy on Vodafone’s unlimited data allowance, except that it needs to be “for your personal and non-commercial use”.
Vodafone’s unlimited data plans are also available on a 12-month contract or on a 30-day rolling contract. If you have an unlimited data plan with 4 Xtra benefits, you’ll also be able to use up to 25GB of data per month when travelling abroad as part of Vodafone Global Roaming.
For more information, read our Vodafone unlimited data review. Source: Vodafone Website |
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VOXI
On VOXI’s unlimited data plan, you’ll get access to 5G coverage from Vodafone. This gives you average download speeds of 150-200Mbps on 5G, or average download speeds of 23-35Mbps on 4G. You’ll also get unlimited minutes and unlimited texts included on your plan.
According to their terms and conditions, VOXI says they “reserve the right to suspend or throttle the service if we have reason to believe that the SIM card is being used for commercial purposes, fraudulently or is having an adverse impact / damaging our network in any way”.
Source: VOXI: Terms and Conditions |
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On EE, you can get unlimited data from £23 per month (
In the UK, 
Another option is getting Always-On data from giffgaff. This will have a full-speed data allowance (between 80GB and 120GB per month, depending on the plan you choose).
On 
On Lyca Mobile, it’s currently possible to get unlimited data for £25/month.
O2 offers unlimited data on a range of 
On Tesco Mobile, it’s currently possible to 
On Three, you can get 
Vodafone offers a selection of 
Other Mobile Networks
If you’re unable to get an unlimited data plan from your network, it’s possible you might be able to choose a very large data allowance instead (e.g. 100GB data per month, or more). The following networks do not currently offer an unlimited data plan:
- 1pMobile offers 30-day boosts with up to 200GB data. Although this is sometimes advertised as “virtually unlimited”, there is a hard limit of 200GB data per month. Further usage beyond the 200GB limit will incur additional charges.
- Sky Mobile offers up to unlimited data per month. Sky haven’t yet announced whether unlimited data will become available on their network in the future.
- Talk Home Mobile offers plans with up to 200GB data per month.
Alternatives to Unlimited Data
In some cases, it might not actually be necessary to choose a plan with unlimited data. This is because the average UK mobile user only consumes around 8GB of data per month.
If you mainly want the reassurance that you’ll never run out of data, consider something like SMARTY's 60GB plan. This will cost you £10 per month with no contract and no credit check. It already has more than enough data for the average user.
| Network | Data | Monthly Cost | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60GB data | £10.00 per month 3 months half price 1 month contract | See deal |
Alternatively, if you just want unlimited data for use on certain apps, consider VOXI’s unlimited social media (from £10/month), unlimited music (from £12/month), or unlimited video (from £15/month). This will give you unlimited data for use in the following applications:
- Unlimited social media includes: Facebook, WhatsApp, Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook Messenger & Pinterest
- Unlimited music includes: Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, TIDAL, Deezer, Napster & Primordial Radio
- Unlimited video includes: TikTok, YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video & My5
| Network | Data | Monthly Cost | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45GB data Unlimited Social Media | £10.00 per month 1 month contract | See deal |
| 25GB data Unlimited Social Media Unlimited Music | £12.00 per month 1 month contract | See deal |
| 105GB data Unlimited Social Media Unlimited Music Unlimited Video | £15.00 per month 1 month contract | See deal |
| 100GB data Unlimited Social Media Unlimited Music Unlimited Video | £20.00 per month 1 month contract | See deal |
For more information, see our comparison of the best SIM-only deals in the UK.
Frequently Asked Questions
| Which mobile networks offer unlimited data in the UK? | The following mobile networks currently offer unlimited data in the UK:
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| What’s the best value unlimited data deal? | We’d currently recommend SMARTY's £16/month unlimited data SIM card. You’ll get unlimited data with no contract, no credit check, and access to 5G in more than 500 UK towns and cities. You’ll also get 99.8% population coverage on 4G. There are no fair usage limits on SMARTY’s unlimited data plan. |
| Will I get 5G coverage with unlimited data? | Yes. All of the unlimited data plans listed on this page will give you access to 5G coverage if you’re using a compatible 5G-ready phone. However, some plans come with a maximum download speed so it’s worth double checking this before you buy. |
| Is there a fair usage policy on unlimited data? | It depends on the mobile network. Normally, it’s stated that unlimited data is for your personal use only. In addition, there are sometimes further limitations and restrictions which are detailed within this table. If you’re travelling abroad to another European country, there is normally also a limit on how much data you can use. |
More Information
For more information about a specific unlimited data plan, please see the details on your mobile network’s website. We’ve also got in-depth guides to unlimited data on ASDA Mobile, EE, giffgaff, iD Mobile, Lebara Mobile, Lyca Mobile, O2, SMARTY, Three and Vodafone.
If you’re looking for a wider range of deals, compare SIM-only plans including those without an unlimited data allowance.
sly said:
How do carriers enforce this 12 device limit? I run proxmox which currently has 3 VMs up taking local addresses with another 3 inactive and potential for dozens more. I consider this one device.
I’m already at dot 45 for local addresses, and was at dot twenty something before Proxmox. How long before devices are forgotten? Do they mean 12 devices *simultaneously*?
sly
Thais said:
Hi Ken, thanks for the post. When I click the link for Lyca, it offers me 30 days at 10£. I am not sure if no longer valid. I have tested the Lebara and your code is good to go.
You have noted that Lyca does not allow hotspot and tethering, do you know if it is the same for Lebara?
I am currently moving from Asda to another network that is not Vodafone. Asda was great until recently, the past months had been really difficult, and the network became poor. I have had the same issue with Three before. I don’t have the same issue when roaming and directly connected to Vodafone, it is only when piggybacking.
I saw that Superdrug has one now, do you know anything about it?
I have used: Smarty, Three and ID in the past, and it just didn’t work.
Kind regards,
Ken replied:
Hi Thais,
Thanks for your comment. You can get unlimited data for £9.99 per month on Lyca Mobile following the link here 🙂
With regards to Lebara, there are no restrictions on tethering or personal hotspot usage. Strictly speaking, I don’t think Lyca are supposed to have restrictions on this either due to net neutrality regulations. However, just to be safe, I’d probably go with Lebara if that’s a feature that you really care about.
With regards to your other questions, I’m not 100% sure. Are you having problems with the coverage from a certain provider? If so, I’d recommend testing out a couple of SIM cards from different coverage providers to see which one works best where you are.
Hope this helps,
Ken
Craig said:
Hi Ken,
I see the virgin unlimited data sim for phones doesn’t allow 4g routers, but do the smaller 35 +100 gb plans allow them?
Thanks
Ken replied:
Hi Craig,
Thanks for your comment. The exact wording of their T&Cs suggests that all Virgin Mobile plan are not intended to be used in a 4G router (see clause 3.7). However, they do not actually prohibit the usage and suggest they might move you to a limited data plan if you’re found to be using a 4G router. I therefore suspect you’ll probably be fine doing this, albeit, it isn’t how Virgin say they intend their service to be used:
Hope this helps,
Ken
Craig Nicolson replied:
Thanks for that Ken,
Might give your Lebara SIM offer a bash 1st. I don’t want to be limited to 2Mbps !!
jak said:
12 devices is a twice the number I have on my network so that would not be a significant problem. I am unsure how the system would function as my aim would be to use two different sims one an EE 5G and the other ano 4G depending on who has best coverage and ideally the sims would function to supplement the landline feed. I understand this would be feasible but have not investigated potential routers and suspect it would not necessarily be the Hauwei buut more likely a Cisco or Teltonika. Unfortunately the 5G signal currently looks of dubious quality in that EE show the site falling between two small rather isolated 5G zones and until I get access to a EE 5g sim I cannot investigate the signal strength.
All rather iffy particularly as I am so used to having 150MBs unlimited feed. My other option would be to lease a dedicated line but then your talking of big bucks in my world £200+ and 3 year contracts don’t have a huge appeal.
So much for the Tory speal of spreading ultrafast broadband nationwide. They can’t even manage densely populated urban areas and seem more than happy to see Joe Public continue to be ripped off with pathetic feeds that are hardly better than the old dialup system achieved.
I am being asked to undertake engineering consultancy work which I can easily achieve using VM’s residential package but beyond that the so called business packages are abysymal – 1 5 MBs upload!! Its a joke. No wonder the UK is what it is. I used to travel long term in Europe and inevitably found broadband access much better than the UK not to mention mobile.
jak said:
So has anyone atempted to use one of these sims in this manner. I am moving from glorious Virginmedia to an effectively unserviced UK location where I should apparently feel privileged to be able if lucky to get 18MBs!!!! I was getting that from VM 15 years ago now on near to 200MBs and unlimited.
It looks as if I fall just between two EE 5G zones so thought I would give a Huawei dual sim router a wirl with external aerials too backup supplement the landline EE option.
G said:
Tried Lycramobile unlimited data which was good for about 1 week then they bombed me out without any notice.
Be warned they are not unlimited data.
Andrew W said:
Is it true that I have to have a data only sim for a mobile router, according to Vodafone I do.
Ken replied:
Hi Andrew,
Thanks for your comment. You should be able to use a normal mobile phone SIM card. For more information, see my full guide here 🙂
Hope this helps,
Ken
Alex said:
Hi.
Excellent site. Thank you
Stumbled on this when investigating 4g Routers.
I cannot access the 3 link for unlimited data from you link. Am I doing something wrong. or has it expired?
Alex
Ken replied:
Hi Alex,
Thanks a lot for letting me know. Can you try using this link again now? Apologies as it looks like I needed to update it!
Thank you also for the kind words about the site 🙂
Ken
Olivia Tanbury said:
HAPPY NEW YEAR Ken !! 🙂
Please allow me to bring to your attention a typo in the tabulated info under the ‘Coverage, Speeds & Limitations’ sub-heading for Vodafone.
The speed restrictions for Vodafone’s ‘Unlimited Lite’ plan is not 10Mbps, but rather 2Mbps.
You may verify the information direct from the horse’s mouth at:
https://www.vodafone.co.uk/unlimited-data-plans/
Ken replied:
Hi Olivia,
Happy New Year to you as well! Thank you so much for bringing this typo to my attention – I’ve amended it so it now says Lite is capped at 2Mbps. Much appreciated!
All the best for 2021,
Ken
Jeff said:
Hi Ken
Could I in theory buy a Huawei H112-370 router and just use one of these sims with it in order to get a home 5G service? Is that allowed or would there be restrictions imposed if this was attempted? It seems like a cheaper way of getting 5G home broadband rather than signing up with EE, Vodafone or *spit* Three, so I imagine they have thought of a way to prevent you from doing this. I also just noticed today that Vodafone have raised the price of their Gigacube 5G service to an eye-watering £60/month for the unlimited data plan! Really need an alternative to the abysmal 5G home internet service I’ve been getting from Three but £60/month seems on the pricey side…
Ken replied:
Hi Jeff,
Thanks for your comment. Yes, you can simply get one of these SIM cards to use within the Huawei 5G CPE Pro if you like. The only thing to watch out for is the fair usage policies and limits on certain networks. For instance, EE says you can only tether to 12 devices at the same time on their unlimited data plans. O2 also prevents you from using their unlimited data SIM cards in a mains-powered device like the 5G CPE Pro. No word on how or whether these limits are enforced, but definitely something to watch out for. If you’re using a Vodafone Unlimited Max SIM card, this should work in the 5G CPE Pro without any issues.
Ken
TONY said:
Ken, you might want to add more information about the Vodafone NAT issue.
If you are gaming user on Xbox, PS4/5, or switch, etc, better stay away from Vodafone network.
Ken replied:
Hi Tony,
Great feedback, thank you! I’ve added a mention of this in my guide to 4G home broadband and it’s also discussed in a few guides e.g. to SMARTY’s unlimited data plans). It’s a shame that most mobile networks (except Three when you use their 3internet APN) provide CGNAT IP addresses, albeit, this only really affects anyone who’s using 4G for home broadband.
Ken
Andrew said:
Smarty have now reworded their FUP dropped any reference to a 1000GB cap in the latest version of their price guide.
Steve said:
Hi Ken
Great site, the refence site for mobile!
Have you heard if EE unlimited SIM is now 4g+, even though it is no longer called a Smart SIM with swappable benefits? To get SIM only 4g+ previously required a Smart SIM
Cheers
Steve
Ken replied:
Hi Steve,
Thanks for your comment and for the kind feedback about the website! Sadly, it looks like EE have withdrawn their unlimited data SIM card from sale for the time being. As far as I know, their unlimited data SIM was previously considered to be a Smart plan. Unfortunately, however, I don’t seem to be able to see this plan available for sale at the moment.
Ken
Steve replied:
Hi Ken, first to correct the typo…I meant ‘reference site’. Your site is really useful. Yes, the EE sim only unlimted seems to have vanished, plus the EE site has lost its coherence over the past couple of days. I noticed last week that there was an unlimited sim only, with the up to 60 megs tag, and a smart sim unlimited that said fastest speed available, for a few pounds more. Looks like EE is possibly going to revamp with unlimited at both speeds, not unlike Vodafone. Cheers Steve
Ken replied:
Hi Steve,
Just a quick note to let you know that EE have just relaunched with a 5G unlimited data SIM card. It costs £37/month on a 24-month contract and includes a Smart Benefit such as Apple Music, BT Sport Ultimate or Amazon Prime Video.
Ken
Andy said:
Just to add another of EE’s swappable benefits is the gamer pass, which adds unlimited data for the Twitch streaming site, which is of interest to some people. At present only the live streams seem to be free, not past broadcasts.
John said:
I’m surprised that O2 state in their T+Cs that their unlimited data SIM can’t be used in a home 4G router. Wasn’t their some OFCOM ruling about this saying they have to allow it?
Ken replied:
Hi John,
Me too! Ofcom said that mobile service providers couldn’t discriminate based on “the terminal equipment used”. I believe O2’s argument is that a mains-powered 4G router isn’t really “terminal equipment”. I’m not certainly not a lawyer so I couldn’t comment on the legality of this & who is actually right. However, I imagine it will remain unchallenged unless Ofcom decide to investigate them for it.
Ken
jabulani creamer said:
hi what’s new in the updated version of this page
May 18th, 2020
Ken replied:
Hi Jabulani,
Thanks for your comment. Loads has happened since we last updated this page! For instance, Lebara Mobile have added a £35 unlimited data SIM card. EE, iD Mobile & Virgin Mobile have also refreshed the unlimited data plans that they offer. We’ve also added a bit of further information around O2’s terms and conditions that prevent you from using the SIM card in a 4G router.
Hope this helps,
Ken
Terry Reilly said:
Hi Ken, nice summary.
Do you know what is the difference between a sim for a mobile phone with unlimited data and a mobile broadband data only sim? Specifically when there is congestion on the network. I have an O2 SIM With unlimited data that I took from my iPhone and also an o2 sim for 150GB per month that came with a Netgear M1 router I bought from O2. In the early evening when I assume the network is busy, I get buffering streaming HD video on the iPhone SIM (in the Netgear router), but it doesn’t happen with the data only SIM. I feel that O2 are giving priority to the more expensive sim, but I can’t find any specific reference to that. If it’s true, then it is another factor to consider when buying a sim
Ken replied:
Hi Terry,
Thanks for your comment, and that’s a very good question regarding the prioritisation of different users. Sadly, there isn’t any publicly available information about how different users/SIM cards are prioritised when the network is congested. As such, this is often an area where there is lots of speculation about how different users are prioritised and the criteria used by the networks.
It’s probably safe to assume that emergency services have top priority on the network, followed by business users with a SLA and then regular consumers after that. Within consumer, it’s really a black box on how different users are prioritised. It’s probable that Pay Monthly users are prioritised over Pay As You Go users, but who knows how Pay Monthly customers are given priority amongst each other (e.g. it’s possible the cost of the SIM card makes a difference, but as far as I know, it hasn’t been proven conclusively either way).
Ken
John R said:
I want to buy the Three Homefi Plus deal with B535 router and unlimited data but I need to be able to use this in Europe as well and can’t find on their website whether or not it includes “Go Roam”
If it does not support roaming, would it be better to buy separatley a B525 unlocked router and get a sim only plan that includes roaming? Finally, do sims for phones operate exactly the same as sims for routers?
Thank you.
Ken replied:
Hi John,
Thanks for your comment. The HomeFi Plus (Huawei B535) does indeed include Go Roam. With regards to your second question, yes, it does operate in pretty much the same way, except you don’t get any minutes or texts included on your SIM.
Hope this helps,
Ken
John said:
When tethering, it mentions a 12 device limit. Is that 12 devices tethering from the connection concurently at the same time?
Ken replied:
Hi John,
Great question! EE’s unlimited data plans have a limit of 12 devices through tethering. I’m not sure exactly how this is defined (e.g. 12 devices concurrently or otherwise). This is the exact wording in their terms and conditions:
“If you regularly tether 12 or more devices, we will consider this non-personal use and have the right to move you to a more suitable plan.”
I’d definitely welcome any feedback from other readers of this website who have used an unlimited data plan on EE.
Ken
Conor said:
Superdrug Mobile now also offers unlimited data for £20 a month
Angela said:
Hi Ken, This is my first time of coming across your blog. It sounds great. I’m in the process of shopping around for more data as I need the extra for listening to my online trainings while working nights shifts. You’ve empowered me to make a better judgement. Thank you so sooo much. You are doing a fantastic job. Well done.
Dan said:
Hi There,
Just moved from city centre to outskirt. I was used to having Virgin Media fibre ~165Mbps. But now the BT open reach cabinet my home is connected to is full and there is no plan to roll out any improvements unfortunately. The ADSL alternative would give me up to 17Mbps.
I work from home, as a web developer, so heavy data transfer / video conference, this is my prerogative.
On a side note, I sometimes download games and use Netflix.
So I cannot afford not having a fast connection.
I bought a Huawei B535, put a SMARTY Unlimited Data sim, but speed reaches ~30 Mbps.
Is there a way to improve my connection apart from buying the antenna you recommend (https://kenstechtips.com/index.php/mobile-broadband-antennas).
I read on some ISP forum topics people can select the LTE band in there Huawei B525, but it seems impossible with the B535.
Also, would I get any restrictions based on the Smarty T&Cs ? I read they have a fair use of 1000GB, and I am afraid I might easily reach it.
Do you have any advices?
Thanks,
Dan
Ken replied:
Hi Dan,
Thanks for your comment. It’s really difficult to say what would improve the download speeds you get – this really depends on whether the download speeds are being limited by the coverage you can get, or by the available capacity on your nearest mast. To start with, I’d recommend testing out different placements for your router (ideally near an upstairs window and facing in the direction of your nearest mobile mast). It may also be worth testing out some different mobile network SIM cards (in case other mobile networks will give you better coverage) or testing out an external antenna as you say.
With regards to the fair usage limit on unlimited data SIM cards, SMARTY does indeed have a 1,000GB threshold which they use to flag up commercial usage of the service. There’s more information here on the fair usage policy on unlimited data SIM cards in the UK.
Hope this helps,
Ken
黄山 said:
Hi Ken,
Can I just use a pay-as-you-go 1 SIM card from Vodafone in a MIFI device – mobile WI-FI device, without my Pay-as-you-go SIM from Vodafone being suspended or disconnected?
Thanks
Ken replied:
Hi there,
Yes. It should now be possible to use the Pay As You Go 1 SIM card in any device. Ofcom’s net neutrality ruling in 2018 prevented mobile networks from restricting the type of device that a SIM card could be used in. Therefore, it shouldn’t be a problem using a smartphone SIM card in your MiFi.
Hope this helps,
Ken
Michael said:
Is there a website which predicts 4G data speeds you’re likely to get at a postcode? Vodafone comes close and reckons “up to 60MB” at my location. All of them, including Ofcom, only show coverage – not predicted speeds like a broadband checker would.
I know this type of measurement should be taken with a pinch of salt (probably won’t include mast contention for example), but this type of info would be incredibly useful as 4G home broadband becomes more common.
The only way I can think of is get a SIM for each network and test it, which is a pain as you can imagine.
Ken replied:
Hi Michael,
Thanks for your comment. Sadly, there aren’t any websites that I’m currently aware of allowing you to do this in a semi-useful way. Like you say, Vodafone does offer an estimated data speed range on their own coverage checker. However, EE, O2 and Three don’t have the same functionality so it isn’t really comparable across different networks.
Some third-party companies like OpenSignal have tried to build something themselves by crowdsourcing data from people who have their app installed. However, I don’t think this data is very useful as the sample size is far too small.
I think the biggest issue here is that data speeds can vary massively even inside of a postcode. For instance, you might see a big differences in download speed even within your own home (e.g. placing the router in a different room or having an external antenna). For this reason, trial-and-error is probably still the best way of comparing speeds across mobile networks (and definitely testing out different placements of the router in your home).
Ken
Thomas O'neill said:
Hi Ken I have been reading your comments and replies for about a month since I have been using AI Cube on three network. And it’s probably one of the best for comments and replies and most enjoyable with sensible comments and answers
The one on Dave moving to rural Scotland usb dongle from Huawei – you’re right I live outside Glasgow and used a dongle about a year ago and had problem after problem. Recently I got AI Cube on 3 network and it works fine the Huawei b525 will work perfectly well as know someone who uses it near me so good advice ken.
Was also reading about content blockage. I thought 3 was doing the same with me and went straight to web based management page and now it works perfect so a big thank you I also downloaded the Netgear Analytics free app play store it works on any device and is really good and use on my android box it’s a big help as you know WiFi is unpredictable and walk around the house with my phone for best spots living room etc.
Dave said:
Hi there,
This seems to be the go to place for this kind of info, very informative & helpful with sorting out the sim options so far…
I’m moving to rural Scotland, i think the max data vodafone is the best bet for coverage & usage & i think i know how to set this up but wanted to check with an expert !
Need to keep it cheap, so can i use my existing router (TP link VR400), buy an unlocked dongle (Huawei E3372 on amazon £35 ?) and just insert the data sim into the dongle, the dongle in to the router & away we go ? Its going to get some heavy use but pretty static so i dont think a mifi type is an option and dont really want to pay out for a pricey new router.
Thanks in advance.
Ken replied:
Hi Dave,
Thanks for your comment, and for the kind words about the website! You ask a great question. Assuming the Huawei E3372 dongle works with the TP-Link VR400, this should probably be fine (though you’ll need to check their documentation to see whether this is the case).
However, if at all possible, I would strongly recommend you to buy a new 4G router – something like the Huawei B525. You’ll find it gives far better performance & speeds than a cheap USB dongle. There’s also the ability to connect an external antenna which can make a really big difference in rural areas with weaker coverage.
Hope this helps,
Ken
Dave replied:
Hi Ken,
Thanks for the reply.
Well the setup works fine, sadly Vodafone does not.
The coverage map and mast positions suggest it should but somehow their max sim is capping at 5-7mbs on 4g (it is the max available speed one).That’s the same via dongle or putting it in my phone. It does increase if I limit it to 3g, get 15mbs then.
Which seems odd as EE whose mast seems to be same line of sight and just 20 nearer gives 60-70mbs.
Thanks again.
Ken replied:
Hi Dave,
That’s pretty bizarre it caps out at 5-7Mbit/s. Is there an issue with capacity on your nearest Vodafone mast? One alternative you could explore is EE’s £34/month unlimited data SIM card. It’s £4/month more expensive than Vodafone, but this might be worth it if you’re able to get far better speeds. You’ll have to keep an eye out for their fair usage limit however, which prevents you from regularly tethering more than 12 devices.
Ken
Dave replied:
Hi Ken,
Back to hopefully draw upon your words of wisdom once again.
So I have been happily using the above dongle with an unlimited EE £34pcm. Moved to another remote area, same set up, now have the odd, perhaps daily, every other day, disconnect, where the connection just goes. A router reset clears this up fine. Its just a pain in the backside.
Now im in sight of the nearest mast now, only 300m away, router is in an upstairs window looking at it. Generally get a steady speed 30bps on speedtest (not expecting any more really).
Id hazard a guess these resets are the limitations of the router/dongle setup ?
Only other possibility i could think of is fair usage, we hit it hard, soul source of tv, streaming etc. But then a quick reset wouldnt solve that ?
Just wanted to check your opinion before looking at upgrading hardware as oppose to network hopping.
Cheers,
Dave.
Ken replied:
Hi Dave,
Thanks for your comment and hope you’re keeping OK in the current situation!
Based on what you’ve described, this potentially sounds like it might be a hardware limitation/issue. I wouldn’t expect fair usage capping or throttling to be resolved by something like restarting your router. Rather, I wonder if the dongle might have just been pushed a bit harder than it’s designed to work (a dedicated 4G home broadband router should give better performance than a small pocket sized dongle).
Ken
Sam said:
I’ve been using a SMARTY Unlimited SIM in my home 4G router with quite acceptable performance, but noticed lately that they appear to be blocking game and application downloads to my Xbox (which otherwise has good connectivity when using it to browse, stream movies, etc.) I presume they’re able to do this by monitoring traffic connections similar to how they block certain websites with their adult filter.
Any idea if other networks do this, or whether I should explore asking SMARTY to remove my content blocks?
Ken replied:
Hi Sam,
Thanks for your comment. According to SMARTY’s website, they don’t have any data shaping or throttling in use. Therefore, I’m not sure if this is the culprit that’s causing an issue for you. It might be worth double-checking to make sure all content blocks are removed from your SIM card, as this is sometimes be over-aggressive and can block other services as well.
Ken
Mark said:
Thanks for all the info ken your a star
Chris Wright said:
We’re buying a rural property that BT offer max 8mb. Nearby is a EE mast. Speed check on 4g 68mb. No brainier to go 4g. Already have a MiFi unit do I just change plan to unlimited?
Ken replied:
Hi Chris,
Thanks for your comment. It definitely sounds like 4G broadband might be the way to go here! I’d personally recommend changing to a mains-powered router as you’ll get much better performance compared to a battery-powered mi-fi. You can either get a 4G home broadband package like 4GEE Home, or you can buy an unlocked 4G router for your existing SIM card.
Hope this helps,
Ken
Andrew said:
Hi, looking at getting a EE 4GEE home router to replace snail pace and falling over BT fixed broadband – rural property. EE will charge me £50 per month for 18 months incl the router for 500GB per month or I can buy an unlimited sim off them for £34 per month over 12 months and buy the router for £130 from BT. Surely they offer the same but the latter is better value?
Ken replied:
Hi Andrew,
Thanks for your comment. EE only introduced their unlimited data plans last week, and unfortunately these haven’t yet filtered through to 4GEE Home. In theory, I think it should be possible to do what you’re suggesting, but do be aware of the tethering limit on this plan (no more than 12 devices can be tethered or connected to your router). In addition, you’ll also miss out on the 5GB data boost from 4GEE Home (though to compensate, you do get a 100GB giftable data allowance from EE’s unlimited plan that can be transferred to other accounts like your mobile phone SIM card).
Ken
Andrew replied:
Thanks Ken, very clear. I am sure that EE will go unlimited on the 4GEE Home in time.
Olivia Anne said:
If I visit the UK for 2 weeks at a time, how may I acquire unlimited data, with modest text & calls within the UK? Which is the best plan & carrier for this?
Ken replied:
Hi Olivia,
Thanks for your comment. As a visitor to the UK, you’re probably looking for a Pay As You Go SIM card that doesn’t require credit checks. Your options on Pay As You Go are essentially giffgaff and Three, though I’d normally recommend giffgaff for visitors to the UK. You can pay £25 for an unlimited data allowance lasting for up to one month (though download speeds are reduced to 384kbps once you’ve used 40GB per month). Three have unlimited data for £35/month on Pay As You Go, but they don’t offer international delivery and may require you to use a UK card to top-up (unless you top-up in person at a store).
Hope this helps,
Ken
Olivia Anne replied:
Yes. Thank you. However, I am unclear if there is phone and text, even if limited, and unlimited data. I had a Tesco card, and probably had £20 top ups 8 to 10 times and still had no connectivity periodically! So, I’m less concerned with the cost than I am the ability to STAY connected. I will be in the UK for about 15 days in all.
Ken replied:
Hi Olivia,
Yes, you’ll get unlimited minutes and unlimited texts included in both packages – albeit, only local phone calls within the UK.
Ken
Val replied:
ATM, Superdrug chemist do an unlimited data, £20 a month, no contract. Good luck x
Khairul said:
You can add EE’s new unlimited data plans to the article now.
Ken replied:
Hi Khairul,
Thanks for the heads up about this! We’ll update the information ASAP to cover the new unlimited data plans from EE.
Ken
Jan said:
Hi, what is the best unlimited data plan if the purpose of the phone is to keep in touch using the simplest video messenger services(not texting) like WhatsApp and Facebook. This is a question to help set up a non-phonme user for first time so everything including handset has to be simplest and cheapest – but still work
Thanks in advance
Ken replied:
Hi Jan,
Thanks for your comment. To be honest, it’s probably unlikely that you’ll need an unlimited data plan for basic usage of WhatsApp, Facebook, etc. For more information, see my guide to mobile download limits. Saying that, if you do want an unlimited data plan for the additional peace of mind, I’d definitely have a look at the deals listed above. Three currently offer unlimited data from £20/month (with half price for the first 6 months). Alternatively, Virgin have data-free messaging, so usage of WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger will not count towards your download allowance.
Hope this helps,
Ken
Mark Skinner said:
Hello everybody, Just want to let you know of my experiences with Three. I live in a very rural area and landline broadband only delivers approx 1mbps!, so, for the last year I have had Three unlimited data,texts,calls, originally was £27, then they reduced it to£22 after I complained they were lying about 4g coverage ,i only get 1or2 bars on 3g, but it is truly unlimited and unlimited Hotspot, I use an iPhone SE as my hotspot device and run our 2 ipads,laptops and smart tv for streaming Netflix etc, it drops out now and again but still miles better than landline broadband which used to drop out for days!, the only downside is that Three customer service is just beyond disgraceful, I threatened to cancel my contract and they agreed to reduce my monthly bill to £17 – but they have not done this and I am now in the middle of a complaint with them about this as they need to credit me some money but their Indian? Call centre is staffed by a bunch of liars, I have a separate “house” phone/mobile which is with SMARTY (Owned by Three and on the 3 network but with English speaking support staff who actually reply to your emails!), this costs me only £5 per month for unlimited texts and calls, I do not use data on this phone so they reduce the £6.25 monthly bill to £5 – NO CONTRACT REQUIRED WITH SMARTY !, so, my wife has just ordered an Unlimited data/calls/texts/Hotspot SIM from smarty for £18.25 per month, NO CONTRACT REQUIRED – MONTHLY! and we will just take the early cancellation hit from our 3 contract (3 months left), which will actually be worth it just to get away from their disgraceful customer service, so, getting rid of 3 but staying with them at the same time! So, suggest you all consider SMARTY! If anybody has any questions I would be only too happy to answer if I can! P.s. this is a great site btw, well done!
Ken replied:
Hi Mark,
Thanks for your kind feedback, and for sharing your experiences of using Three for home broadband 🙂 I agree that the unlimited data deal from SMARTY is currently great value, given it’s presently discounted to £18.25/month.
Whilst you might want to cancel your Three contract a bit early, I would advise against doing this if you’re at all able. They’ll charge you a hefty early exit fee, which is equivalent to paying for another 3 months (less a small 20% discount). Given you’ll need to pay for those three months anyway, I’d at least try to use the service rather than paying them and getting nothing in return! You can then cancel your Three contract at a later date through the PAC Code or STAC Code process without needing to talk to anyone in their call centre.
Ken
Jeff replied:
Hii doesn’t smarty use three network? How good is it
Mark Skinner replied:
Like I said in my post ,SMARTY is owned by Three and on the Three network, so it is as good as Three, like I said, I only get 1/2 bars of 3g which is still miles better than the 1mbps landline broadband would give me.
Sammy said:
Hi
I would like to add my personal experience regarding Virgin unlimited contract, even though they state in their advertising “truly unlimited” the back haul team will disconnect your data connection you if you consistently use about 800gig a month.
When i was with them there was no fair use limit in the terms and conditions and when this was pointed out to customer services and also reminding them i was on a truly unlimited contract it made no difference as they kept stating i was using to much data. The UK customer services is very poor and is based abroad.
Others have said they have had no issue but “truly unlimited” it is not and if i had more time i would of complained to the Ofcom aswell as the ASA.
Simon said:
Firstly I have to say that this is a truly epic site. I am as impressed with it as much as Techmoan (for dashcams etc.) which is saying something!
Outstanding job, Ken, quite outstanding. I hope that you derive financial benefit from the site either directly or indirectly. Perhaps you should set up a ‘tip jar’.
I would really appreciate any thoughts on this deal:
https://www.fonehouse.co.uk/basket?type=simonly&productId=119&tariffId=1790&giftId=109&dealTypeId=2
It gives £192 cashback on the £30/month Vodafone Unlimited Max service (as in max speed available).
My circumstances are that I am in a rural location with an 8Mb/s FTTC connection. But I have 4 holiday cottages on site, so this doesn’t go very far.
I have just (this minute) purchased a Huawei B525 and now I need a provider for the SIM. Unfortunately, I don’t get a good connection to Three BUT my Voda 4G connection is pretty good giving >40Mb/s
So, my questions (to Ken or anyone else with relevant experience) are:
a) Will a regular SIM (as opposed to data only) work OK? Having spent a fair amount of time on this site, the answer appears to be ‘yes’, but I just wanted to make sure.
b) Does the cashback deal (above) sound reasonable? Not asking for any guarantees of course, just an opinion.
Once the router is set up with a SIM, I will use homeplugs (internet over mains power cables) to distribute the signal between the cottages.
If this setup works, it will save me from having multiple rubbish landlines which are both slow and expensive. Specifically, one £30/month SIM giving 40Mb/s compared with two £27/month landlines giving 8Mb/s each.
Ken replied:
Hi Simon,
Thank you so much for your kind feedback, and so sorry for the massive delay in getting back to you!
a) Yes, a regular SIM card will work just fine in your Huawei B525 router. It used to be the case last year that you could only use these SIM card in a smartphone, but Ofcom put an end to that with their ruling on net neutrality (specifically, making sure that “restrictions on the devices in which a SIM can be used” were no longer imposed). You should now, therefore, be able to use any SIM card in any device.
b) The deal sounds reasonable to me (though I think it has probably expired since you posted your original question). I haven’t had much first-hand experience with Fonehouse, but assuming it works, this is a pretty decent discount in my opinion!
Good luck with setting it all up!
Ken
Pete said:
Vodafone are starting Unlimited Data plans
https://www.vodafone.co.uk/unlimited-data-plans/index.htm
Ken replied:
Hi Pete,
That’s fantastic news! We’ll get an article up soon to review these new 5G plans from Vodafone.
Thanks again for the heads up on this.
Ken
John Murray said:
What I see with most of these is they all bar Giff Gaff want paying by credit card and not by Top Up. Those bundles are only payable by credit card. Then with Three they charge a higher price if you buy the bundle as Add On.
Ken replied:
Hi John,
You’re absolutely right. SMARTY requires you to have a credit card or debit card saved onto your account, which will be charged automatically every month. You can, however, disable the automatic renewal of that bundle at any time. Three allows you to top-up with credit and to convert that credit into a one-month bundle, but it will cost £35 for you to do this.
Ken
John Murray replied:
It’s as I said,and with Smarty you’ll still have to buy the £6 bundle to receive your SIM card.
Leeman said:
How can OFFCOM go after three for net neutrality with regards to tethering and not the other players.
I don’t see how Three giving all their customers unlimited data with no tethering limits is sustainable.
I can understand them giving unlimited data to their mobile broadband customers who by nature may require high data usage, but giving it to everyone with a phone with no restrictions on tethering or personal hotspots is bound to have a detrimental effect on their service.
Already my 4g data speed is becoming more and more erratic averaging 0.1 to 4.5 mbps and jumping to 25 to 45 mbps in a small pre-dawn window.
I suspect them giving everyone unlimited data with no real relevant limits is the reason why.
How do they hope to sustain this. No other player is doing it this way…
Leeman said:
How come OFFCOM is targeting three for net neutrality regarding tethering but not the other players.
Three is going to become unusable with them offering everyone unlimited data.
I would understand if an unlimited option was available to their mobile broadband customers but with them giving it to everybody with a phone and the removal of tethering I don’t see how this is sustainable.
My mifi 4g speeds are extremely erratic these days averaging from 0.1 to 4.2 mbps and I suspect this is the reason why.
What kind of strategy is this. Nobody else is doing it this way….
Craig said:
Any thoughts Ken, on using an unlimited data plan as a sort of proxy for WiFi? Maybe using a dedicated MiFi device or even a phone as a hotspot… If say one wants the flexibility, not being tied into a long broadband contract etc? Speed of connection 4G mobile data vs. Broadband Wifi? What do you think?
Ken replied:
Hi Craig,
Many thanks for your comment. Typically, you’ll be able to use an unlimited data plan through tethering or portable hotspot on your other devices (e.g. your laptop or tablet). However, speeds are slowed down after the first 9GB/month on giffgaff and tethering is limited to 30GB/month on Three. Therefore, these tariffs might not be a very good replacement for your normal home broadband/wi-fi service.
There are some mobile broadband tariffs designed for use in the home – for instance, Three’s HomeFi which gives you 40GB of data for £24/month or Relish which gives you unlimited data from £20/month if you’re living in Central London. Both of these can be a good replacement for home broadband if you’re in an area with good coverage & if the data allowance is enough for you.
Ken
Aj said:
Three have now increased the add-on’s price from £15 to £20 unfortunately.
queelster said:
I noticed today that ID network have stop doing unlimited unless its a typo ob the Carphone warehouse site now dropped to 10gb for £20
Ken replied:
Hey there,
A massive thank you for the heads up about the iD Mobile offer. We’ve now removed it from this page as they’ve dropped the tariff down to 10GB per month.
Thanks again,
Ken