Nothing changes until the all new tariffs arrive. Anyone saying different is wrong. And if people were now capped, it wouldn't be at 2GB anyway.
Sign up on the SIM-only One Plan today (30 day or 12 month) and you're on the same package as everyone else for the last goodness knows how long. No tethering cap!
But time is running out.
Sadly for those who have a handset contract, when that 'expires' there are only two options: 1) continue paying the inflated cost for the payback of the handset subsidy that is now paid off, or 2) change tariff, thus getting the tethering limit on whatever you change to.
I'm currently on a 24 month handset contract, would I be able to upgrade / sidestep to the one plan now in order to keep the no tethering cap? I'm about a year into my contract.
I'm currently on a 24 month handset contract, would I be able to upgrade / sidestep to the one plan now in order to keep the no tethering cap? I'm about a year into my contract.
I'd imagine you could buy out your existing contract and sign a new one, but whether that can be done in time I do not know.
Could be an expensive upfront cost now, but a big saving in the future.
Alternatively, you sign up for the One Plan SIM only now, then buy out your existing contract and then seek to port the number, most likely via another operator. Will probably be a real faff, but - again - possibly worth it if you really want unlimited tethering.
There might be other options, but I'll leave that to other members to explain if they exist.
I'd imagine you could buy out your existing contract and sign a new one, but whether that can be done in time I do not know.
Could be an expensive upfront cost now, but a big saving in the future.
Alternatively, you sign up for the One Plan SIM only now, then buy out your existing contract and then seek to port the number, most likely via another operator. Will probably be a real faff, but - again - possibly worth it if you really want unlimited tethering.
There might be other options, but I'll leave that to other members to explain if they exist.
Thanks for the reply, I was hoping I could just change my current contract to be part of the One plan, I think I'm on one of the old All-You-Can-Eat data contracts. If not it's not an issue, I don't need to tether much anyway
If tethering is not something you regularly do then buying yourself out of a handset contract early is almost certainly a false economy - I would just stick with what you've got and once you reach the end of the minimum term you can work out what best suits your usage out of what is available at the time.
While I think it is widely accepted now that unlimited tethering will soon be ending (for those not already on and staying on the One plan at least), I don't believe it has been established what exactly the current SIM only plans will be replaced with - even in terms of a tethering cap (the 2GB suggestion seems to be disputed by some who may well know what is coming, even if they aren't allowed to specify what that is). If the changes to the handset plans are anything to go by, I expect all the existing sim only plans will be similarly rebranded so probably won't even be called what they currently are once the new plans come into effect.
What's to stop Three putting all out of contract customers on 30 day notice to change their plan or end their contract if tethering is losing them money hand over fist?
What's to stop Three putting all out of contract customers on 30 day notice to change their plan or end their contract if tethering is losing them money hand over fist?
Nothing, except the potential loss of many customers to other networks, bad publicity etc
What's to stop Three putting all out of contract customers on 30 day notice to change their plan or end their contract if tethering is losing them money hand over fist?
That would inconvenience customers to find a new tariff. I wouldn't worry about a tethering cap until it's officially announced.
Made an enquiry about the One Plan Sim Only plans in the local store today and was advised they are ending that tariff at close of play tonight or tomorrow. The replacement plan will be AYCE mins, texts and handset data. 2GB tether cap. £28 a month.
Suffice to say I got one there and then. Am posting this from it now.
Perfect timing too - as they switched on 4G in the city centre yesterday - cracking speeds I'm getting on it
Made an enquiry about the One Plan Sim Only plans in the local store today and was advised they are ending that tariff at close of play tonight or tomorrow. The replacement plan will be AYCE mins, texts and handset data. 2GB tether cap. £28 a month.
It's been rumoured for more than 2 months and now seems to be confirmed.
Unlimited tethering was never sustainable and the revision of SIM only deals with that benefit was inevitable.
3 will put up with current users and mange them with Trafficsense but have made a sensible move to prevent their 4G investment being wasted for smartphone use by limiting tethering use which has been a mobile and/or fixed line broadband alternative for some.
Still good that handset data limits are not capped and that should be good for most who buy and use a mobile for mobile services.
The playing field had to level at some point as demand increases for data and the smallest network attracted the most data hungry customers. One has to wonder how 3 will grow without the 'unlimited' tethering USP which has been a pretty big niche for them for students and others with short term accommodation in cities.
What's to stop Three putting all out of contract customers on 30 day notice to change their plan or end their contract if tethering is losing them money hand over fist?
Because it would be madness. People would quite likely leave in the masses, and go to another network in protest.
And I am really not convinced that enough people tether for it to be a real problem, and TrafficSense could be used more aggressively for those that do.
I can't say what the new tariffs will be (but the changes to the handset tariffs probably give a fairly good clue, even if the most important thing being discussed on here could turn out to be a bit more generous) but I've heard a rumour that there might be some special promotions, and Three may well hope that some people could switch and give up the unlimited tethering for a reduced monthly rental, and the free 0800 calling.
We'll have to wait and see, and indeed Three will have to wait and see if they can entice people off the current plans. Obviously some people don't need or care about tethering, and some will be happy with the fixed allowance, so it might not be as bad as people make out.
And I am still hoping for some good revisions on the mobile broadband tariffs before year end. Start offering plans of above 15GB at a good price and that's another way to get people off the current plans.
Loads of people have clocked how easy it is to buy a smartphone contract or SIM with the One Plan and use that as a primary Internet service. That is precisely why the 2GB tethering limit has been introduced to try and reduce the congestion it causes! When there was plenty of bandwidth it made sense to sell it at any price but as users consumed more and capacity needs to be provided for smartphone handset customers the company had to make a strategic move to provide service to the most valuable consumers who primarily use mobiles for data use outwith their homes.
Consider the old phrase...... 'If it ain't broke don't fix it'. The tethering 'fix' tells you all you need to know.
Three may be great IMO, but it is no replacement for a landline fed broadband service.
It is invaluable when my main BB goes down, but the delay, horrific pings, constant video buffering etc would not be any way classed as a broadband experience!!
Three may be great IMO, but it is no replacement for a landline fed broadband service.
It is invaluable when my main BB goes down, but the delay, horrific pings, constant video buffering etc would not be any way classed as a broadband experience!!
But for many on limited budgets, migrants and students all of those factors can be 'lived with' in preference to paying an additional supplier for fixed line services.
Perhaps the 3 experience will improve when the number of high consuming tethering customers decrease as contracts expire.
I have tested tethering with PPTP and an SSL VPN and no significant difference for me, maybe it's an MTU or window size, peering connection issue to your provider or another issue specific to the VPNs you are using?
What is SSL VPN, OpenVPN? I'm using OpenVPN running on TCP port 80. I've ruled out any peering connection issue. I can wget a file from the server without the VPN connection at a decent speed and then perform the same wget over the VPN connection and see around 1/3 of the speed.
I haven't and wouldn't know where to play about with MTU or window size, no settings for that in the OpenVPN config file. If you're willing to check it out a bit you're welcome to a profile to connect and play with for a bit.
I agree. I tried to watch the tennis final on Sunday whilst out and about on my mobile. It buffered, froze, and was basically unwatchable.
Not impressed actually, but at least Three can support a radio stream, which is more than Orange or T-Mbobile could do!!
I watched the second half of the Brazil Germany game on the way home yesterday and it wasn't great (low bitrate at times). For some of the drive (I wasn't driving btw!) there's no Three coverage*, so obviously it dropped out completely and I missed the 6th goal, but it did come back and that was the only glitch in a 25 minute drive.
This was only 3G. On 4G, streaming is amazing and it's quicker for me to start seeing video on 4G than my home ADSL. I haven't really done much streaming while on the love though, but when still it's fine.
The latency is lower on 4G for me too. My broadband isn't good enough for fastpath and so it uses interleaved.
* I assume there would be 2G for EE but let's not even imagine streaming TV over 2G!
Three may be great IMO, but it is no replacement for a landline fed broadband service.
Strange, as i've been doing just that, for a couple of years now. If you had rural broadband (which produces around 1mbps on a Good Day), then I suspect you'd be doing exactly the same thing - some people really don't have any other choice. In fact I had the landline cancelled, as I didn't see the point of paying £15.95 a month just for the benefit of PPI claim companies and other cold callers.
I usually get around 10mbps from Three and thats tethered, that is actually more than the 7mbps which my Parents get from ADSL on Plusnet living on the edge of a small market town.
Everybody is different, and whilst a Mobile based service may not meet your requirements, its perfectly fine for mine.
Strange, as i've been doing just that, for a couple of years now. If you had rural broadband (which produces around 1mbps on a Good Day), then I suspect you'd be doing exactly the same thing - some people really don't have any other choice.
I usually get around 10mbps from Three and thats tethered, that is actually more than the 7mbps which my Parents get from ADSL on Plusnet living on the edge of a small market town.
Everybody is different, and whilst a Mobile based service may not meet your requirements, its perfectly fine for mine.
That doesn't mean that permanent tethering is what 3 intended with the One Plan. If everyone in your area did what you did, you wouldn't be getting 10Mbps either, you'd be getting far less.
Also quite a few people's "rural broadband" experience is better. In my village you'd struggle to get less than 20Mbps unless you're in the back of beyond on the edges of the villages. 70Mbps for most of the village where fibre exists, 330Mbps if you can get fibre to the premises.
That doesn't mean that permanent tethering is what 3 intended with the One Plan. If everyone in your area did what you did, you wouldn't be getting 10Mbps either, you'd be getting far less
Comments
Im currently on the One Plan, sim only (12 Months) My contract ends in October 2014. Will eveything stay the same after the 12 months?
Thanks
Baz
I'm currently on a 24 month handset contract, would I be able to upgrade / sidestep to the one plan now in order to keep the no tethering cap? I'm about a year into my contract.
Yes, unless you change plan or upgrade.
I'd imagine you could buy out your existing contract and sign a new one, but whether that can be done in time I do not know.
Could be an expensive upfront cost now, but a big saving in the future.
Alternatively, you sign up for the One Plan SIM only now, then buy out your existing contract and then seek to port the number, most likely via another operator. Will probably be a real faff, but - again - possibly worth it if you really want unlimited tethering.
There might be other options, but I'll leave that to other members to explain if they exist.
Thanks for the reply, I was hoping I could just change my current contract to be part of the One plan, I think I'm on one of the old All-You-Can-Eat data contracts. If not it's not an issue, I don't need to tether much anyway
While I think it is widely accepted now that unlimited tethering will soon be ending (for those not already on and staying on the One plan at least), I don't believe it has been established what exactly the current SIM only plans will be replaced with - even in terms of a tethering cap (the 2GB suggestion seems to be disputed by some who may well know what is coming, even if they aren't allowed to specify what that is). If the changes to the handset plans are anything to go by, I expect all the existing sim only plans will be similarly rebranded so probably won't even be called what they currently are once the new plans come into effect.
Nothing, except the potential loss of many customers to other networks, bad publicity etc
Suffice to say I got one there and then. Am posting this from it now.
Perfect timing too - as they switched on 4G in the city centre yesterday - cracking speeds I'm getting on it
They're lying to you to get a sale.
At least 3 of the things they've said is wrong.
Do prey tell....
Didn't bother me as I was going to get one soon anyways...
28 quid a month would be hilariously bad value for SIM only, I'd be expecting a phone for that.. Almost up there with EE for hilarious pricing.
Unlimited tethering was never sustainable and the revision of SIM only deals with that benefit was inevitable.
3 will put up with current users and mange them with Trafficsense but have made a sensible move to prevent their 4G investment being wasted for smartphone use by limiting tethering use which has been a mobile and/or fixed line broadband alternative for some.
Still good that handset data limits are not capped and that should be good for most who buy and use a mobile for mobile services.
The playing field had to level at some point as demand increases for data and the smallest network attracted the most data hungry customers. One has to wonder how 3 will grow without the 'unlimited' tethering USP which has been a pretty big niche for them for students and others with short term accommodation in cities.
Because it would be madness. People would quite likely leave in the masses, and go to another network in protest.
And I am really not convinced that enough people tether for it to be a real problem, and TrafficSense could be used more aggressively for those that do.
I can't say what the new tariffs will be (but the changes to the handset tariffs probably give a fairly good clue, even if the most important thing being discussed on here could turn out to be a bit more generous) but I've heard a rumour that there might be some special promotions, and Three may well hope that some people could switch and give up the unlimited tethering for a reduced monthly rental, and the free 0800 calling.
We'll have to wait and see, and indeed Three will have to wait and see if they can entice people off the current plans. Obviously some people don't need or care about tethering, and some will be happy with the fixed allowance, so it might not be as bad as people make out.
And I am still hoping for some good revisions on the mobile broadband tariffs before year end. Start offering plans of above 15GB at a good price and that's another way to get people off the current plans.
Consider the old phrase...... 'If it ain't broke don't fix it'. The tethering 'fix' tells you all you need to know.
It is invaluable when my main BB goes down, but the delay, horrific pings, constant video buffering etc would not be any way classed as a broadband experience!!
But for many on limited budgets, migrants and students all of those factors can be 'lived with' in preference to paying an additional supplier for fixed line services.
Perhaps the 3 experience will improve when the number of high consuming tethering customers decrease as contracts expire.
Not impressed actually, but at least Three can support a radio stream, which is more than Orange or T-Mbobile could do!!
What is SSL VPN, OpenVPN? I'm using OpenVPN running on TCP port 80. I've ruled out any peering connection issue. I can wget a file from the server without the VPN connection at a decent speed and then perform the same wget over the VPN connection and see around 1/3 of the speed.
I haven't and wouldn't know where to play about with MTU or window size, no settings for that in the OpenVPN config file. If you're willing to check it out a bit you're welcome to a profile to connect and play with for a bit.
I watched the second half of the Brazil Germany game on the way home yesterday and it wasn't great (low bitrate at times). For some of the drive (I wasn't driving btw!) there's no Three coverage*, so obviously it dropped out completely and I missed the 6th goal, but it did come back and that was the only glitch in a 25 minute drive.
This was only 3G. On 4G, streaming is amazing and it's quicker for me to start seeing video on 4G than my home ADSL. I haven't really done much streaming while on the love though, but when still it's fine.
The latency is lower on 4G for me too. My broadband isn't good enough for fastpath and so it uses interleaved.
* I assume there would be 2G for EE but let's not even imagine streaming TV over 2G!
Strange, as i've been doing just that, for a couple of years now. If you had rural broadband (which produces around 1mbps on a Good Day), then I suspect you'd be doing exactly the same thing - some people really don't have any other choice. In fact I had the landline cancelled, as I didn't see the point of paying £15.95 a month just for the benefit of PPI claim companies and other cold callers.
I usually get around 10mbps from Three and thats tethered, that is actually more than the 7mbps which my Parents get from ADSL on Plusnet living on the edge of a small market town.
Everybody is different, and whilst a Mobile based service may not meet your requirements, its perfectly fine for mine.
That doesn't mean that permanent tethering is what 3 intended with the One Plan. If everyone in your area did what you did, you wouldn't be getting 10Mbps either, you'd be getting far less.
Also quite a few people's "rural broadband" experience is better. In my village you'd struggle to get less than 20Mbps unless you're in the back of beyond on the edges of the villages. 70Mbps for most of the village where fibre exists, 330Mbps if you can get fibre to the premises.
So cry me a River
I don't need nor seek your approval......
Is there a reason to be so antagonistic?
I'm just saying that you can't expect it to stay the way it is, as it was never the intention for people like you to do what you're doing.