Perhaps residents in your area should consider campaigning for a wireless broadband service, such as http://www.cotswoldwireless.co.uk/ccn/index.html. They work on a similar principle to mobile broadband, but with faster speeds and are better suited as an alternative to fixed line services.

At the same time availability of more spectrum and more 4G sites will happen, meaning we can enjoy the benefits in 2015 and 2016, rather than end up with a service getting worse and worse as the heaviest 10% use more and more (which has been the pattern) more and more people tethering more and more and using it for heavy applications.

We should see improvements in my opinion.

I don't disagree with that at all.

Data usage is still growing massively so I don't expect total usage to decrease drastically if much at all.

I just don't expect it to continue to grow at the same rate it once was.

Here is the rate of growth.

2011= ~50PB
2012= ~85PB
2013= ~135PB
----------------------------------------
2014= ~210PB (est)

Growth rate is between +60-70% each year

There was once a company who were supposed to be expanding community wi-fi to this area

http://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php...fordshire.html

It never happened, in fact I think the company behind this press release diluted a lot of their interest in the whole Community Wi-Fi market, and now concentrate on other areas of business.

I know it was also looked into more locally by two local business people, however the nearest high speed Fibre connection is about seven miles away, so the main problem was how any transmission base would be linked to a suitably fast connection. Thanks for the suggestion though.

Exactly, it will deliver more data with more LTE sites being added, but it will also redistribute 60% of the network's capacity more fairly among the user base at the same time.

Yup, Pretty much.

Revision of data

Thanks to Jabbamk1 I have an update for the average top 10%.,

Those in the top 10% on the One Plan currently consumer around 23GB a month whilst overall (including all tariffs) the average top 10% use over 13GB a month.


http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showp...&postcount=225


The top 10% One Plan users consume around 23GB per month 23GB X 78p = £17.94.

So if they got the cheap £15 per month Sim Only deal £17.94 - £15 = £2.94 per month loss for Three.

10,000 High users will cost Three an extra £2.94 per month. That's £29,400 per month loss or £352,800 per year loss.

I hate to be that guy but 10% of 1 million is 100,000. Not 10,000.

Oh and Three has ~8 million active customers. The other two million don't account for these data usage figures.

Where are you seeing the £13 plan?

The other thing is that there are people in the top few percent that no doubt use an obscene amount compared to the other 97% or 98% of the user base. Looking at the top 10% in a way makes it look a bit milder.

Opps missed a zero



100,000 High users will cost Three an extra £2.94 per month. That's £294,000 per month loss or £3,528,000 per year loss.

Yet somehow Three manage to turn a profit.

Of course, because the other 90% of customers are profitable. I'm a bit dubious about calculating everything down to a figure per GB as some costs are fixed, sales, marketing, customer support, the cost of the number, sim, spectrum. If you used that crude figure though I cost Three £2.34, but paid £15.

It is all about margin, every business is and the extreme users that have meant the unlimited tethering is going. The resource won't go unused and save Three money though, it isn't about that, they calculate an ARPU figure and expect to make a return from the overall user base based on fixed and non fixed costs.

The resource will still be used, just by different customers, leading to a better user experience for the 90% which should hopefully help reduce churn, everyone still gets unlimited data on the phone which is the primary device, so they keep their USP and people get 4GB of tethering if they want it + if they need internet for all their other devices they'll have to fund it, rather than cheap out at £15 powering everything from their mobile phone.

Wi-fi direct. Is that classed as tethering?

I don't think it is, but if I tried it with a 3 sim in, would 3 class it as tethering?

(Post #199)

Of course, Three might manage to conjure up a special plan for said journos...

Everything goes' figures are based 100% on estimated costings. So whilst I appreciate the time he's taken to work it out, it's not representative of anything really and is just a guess at best.

Called 3 today as I'm on holiday and plenty of time to shop around if I'm not happy with what I hear. On the £15 sim only one plan which ran out 12/10/14 said friends had been contacted and they had to move plans or leave. I asked how that would affect me as I'm out of contract.
She said the plan was no longer being offered to new customers but I could continue on the plan and would not be asked to leave or anything.
Just received a text From Three: Just to confirm, we have not cancelled or upgraded your account. If you would like to cancel or upgrade, please call us back.

So this mirrors what others have said.
What I don't want to is being text in s few months and being asked to change as a the moment their are some good alternative deals about. I want to stay with 3 & if I was offered the Unlimited texts mins and ACE data for my existing price would have no hesitation to stay.
May try shop later for what it's worth. Would rather put it to bed if gonna happen eventually

Yes... same convo as I had with them.... which is utter tosh. I'm going to call them again later on I think.

Just been in shop at White Rose and they said £15 one plan was a great old plan..... they can't offer me any special deals to change and basically just hang on to plan as long as possible.

Plymouthbloke let us know how you get on and what number you ring.... I called 333 cancellations.
Anyone who got good deals who/what number did u call?
Thanks in advance
Alex

Perhaps they've set it up so only those customers who've been sent the text can get through to the special 160 person team in Glasgow (mentioned earlier by jabbamk1), and the regular customer service agents can't do anything to accelerate this process (but instead have been given a pretty bad brief on what to tell existing 'in contract' customers - or perhaps they've been given no briefing at all?).

If so it'd be one way of managing demand, but one that doesn't accommodate those wishing to take pre-emptive action.

I'm currently on the 30 day sim only one plan which I pay £18/month for.

I haven't recieved the text yet but I've called three on several occasions using 333 and the 0800 number to discuss the changes.

Each time I was offered the unlimited plan (calls, texts, data) for £21, which is keeping a £7 discount I currently have. I did mention that other people I know have been offered a better deal,and even suggested that they switch me to the 12 month sim only, but the guy said that would cost me £25/month as I would lose my loyalty discount (change of plan).

I have now requested my MAC in hope that someone may call to offer me a deal in the next 30 days. If they are going to charge me £3/month more I will hang onto my one plan as long as possible. I would be happy to switch to the new plan today if they could do it for £18 though...

Two quick points:

1. Those saying that the person on phone has told them that their plan will continue as is - it won't after Jan 5th. This is a training issue at three, and a lot of their agents (typically offshore) don't know what's happening.

2. The unlimited £15 rolling plan - you'll get this by calling the 0800 number, not retentions or anyone else.

I've called the 0800 number twice, each time they say the best they can offer is 30 day rolling at £21 instead of the £18 I pay now.

Good old 3 who shot themselves in the foot!

Surely heads must roll, whoever decided to discontinue with One Plan must get the sack!

What makes them think customers will be happy to pay nearly double what they are paying now and still end up with less?

The number 1 rule of any successful business is to acknowledge that the customers do not like paying more for less and will not do so

And the number 2 rule of any successful business is to hold on to your current/loyal customers because for each one you loss you have to find 2 to make profit!

They have a lot of discount to offer to a lot of customers or will loss business.

I have been on One Plan for about a year and half and went out to buy myself a Note 3 phone to benefit from One plan sim only package I have, so I have no intention of upgrading my handset or paying double for similar sim plan.

That’s the loss of £15 x 12 = £180 from only one customer and multiply it by so many other unhappy customers, I can only wish 3 good luck with that as their balance book won’t look that good when they upset so many customers.

I have a friend who is on the same plan and also considering cancelling. (He has not received the text yet)

The change is not on mainstream media yet and not all customers have received the text yet and so 3 can expect a big backlash.

This must be the most stupid decision they have ever made, they are not upsetting only a couple of hundred customers but nearly a 1 million customers! wooww stupidity at its best.

Money is rolling in and your new plans do not offer the same package anyway so why upset 1 million customers you already have?

It was clever of 3 to remove unlimited tethering from existing plans and increasing the price of top sim package but they have undone all the good by potentially losing thousands of customers.

I barely used tethering but it was good to know that it was there when and if needed.

I understand mobile broadband should never be seen or used instead of home broadband but again who can blame customers who used it for that purpose when it is 3 who advertised itself 1000gb free usage!

And the number 3 and the final rule of any successful business is that don’t offer something you can’t honour!

Also it is really poor customer service to send just a text and expect customers to call you and wait 45 minutes to talk to someone. I received the text last week and have no intention of ringing them. It is up to them to contact me or write to me.

Come 5th January if they take more than £15 (actually £12 from my bank account as I am on special offer) I will just contact my bank and claim it back under Direct Debit Indemnity claim, as the amount would be differ than advance notice.

I suggest everyone who would be in the same boat to do the same, as they should not charge customers more or move us to any package automatically without talking or writing to us.

Rant over!

Looks like I'm going to be off to T-Mobiles 2000 minute unlimited text/data sim only soon.... A little bit more than what I'm paying now but cheaper than Three's AYCE mins plan. Don't see why I should pay more than I have to - and it's a free market after all. I don't need AYCE mins but may need more than 600 in the coming months.

Ah well....