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Three phases out "The One Plan" and Unlimited tethering |
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#276 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 14,636
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You're right they want more money from their existing customers as they want more profit but good luck to them with that many customers would not be prepared to pay more for less.
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Also many Three customers can't even get 4G! so not only is good plan scrapped but also some of those can't get 4G while losing The One Plan. Good bye to Three I would say.
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Well they should have never advertised as 1000gb unlimited should they? They can't question how that data is used the way they sold & advertised The One Plan.
They want to have their cake and eat it too! Quote:
You have no idea what you are talking about. That’s sort of scare mongering wont scare me at all.
I work in financial services my friend and Direct Debit Indemnity Claim is in force just to stop companies like 3 or any other company who try to take more payment or amount not agreed in the first place. So no one would be open to debt collectors or trashed credit if 3 or any other company break their part of Direct Debit contract. I have only mentioned one reason but there are 8 reasons why legally the customer or their bank can claim any DD payment under Direct Debit Indemnity Claim. I challenge 3 to charge my account more or move me to other plan without my consent and to see if they get their payment. The Bank has to refund any DD payment as soon as it is requested by the account holder You can cancel or recall the direct debit all you want, but if 3 are meeting their contractual obligations then refusing payment is going to cause you more trouble than it's worth. And if you want to ignore these texts, go for it - but don't be surprised if you don't get as good a retention deal as someone more proactive may have got. And it's your choice - either work with 3 now and get a decent outcome, or be belligerent and get a PAC code, choice of non-discounted plans and debt collectors Quote:
In regards the One Plan you are right it may be going away so is three’s profit. I can’t see how One Plan Customer would be happy to pay more for less. They may remove this plan but that will cost them.
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#277 |
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Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 2,198
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Thanks very much chamsters that was exactly what I was looking for in terms of info.
So a recap of my story: 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 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. Went home and read 'chamsters' comments and rang the 0800 number and spoke to a very nice man Said what I had heard about the text and one plan being phased out and I was very concerned. He said I would have eventually got a text as they were contacting people in phases and everyone out of contract would eventually get a text. He first looked at my plan and saw I had £10 discount then without any haggling offered me unlimited minutes text & data + the 08 numbers + 4gb tethering etc for the same £15 I'm currently paying and on a rolling basis. I'm well pleased...I hope that helps others. Just got a text whilst typing this to say 'Your new plan and allowances will start on your next bill date. To check when this is, go to your My3 account and click on Check Allowances'. It now says Sim All-you-can-eat Data, All-you-can-eat Minutes - 12 Months Texts All-you-can-eat Minutes All-you-can-eat Data All-you-can-eat Don't know whether that means 12 month contract? Either way I'm very happy as I never wanted to leave 3, love my unlimited data, never much tether & kept my payment the same...well done 3....relief....sorted |
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#278 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 14,636
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Why on earth are you so keen to change your plan before Three have contacted. That's weird.
If you're not a heavy tetherer then an extra month of unlimited tethering is not really a big deal. |
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#279 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 9,746
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Question: How do they know it's 'tethered' data that you are using? I mean if you tether the phone to a PC via Bluetooth or USB cable, it's still using the phones network to get the data just like the phone would itself. Is there extra info sent in the data package to tell that it isn't the phone, but a connected device that has requested the data?
And so why hasn't some clever whiz kid designed and App or plugin box to disguise this? |
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#280 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 15
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Quick question on tethering, If i tether my phone to a windows/apple laptop then I understand that will/could be picked up on quite rapidly.
But what if you have an android phone tethered to an android or IOS tablet or phone via bluetooth, or wifi? Not sure how it works, but my best guess so far is that same device type (phone, not tablet) might go under the radar. A tablet would be picked up, as would a PC. |
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#281 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Glasgow
Posts: 10,276
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Good old 3 who shot themselves in the foot!
Surely heads must roll, whoever decided to discontinue with One Plan must get the sack! ![]() 3 may have made a costly error with the One Plan and time will tell if the gains made will result in retention when the plan is phased out. Customers can still use data on handsets unlimited and perhaps that will be sufficient for a significant proportion who joined 3 with the One Plan. Perhaps now that the tethering issues is being addressed 3 can place more emphasis on rolling-out 4G as they run the risk of being left behind the others at the rate they are presently deploying it at. |
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#282 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 14,636
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Question: How do they know it's 'tethered' data that you are using? I mean if you tether the phone to a PC via Bluetooth or USE cable, it's still using the phones network to get the data just like the phone would itself. Is there extra info sent in the data package to tell that it isn't the phone, but a connected device that has requested the data?
They could also look at the time to live in the IP packet header. This is a counter that gets decremented for each router the packet passes through, and the phone while tethering counts as a router. So 3 could spot that. They could also look at the IMEI of the device that the SIM is inserted into, which among other things tells them what type of device is in use. Phone SIMs should not be in tablets or mobile broadband devices. They could go a step further, and note that a SIM inserted into a Samsung phone should not appear to be sending/receiving traffic aimed for an iPhone or iPad. And there are services that clearly wouldn't be accessed on a phone - e.g. Windows Update, the desktop iTunes store and others. It's definitely not foolproof but they just need to make it enough of a nuisance that most people would either not bother trying, or would upgrade their account to include tethering. |
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#283 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 9,746
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When you load a web page, the web browser sends a "user agent" to the server, which tells it the browser type/name, the operating system it is being run on, screen resolution and so on. So if they're seeing requests coming from a Windows or Mac then it's likely to be from a user who is tethering.
They could also look at the time to live in the IP packet header. This is a counter that gets decremented for each router the packet passes through, and the phone while tethering counts as a router. So 3 could spot that. They could also look at the IMEI of the device that the SIM is inserted into, which among other things tells them what type of device is in use. Phone SIMs should not be in tablets or mobile broadband devices. They could go a step further, and note that a SIM inserted into a Samsung phone should not appear to be sending/receiving traffic aimed for an iPhone or iPad. And there are services that clearly wouldn't be accessed on a phone - e.g. Windows Update, the desktop iTunes store and others. It's definitely not foolproof but they just need to make it enough of a nuisance that most people would either not bother trying, or would upgrade their account to include tethering. |
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#284 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Glasgow
Posts: 10,276
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And so why hasn't some clever whiz kid designed and App or plugin box to disguise this?
On networks charging for data by the GB 4G is slowing down due to increased consumption on the limited bandwidth available. Creating an app to allow users to workaround tethering would simply be resolved by limits being applied to data use in general. Networks can't sell expensive contracts when crippled with capacity issues caused by congestion. As sure as night follows day if such a development arose it would be defeated with the withdrawal of any form of unlimited data use. |
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#285 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 14,636
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Interesting! So why hasn't some clever person invented an app or other device that fakes all the correct info into the packets to that of the correct phone it should be coming from?
Another way around it is to use a VPN, which as it is encrypted makes it harder/impossible for 3 to work out what you're doing. But they could get around that by simply throttling all VPN traffic. |
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#286 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: East Midlands
Posts: 3,840
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hit or miss here. I managed to tether while traveling with my girlfriend's android. But moment we hooked up an iPad it shouted at us.
Not sure how it works, but my best guess so far is that same device type (phone, not tablet) might go under the radar. A tablet would be picked up, as would a PC. |
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#287 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Glasgow
Posts: 10,276
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Another way around it is to use a VPN, which as it is encrypted makes it harder/impossible for 3 to work out what you're doing. But they could get around that by simply throttling all VPN traffic.
Greed by a few is what killed the One Plan and temporary workarounds by a few will be what kills 'Unlimited Data' for the majority of 3 customers eventually. |
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#288 |
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 14,636
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Love it...... even before the changes happen workarounds are appearing and that might be good news for a short time for a few but will likely lead to the reduction of benefits for the many in the future as the network will act to conserve it's bandwidth.
Greed by a few is what killed the One Plan and temporary workarounds by a few will be what kills 'Unlimited Data' for the majority of 3 customers eventually. But ultimately if people want to try to find workarounds then that's up to them, just as it is up to 3 to deal with that. It's a bit pious to suggest that people shouldn't be aware. I doubt that unlimited data will disappear - while the tethering users are probably small (but have a big impact on the network), people do join 3 explicitly for unlimited data, and removing that on a wide scale really will cause massive churn. It's a much bigger selling point than tethering was, and worth dealing with the issues that 3 has (in building coverage problems, sub-par performance) in order to get it. |
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#289 |
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Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Leeds
Posts: 113
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It's going to happen sooner or later - and the offer that poster has got is probably about the best that's going to happen, so if you can get it now, why not?
If you're not a heavy tetherer then an extra month of unlimited tethering is not really a big deal. |
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#290 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 9,746
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Because whilst it might be a useful thing for some it would be self-defeating eventually as congestion would render the mobile network useless for anyone on it.
On networks charging for data by the GB 4G is slowing down due to increased consumption on the limited bandwidth available. Creating an app to allow users to workaround tethering would simply be resolved by limits being applied to data use in general. Networks can't sell expensive contracts when crippled with capacity issues caused by congestion. As sure as night follows day if such a development arose it would be defeated with the withdrawal of any form of unlimited data use. |
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#291 |
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Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Bristol (BBC1 West)
Posts: 15,143
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What makes them think customers will be happy to pay nearly double what they are paying now and still end up with less?
Which other network is offering unlimited data with unlimited tethering? Oh wait... none of them. I'm not aware of any network in the world with the same offering that Three had. It broke the mold by offering unlimited data AND tethering - two features that "high end" users want. No network can offer me unlimited data on my phone and still let me tether - so I'm sticking with Three. ... and I'm also saving money, because you don't need to get Three's most expensive plan to have unlimited data and tethering anymore. |
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#292 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Glasgow
Posts: 10,276
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The simple mistake all of your posts in this thread have made is that you seem to think there is an alternative.
Which other network is offering unlimited data with unlimited tethering? Oh wait... none of them. I'm not aware of any network in the world with the same offering that Three had. It broke the mold by offering unlimited data AND tethering - two features that "high end" users want. No network can offer me unlimited data on my phone and still let me tether - so I'm sticking with Three. ... and I'm also saving money, because you don't need to get Three's most expensive plan to have unlimited data and tethering anymore. That speaks for itself! I'm not aware of any network in the world with the same offering that Three had. It broke the mold by offering unlimited data AND tethering - two features that "high end" users want. (sic) High-End users? Costly users or perhaps liabilities that others are happy not to do business with? The finite bandwidth issue has had it's first casualty (The One Plan) and perhaps not it's last as consumption increases and capacity is needed to provide data to the 'average' smartphone user. Business is business...... |
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#293 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: In the future....
Posts: 11,257
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Interesting! So why hasn't some clever person invented an app or other device that fakes all the correct info into the packets to that of the correct phone it should be coming from?
https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...?id=com.pdanet |
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#294 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 14,636
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The finite bandwidth issue has had it's first casualty (The One Plan) and perhaps not it's last as consumption increases and capacity is needed to provide data to the 'average' smartphone user. Business is business......
It'd be more likely that the heavy users get targeted rather than the blanket approach that we are seeing here. |
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#295 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Isle of lewis
Posts: 358
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Phony as an add on on Firefox used to spoof phone to a different device and make it appear as a desktop , iPhone etc.
Don't know if still on the go. |
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#296 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: London
Posts: 538
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I will certainly be considering my position come renewal in March. I use about 20gb a month as I cannot have a landline here so 4GB is no good for me.
If they were to give a reasonable tethering allowance I would stay like a shot. |
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#297 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 14,636
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I will certainly be considering my position come renewal in March. I use about 20gb a month as I cannot have a landline here so 4GB is no good for me.
If they were to give a reasonable tethering allowance I would stay like a shot. Since you appear to be using it as a permanent connection (which it was never sold as) then you're not going to be happy with any of the offers, except for when they finally get around to overhauling their mobile broadband tariffs. But they won't be as cheap as the one plan is. All of the plans have 4GB of tethering or no tethering at all. And you're not going to find much else on the other networks without serious money. |
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#298 |
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Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 20
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If it's classified as a phone then it's a phone.. The amount of data transfered will be still far less compared to the data transfered via tethering.
If only Three could have predicted the future or had the ability to time travel into the past. One learns from mistakes and this is one of them. |
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#299 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: London
Posts: 538
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Reasonable is debatable - if 3 intend for it to be occasional use, 4GB is more than plenty.
Since you appear to be using it as a permanent connection (which it was never sold as) then you're not going to be happy with any of the offers, except for when they finally get around to overhauling their mobile broadband tariffs. But they won't be as cheap as the one plan is. All of the plans have 4GB of tethering or no tethering at all. And you're not going to find much else on the other networks without serious money. You are probably right, there may not be a better deal but we will see in five months time. |
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#300 |
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Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 216
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They are presumably wanting to dump the One Plan because it either isn't profitable or it isn't profitable enough to do the things they want to do (e.g. 4G). If they're losing money they will have little problem saying goodbye to you - especially if you are one of those of the permanent tetherers who are proud of their high usage.
Same thing. 3 never sold it as a permanent home connection. They sold it on the basis that you didn't have to count every kilobyte or worry about the bill. All you can eat buffets tend not to like it if you're doing something outside the norm, too. Which is why they are honouring it - they're letting people stay until their contracts are up, and then changing your plan (and since the minimum term is up, you're free to leave). At no point did they say that they will let you stay on the plan forever. And by doing that you're opening yourself up to debt collectors and trashed credit reports. 3 aren't stupid - they'll give the minimum possible notice required to those who are too stubborn to sort something out. But instead of getting a better deal today, you'll probably get offered any of the current plans with no discount. Expect a letter or something on the 5th of December, as that's a month. Either way, ignoring them is not going to result in you keeping your plan if they want rid of them. If you're getting a discount on what is already an unsustainably cheap plan, you're even more likely to get told to go away. The One Plan is going away whether you act petulant or not. This is ultimately about making things more difficult for yourself - this isn't political revolution, this is a mobile phone service. Some perspective is needed. Finally, please note that there are several threads on this topic, we don't need another. What most people like the OP forget is if they decide to leave 3 really ain't that bovvered because another two will join in there place because theres no better new deals out then them. |
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