Do Three want to go down the pan or something?

Customers are not asking for much, just the allowances they already have (minus tethering) for a price they already pay!

What company would possibly think its OK to cut allowances and jack up prices by 30-50%

If it's not economically viable, they are not going to care one iota. No one else came near to their pricing so they've got nothing to worry about.

If a significant percentage of people leave, I doubt it's going to look very good when they publish their results.

Three must have thought this though. They had a stupidly cheap tariff and still offer AYCE data on the newer, more expensive, tariffs - so people would therefore reluctantly stay because it's still more data than they can get elsewhere.

Yet people ARE leaving. Even if they may come back, the fact is that they're going now and if EE or anyone else offers anything good in the coming month or two, the chances of coming back are greatly reduced.

EE's 100GB a month SIM is ideal for showing people that a) EE can offer far higher data speeds, and possibly pretty decent 3G speeds now it has upgraded so much of its network this year and b) EE is suggesting it is a network that can actually cope with heavy usage, almost as a dig at Three and undermining Three's argument that some users are abusing the network and slowing things down for everyone.

Sure, I doubt EE will be offering a 100GB tariff at the end of this two month period, or at least not at a decent price, but it could launch a 20GB tariff for a reduced cost (and lower the 10GB one today on SIM-only) and that would more than suffice for a LOT of people. Along with the faster speeds, superior 4G coverage and loads more spectrum promising even more impressive speeds in 2015 when Three's strongest feature will be the roll out of 800MHz (which EE will do too at some point).

This is what I'm waiting to see, I am quite tempted to sign up with EE, I'm not a heavy user and most months I actually don't exceed 2GB (I've just gone back through my last 6 Three bills and was quite surprised by the small totals), but I like the security of never worrying, when a few office locations didn't have wifi I was using 10-20GB a month but they've all been cabled so it's not really an issue.

I have been considering the £12.99 second line offer (which is 2GB and would be an effective £10.49 with Quidco)) or have even thought of chancing one of the cashback offers, 5GB for an effective £13.99 seems a good deal, as long as the cashback goes through, but in truth, even at £21.99 it hardly breaks the bank if the cashback doesn't materialise.

I'm only holding fire in the hope that EE do launch something better in the next month or so.

I'm a low user and so I was offered the level according to my usage. Which for me was 200 mins and 2gb data for £10 per month.
I declined this as I didn't want to commit to another 12 months, my usage means I have options with other providers, probably go back to giff gaff as it will be flexible with only 1 month commitment.
If three had offered it on a rolling monthly then I probably would have stayed but he didn't and so they lose a customer.

I have no doubt higher data allowances are coming, especially as EE starts to push Cat 6 LTE and faster in 2015. It's simply a case of how much you'll be asked to pay for the privilege.

I don't stand to lose much by leaving Three for a bit. SIM only gives me that freedom, and I'd be going SIM only with EE too, and no doubt in a couple of years, if Vodafone and O2 have each improved their networks significantly, even they'll be networks I'd consider if the package was right.

Networks rarely show much loyalty to customers, so I don't see why I should feel obliged to show any to the networks.

Funnily enough, the £10 plan was the one they offered me, but did offer it without a 12 month commitment, I rather took the £15 plan which should have been 12 months and they waived the 12 months making it 30 days. While they wouldn't budge on discounts it seemed no problem to get the commitment waived.

If you did nothing and just let Three move you, surely it would still be on a 30 day rolling contract basis given you're out of contract? If they're trying to give notice and then sign people up for a 12 month term then I'm definitely going. No way I'll be tied to a tariff I don't really want for a year. 200 minutes could potentially be okay for me a lot of the time, but my wife makes a lot of calls and will no doubt be told she needs to go on a higher plan, but that's going to mean a major jump in her monthly cost.

So she'll go too. Each of us benefit from Feel At Home in Sweden (amongst other places, but primarily Sweden as we go there a lot to see family) but a PAYG SIM will solve that - or I'll even take out my Three Sweden SIM and top that up to get some 4G data when in Sweden.

That's actually another thing Three still isn't doing - offering 4G roaming. Three does between Sweden and Denmark, but Three UK doesn't do it anywhere.

If I could get the cashback price without the hassle of cashback I would be away now, so I'm hoping for £14for 5GB or 8-10GB for around £20.

Neither is asking a lot, it's already available for near enough those figures on cashback deals (which must be making EE money or they wouldnt be offered).

I think with all these changes Three is potentially looking at broadening its portfolio in terms of product offering. For some bizarre reason triple and quadplay offerings are in vogue at the moment, O2 likely being acquired by BT, which would leave Three as the only "single play" network. I don't know much of the parent company's offerings in other markets (whether they offer fixed landline and broadband), it would seem foolish not to explore those avenues. Vodafone as we all know is about to enter into the landline/broadband sector in a very big way (still being worked on but a NowTV style OTT box is in the off), TalkTalk is in the process of increasing marketing around its MNVO, Virgin is already making waves. EE has finally turned around its broadband base and starting to grow (albeit slowly).

That just leaves Three? If the network is to stay relevant and afloat it really needs to seek partnerships with other media companies or buy them. A merger with Virgin could have benefits (I am not insinuating for a second they are in talks, they aren't), Liberty Global probably has enough clout and money to even acquire the network itself, I just wonder where all this change will leave Three if they remain a mobile only proposition in the UK?

When the free data ends I'll switch to pay monthly It will mean missing out on cashback, but also means I'll get to see what EE offer in the new year before signing up to a monthly plan.

Just got my PAC code for the One Plan (not directly related to this change but it is relevant), tried the online webchat route - its actually quite a pleasant experience compared to the call centre, whole thing got done in about 10 minutes with no stalling tactics.

'Deals' offered were £7/mo for 500mb and minimal minutes or £13 for 600min/1GB data (both 12 months). Actually quite good deals compared to other networks if that's what you are after, but when you are having signal issues nothing was really going to cut the mustard to be fair to them.

Just weighing up alternative options now, I only do <1GB a month usually, but I do travel abroad quite often - taking into account my signal issues Vodafone looks like the only sensible option, and 4G gets enabled here in the next 3 months so it might be worth a punt on a 30 day contract. Not a lot of value out there at the minute...

I find that strange too, considering only a few months ago they were marketing themselves as the network for the Internet.

Only 1GB data limit for £13 is shockingly poor if you mainly use your sim for data.

1GB is only a very light data users amount. Juat hope that 1GB is not all you are going to get in place of AYCE data on PAYG if they decide to change the all in one 15. 1GB max would be flabbergasting.

Emphasis was on 'compared to other networks'.

It's still flabbergasting to say the least.

Shocking how they can turn from offering plenty enough to cover you for the month to nowhere near enough to cover you and the price also being increased as well.

Maybe three could do something completely different and tie up with Superdrug with special offers/freebies and cheap/free prescriptions?

My town's Superdrug is not a pharmacy.

Just seen this thread. Oh how these things are predictable.

This is exactly the type of conversation which emerged with "unlimited" dialup net access, the early days of broadband and I dare say is still going on in some circles.

As a One-Plan customer since launch, I would say this -

I use an average of 1-2gb per month on my phone. The value in the plan for me comes from knowing that i can pick it up any time, do whatever i like online and not think that i have to see how much its cost me.

I've used tethering once or twice when my home broadband has gone down. In the years i've had this product I've probably used a total of 5gb of tethered data - wouldn't be surprised if it was even less.

Used to be of the opinion that heavy users are simply maximising their benefit of a product they were sold. Reality is, they're just greedy gits and I have no time for their point of view.

Wonder how many of these are unscrupulous landlords charging a small fortune for net access but delivering it with one of these sims?

My contract is up in a few months, will be interesting to see what Three have to offer me at that point.

Is it? I must tell my friends who use 200mb a month that they are unusual then.

I use about 4 to 5GB a month on 3G/4G. Half my friends are on 500mb plans, the others on 2GB plans. Nobody has run out of data yet. They have no need to watch video (YouTube,netflix, amazon) on the go, they do that at home on WiFi (or at work on WiFi).

Well good for them. Good on people who also choose to save money by not paying Sky for Multiroom when you can just watch the one TV in the living room.

How bizarre that because you know people that are happy to watch TV at home, there's no need to have more data and watch on the go, as if it's somewhat abnormal or possibly abusing the 'intention' of unlimited data.

And as for the comment before it about landlords providing Internet with a One Plan SIM, I have to say that I think this rather unlikely. Perhaps some have, but then again - if they pay for a plan that offers unlimited data including tethering then Three has in fact said it's okay. Only now it has decided it isn't okay, so is changing its T&Cs.

However until that happens, it's still actually okay. Bar TrafficSense to manage things, Three still allows people to use 100, 200, 500 or 1000GB a month without fuss - and potentially more beyond that.

Why Three offered that I don't know. They must have been mad, but that's the deal and to be fair to Three, nobody I know (and I've never read on ANY forum or social media) has been cut off as a result of using loads of data. Contrast that to users on other networks, like Giffgaff, who have been cut off for abusing the network by being part of a percentage that changes like the weather.

As they say, all good things come to an end - and that's what's happening now. And people can opt to pay more and retain most of the benefits, or look elsewhere.

That wasn't my intention. Those other analogies you quote are all extra cost.

I was trying to challenge the assumption its very common that people watch video on the move. Maybe in the large cities / conurbations where public transport is good. None of the railway links around here (into London) have good enough cell cover to stream video for more than 10mins. Etc.

I can watch TV on the way into King's Cross. A couple of tunnels and loss of signal there, but otherwise fine. Also seems pretty good out of Liverpool Street towards Cambridge.

On the Waterloo to Southampton line, it doesn't matter which network you are on, the total drop outs are too numerous. :-/ Downloading at home (or station) and then playing is only option.

I've travelled to Bristol on the GWML and had a pretty solid connection. So, it would seem that it's only some lines. And I'd say that more work quite well than don't.

Poor coverage from Waterloo doesn't surprise me a great deal though, especially through the forests. I have to admit that the last time I used to travel down to places like Guildford or Aldershot regularly, it was back when GPRS was a new thing! (a bit like O2 is in many places still today!!).