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Anyone using BT Mobile? What are peoples thoughts?
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Ben_Fisher
28-12-2015
I tried searching but no luck!

My EE sim only just ended. I was on the 10GB tariff.
Spotted the 20GB tariff with BT mobile. (Included £60 quidco and £30 Amazon).

Seems a no brainer, I'm using a Nexus 6P by the way.

I tend to use about 6-7GB a month, browsing/streaming music and video. Seeing as it runs EE network, will it be a seem less switch?
d123
28-12-2015
Originally Posted by Ben_Fisher:
“I tried searching but no luck!

My EE sim only just ended. I was on the 10GB tariff.
Spotted the 20GB tariff with BT mobile. (Included £60 quidco and £30 Amazon).

Seems a no brainer, I'm using a Nexus 6P by the way.

I tend to use about 6-7GB a month, browsing/streaming music and video. Seeing as it runs EE network, will it be a seem less switch?”

It has had some good reviews, but porting is the same no matter where you go so it's as seamless as switching to Three (for example) would be.

Just as long as you don't mind a maximum of single speed wherever you go, no access to WifiCalling or VoLTE (at least in the near future) and no tethering it's the same as EE.
gomezz
28-12-2015
No tethering is the deal breaker for me and it seems for many others.
DevonBloke
28-12-2015
Yeah but no WC, no VoLTE and so therefore no 800Mhz in the near future?
What would be the point of that?
Kind of, be on the UK's best network.... with er,.... all the best bits chopped off.
Excellent!
d123
28-12-2015
Tethering is an issue to me as well, and it's a stupid decision. You have a fixed allowance but they still want to restrict to handset only?

I don't really see the difference if I want to use my allowance to watch video on the iPad screen rather than my iPhone screen, ultimately it doesn't really have an adverse affect on them.

A cynic would say they are restricting the usage to keep people from using all of their allowance...
Synthetic42
28-12-2015
If you aren't bothered about wifi calling or VoLTE then it's a brilliant deal! I imagine once the BT / EE buyout goes through all BT mobile customers will get access to that stuff anyway?
Ben_Fisher
28-12-2015
Originally Posted by DevonBloke:
“Yeah but no WC, no VoLTE and so therefore no 800Mhz in the near future?
What would be the point of that?
Kind of, be on the UK's best network.... with er,.... all the best bits chopped off.
Excellent!”

As someone who literally NEVER calls anyone and my phone doesn't support wi-fi calling with EE anyway (Nexus 6P). This isn't an issue. (will this merge when EE/BT are one?)

I've maybe tethered once in the last year, so this isn't a big deal either. I just need a decent data allowance that's reliable. (hoping the 30/15 limit isn't going to hinder me?)

Mainly; youtube, picture heavy websites, spotify and streaming podcasts.
Synthetic42
28-12-2015
6P will support WC / VoLTE next year, on EE firmwre... which shouldn't be too hard to flash
d123
28-12-2015
Originally Posted by Synthetic42:
“If you aren't bothered about wifi calling or VoLTE then it's a brilliant deal! I imagine once the BT / EE buyout goes through all BT mobile customers will get access to that stuff anyway?”

It took years for the Orange/T-Mobile merger to be finalised with regard to end user experience, it could well be a year plus for this to all shake out and BT MVNO customers to be brought in-house (if they do, maybe they'll leave the MVNO as is for the future, like a mobile Plus.net).
Ben_Fisher
28-12-2015
Originally Posted by Synthetic42:
“6P will support WC / VoLTE next year, on EE firmwre... which shouldn't be too hard to flash ”

Not so sure. There's no specific carrier images even on the US for the 6P. I'm sure it will be part of the sim called with the new android 6.0 APIs.

Also there's Noway I'm flashing a stock EE rom on a Nexus device!


Ordered the BT sim, I can't see any downsides for my use case. It should just feel exactly the same but with more data and cheaper.
Synthetic42
29-12-2015
Originally Posted by Ben_Fisher:
“Not so sure. There's no specific carrier images even on the US for the 6P. I'm sure it will be part of the sim called with the new android 6.0 APIs.

Also there's Noway I'm flashing a stock EE rom on a Nexus device!


Ordered the BT sim, I can't see any downsides for my use case. It should just feel exactly the same but with more data and cheaper.”

Not nessacarily, word is stuff like WC and VoLTE is going to be baked into Marshmallow so it should work on stock android. MM is going to have a sort of carrier file like iOS does now, whether EE use that or not is a different matter, I can see them still wanting their own images on "their" bought phones.

Link for those interested https://source.android.com/devices/t...g/carrier.html
Ben_Fisher
29-12-2015
Originally Posted by Synthetic42:
“Not nessacarily, word is stuff like WC and VoLTE is going to be baked into Marshmallow so it should work on stock android. MM is going to have a sort of carrier file like iOS does now, whether EE use that or not is a different matter, I can see them still wanting their own images on "their" bought phones.

Link for those interested https://source.android.com/devices/t...g/carrier.html”

Thanks for the link, it was something I had read about.

It will be interesting to see, the press update surely seemed like it would be an EE specific update. Yet checking XDA there seems nothing specific about the EE variant of the phone.
mupet0000
29-12-2015
I just left Three for BT Mobile. Haven't received my sim yet so cannot comment on the actual service, but here is my reasoning for going with BT Mobile rather than EE directly:

Data Allowance/Pricing: EE only offer sim-only plans of up to 10GB of data. As of right now, a 10GB EE sim is £26.09pm, a 20GB BT sim is £25pm (or £20 if you are a BT phone/broadband customer).

Data Speed: BT Mobile is capped at 30mbps down/15mbps up. While I'd rather it wasn't, I'm coming from Three where my average data speeds on 4G are much lower than this anyway, so I'll still be getting a faster service even with the speed limitation. Also I don't think there's anything I can't do with 30/15 on my mobile so it's not so bad, it's more the geek inside me that wants to run speedtests that cares

Tethering: Being with Three on a legacy AYCE contract, I couldn't tether in the first place. To me it's not a big deal, the only time I like to tether is when my home broadband goes down and for those rare times I've actually used one of the EE 200GB sims seen as they always seem to be giving them away. I understand that tethering is a deal breaker for a lot of people, but I'd much rather have 20GB handset data than 10GB of tetherable data.

VoLTE/WC: As it stands, BT Mobile along with any MVNO as far as I'm aware, cannot use VoLTE or WiFi Calling. This will probably include the 800MHz band. This isn't a handset limitation anymore as with carrier updates on iPhones and the same sort of thing now on Android Marshmallow, any carrier should be able to do VoLTE/WC as long as the host network allows it. What with BT buying EE, I'd say if any MVNO is going to get these features first, it's going to be BT Mobile.

To be honest, I'd rather not have any limitations and join EE, but with a maximum sim-only plan of 10GB it's not happening, it's simply not enough data for me. I already own an iPhone 6S Plus and I'm not about to take out a handset contract just for the data allowance.
jchamier
29-12-2015
Originally Posted by mupet0000:
“To be honest, I'd rather not have any limitations and join EE, but with a maximum sim-only plan of 10GB it's not happening, it's simply not enough data for me. I already own an iPhone 6S Plus and I'm not about to take out a handset contract just for the data allowance.”

Its very strange the limitations on SIM only, these need a review; as more and more people keep their handsets longer they are more likely to jump network to a SIM only plan. One for bookey_uk to pass up to the PR/marketing people

I'm on the EE SIM only 10gb plan, and I couldn't use 20gb without tethering. I used 5.5 gb last month for the first time, and I basically disabled WiFi and used streaming radio a lot in the car. Most I've used in a month since having my iPhone 3GS. I've now got a 6s and I think I'm getting 4G+ as I've finally seen 102mbps once in my town centre.

Speed testing on 4G+ / CA is one way to use up all your allowance - LOL!

But I can easily get through 6/7gb a month on my laptop at work connected to 4G, and so I'd need a 15gb plan if I was using one device.
srw985
29-12-2015
Wifi calling is account provisioned right, so there's no chance any it working on a BT sim despite what firmware you flash? Same for 800mhz?
d123
29-12-2015
Originally Posted by srw985:
“Wifi calling is account provisioned right, so there's no chance any it working on a BT sim despite what firmware you flash?”

Yes, it's EE contract users only.
Ben_Fisher
30-12-2015
Sim arrived today, setup was easy. Had data within a couple of mins. The speed seems capped where I live on EE at about 20mbps and it hit that no problem on BT.

Just got to wait til monday now, they can't move my number 'til then! Thats 5 days of use i'm not getting! Feels nice having 20GB written in the mobile app.
Mancunian01
31-12-2015
For what you say you need, BT Mobile will be just fine.

I have had no issues at all. No tethering is a minor irritant, but as I wouldn't use it very much I can put up with it.

Data speeds and coverage are excellent, compared to my previous experiences with Three. 20GB plus unlimited minutes and texts for £20 is excellent value.

Hopefully we will get the 'extras' when the merger happens, but no real concerns for me if the service remains as it is.
tdenson
31-12-2015
Originally Posted by d123:
“Tethering is an issue to me as well, and it's a stupid decision. You have a fixed allowance but they still want to restrict to handset only?

I don't really see the difference if I want to use my allowance to watch video on the iPad screen rather than my iPhone screen, ultimately it doesn't really have an adverse affect on them.”

The old chestnut. If allowed to tether, then on average people will use more data and are more likely to reach their quota. The business model is predicated on the fact that give people 20GB and on average they will use far less than that.

Quote:
“A cynic would say they are restricting the usage to keep people from using all of their allowance...”

Yes, that's what I've just said above. However, it's not cynical, it's a perfectly reasonable business model. If everyone who went into Red Hot Buffet ate 8 platefuls they would go out of business.

As it happens, I would like to move to BT from EE, but it's the tethering that stops me. And it's not because I want to use oodles of data, just occasionally want to browse and email when in the car, but I accept BT's business model so I won't be going that way.
corf
31-12-2015
I too would of jumped to BT if tethering was included in the allowances - I havent ruled out jumping - I have family members very happy on BT mobile - EE coverage is now excellent in rural mid wales, being the only 4g enabled network in my area.
d123
31-12-2015
Originally Posted by tdenson:
“The old chestnut. If allowed to tether, then on average people will use more data and are more likely to reach their quota. The business model is predicated on the fact that give people 20GB and on average they will use far less than that.

Yes, that's what I've just said above. However, it's not cynical, it's a perfectly reasonable business model. If everyone who went into Red Hot Buffet ate 8 platefuls they would go out of business.

As it happens, I would like to move to BT from EE, but it's the tethering that stops me. And it's not because I want to use oodles of data, just occasionally want to browse and email when in the car, but I accept BT's business model so I won't be going that way.”

Stupid comment, it is cynical or they wouldn't add restrictions to a fixed allowance. "You've got a 20GB allowance but we'll do our damndest to stop you using it!"

Tell me, what's the real difference between tethering an iPad for SkyGo or watching it on a 6s Plus? Or using my Android phone to download 5GB of files instead of the laptop?

If they allocate the allowance as 20GB then the customer should be able to use the 20GB they have paid for.

Deciding to become defensive on behalf of the networks with a "that old chestnut" is just [insert insult to question intelligence here]...
jchamier
31-12-2015
Originally Posted by d123:
“Tell me, what's the real difference between tethering an iPad for SkyGo or watching it on a 6s Plus?”

They want to sell you a data SIM for that iPad

Yeah, its that sort of stupidity that keeps me away from BTmobile.

Quote:
“If they allocate the allowance as 20GB then the customer should be able to use the 20GB they have paid for.”

Exactly, what I like about EE compared to the T-mobile and Orange way of working in the past.
d123
31-12-2015
Originally Posted by jchamier:
“They want to sell you a data SIM for that iPad ”

Too true
david16
31-12-2015
Originally Posted by Ben_Fisher:
“I tried searching but no luck!

My EE sim only just ended. I was on the 10GB tariff.
Spotted the 20GB tariff with BT mobile. (Included £60 quidco and £30 Amazon).

Seems a no brainer, I'm using a Nexus 6P by the way.

I tend to use about 6-7GB a month, browsing/streaming music and video. Seeing as it runs EE network, will it be a seem less switch?”

A no brainer until you realise within 2 years of having taken out your contract with BT mobile that there is no cheap alternative to BT to go to due to their aggressive 20GB tariff has seen other MNO’s and MVNO’s who currently offer a generous data tariff at a reasonable price (and long before BT went back into the mobile market) crash out of business.

Then soon suddenly their 20GB tariff will be reduced to a paltry 2GB at at least the same price or more likely at a much more expensive price than what you are currently paying.
Ben_Fisher
31-12-2015
Originally Posted by david16:
“A no brainer until you realise within 2 years of having taken out your contract with BT mobile that there is no cheap alternative to BT to go to due to their aggressive 20GB tariff has seen other MNO’s and MVNO’s who currently offer a generous data tariff at a reasonable price (and long before BT went back into the mobile market) crash out of business.

Then soon suddenly their 20GB tariff will be reduced to a paltry 2GB at at least the same price or more likely at a much more expensive price than what you are currently paying.”

It's 12 months and I'll be in that situation (if it were to happen) regardless as to who I'm with.
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