http://news.sky.com/story/1635669/mo...e-price-freeze
Trying everything to get the deal through it seems.
Trying everything to get the deal through it seems.
Three proposes price block if the 3-O2 merger goes ahead
This is a popular gimmick when trying to appease regulators trying to get big mergers through. They usually find a way around it later.
Also explains why they are getting everyone off the much cheaper legacy plans now.
Also explains why they are getting everyone off the much cheaper legacy plans now.
Originally Posted by camer_000:
“http://news.sky.com/story/1635669/mo...e-price-freeze
Trying everything to get the deal through it seems.”
“http://news.sky.com/story/1635669/mo...e-price-freeze
Trying everything to get the deal through it seems.”
Three are a bunch of muppet ar-eholes, I wouldn't believe anything they say.
Originally Posted by aurichie:
“This is a popular gimmick when trying to appease regulators trying to get big mergers through. They usually find a way around it later.
Also explains why they are getting everyone off the much cheaper legacy plans now.”
“This is a popular gimmick when trying to appease regulators trying to get big mergers through. They usually find a way around it later.
Also explains why they are getting everyone off the much cheaper legacy plans now.
”
They already have their way round it. According to their spiel they are not increasing prices but removing old plans that they no longer offer.
So no price increase on any plans for the next 5 years but nothing saying they won't cancel plans and offer more expensive alternatives.
I'm not sure this means much. This article (and others) seems to have interpreted it as saying customers bills won't rise but it isn't worded like that. This is what it says,
'Promise number one: Three+O2 will not raise the price for consumers of a voice minute, a text or a megabyte in the five years following the merger. Every cost efficiency that combining the businesses achieves will be shared with our customers. Like for like, customers’ bills will go down.'
He's really referring to the price per minute, per MB etc. So if you use the same amount of data in 5 years time as you do now then yes, the price won't rise. But nobody expects the price per MB to rise. In fact it will of course fall as people will be paying either the same or a bit more for lots more gigabytes as bundle amounts increase.
'Promise number one: Three+O2 will not raise the price for consumers of a voice minute, a text or a megabyte in the five years following the merger. Every cost efficiency that combining the businesses achieves will be shared with our customers. Like for like, customers’ bills will go down.'
He's really referring to the price per minute, per MB etc. So if you use the same amount of data in 5 years time as you do now then yes, the price won't rise. But nobody expects the price per MB to rise. In fact it will of course fall as people will be paying either the same or a bit more for lots more gigabytes as bundle amounts increase.
I'm have a hard time comprehending the hypocrisy of Three saying they won't increase prices. Absolute gold 
I hope they attach so many conditions to the merger its basically untenable.
I hope they attach so many conditions to the merger its basically untenable.
Originally Posted by maverickjesus:
“I'm have a hard time comprehending the hypocrisy of Three saying they won't increase prices. Absolute gold
I hope they attach so many conditions to the merger its basically untenable.”
“I'm have a hard time comprehending the hypocrisy of Three saying they won't increase prices. Absolute gold
I hope they attach so many conditions to the merger its basically untenable.”
I'd imagine that's what will happen, so you'll get your wish.
Three have over the past couple of years increased prices so there is very little between them and O2 anyway!
http://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php...-approval.html
Quote:
“Canning Fok Group Co-Managing Director of CK Hutchison Holdings and Chairman of Three UK:
“Now let me make one thing clear: the combination of Three (the smallest operator in the market) with O2 makes us able to stand up to the new Leviathan BT (in the blunt words of Dido Harding, Chief Executive of TalkTalk, earlier this week), not to mention to the old top-of-the-heap predator Vodafone and is the only way we can guarantee that five years from now customers will still be getting more and paying less for mobile services.
In short, over the next 5 years Three+O2’s customers will be getting more and paying less than they do today for mobile services and the wholesale market will also be better off. Let me emphasize: This is not an aspiration. It is a guarantee. Over the coming weeks the promises I have laid out will be an important part of the case Three will put to Europe’s competition authorities, who have had the wisdom not to rush to judgement until, as the law requires, they have heard our response to their concerns.””
“Canning Fok Group Co-Managing Director of CK Hutchison Holdings and Chairman of Three UK:
“Now let me make one thing clear: the combination of Three (the smallest operator in the market) with O2 makes us able to stand up to the new Leviathan BT (in the blunt words of Dido Harding, Chief Executive of TalkTalk, earlier this week), not to mention to the old top-of-the-heap predator Vodafone and is the only way we can guarantee that five years from now customers will still be getting more and paying less for mobile services.
In short, over the next 5 years Three+O2’s customers will be getting more and paying less than they do today for mobile services and the wholesale market will also be better off. Let me emphasize: This is not an aspiration. It is a guarantee. Over the coming weeks the promises I have laid out will be an important part of the case Three will put to Europe’s competition authorities, who have had the wisdom not to rush to judgement until, as the law requires, they have heard our response to their concerns.””
http://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php...-approval.html
Originally Posted by Everything Goes:
“Three have over the past couple of years increased prices so there is very little between them and O2 anyway!
”
“Three have over the past couple of years increased prices so there is very little between them and O2 anyway!
”
That's not true, look at the pricing
https://www.o2.co.uk/shop/simplicity...actLength=P30D
It's £12 for 250 MB of data on some of the O2 plans with the usual minutes and texts, ranging right up to £12 data for £30. You can get unlimited data and 12GB of tethering for that on Three.
There's still quite a lot of different, the only big price rise on Three which has caused all this is the One Plan, which affects 15% of the user base as they have been moved off it over the last 18 months and which has gone up a lot.
Even £30 for the One Plan looks good against £12 for a flat 12GB of data though.
Originally Posted by Thine Wonk:
“That's not true, look at the pricing
https://www.o2.co.uk/shop/simplicity...actLength=P30D
It's £12 for 250 MB of data on some of the O2 plans with the usual minutes and texts, ranging right up to £12 data for £30. You can get unlimited data and 12GB of tethering for that on Three.
There's still quite a lot of different, the only big price rise on Three which has caused all this is the One Plan, which affects 15% of the user base as they have been moved off it over the last 18 months and which has gone up a lot.
Even £30 for the One Plan looks good against £12 for a flat 12GB of data though.”
“That's not true, look at the pricing
https://www.o2.co.uk/shop/simplicity...actLength=P30D
It's £12 for 250 MB of data on some of the O2 plans with the usual minutes and texts, ranging right up to £12 data for £30. You can get unlimited data and 12GB of tethering for that on Three.
There's still quite a lot of different, the only big price rise on Three which has caused all this is the One Plan, which affects 15% of the user base as they have been moved off it over the last 18 months and which has gone up a lot.
Even £30 for the One Plan looks good against £12 for a flat 12GB of data though.”
Have a look at some of the handset contract prices, Three aren't really much cheaper anymore.
For a 32GB Galaxy S6:
Three - 8GB data, unlimited mins, unlimited texts - £42 a month, £29 upfront = £1037 over 24 months.
Three - 12GB data, unlimited mins, unlimited texts - £45, £29 upfront = £1109 over 24 months.
O2 - 10GB data, unlimited mins, unlimited texts - £39 a month, £99 upfront = £1035 over 24 months.
O2 - 10GB data, unlimited mins, unlimited texts - £44 a month, £0 upfront = £1056 over 24 months.
The same is the case when you compare Three to EE or Vodafone too. At least for handset contracts there is now very little difference in prices for heavy users.
Originally Posted by WelshBluebird:
“The same is the case when you compare Three to EE or Vodafone too. At least for handset contracts there is now very little difference in prices for heavy users.”
“The same is the case when you compare Three to EE or Vodafone too. At least for handset contracts there is now very little difference in prices for heavy users.”
EE offer 50GB or 20GB contracts with all data available for tethering. To tether 20GB on Three will cost an extra £40 (£5 per GB) over the 12GB limit. All this from a company that used to lead on AYCE data & unlimited tethering but now leads on unlimited minutes & texts.
Originally Posted by nigelbb:
“All this from a company that used to lead on AYCE data & unlimited tethering but now leads on unlimited minutes & texts.”
“All this from a company that used to lead on AYCE data & unlimited tethering but now leads on unlimited minutes & texts.”
The company that didn't buy enough 4G spectrum then?
Originally Posted by jchamier:
“The company that didn't buy enough 4G spectrum then?”
“The company that didn't buy enough 4G spectrum then?”
You say that but per customer they probably have about the same as some, certainly not significantly less, especially when you include 3G, which hasn't suddenly gone all avocado bathroom suite and still offers reasonable performance.
What they have done though is can unlimited tethering as clearly that was being used a lot by just a few percent of customers eating up a lot of capacity which could be spread more fairly and evenly across the customer base.
Even after these changes I'm sure Three customers will still use more data than any other network, meaning that they must be able to deliver the data customers want. They have attracted heavy users and needed to back off on some of the heavy user offers like unlimited tethering. It is understandable why people are upset at losing that, on a mobile forum of course you are likely to have a higher percentage of higher usage customers.
I still say that even if this merger goes ahead they will be lacking in spectrum even more then they are now. And this isn't counting fact they might need give up some spectrum get the merger allowed in first place. EE had to give up some of there midband spectrum when they merged. I still think they will be lucky if the EU Commission allows them keep the 2x5Mhz 800MHz spectrum Three is currently using,
Originally Posted by enapace:
“I still say that even if this merger goes ahead they will be lacking in spectrum even more then they are now. And this isn't counting fact they might need give up some spectrum get the merger allowed in first place. EE had to give up some of there midband spectrum when they merged. I still think they will be lucky if the EU Commission allows them keep the 2x5Mhz 800MHz spectrum Three is currently using,”
“I still say that even if this merger goes ahead they will be lacking in spectrum even more then they are now. And this isn't counting fact they might need give up some spectrum get the merger allowed in first place. EE had to give up some of there midband spectrum when they merged. I still think they will be lucky if the EU Commission allows them keep the 2x5Mhz 800MHz spectrum Three is currently using,”
They do have that rather large chunk of 1400 though which , if made VOLTE only and assuming there are phones coming that can use it, would take a hell of a lot of pressure off 800.
Originally Posted by Stereo Steve:
“They do have that rather large chunk of 1400 though which , if made VOLTE only and assuming there are phones coming that can use it, would take a hell of a lot of pressure off 800.”
“They do have that rather large chunk of 1400 though which , if made VOLTE only and assuming there are phones coming that can use it, would take a hell of a lot of pressure off 800.”
True they do not sure if that is compatible with there mast set up at moment someone feel free correct me on that though. It is going require CA and new devices so not as good as FDD.
Originally Posted by enapace:
“True they do not sure if that is compatible with there mast set up at moment someone feel free correct me on that though. It is going require CA and new devices so not as good as FDD.”
“True they do not sure if that is compatible with there mast set up at moment someone feel free correct me on that though. It is going require CA and new devices so not as good as FDD.”
They must have bought it for a reason though. Will be interesting to see what they do with it. Not for a year or 3 though I would guess.
1400MHz is really useful for adding capacity and the relatively low frequency makes it attractive but it can only be used in combination with another band, not on its own. This together with the time it will take before there's reasonable handset support means, in my view, usage of it by Three is in the queue behind
a) Refarmed 2100MHz
b) Any 2300MHz spectrum they might acquire in the next auction.
a) Refarmed 2100MHz
b) Any 2300MHz spectrum they might acquire in the next auction.
Originally Posted by japaul:
“1400MHz is really useful for adding capacity and the relatively low frequency makes it attractive but it can only be used in combination with another band, not on its own. This together with the time it will take before there's reasonable handset support means, in my view, usage of it by Three is in the queue behind
a) Refarmed 2100MHz
b) Any 2300MHz spectrum they might acquire in the next auction.”
“1400MHz is really useful for adding capacity and the relatively low frequency makes it attractive but it can only be used in combination with another band, not on its own. This together with the time it will take before there's reasonable handset support means, in my view, usage of it by Three is in the queue behind
a) Refarmed 2100MHz
b) Any 2300MHz spectrum they might acquire in the next auction.”
Precisely my point.
OK then, if Three (without O2) were to use all its options for refarming and acquire spectrum in all the bands that are due to be auctioned over the next few years (2300,3400,700), what order will they come into use for 4G? I'd go for:
1. Refarmed 2100MHz (obviously not all of it)
2. 2300MHz
3. 1400MHz
4. 3400MHz
5. 700MHz
I guess 2100 and 2300 could swap if the auction is carried out soon as it does have some existing handset support. Anyone think the order should be different?
1. Refarmed 2100MHz (obviously not all of it)
2. 2300MHz
3. 1400MHz
4. 3400MHz
5. 700MHz
I guess 2100 and 2300 could swap if the auction is carried out soon as it does have some existing handset support. Anyone think the order should be different?
