By: Ben Robinson, IntoMobile Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008 at 2:45 PM
O2 are currently advertising a SIM-only deal (which they call “simplicity”) on their website, which is £20/month, and includes 600 mins/unlimited texts. If that wasn’t enough, there isn’t a contract tie-in either. Obviously the deal isn’t unique as other Operators have this offering, but in a more general sense, I’d like to “open a question to the floor” if I may, with the IntoMobile readers….
Do you prefer a higher price, locked-in, contract period WITH a Mobile Device of your choosing, or, do you prefer the pretty much contract-less approach with the SIM-only deals being offered?
If you have a strong opinion on this (and I am sure our readers will!), then let us know by dropping a comment! If enough people respond, we’ll revisit the issue and see whether the lure of a new handset is enough to get you to tie-in to a (typically) 18 month contract at a higher monthly rate…..
About The Author
Ben Robinson
Ben is a 10+ year veteran of the Mobile industry – starting his career
when SMS was a still a relatively new concept for most people (!), he has
now consulted on everything from bleeding-edge Mobile content, to the
next-gen accessories you might view it on. As a result he has a broad and deep knowledge in numerous areas of Mobile – from network operators to device vendors, to infrastructure and middleware vendors (not to mention content delivery) – and has worked for companies in all of these areas!
He is based in the UK, a hotbed of activity for mobile, and recently
became a father for the second time – as oppose to in his younger years
when he was happy spend time tweaking all manner of mobile devices to
'nth' degree, he now looks for services and hardware that provide the most efficient, compact, and reliable improvements to his already manic life! It’s his opinion that Mobile solutions should be there to help to make
your life better – if a particular solution (be it service or device)
isn’t doing this, he believes you need to ask the very important question
of why you continue to use it...
His focus at IntoMobile is mainly on Mobile content, services, and
infrastructure, particularly as regards the UK market – and with the
occasional look at devices. Additionally, using his extensive experience
in the industry, he will provide commentary on the industry at large, with
regular (and hopefully thought-provoking) articles.
Noit
I vastly prefer the SIM-only approach. It’s cheaper month by month, which is the biggest advantage. And I get a new phone when I want, not every 18 months when my operator decides they’ll permit me to have a new one. My current phone might last me two years if I’m nice to it. But I won’t lose out on anything if I decide to buy a new one tomorrow. On contract, I would either have to pay over the odds for an early upgrade, or carry on paying more every month for a phone I was no longer using.
Ron Steel
I am working overseas and require a pre paid sim card only so that I can manage the calls to and from with minimal cost as this is a temporary situation. Can I have a Sim Card only with a value of Ten pounds that is replenished on line when it runs low. Can it be sent to my overseas address