OK, so now we’ve got the shakes out of our system with the main pricing for the iPhone, let’s take us a look at the ancillary pricing – by that, I mean the other things you are going to pay for – this inlcudes:
- Picture messaging
- Internet Tethering
- Travelling abroad
Right, let’s take these bad boys one by one:
Picture messaging (MMS)
As you might (or might not) expect, the costs are different between Pay Monthly and PAYG users – first of all, Pay Monthly:
You can use your text bundle to send picture messages in the UK and abroad. One picture message equals four normal texts, or if you’ve got no bundle texts left, they cost 24.47p a message (21.28p excluding VAT).
And for PAYG users:
Picture messages cost 25p each, or you can buy a bundle with our Messaging Bolt Ons. For example, Messaging 50 gives you 50 texts for £3.99 a month, and a picture message uses three of those texts
Do you think 25p/message (or thereabouts) is reasonable? I’ve got no major issue with it….
Internet Tethering (linking your iPhone to your PC/Mac, so it can use the iPhone as a broadband modem)
You may have been thinking this is just a piece of functionality that you will now have with OS 3.0 – and I suppose from Apple’s point of view, that’s right – but the network operators want their cut from your data surfing, particularly because it cannibalises their broadband modem sales, to some extent. As you could expect, there are options available for consumers (and different rates for business users – not mentioned here):
Now, let’s say you fall somewhere between the 3GB and 10GB – well there’s an answer for that:If you choose the 3GB Bolt On and need more data one month, you can upgrade to the 10GB Bolt On or buy an extra 1GB for £4.89, both include unlimited Wi-Fi. If you don’t use it all, the rest of the extra 1GB will disappear at the end of the month.
And then the only other thing to cover off is if you decide to use Internet Tethering whilst abroad:
Your Internet Tethering Bolt On allowance only works in the UK. If you use your iPhone as a modem abroad, it’ll cost £2.94 a MB (£2.55 without VAT) in the EU and £6 a MB everywhere else.
So that’s basically it! What do you think readership?
(Again, all info and pricing is available from the O2 website here)