Ken's Tech Tips

February 25th, 2010

I’ve received some information that suggests O2 will be making an update to their tariffs tomorrow. The key change is that their iPhone tariffs will now come with unlimited texts. There are some other changes too in terms of airtime allowance and the cost of the iPhone itself. We’ll update our iPhone price comparison webpage as soon as these tariffs go live and official.

What has changed?

The main change is that O2 are introducing unlimited texts on their iPhone tariffs. This is probably in response to Vodafone who launched their iPhone tariffs with unlimited texts last month. There are a few changes in the airtime allowance and cost of the iPhone too. To compensate for the increase in number of texts, O2 have either reduced the number of minutes or increased the price of the iPhone on most of the tariffs.

All tariffs:

• Now with unlimited texts

£45/month 24-month contract

• The cost of the iPhone 3G S 32GB drops from £99 to £89

£30/month 18-month contract

• The tariff now includes 100 minutes instead of 75 minutes
• The cost of the iPhone 3G 8GB increases from £99 to £149
• The cost of the iPhone 3G S 16GB increases from £189 to £249
• The cost of the iPhone 3G S 32GB increases from £279 to £299

£35/month 18-month contract

• The tariff now includes 300 minutes instead of 600 minutes
• The cost of the iPhone 3G 8GB drops from £99 to £59
• The cost of the iPhone 3G S 16GB drops from £189 to £149
• The cost of the iPhone 3G S 32GB drops from £279 to £249

photo: Jeff Kubina

£45/month 18-month contract

• The tariff now includes 900 minutes instead of 1200 minutes
• The cost of the iPhone 3G 8GB remains free
• The cost of the iPhone 3G S 16GB drops from £89 to £59
• The cost of the iPhone 3G S 32GB drops from £179 to £149

We’re not sure whether the £75/month tariffs will still be available.

The new tariff listing

The new tariff listing looks a bit like:

	24 Month		18 Month
Monthly fee	£35	£45	£30	£35	£45
Voice minutes	600	1200	100	300	900
Text messages	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Data	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Wi-Fi	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
iPhone 3G 8GB	FREE	FREE	£149	£59	FREE
iPhone 3GS 16GB	£89	FREE	£249	£149	£59
iPhone 3GS 32GB	£179	£89	£299	£249	£149

photo: Gonzalo Baeza Hernández

A word of warning…

Please note that these tariffs have not gone live yet and O2 might decide to make changes before implementing the changes. Keep an eye on Ken’s Tech Tips for information about tariff changes. Our iPhone price comparison page and tool will be updated as soon as the tariffs go live.

Also be aware that many analysts expect a new iPhone to be released in June. This might make it a bad time to get an iPhone – you’ll be stuck with old technology for at least 18 months.

If you’ve come to the end of your iPhone 3G contract, I recommend switching to Simplicity for iPhone and waiting until the new iPhone is released before signing a new 18 or 24 month contract.

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About Ken

My mission is to demystify the world of mobile technology for general audiences and to communicate how mobile technology can enhance every aspect of our daily lives. I've been maintaining the Ken's Tech Tips website since 2004. I have experience communicating mobile technology and presenting new mobile products both online and offline, including at various trade shows and events. You can check out my profile or drop me an e-mail.

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• Apple , Mobile , O2 , Smartphones
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