Data plans for n900 [Archive] - maemo.org

scaler

2009-09-06, 22:29

Anyone got any advice on this?

Without mentioning the N900, ask O2 whether this unlimited-data plan applies to the iPhone. A lot of providers exclude iPhone usage from their standard unlimited-data offers. They tend to be the same providers who exclude tethered access. (You say that O2 makes that exclusion.) It is a reasonable bet that the same providers will exclude the N900, and will have a special (and more expensive) data plan for it, as they do for the iPhone.

Unless O2 are already advertising the N900, there's no point in asking about it. They will not have a policy in place yet, and the question will just confuse them.

Or you could wait, and ask your questions about the N900 when answers are likely to be available.

lardman

2009-09-06, 23:09

A lot of providers exclude iPhone usage from their standard unlimited-data offers. They tend to be the same providers who exclude tethered access.

How do they know if it's an iPhone/N900/etc? Some SIM card reporting trickery?

deadmalc

2009-09-06, 23:30

Without mentioning the N900, ask O2 whether this unlimited-data plan applies to the iPhone. A lot of providers exclude iPhone usage from their standard unlimited-data offers. They tend to be the same providers who exclude tethered access. (You say that O2 makes that exclusion.) It is a reasonable bet that the same providers will exclude the N900, and will have a special (and more expensive) data plan for it, as they do for the iPhone.

Unless O2 are already advertising the N900, there's no point in asking about it. They will not have a policy in place yet, and the question will just confuse them.

Or you could wait, and ask your questions about the N900 when answers are likely to be available.

I explained what I would be using it for, and the T&C's are basically fine:
http://shop.o2.co.uk/tariffSmallPrint#WebWifi

As long as I don't stream movies etc., then there shouldn't be a problem. And banning using voip on this kind of contract is fair enough I think.

The iphone is mentioned on this tarrif as well so this should be all OK, my comparison was that the phone was similar in usage to an iphone (but not a piece of ****) ;-) and O2 seemed fine with that.

MountainX

2009-09-06, 23:42

Yaser88

2009-09-06, 23:49

don't they have caps a la 'fair use policy' ?. the fact that iphone and n900 have full browsers, will eat alot of data, which is 'unfair'.

nowadays, most websites do a 'reduced graphics' or mobile websites, and they consume alot less date; cricinfo, bbc, etc.

dansus

2009-09-07, 00:57

Whilst painfully waiting for my n900 to arrive, I've been looking around for a good sim only contract.

The best one for me (UK) seems to be with O2, which works out at about 20 GBP a month:

Online simplicity 20 SIM Only
Pay Monthly contract
1200 texts / 600 mins
Includes Unlimited Web Bolt On

Apparently the Web Bolt on has no caps etc. and is fine as long as you don't tether the device.

Anyone got any advice on this?

I use Tmobile WebnWalk Plus and get 3GB for use with everything except voip.

Solo 20 has 600mins, unlimited texts and 1GB. Then you can upgrade to WnW Plus (3GB) and get the freedom to stream stuff, p2p and tether.

Personally i dont use many minutes, so i use a low tarrif sim and will upgrade to WnW Max (10GB) when the N900 is out.
.

linuxeventually

2009-09-07, 01:22

Just don't bring the device in with you and you shouldn't have a problem. I have heard of people that showed their carrier their unlocked phones and were forced to upgrade their plan.

allnameswereout

2009-09-07, 01:58

Have a look at the data plans entry on Maemo wiki (http://wiki.maemo.org/Data_plans)

kenny

2009-09-07, 05:01

Do we have anyone experienced enough with the US situation to make a summary of the pros and cons of different plan options in the USA?

I assume the only carrier choice for 3G is T-Mobile. I'm still undecided between a pay as you go plan with an unlocked N900 and a contract with a subsidized N900. But I have to admit that I am fuzzy on the different plans that are or might be available. Maybe I just have to wait until T-Mobile makes an announcement...
1) ATT and T-Mob are the only choices for the States.
2) Only ATT has a pre-paid plan for data....and it's not a real good deal.
3) Doesn't look like T-Mob is going to subsidize the N900.
4) Don't expect any tel-co to inform you correctly or steer you in the right direction!!

deadmalc

2009-09-07, 06:38

I use Tmobile WebnWalk Plus and get 3GB for use with everything except voip.

Solo 20 has 600mins, unlimited texts and 1GB. Then you can upgrade to WnW Plus (3GB) and get the freedom to stream stuff, p2p and tether.

Personally i dont use many minutes, so i use a low tarrif sim and will upgrade to WnW Max (10GB) when the N900 is out.
.

And on the WnW Max looks like you can use Voip too, not that I expect to a lot, but it would be nice to have the option

Matan

2009-09-07, 06:47

Have a look at the data plans entry on Maemo wiki (http://wiki.maemo.org/Data_plans)

We need a similar page for pre-paid sims. I visit various european countries for a few days at a time and roaming data charges are ridiculous. I tried to find about pre-paid sims with 3G data, but can hardly find this information.

allnameswereout

2009-09-07, 07:17

We need a similar page for pre-paid sims. I visit various european countries for a few days at a time and roaming data charges are ridiculous.Yup... some more insane than others...

I tried to find about pre-paid sims with 3G data, but can hardly find this information.Sorry I can't find it either. Prepaid voice-only has existed since the beginning, but prepaid data-only or voice+data is not common AFAICT. Sometimes its included as part of the voice-only, but then you pay like 1 EUR for 500 kB.

lardman

2009-09-07, 09:54

We need a similar page for pre-paid sims. I visit various european countries for a few days at a time and roaming data charges are ridiculous. I tried to find about pre-paid sims with 3G data, but can hardly find this information.

You can add that to the page too, just specify "Prepay" (or similar) in the Type column (assuming your country of interest has this - the UK does.)

deadmalc

2009-09-07, 10:08

We need a similar page for pre-paid sims. I visit various european countries for a few days at a time and roaming data charges are ridiculous. I tried to find about pre-paid sims with 3G data, but can hardly find this information.

I know O2 do a "bolt on" for roaming data charges, have the charges dropped since the latest legislation was put through to do with roaming in EU?

eiffel

2009-09-07, 12:27

...I've been looking around for a good sim only contract. The best one for me (UK) seems to be with O2, which works out at about 20 GBP a month:

Online simplicity 20 SIM Only
Pay Monthly contract
1200 texts / 600 mins
Includes Unlimited Web Bolt On

Apparently the Web Bolt on has no caps etc. and is fine as long as you don't tether the device.
What makes me nervous is the provision that O2 can slap on additional charges if they think you're tethering, sharing files, watching videos etc.

I'm more comfortable with T-mobile's policy. If you cross the line of their acceptable use policy, they never impose an extra charge. Instead, they just throttle your connection speed between 4PM and midnight until the end of the month, then it goes back to normal.

With a T-Mobile Pay As You Go SIM, the cost for data is £1 per day, charged only for the days that you use it. Or you can send an SMS to get 5 consecutive days data for £2.50. There's no ongoing commitment, no contract, no monthly minimum.

For £20 per month on a rolling monthly contract, T-Mobile offers 600 minutes, unlimited texts and internet access. You can cancel anytime with 30 days notice.

If you're a light user, the best deal is Asda Mobile, who resell Vodafone access as a dumb pipe. It costs 4p per text, 8p per minute for voice, and 20p per megabyte for data. No minimum, no bundles, no contract.

Regards,
Roger

deadmalc

2009-09-07, 12:29

T-Mobile definitely sounds the safest, I think I'll go with them.
It's for work purposes so paying slightly more is better than getting slapped with a big bill

kenny

2009-09-07, 14:49

An interesting article in PCMag about the price of wireless in general. I gather that he's mainly referring to the U.S., but the situation is probably similar elsewhere.
.
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2344696,00.asp
.
"3G wireless doesn't provide much of an alternative. I've seen the terrified looks in the eyes of wireless company executives. They're genuinely worried that they can't carry much more traffic. 3G networks are much more fragile than you think. AT&T's network couldn't even handle a bunch of SXSW convention attendees with iPhones. Now imagine if they were all trying to live-stream video using Qik. I've had wireless executives tell me that they set data plan prices high specifically to keep people off their networks—because if they had too many more heavy data users, the networks wouldn't be able to function."

scaler

2009-09-08, 19:55

How do they know if it's an iPhone/N900/etc? Some SIM card reporting trickery?

Each phone has a unique identifier called its IMEI, communicated to the network while the phone is connected. IMEI numbers are allocated to manufacturers in clearly identifiable blocks, and so the network always knows what model of phone is connected.

It's not in the SIM, it's in the phone.

Among other things, the IMEI allows networks to block access by phones reported as stolen, even if the thief (or duped buyer) changes the SIM.

kenny

2009-09-08, 23:34

With a T-Mobile Pay As You Go SIM, the cost for data is £1 per day, charged only for the days that you use it. Or you can send an SMS to get 5 consecutive days data for £2.50. There's no ongoing commitment, no contract, no monthly minimum.

For £20 per month on a rolling monthly contract, T-Mobile offers 600 minutes, unlimited texts and internet access. You can cancel anytime with 30 days notice.

If you're a light user, the best deal is Asda Mobile, who resell Vodafone access as a dumb pipe. It costs 4p per text, 8p per minute for voice, and 20p per megabyte for data. No minimum, no bundles, no contract.

Regards,
Roger
These are pre-paid plans, correct?

ARJWright

2009-09-08, 23:59

1) ATT and T-Mob are the only choices for the States.
2) Only ATT has a pre-paid plan for data....and it's not a real good deal.
3) Doesn't look like T-Mob is going to subsidize the N900.
4) Don't expect any tel-co to inform you correctly or steer you in the right direction!!

For both TMobile and ATT in the US you will pay 35USD/month for a data only plan. Same terms apply there as on other data plans in terms of restrictions on streaming, tethering, and the like.

Pre-Paid data in the US is a joke; its not even worth considering.

hypnotik

2009-09-09, 00:51

For both TMobile and ATT in the US you will pay 35USD/month for a data only plan. Same terms apply there as on other data plans in terms of restrictions on streaming, tethering, and the like.

Pre-Paid data in the US is a joke; its not even worth considering.

I think the minimum on T-mobile is T-Mobile Total Internet for $39.99 before taxes, which effectively becomes $50~55 after taxes.

dansus

2009-09-09, 00:55

These are pre-paid plans, correct?

Yes, but with a 30 day contract rather than the usual 18 months. You can sign up for 12 months and get slightly better terms.

eiffel

2009-09-09, 08:16

Yes, but with a 30 day contract rather than the usual 18 months.
The 30-day rolling contract comes in two variants. One is fully pre-paid which means you must "top up" in advance if you want to do anything beyond the contract services (e.g. international roaming). There's also a post-paid 30-day rolling contract, which you can only get if you pass their credit check.

T-Mobile UK just announced that they are going to merge with Orange UK. I've had terrible customer service from Orange in the past, so this is bad news for me. However, at least T-Mobile UK and Orange UK both allow you to connect to the internet without going through their proxies. And in any case, T-Mobile and Orange said that they'll keep their product lines and branding separate for at least 18 months.

Roger

kenny

2009-09-09, 13:14

For both TMobile and ATT in the US you will pay 35USD/month for a data only plan. Same terms apply there as on other data plans in terms of restrictions on streaming, tethering, and the like.

Pre-Paid data in the US is a joke; its not even worth considering.
.
The T-Mob & ATT plans you mention are post-paid with a two year contract, correct?
.
Occasionally, one of the MVNO companies will pop up with a decent pre-paid plan. But they're often short lived (if they even get off the ground at all.)

ARJWright

2009-09-09, 16:49

The T-Mob & ATT plans you mention are post-paid with a two year contract, correct?
.
Occasionally, one of the MVNO companies will pop up with a decent pre-paid plan. But they're often short lived (if they even get off the ground at all.)

Post-Paid, not sure if they require a contract or not (yet).

dannyo

2009-09-09, 17:05

3) Doesn't look like T-Mob is going to subsidize the N900.

What makes you say that T-Mobile won't subsidize the device?

dantonic

2009-09-09, 17:10

For both TMobile and ATT in the US you will pay 35USD/month for a data only plan. Same terms apply there as on other data plans in terms of restrictions on streaming, tethering, and the like.

Pre-Paid data in the US is a joke; its not even worth considering.

I have a tmobile usa unlimited data contract, for $20 per month. I signed up for it about a year ago and specifically asked if i could tether my tm506 to be used as a modem. The answer was 'of course, and you have no limits on your monthly bandwith' . Unless something has changed, i still believe to be under that contract, and still pay 20/mo.

kenny

2009-09-09, 23:42

The 30-day rolling contract comes in two variants. One is fully pre-paid which means you must "top up" in advance if you want to do anything beyond the contract services (e.g. international roaming). There's also a post-paid 30-day rolling contract, which you can only get if you pass their credit check.

Roger
Sweet!
Between this type of thing and the various "bolt on" post-paid options, you Brits seem to have one of the more favorable mobile phone environments.

kenny

2009-09-10, 02:15

What makes you say that T-Mobile won't subsidize the device?
I should add "at this time....and for the near future....at least 6 months or so."
That just seems to be the way it's turning out:

1) There are, and have been, no U.S. T-Mobile indications that the N900 is in their plans. (This possible T-Mobile subsidy has all been speculation because of the particular 3G bands in the N900.)
There have also been unofficial reports (from T-Mobile people) that say they are not going to offer it anytime soon.

2) T-Mobile might want to only be offering a couple of super-smartphones right now anyway.
See post #18 on the previous page of this thread.

3) Then there is the Nokia VP announcing that Nokia will not allow any carrier to screw around with the phone.
I would say that this pretty much wraps it up for now because of the frightening way that the U.S. carriers are continuing to operate (which ain't the Nokia way.)
By the way, this story is in the TOP 5 threads of this very forum.
.
I gotta admit, I really admire the gutsy policy of Nokia. Outside of a small number of handsets, they generally have always refused to play along with ATT, T-Mob, Sprint and Verizon.
I'll be glad to buy my N900 for the best price I can find. I'll stick some T-Mobile or ATT card in it (hell, doesn't matter which one, I'll probably be at EDGE speeds half of the time anyways), I'll do my heavy data via WiFi, and I'll still have the benefits of using the most powerful & capable computer-phone made today.
.
EDIT:
Here is the link to the official Nokia / Reuters announcement of how Nokia is NOT going to bend to the demands of the carriers (at least where the N900 is concerned.)
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSTRE58831A20090909?
.
I hope I have answered your question. ( A simple click on the Thanks button would let me know that someone appreciated this information.)

kenny

2009-09-10, 02:43

vabgeo

2009-09-10, 02:46

I have a tmobile usa unlimited data contract, for $20 per month. I signed up for it about a year ago and specifically asked if i could tether my tm506 to be used as a modem. The answer was 'of course, and you have no limits on your monthly bandwith' . Unless something has changed, i still believe to be under that contract, and still pay 20/mo.
Is this a data plan along with a voice plan, or data alone?
I now have the misfortune of using At&t gophone with 20$ for 100MB, one month. the leftover data carries over if recharged before the month is over, and I recharge for 5$ for 1Mb. I use it with my N81 mobile with my N810. The nokia n81 doesnt have at&t 3g, so i can use only edge. it works okay most of the time, since mostly i am connected to wifi@home/work. i use the net for, fring sip/skype/gtalk, maemo mapper, browsing, rss feeds
I was planning to change to a tmobile flexpay 30usd + 10usd data plan with30usd for a samsung phone.
If the gnu/linux fanboy in me makes me buy an n900, I hope using it (without bluetooth tethering) would be possible

kenny

2009-09-10, 03:07

If the gnu/linux fanboy in me makes me buy an n900, I hope using it (without bluetooth tethering) would be possible
Sure, just stick that GoPhone SIM into the N900, leave the N81 and the N810 in the drawer.

ralphb

2009-09-10, 09:47

Forgive me a noobie question, but I've never actually had a mobile phone before.

Is there a persuasive augment not to buy my N900 with (say) an Orange contract? It seems to be 40% cheaper if I do. I realise it is only 40% cheaper at purchase, and that they will make up their money with my call charges. However, I will need a contract from some carrier or other, won't I? Some carrier will get this money. As far as I can see they don't seem to offer a cheaper plan if you don't take the discounted phone from them. (Or have I missed this possibility?)

So, why shouldn't I take the discounted phone with the contract? Is it just the 12 or 24 month tie-in that is seen as so onerous?

Or is there some technical reason why I shouldn't? i.e. Will the red-pill option still be possible if I take an Orange N900? Will they force me to use their webproxy? Place ads in my browser? Fill my flash with cruft?

eiffel

2009-09-10, 10:33

Is there a persuasive augment not to buy my N900 with (say) an Orange contract?
Hi ralphb,

You don't say what country you're in, but in any case you need to look at it on a case-by-case basis.

Orange has been known to cripple the functionality of some phones. With some models, they replace the menu system with their own, to make it hard for you to get music, games or ringtones without buying it from the Orange store.

Also, they sometimes sell the phones locked to their own network. In the UK, they will unlock it on request for a fee (£20?), but if you're on a pay-as-you-go tariff they will only do this if you have been registered with them for a certain time (6 months I think). If you didn't bother to register your full details with them, and you want to unlock your phone to use with another carrier on an overseas trip, tough luck.

In the UK it's legal to get your phone unlocked at a shady-looking back-street shop, provided they don't change the IMEI code. But then if you need warranty repairs from the carrier you may be out of luck.

Personally I would never buy a carrier-locked or carrier-crippled phone. Sometimes freedom is worth more than a superficially-attractive deal.

In any case, there's no indication that Orange will be offering a good deal on the N900, unless you know something that I don't.

Regards,
Roger

ralphb

2009-09-10, 11:36

Hi eiffel,

Thanks for the reply.

You don't say what country you're in, but in any case you need to look at it on a case-by-case basis.

I'm in Switzerland. The deal I've seen is through these people (http://digitec.ch/). I guess I shall have to contact them to find out exactly what taking the Orange deal involves.

IMO, this sort of stuff should be made more transparent. Or legally regulated. It's one thing to ensure my custom for 2 years, quite another to screw with the phone's functionality.

eiffel

2009-09-10, 17:01

The deal I've seen is through these people (http://digitec.ch/).
You do need to check the details, but that page looks encouraging.

My guess is that they are resellers for the carrier's monthly plans, and get a share of the monthly subscription price. In return, they give you a discount on the phone (which they get from Nokia and supply to you directly, without the carrier being involved). If that indeed is their business model, the phones are probably uncrippled.

Of course you also need to check whether the monthly fee includes data.

Roger

dantonic

2009-09-10, 20:28

Is this a data plan along with a voice plan, or data alone?
I now have the misfortune of using At&t gophone with 20$ for 100MB, one month. the leftover data carries over if recharged before the month is over, and I recharge for 5$ for 1Mb. I use it with my N81 mobile with my N810. The nokia n81 doesnt have at&t 3g, so i can use only edge. it works okay most of the time, since mostly i am connected to wifi@home/work. i use the net for, fring sip/skype/gtalk, maemo mapper, browsing, rss feeds
I was planning to change to a tmobile flexpay 30usd + 10usd data plan with30usd for a samsung phone.
If the gnu/linux fanboy in me makes me buy an n900, I hope using it (without bluetooth tethering) would be possible

Yes I have a Voice plan and Data plan, and No SMS package. so I pay 20cents for incoming and outgoing SMSes which I almost never send.

UCOMM

2009-09-10, 20:57

Is this a data plan along with a voice plan, or data alone?
I was planning to change to a tmobile flexpay 30usd + 10usd data plan with30usd for a samsung phone.
If the gnu/linux fanboy in me makes me buy an n900, I hope using it (without bluetooth tethering) would be possible

tmobile has a 10$ data plan? they always quote me 24.99

vabgeo

2009-09-10, 21:58

tmobile has a 10$ data plan? they always quote me 24.99

I dont have a credit history here and am not willing to be locked in on a plan or pay a 500$ security deposit.

I told them I have an unlocked N81. I chose T-mobile FlexPay month to month from the indvidual plan. I chose 29.99$ 300minutes, and the services is 9.99$ for data alone 'unlimited' + 10$ for the SIM card - 55$ with tax. and monthly 43$

I have ordered one , so let me see how it goes with my N81. My N81 is getting old, lots of cracks due to heavy use, very low battery life and the N810 touch screen is dead.

ralphb

2009-09-15, 15:50

You do need to check the details, but that page looks encouraging.

My guess is that they are resellers for the carrier's monthly plans, and get a share of the monthly subscription price. In return, they give you a discount on the phone (which they get from Nokia and supply to you directly, without the carrier being involved). If that indeed is their business model, the phones are probably uncrippled.

Of course you also need to check whether the monthly fee includes data.

I have contacted the supplier and they tell me: There will be nothing installed on the Mobile phone from Orange. You just have the contract from Orange, the Mobile phone is from us and also that the phone is not branded which means that there are no restrictions to use it.

Which is good.

The plan I have in mind includes only 1GB data per month, but I don't see much else better available in Switzerland at the moment without paying megabucks per month.

I suppose it's possible/likely that I'll regret this 12 months into my 24 month contract.

Laughing Man

2009-09-15, 16:11

I wonder how you guys are finding these. The lowest voice plan available plus cheapest data still is 60-70 a month on the tmobile usa website. o.o

ARJWright

2009-09-15, 16:27

I wonder how you guys are finding these. The lowest voice plan available plus cheapest data still is 60-70 a month on the tmobile usa website. o.o

Under that entry, you should see a "view data plan only options" which would show you the cheaper price of just doing data.

Laughing Man

2009-09-15, 16:32

Yeah i saw that but i'm combining the price for those data plans plus the cheapest amount of min. available. though really the most i'd need is 100-200 since i rarely make phone calls and rely more on voip.

vabgeo

2009-09-16, 04:58

I have ordered one , so let me see how it goes with my N81. My N81 is getting old, lots of cracks due to heavy use, very low battery life and the N810 touch screen is dead.

Got the T-Mobile SIM, it seems I can use the net(9.99$) and tether to my n800/n810 using bluetooth, only edge speeds, my n81 has 3G UMTS 2100, which doesnt seem to be t-mobile 3g compatible.

Soulfarmer

2009-09-25, 14:43

I had vowed I would never get a contract-phone again, but in Finland there is very strong incentive to do so starting from today (pre-order):

(Max) 5mbit/s flat rate data plan
3000 sms/month
3000 mins phone calls/month
3000 mins video calls/month (not sure if n900 even supports these atm)
3000 mms/ month (I know this is useless atm)

all that for 57,95€/month. And since I had planned to pay for my N900 589e, I could pay the device up front, and that would left me with about 35 euros a month with that package. In Finland, 5mbit/s flat rate/month costs about 35 euros...

I am torn. :)

DeeGee

2009-09-25, 14:53

Soulfarmer

2009-09-25, 14:56

Aah, I guess you mean the Saunalahti deal. My friend is planning on getting that deal too. I just renewed my old plan with N900, as i don't really need all those extras and I have a good data plan already.

Yeah the saunalahti plan. I have hard time finding flaws in getting that.. And actually I would be just changing plan, I currently pay about as much as that 5m data would cost but with only 384kts plan, so I would get huge benefit with only few euros more a month. But I hate contracts that I can't get rid of when I want to.

EDIT: Took the time to read the fine print.... it seems that aforementioned great sounding plan includes marketing messages or something like that which could use location information and be in form of email, mms or sms... and I am VERY much anti-marketing, so this could be the deal breaker on this. Nice... :(

shadowjk

2009-09-25, 16:58

My current plan with Saunalahti contains 2mbit/s data but no calls or messages. 5 parallell sim cards on the same telehpone number. About 15E per month. I think I'd lose the extra cards if I upgraded :/

DeeGee

2009-09-25, 18:09

Yeah the saunalahti plan. I have hard time finding flaws in getting that.. And actually I would be just changing plan, I currently pay about as much as that 5m data would cost but with only 384kts plan, so I would get huge benefit with only few euros more a month. But I hate contracts that I can't get rid of when I want to.

EDIT: Took the time to read the fine print.... it seems that aforementioned great sounding plan includes marketing messages or something like that which could use location information and be in form of email, mms or sms... and I am VERY much anti-marketing, so this could be the deal breaker on this. Nice... :(

I couldn't find any mention of sms/mms marketing? And I thought only DNA was planning on doing advertising to their customers.

My current plan with Saunalahti contains 2mbit/s data but no calls or messages. 5 parallell sim cards on the same telehpone number. About 15E per month. I think I'd lose the extra cards if I upgraded :/

Have you checked if you have the option to change your phone to your current plan? That's what I did. You can find the option from "Oma Saunalahti -> GSM-liittymät -> Liittymän tiedot (valitse liittymän numero) -> Puhelimen vaihto"

Soulfarmer

2009-09-25, 18:14

I couldn't find any mention of sms/mms marketing? And I thought only DNA was planning on doing advertising to their customers.

It was mentioned in the extra conditions which was shown when trying to change plan/phone. It didn't mention anything about frequency of marketing or anything like that. I still hate any extra marketing, but that deal seems so sweet considering other options that I might give up on my hate for marketing in this case :)

shadowjk

2009-09-25, 22:19

Ah I can't because my current plan isn't a "marriage"-plan, it's just a plain plan without any devices.

UCOMM

2009-09-26, 02:06

just called tmobile the 9.99 plan is a glorified wap plan, seems like the 24.99 is the only way to go?

Laughing Man

2009-09-26, 02:20

24.99 plan? For internet only plans it's around 39 dollars I think. For the web2go (an addition to an existing tmobile voice plan) it's $20.

http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/addons/services/information.aspx?PAsset=InternetEmail&oscid=E29459F6-A1E4-4035-9516-C7D516E76334&tp=Svc_Tab_OtherPhones

Duffer

2009-09-30, 09:04

I have been on the £20 O2 plan the OP mentioned for 18 months now, not too bad. I use ~200~500MB and month with my N82.

If you go wild they can't just 'slap on charges' , they have to give you a warning. If you ignore this they usually recommend you upgrade to a business plan.

joppu

2009-09-30, 09:09

It's funny how expensive the data plans are in the US. In Finland you get 512kbps 3g connection with unlimited bandwidth for just 15€/month.

toffer

2009-09-30, 11:18

. IMEI numbers are allocated to manufacturers in clearly identifiable blocks, and so the network always knows what model of phone is connected.

So do they have a way to know you're tethering?

Soulfarmer

2009-09-30, 22:45

It's funny how expensive the data plans are in the US. In Finland you get 512mbps 3g connection with unlimited bandwidth for just 15€/month.

Did you mean 512kbps?

hfm

2009-09-30, 23:02

1) ATT and T-Mob are the only choices for the States.
2) Only ATT has a pre-paid plan for data....and it's not a real good deal.
3) Doesn't look like T-Mob is going to subsidize the N900.
4) Don't expect any tel-co to inform you correctly or steer you in the right direction!!

You can get the T-Mob 3G unlimited data/sms for $34.99/mo. $24.99 with 400 sms I think.

I have the $19.99 total internet myself but somehow I doubt it would also include 3G.

kenny

2009-10-01, 01:44

You can get the T-Mob 3G unlimited data/sms for $34.99/mo. $24.99 with 400 sms I think.
The post that I answered was asking about pre-paid plans.

R-R

2009-10-01, 02:56

So do they have a way to know you're tethering?

well, if you're phone doesn't have any internet capabilities and you're running bittorent then, yes, i guess :-)
Other than that, if the n900 was allowed, then routing through it with some NAT would be harder to detect...

You can get the T-Mob 3G unlimited data/sms for $34.99/mo. $24.99 with 400 sms I think.
I have the $19.99 total internet myself but somehow I doubt it would also include 3G.

Unlimited means anything IP, any ports, you get a real IP, etc? Really?
If so, I hate my life in Canada :P

thecursedfly

2009-10-05, 16:33

Dunno if anybody mentioned this for Belgium:

http://mobilevikings.com/en/offer/

(uses the network of Base, which supports only Edge so far; 3G is planned for end 2009 or beginning 2010)

# 1000 SMS and 1 GB free mobile Internet with every top up (for max 1 month). Even if you forget to top up once, you immediately get 1000 SMS and 1GB Internet when you top up.
# € 0,24 / min to all networks
# one top up = 15 €

Andre Klapper

2009-10-05, 17:23

It's been mentioned here before, but I'd just like to remind that we have a wiki page where you can add all info you get:
http://wiki.maemo.org/index.php?title=Data_plans

Markosib

2009-10-05, 23:15

spinnukur

2009-10-05, 23:31

T-Mobiles new system which they just recently started doing ( at least in my area ), is having the EXACT same plans as you would get on contract but having them on pre-paid. So if you're locked into a contract for EX: $39.99 amonth for 1000 anytime minutes, unlimited nights and weekends + unlimited smartphone data plan for $32.96 ( which also includes unlimited text ), you can have the exact same contract but through pre-paid. Which means no contracts what so ever, which is quite nice.

You can't even remotely get this same kind of non-contract service with ATT. I'm quite honestly tired of contracts, as soon as my N900 gets here, I'll transfer my number from ATT to T-Mobile but I will not get locked into another contract, especially considering I can get the same benefits as if I was contracted. People don't want contracts unless the phone they want needs to be subsidized, it's just a hassel.

Laughing Man

2009-10-05, 23:45

spinnukur

2009-10-06, 00:02

Spinnukur, you just made my day if you are right. Especially since you live in Washington D.C. (we're nearly neighbors! At least we're all considered as part of the Metropolitan area).

If what you said is true, I can get the n900 and pay prepay per month $32.96 for all that? O.O

The plans I have been pricing from them with voice + data have always been in the upper 40+ to 50+.

I'm not sure if you can get just the data plan plus don't forget that $39.99 that's also in their for the minutes, but I just went on T-Mobile's site to confirm what the girl told me earlier today and yep it's absolutely correct.

http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/plans/Cell-Phone-Plans.aspx?catgroup=Flexpay-cell-phone-plan

Laughing Man

2009-10-06, 00:12

Ah, wait, I see where I went wrong. For some reason I thought you somehow got discounted from 39.99 to 32. for all that.

ruskie

2009-10-06, 05:43

I've added the data plans for Slovenia Si.mobil a while ago

http://wiki.maemo.org/index.php?title=Data_plans#Slovenia

entwisi

2009-10-06, 07:15

spotted this

http://www.tesco.com/mobilenetwork/paymonthly.aspx?page=5

unfortunately for me only Vodaphone have any coverage at my desk at work so I'm staying with them. Having said that they don't bother about tethering or me streaming iplayer so I'm not really complaining!

eiffel

2009-10-06, 10:14

http://www.tesco.com/mobilenetwork/paymonthly.aspx?page=5
The only data rate I can find for Tesco Mobile is £4 per megabyte (http://www.tesco.com/mobilenetwork/content.aspx?page=35). Is there something better?

entwisi

2009-10-06, 10:18

Mmmm, when I read it yesterday it definately included data...... Me wonders if they got it wrong

bocaJ

2009-10-06, 15:30

Just thought I'd throw this in:

I'm going to call up and get this deal today: http://www.wmdeals.com/

Slickdeals (http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?t=1588181&page=22) is reporting that it comes with:

Phone for $49.99, free bluetooth, free activation, $50 credit to the account. You must add a data plan to the account for $24.99/mo and purchase a voice plan for at least $29.99/mo. 2 yr contract. Additionally, some people have reported being able to purchase an unlimited texting plan for $15/mo in lieu of a data plan, but YMMV. Some folks also reported getting a free car charger.

The only downside I saw was that I wouldn't be able to try to talk my way into the $10/mo data plan on a cheap phone, but the phone will sell for around $300 on ebay + $50 credit + $35 activation waver means that I'm breaking ahead of the 2 yr $360 cost.

TedMilker

2009-10-06, 16:39

Phone for $49.99, free bluetooth, free activation, $50 credit to the account. You must add a data plan to the account for $24.99/mo and purchase a voice plan for at least $29.99/mo. 2 yr contract. Additionally, some people have reported being able to purchase an unlimited texting plan for $15/mo in lieu of a data plan, but YMMV. Some folks also reported getting a free car charger.

The only downside I saw was that I wouldn't be able to try to talk my way into the $10/mo data plan on a cheap phone, but the phone will sell for around $300 on ebay + $50 credit + $35 activation waver means that I'm breaking ahead of the 2 yr $330 cost.I am not sure what you are doing here but unless I am misunderstanding your quoted prices, it is a minimum of $54.98 a month, for a total of $1319.52(and this is being kind, not including tax or other misc fees), meaning you are paying $934.52 over the plan, plus the cost of N900 if you are switching it to that. Even if you work out a text instead of data plan that is still much higher than your quoted $330 for 2 years once you include the cost of an N900.

Sounds like a lot worse to me than just going to T-mobile when it comes out and getting a contract free 3G plan.

spinnukur

2009-10-06, 16:46

bocaJ

2009-10-06, 18:15

I am not sure what you are doing here but unless I am misunderstanding your quoted prices, it is a minimum of $54.98 a month, for a total of $1319.52(and this is being kind, not including tax or other misc fees), meaning you are paying $934.52 over the plan, plus the cost of N900 if you are switching it to that. Even if you work out a text instead of data plan that is still much higher than your quoted $330 for 2 years once you include the cost of an N900.

Sounds like a lot worse to me than just going to T-mobile when it comes out and getting a contract free 3G plan.

Please check my math, but I think you mis-understand me, let me see if I can explain again:

Since AT&T doesn't offer 3G bands compatible with the N900, and since I'm not likely to move overseas, I'm going to be with Tmobile for the next two years whether or not its on contract or month to month.

Next, for times when I don't have 3g coverage, I would like a voice plan. The mininmum purchase, again either on contract or month to month, is the "Individual 300" plan for $29.99/mo. I also want a data plan - this is where the difference comes in: If I walk into the T-Mobile store down the street and buy the cheap phone plan, unlimited data is $10/mo, and I *may* be able to transfer that to my N900, although the rep indicated that I'd actually need a more expensive plan for that. If I go with the deal above, data is $25/mo. The *difference* between the plans (over the lifetime of the contract) is $15/mo*24mo=$360.

As a signing bonus for the contract, I get $300(phone)+$35(activation fee waver)+$50(account bonus)+$25(bluetooth headset)-$49(cost of phone)=$361

$361-$360=$1

Not a lot for my efforts, but money is money. Plus I get a large share of that up front, and if it turns out I would have had to buy the smart-phone data plan anyways to get 3g data on the N900, this turns into a $300+ windfall.

Again, thoughts?

spinnukur

2009-10-06, 18:57

Please check my math, but I think you mis-understand me, let me see if I can explain again:

Since AT&T doesn't offer 3G bands compatible with the N900, and since I'm not likely to move overseas, I'm going to be with Tmobile for the next two years whether or not its on contract or month to month.

Next, for times when I don't have 3g coverage, I would like a voice plan. The mininmum purchase, again either on contract or month to month, is the "Individual 300" plan for $29.99/mo. I also want a data plan - this is where the difference comes in: If I walk into the T-Mobile store down the street and buy the cheap phone plan, unlimited data is $10/mo, and I *may* be able to transfer that to my N900, although the rep indicated that I'd actually need a more expensive plan for that. If I go with the deal above, data is $25/mo. The *difference* between the plans (over the lifetime of the contract) is $15/mo*24mo=$360.

As a signing bonus for the contract, I get $300(phone)+$35(activation fee waver)+$50(account bonus)+$25(bluetooth headset)-$49(cost of phone)=$361

$361-$360=$1

Not a lot for my efforts, but money is money. Plus I get a large share of that up front, and if it turns out I would have had to buy the smart-phone data plan anyways to get 3g data on the N900, this turns into a $300+ windfall.

Again, thoughts?

I was told today while I was in the store buying my new sim card and porting my number over, that if you buy a corresponding data plan that doesn't belong to your particular phone, T-Mobile will A. either automatically upgrade to the correct one or B. turn off your data connection till you call in, and upgrade to the appropriate one.

Ex:. If I'm using my E90 on T-Mobile with the $10 a month data plan ( which ought to be using the $34.99 smartphone data plan ), they have alerts on their end in place to notify them that the amount of data usage doesn't correspond with what the actual data plan should be, not to mention that if an actual person looks at the alert then looks at what phone I'm using they'll see the E90 and know, something fishy is going on here.

My total monthly bill from T-Mobile through automatic payment, pre-paid ( no contract, wooooohooooo ..I.. AT&T ) comes out to $78.96.

39.99 for 1000 anytime minutes, unlimited nights and weekends + 34.99 for the smartphone unlimited data plan w/unlimited text messages. All in all I'm saving $50 from what I was spending every month with AT&T for my iPhone, sell the iPhone to offset the N900, just use my E90 till the N900 gets here.

Laughing Man

2009-10-06, 19:02

You were paying $120-130+ every month for the iPhone's plan? Jeez.

spinnukur

2009-10-06, 19:22

You were paying $120-130+ every month for the iPhone's plan? Jeez.

Yeah, I use allot of minutes and text messages plus I opted not to get a cell from work so all calls come to my personal phone, which I don't mind but I would like to not do the same with the 900 when it gets here so I guess I'll have to carry around two cells...

Everyone else > AT&T

danielwilson

2009-10-06, 20:53

im with vodafone and there vaule pack is £5 a month and is only for 500mbs month which sucks i would like 3gb but thats £15month and dont really want to spend that i think they should put the vaule pack to 1gb a month

somedude

2009-10-06, 22:00

Right now on iphone I am paying $69.68 with 49.99 Unlimited anytime Minutes and $19.99 unlimited text and web, and on top of that I get 15% student discount. This is with Tmobile. So far I have used this iphone for almost a year before I had a 5.99 Tzones and due to upgrading I had to change the plan then I opted for this 19.99. even though I have to change to 34.99 Unlimited Data and Text my bill would be:
49.99
+34.99
84.98
+12.78 ( tax)
97.76
-14.66 (student discount)
83.10
So for 83.10 I get everything Unlimited which would not be a bad deal for me.
The same everything unlimited on my buddys phone with AT&T comes $150 some with taxes.

Edit: And I heard the T-Mobile has 10GB cap on every data plan which counts for this web2go too. And I have tethered my computer with this plan with no problem, with-out paying a penny extra to tether.

ziggetty

2009-10-06, 22:10

highest time we get a nice europe wide subscription. as i am in belgium, and frequently visits Luxembourg, the netherlands germany france(all within a 200 km circle), i will probably end up with x simonly cards

BE i will go with mobile vikings
DE simyo.de maybe
NL simyo.nl ?? dont know yet
LU ??
FR ??
IT ??

will not use a lot of ordinary GSM calls , just interested in data plans.

allnameswereout

2009-10-09, 00:13

On Tweakers.net Pricewatch I saw only 1 store had N900 for sale in the Netherlands, for 518 EUR. With S&H, 525. Cheapest I've seen in NL, but I don't know what accessories are included though, and don't know this store either.

Now, I currently pay 7,50 EUR a month for Vodafone SIM-only 12,50 which includes 50 min/SMS for 1 year subscription. My subscription ends december 2009. To that I add Vodafone Zorgeloos Online for data plan (FUP) for 10 EUR.

So I look, and see that particular store also sells the Vodafone SIM-only 12,50 for 6,25 EUR which is 1,25 EUR cheaper. However, that is only for the 1st 3 months. After that is 12,50 EUR a month! They sell the N900 with this subscription for 475 EUR.

Then I have a look on Vodafone NL and they sell Vodafone SIM-only 12,50, with 60 min/SMS, now for 3,75 EUR first 3 months, and then 7,50 EUR.

So the total price of reseller is:
6,25 * 3 + 12,50 * 9 = 131,25 EUR

The total price of buying direct from Voda is:
3,75 * 3 + 7,50 * 9 = 78,75 EUR (+ 10 more min/SMS)

The price difference is:
131,25 - 78,75 = 52,50 EUR

Price reseller N900 plus price difference is:
52,50 + 475 EUR = 527,50 EUR

So for:
527,50 - 518 = 9,50 EUR
..you get 10 min/SMS less.

WTF? You'd expect these resellers are either 1) cheaper 2) cannot complete because more expensive. Are they not up to date with Vodafone's SIM-only offers, are they taking advantage of math, or what is going on? I'm phoning Vodafone tomorrow to see if they can arrange some deal...

r0eladn

2009-10-09, 00:25

allnameswereout

2009-10-09, 00:45

http://tweakers.net/shopreview/3428/bestelmaar-punt-nl.html

in case you were thinking of ordering there, read the shop reviews.
looks like there is a reason the price is so low..Yeah, that is the store... :D explains a lot thanks for link. I filled in the form on BelCompany, but its meaningless. Its reservation, not real order. There is no confirmation by them except an e-mail thanking for reservation. BTW are you going to Summit?

Mengs

2009-10-09, 01:31

Wow, some of you guys are paying insane fees. I used to live in Vancouver and every single plan I saw from fido seemed really unreasonable.

Anyway; moved back home to Finland and pre ordered my n900

-unlimited Internet 5mb speed
-3000 texts and 3000 min + 3000min video convo I think + mms which doesn't really do much in the n900 case
-n900 phone "free"
-2yr contract
-~58e/month

I might be missing a feature or two but the price is definatrly right... And cheap

edit. Also some n900 news... Talked to a rep from saunalahti and they had a rep from Nokia come by to show the phones and promote it... Appearently they are made at a warehouse which location is kept secret and also the phone going to be shipped in Europe first as all the first models will have a made in Finland on it :)

r0eladn

2009-10-09, 01:56

I am not going to the summit since i have not registered :(

Wow, some of you guys are paying insane fees. I used to live in Vancouver and every single plan I saw from fido seemed really unreasonable.

Anyway; moved back home to Finland and pre ordered my n900

-unlimited Internet 5mb speed
-3000 texts and 3000 min + 3000min video convo I think + mms which doesn't really do much in the n900 case
-n900 phone "free"
-2yr contract
-~58e/month

I might be missing a feature or two but the price is definatrly right... And cheap

edit. Also some n900 news... Talked to a rep from saunalahti and they had a rep from Nokia come by to show the phones and promote it... Appearently they are made at a warehouse which location is kept secret and also the phone going to be shipped in Europe first as all the first models will have a made in Finland on it :)

50 hours of calling. that is 2 days straight. which means u have to call for 1 minute every 15 minutes each day every week to use all the minutes? Plus u have to send 100 sms per day per month to use all the text messages?
100???? is it just me or because okay. nevermind.

sounds like a great deal. I myself would go for something a little cheaper and less minutes.

FYI, these are my costs:

Data packet: 10 euros
SMS 1000: 7.50 euros
400 minutes: 15 euros

these are sim only prices. (dont pin me down on these, i calculated some discounts through these prices)

euro 32.50 a month total.

abu9al7

2009-10-09, 01:59

I think the best thing is the N900 officially unlocked without a plan so you can use it any where with any SIM

spinnukur

2009-10-09, 03:54

I think the best thing is the N900 officially unlocked without a plan so you can use it any where with any SIM

I just hope we 'US' people get Finnish made phones like the Euro guys are getting.

lma

2009-10-24, 06:53

For UK users who wouldn't touch a contract with the proverbial barge pole and don't care about cellular voice, the Vodafone TopUp and Go (http://online.vodafone.co.uk/dispatch/Portal/appmanager/vodafone/wrp?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=template10&pageID=MB_0012) (available for less from other places (http://www.google.co.uk/products?q=vodafone+%22topup+and+go%22&hl=en&scoring=p)) is an interesting option. AFAIK you can't buy just the SIM without a dongle, but it's reasonably priced and 1GB can last a really long time on the N900. As a bonus, the dongle works fine with Linux (although you might as well just use the N900 (http://wiki.maemo.org/index.php?title=Fremantle_Unsupported_Bluetooth_pr ofiles#DUN_server) for that).

The only glitch is that the N900 misconfigures (https://bugs.maemo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=5758) the GPRS settings, but after editing the connection and setting the access point name to "pp.internet" it works fine :-)

Carefree

2009-10-24, 08:11

Wow, some of you guys are paying insane fees. I used to live in Vancouver and every single plan I saw from fido seemed really unreasonable.

Anyway; moved back home to Finland and pre ordered my n900

Did you go to Shabusen?

I used to live in Vancouver too, but I live in the UK now:D

In the UK, T-Mobile has the best deal. Through mobilephonesdirect.co.uk you can sign up for an 18 month contract @ £25/month + £58.99 for the phone = £500 for the phone and 18 months contract of 200 min + 200 texts and unlimited internet.

Since the phone is 450-500, that's essentially just free service.

That price is suspiciously low and makes me think there's an error somewhere.

Markosib

2009-11-16, 00:53

Here in Australia, where there is yet to be an announcement regards release date for the N900, Exetel do a HSPA data deal that looks good. $A5 a month access, unlimited data at $A15 per Gig, Voip at 50c per min (no flagfall), No contract!!! I'm gunna set it up with a 3G dual sim card adapter so as to take advantage of my regular suppliers included minutes and Exetels cheap data.

OK..I have two sims now and in my N95 classic the HSPA sim is great when tethered to my intel iMac. My N900 is on its way from the USofA!!! But i need that Sim adaptor. There are ones for S60 that work with HSPA but they wont necessarily work on Maemo......just a software thing I expect, the 2nd sim is accessed via the UI. Anyone with dual sims in their N900????