haha woops!

In reply to a post by 69bertie:

if you're a low volume user and get a good signal, a mobile makes lots of sense. 3 years ago, I took out a monthly contract for £7.50 a month (£7.70 now) and that included a free smartphone as part of the deal with no upfront costs. I get 250mins, 5000 texts and 750mb of internet (3G) a month. Does me fine. Indeed, out shopping yesterday.
The big problem is that usually if you just want a broadband only line, it can cost more than having one with a phone line included.

Looks like quite a good deal, but which network?

The problem with mobile phones is that the need a decent signal to work. VOIP down a broadband line works and is cheap.

Aquiss and vivaciti have landline pricing only a fraction above Pulse8's, and uno either have similar planned or recently available. Like Pulse8, you are not required to take their broadband.

With all you can also have some or all of their broadband packages without taking their line rental.

Edited by RobertoS (Wed 30-Dec-15 21:06:09)

that is easy to put in reverse.

The problem with landlines they need your home to work, i.e. you can only make calls in your home.

A mobile can place calls anywhere.

How often do I have no signal?

Well for a start never at home, yet I have had phone line outages.
I do sometimes lose 3g/4g when out and about in places like hospitals or in the middle of nowhere on the road, but 2g can handle voice services and I very rarely have no signal at all. Even at the seaside watching the sea in a small seaside town have been able to use my mobile phone.

Of course some providers like Three which have no 2g network may have issues but on EE and O2 I have experienced excellent 2g coverage.

Edited by Chrysalis (Wed 30-Dec-15 14:24:53)

In reply to a post by 69bertie:

if you're a low volume user and get a good signal, a mobile makes lots of sense.

That would depend on the signal in your area. Where I live (small town, couple of miles from the M40 and work (large town right next to the M40) mobile data is pants. It's like going back to the days of analogue connections. Slow, stops and starts sometimes fails altogether. I also know it's not my phone because in order to get calls and texts at home I stumped up for the Vodafone SureSignal and when data is going via that my phone is fast and reliable (though obviously it runs on wifi normally when at home).

I think the only place I've had a good experience with mobile data is in Llandudno, North Wales. Everywhere else it's rubbish.

In reply to a post by Chrysalis:

A mobile can place calls anywhere.

How often do I have no signal?

I'd have no calls (and sometimes no texts) at home if I didn't have my Vodafone SureSignal booster. And I wouldn't call Brackley the back end of beyond either. It's fine at work for calls and texts, and supposedly 'H+' for data. But the data...is naff. Stops, starts, gives up altogether. Yesterday I wanted to see the satellite imagery while out walking around Banbury to get a feel for the coming weather..nope. Sorry. Vodafone couldn't manage it beyond a few buttons and half a the CSS. Chap I was with was with T-Mobile..he faired no better.

How often do I have no signal?

When I am at home, and quite often when I go out.

To some extent a problem can be weak 3G & 4G signals. The Samsung phone I have does not let me select 2G only. The weak signals reduce the battery life to less than a day.

Talkmobile (part of Carphone warehouse) ....run on Vodafone, which by sheer chance offer a fairly good signal round these parts (very rural). I tried Three round here but it was usually a case of driving about a mile up the road to get a signal! I just checked to see what deals they are currently doing, Slightly less data but still £7.50/mth

Thank you. I looked at them a little while ago, but did not move to them for some reason, which might have been because they did not allow tethering. I see that tethering is not longer excluded on the monthly contracts. (AIUI!).

Pulse8 do ADSL2+ broadband only for £19, though line is inclusive in FTTC prices.