Vodafone UK switching to per-minute call charging on PAYG, stiffing you out of seconds

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Benefits of pay-as-you-go handsets and SIMs include having complete control over your spend, and knowing how much call time is left before the next top-up is due. Well, if you PAYG with Vodafone in the UK, prepare to start seeing those available minutes diminish a little quicker than you're used to. You may have been unaware that calls are currently charged by the second, but come August 1st, the network will begin pricing calls by the minute. Basically, this means calls will be rounded up to the next minute, so a natter lasting just over a minute will be charged as two, losing you precious seconds. Voda says this is to make things simpler, so "you'll always know exactly how many minutes you have left" -- or don't, as the case may be. In a statement, the carrier was keen to point out that several "competitors already offer price plans charged in this way," and that top-up extras (like free minutes and cake) "continue to offer our customers great value." Nice try, Voda. Full statement after the break.

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Via: SlashGear, Jonathan Morris (Twitter)

Source: Vodafone

EE DoubleSpeed 4G Service Starts Tomorrow with Pay-for-Speed Mobile Plans


EE is a joint venture of Orange SA and Deutsche Telekom AG. The network plans to introduce new packages that will increase the speed of connectivity. According to Slash Gear, its 4th Generation...

Three UK simplifies pay-as-you-go tariff, offers data at 1p per MB

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Three UK is tired of networks offering pay-as-you-go packages with numerous caveats and bolt-ons, and so has decided to go back to basics. The network is now offering a single tariff for all of its fair-weather mobile users, pricing calls at 3p per minute, texts at 2p per minute and data at 1p per MB. Three UK has also promised that your credit won't expire as long as you do something on the account once every six months. The change takes place from today, and existing customers will also be switched over to the new system -- just in time for that trip across the North Sea.

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Virgin Media unveils quartet of new SIM Only plans for data-focused Brits

Virgin Media unveils quartet of new SIM Only plans for datafocused Brits

It was only in June that we saw Virgin Media shaking up its regular mobile plans for UK residents. The carrier is back for another round, this time to serve the SIM Only customers who thrive on unlocked phones. Four plans starting from £12 ($19) a month all provide unlimited data and text messaging for bring-your-own-phone subscribers, with voice as the only real separating factor: the thriftiest callers get 150 minutes per month, while higher £15, £17 and £25 ($24, $27 and $40) tiers ramp up to a respective 250, 1,200 and 2,500 minutes for chattier customers. The chief gotcha is a lack of bundled landline calling for all but the priciest plan, although existing Virgin Media subscribers can knock an extra £5 off of that rate. If you're the sort who can't bear the thought of a contract, Virgin now has you better covered.

Continue reading Virgin Media unveils quartet of new SIM Only plans for data-focused Brits

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Virgin Media unveils quartet of new SIM Only plans for data-focused Brits originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Sep 2012 15:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Avanti launches prepaid, Ka-band satellite internet access, wants us Yelping from the Alps

Avanti launches prepaid, Kaband satellite internet access, wants us Skyping from the Alps

Avanti has been beaming satellite broadband to Europe for awhile, but it's been tied to a subscription through carrier deals. That's a tough sell to customers who, by definition, don't want to be tied to anything -- which is why the company just launched prepaid satellite internet access for the continent. Although the Ka-band service's 4Mbps downstream and 1Mbps upstream speeds won't have anyone dropping their 330Mbps fiber anytime soon, the pay-as-you-go strategy will let travelers and rural dwellers get broadband in a pinch, no matter how spotty terrestrial access might get. Imagine Skype calls during Swiss ski vacations and you've got the gist of it. Carriers will resell the data in healthy doses of 1GB or larger, and Avanti is adamant that there won't be any nasty throttling surprises waiting in store. While exact prices will depend on partners, the provider isn't waiting for those details before it covers much of the Old World: its upcoming HYLAS 2 satellite (what you see above) will share the speed with Africa, the Caucasus region and the Middle East as of August 2nd, making it almost too easy for us to update Google+ in Georgia.

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Avanti launches prepaid, Ka-band satellite internet access, wants us Yelping from the Alps originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jul 2012 12:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Virgin Mobile may be next up for pay-as-you-go iPhone parade on July 1st

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It might be that Cricket's iPhone deal is just the tip of the prepaid iceberg: insiders reportedly say that Sprint's pay-as-you-go brand Virgin Mobile will be taking the Apple plunge as well. Details of what it will cost are still very much unknown, although we'd look to Cricket's $500 unsubsidized iPhone 4S and $35 monthly plan as strong clues. If the WSJ's connections are accurate, though, we could see a Virgin iPhone for the US as soon as its northern neighbor Canada blows out the birthday candles, on July 1st. At this rate, the only American carrier of any kind without an iPhone will be T-Mobile, and it's clear that this glaring exception is eager to hop onboard.

Virgin Mobile may be next up for pay-as-you-go iPhone parade on July 1st originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jun 2012 14:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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