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I have just updated my mobile phone and gone onto a new network.
I got the new phone from Carphone Warehouse, and changed over to their service provider which is called iD - apparently its a new mobile network, think it came out in about May. I've changed from Virgin as my phone used to cut out all the time, and they blamed the network.
I don't know much about phones, and now I'm panicking that I've made a mistake about going over to iD seeing as its fairly new.
Has anyone else gone over to iD and are they ok?
I googled about them, and found this network coverage checker..
http://selfhelp.carphonewarehouse.com/SelfHelp/request.do?view%28%29=c{179c7460-e8a9-11de-da00-000000000000}
This is what it says about the coverage for iD in my area.
4G coverage
Good service.
You should be able to use the internet in most instances on our 4G network. However indoor signal strength may vary.
Virgin seems to have a better rating on that site.
Maybe I should have stayed with Virgin?
Comments welcome please!
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Whilst advertised as a new network, iD is what is called a Virtual Operator, leasing connectivity from the existing network provider called Three.
Virgin, on the other hand use EE, whose UK coverage is marginally better then that of Three, but much depends on local conditions and how close you are to the nearest mobile phone mast.
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Thanks InspectorGreenPen for the information.
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Since taking over t-mobile EE have had a bonfire of phone masts PLUS their network now favors 4G. Voice calls use 3G regardless - you cannot have a phone conv and stream 4G data at the same time.
EE are less than wonderful even in London and quite a lot of people have had to cajole them into supplying a wifi box which routes their voice calls throught their ISP router when at home/office. Virgin just piggy backs on EE.
There are only a few real UK phone networks - EE, O2, BT, 3. As IGP says the rest are "virtual" - paying access fees. (It is much the same with broadband).
Which network is "best" depends on where you live, whether you want 4G data or not and whether you use yr phone when abroad. I use a French phone when in France but if course it has a different number. "3" are very good with 4G so long as you live/work in their service area which is mainly big cities.
By and large most deals where the user shells out for a 24 month contract with a "free" or low cost phone are a great deal for the seller and a very bad deal for the user who shells out far more than is needed and suffers the indignity of low spec phone ( eg less memory than could be provided) and half the memory taken up by bloatware anyway. The only upside is a low up front cost.
Brer fox buys his phones up front for cash and gets a SIM only deal.
Another huge scam is phone insurance. It is far cheaper as an add on to home contents or even car insurance.
When buying a phone here are a few options to think about which the sales people will not mention:
a. has it got an FM radio? Uses far less power than radio over ip, always works - v. handy if you spend much time in, say, hospital waiting rooms, public transport.
b. has it got a SIM card ? Many don't and given the way many contract deals grab half the memory for bloatware worth thinking about if you like taking photos or storing music on yr phone.
c. can you replace the battery ? The tendency is to make what used to be a simple operation a major strip down.
d. does it spy on you? This problem has caused more and more people esp "celebrities" and politicians to revert to using un smart phones. The biggest offenders here are Apple and WindowsMobile. Most of the spying in Android can be disabled especially if the phone is "rooted".
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Thanks Rollo for the information - very useful.
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