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Ofcom's first 4G survey shows that speed isn't everything
All of Britain's major mobile networks have been offering 4G for a while now, but because all have their own infrastructure, speeds and coverage can vary wildly. Each carrier is quick to boast their own statistics, but thanks to Ofcom's first ever 4G research report (which tested networks in five of the biggest UK cities) we're finally able to separate fact from fiction. EE and O2 took first and second place in the all-important average download speed test, reaching 18.4Mbps and 15.6Mbps respectively, while Three claimed victory for the time needed to load a simple webpage. The carrier, which was originally a 3G-only operator and the last to offer its customers 4G connectivity, also took the gold medal for latency, which is crucial for video calls and apps that require fast response times.
GiffGaff customers can finally get 4G on their phone
It's taken far longer than it should, but low-cost mobile operator GiffGaff has finally joined the 4G party. The O2-owned MVNO is now offering speedier goodybags alongside its interchangeable 3G tariffs, allowing existing customers (those who joined before October 29th) to upgrade at no extra cost. That loyalty bonus means prices start at £10 per month, offering 500 minutes, unlimited texts and 1GB of data, rising to £15 per month for double the amount of minutes and the promise of 5GB of data. As expected, there's no offer of unlimited internet here. GiffGaff had previously tested 4G connectivity with some customers, but today marks the first time packages are available to all.
National roaming: why mobile operators are fighting the UK government
The concept of national roaming first appeared back in June, when Culture Secretary Sajid Javid began advocating a system that would allow UK mobiles to switch networks in places where the carrier they're supposed to be on offers no signal. The idea is to rid Britain of so-called mobile "not-spots," rural areas where populations are small and coverage is minimal, by coercing the major carriers to share their networks with each other. The government recently launched a consultation to explore ways it can achieve this goal. Operators, however, have been vociferous in their opposition to the plans. What's their excuse?
Ofcom to expand 4G in the UK with new spectrum auction next year
The UK's four main carriers may steadily be building up their 4G coverage, but regulators don't want to leave the future of Britain's superfast networks to chance. UK communications regulator Ofcom today announced that it intends to auction more 4G spectrum late next year (or early 2016), giving operators to opportunity to expand their LTE networks with more high data capacity spectrum. It expects to raise between £50 and £70 million from the sale, which will then line the pockets of the government.
Amazon starts selling smartphones on O2 pay-monthly contracts
Amazon and O2 obviously established something of a rapport while working together on the UK launch of the Fire phone. Today, the pair solidify their alliance, with Amazon taking on a new role as an O2 contract reseller. The online retail giant spins it a little differently, saying you can now use its site to shop for the latest smartphones on pay-monthly contracts. With only O2 providing the contracts, though, it's six and two threes. Anywho, Amazon's "Phones & Accessories" store has been updated to include these new pay-monthly options alongside the existing SIM-free and pay-as-you-go handsets (which are available through multiple carriers). And to celebrate, several introductory deals are being offered to new and upgrading O2 customers. For a limited time, the Microsoft Lumia 735, Huawei Ascend P7 and HTC One M8 are free on contracts of £15, £20 and £28 per month, respectively. Amazon's also keen to point out you can now buy its Fire phone direct from the source for the first time -- because please buy Fire phone.
Phone number payments may soon come to the high street
While carrier billing might be changing the way we buy digital products like apps, music and ringtones, it hasn't yet become a mainstream method of payment. That could be set to change, however, after the UK's three largest carriers agreed a new deal that may soon let you pay for physical goods using only your phone number. EE, Vodafone and O2 have teamed up with payment provider Boku to offer carrier billing through the company's new e-Money service, which allows stores to request your number and have the purchase added to your phone bill. Of course, retailers will need to actively support the service, but with the major operators already pledging their support, we imagine stores would jump at the chance to make it easier for customers to pay.
O2 now lets you charge iTunes credit to your phone bill
O2 already has a number of deals in place that allow its customers to buy digital wares and charge the cost straight to their phone bill. It now has a new partner in Apple, as the carrier's "Charge to Mobile" program has been expanded to include iTunes vouchers this week. Direct-carrier billing is supposed to be about convenience, but O2 contract and pay-as-you-go customers need to jump through a few hoops to take advantage of this new way to pay. It's handled through an O2 subsite -- o2vouchers.co.uk -- where you select an iTunes voucher of up to £30 that'll be emailed to you when the payment goes through. You then volunteer your mobile number, and you'll be sent a text you must reply to in order to approve the transaction. When the code eventually hits your inbox, you can use the credit in iTunes, iBooks and the iOS/Mac App Stores. A slightly more convoluted process than you were hoping for, we imagine, but at least you can get a fiver off a £25 voucher from now until this introductory promotion closes at the end of next week.
GiffGaff to scrap most of its unlimited data bundles
GiffGaff, the network famed for its low-cost unlimited internet "goodybags," could soon face a backlash from some of its customers after quietly announcing it's axing some all-you-can-eat data plans. The O2-owned MVNO has said it will remove unlimited internet options from two of its three most popular pay-monthly tariffs and introduce new data caps instead. The new allowances, which include a 3GB or 5GB limit on GiffGaff's £12 or £15 bundles respectively, will come into force from September 24th, alongside new throttling measures (which include dropping speeds to 300Kbps at peak times) for those who remain on its unlimited tariffs.
EE tries to upstage its rivals with improved pay-as-you-go tariffs
When you're the biggest 4G player in the UK, logic dictates that you don't let your rivals hog the limelight for too long. EE's well aware of this, so just a few days after Vodafone finally joined the 4G pay-as-you-go party, it's decided to improve the value of its pre-paid top-ups in an attempt to distance it from the competition. The new options cover three categories -- Talk and Text, Data and Everything -- letting you decide which of those usage models fits your needs best, possibly stopping you from paying for services you won't use. It's also dropped the lowest PAYG top-up to £1, which includes 100MB of data lasting seven days, in the hope it'll lure in even the most budget-conscious mobile user. Finally, it's ensuring you're rewarded for your loyalty by throwing in an extra 250MB of data, 50 minutes of calls to any network or 250 additional texts to customers who've not missed a top-up for three months. It's even created a comparison guide detailing how its new packs perform against rival offerings, just in case O2 and co. weren't already looking on enviously.
O2 Travel add-on offers unlimited data in Europe for £2 per day
Roaming charges aren't something you should be worrying about on holiday, as most major UK carriers are well aware. Vodafone will let you use your usual call, text and data allowances abroad for as little as £2, while Three lets you do the same for absolutely nothing. After falling behind the curve somewhat, O2's now updated its Travel tariff to make roaming more attractive, leaving EE as the only network still following the old-school megabytes-for-money package model. For £1.99 per day, pay-monthly O2 customers can take advantage of unlimited data roaming across Europe, as well as favourable call and text rates. Pay-as-you-go customers can also purchase the travel bundle, but will only get 50MB of data each day. While it is truly unlimited for contract holders, O2's fair use policy means that after 100MB (or half that amount of streaming video/audio), your connection speeds will be throttled. Still, that's more than enough for checking email, using maps and posting the odd self-congratulatory Instagram snap.
UK's major carriers want to end mobile deadspots in England's National Parks
Whether you live in, work in or are just visiting one of England's National Parks, you may soon be able to take advantage of better mobile signal. The UK's four major carriers have extended their partnership with National Parks England to deliver better connectivity while protecting the environment and picturesque views in 10 parks across the country. Under the terms of the new accord, the Mobile Operators Association (which represents EE, O2, Vodafone and Three) will allow the sharing of mobile masts, sites and "any other technical advances," keeping development in rural areas to a minimum. It also covers the provision of 4G networks, which could be a boon for the 330,000 people living in England's National Parks, as they have the potential to reach places that broadband connections can't.
O2's discounted SIM-only plans offer 4G from £11 per month
It's become a race to the bottom over who can provide the cheapest 4G tariffs. Today, O2 altered its one-year SIM-only plans, which now means its 4G tariff of 500MB of data, 500 minutes and unlimited texts costs just £11 a month. Jumping up to 3GB, 6GB or 8GB of data (with unlimited minutes and texts) will set you back £20, £25 and £30 per month, respectively. In comparison, the monthly damage on similar EE plans for 1GB, 2GB and 4GB are £17, £20 and £23 respectively.
Vodafone pretends it's doing you a favour by not upping prices mid-contract
Vodafone took to its blog today to affirm a commitment: customers on any pay-monthly plan will never see its cost increase mid-contract. Three saw this as an opportunity to tweet about its identical policy, but haven't we heard all this before? But of course we have, when new Ofcom rules came into effect in January that meant anyone could dodge early termination fees and ditch their contract should prices go up during the agreed term. O2's found something of a loophole by adding a clause to contracts that has you agree to price hikes in line with inflation, while EE's simply played ball. Unlike Three, Vodafone's never actually spoken out in agreement before, but the network isn't doing you as much of a favour as it'd have you think. If prices were to shoot up mid-contract, it'd mean lost business, so the commitment is very much in Vodafone's interest. Let's be frank -- if anyone's really to thank for the carrier's new honourable stance, it's Ofcom.
EE and Three's voicemail systems hacked using number-cloning trick
With the phone hacking scandal still playing out in the courts, it should be safe to assume that UK mobile operators have put measures in place protect customers' own voicemail inboxes. Unfortunately, that's only half true. We know thanks to an investigation by The Register, which showed that two of the big four carriers had neglected to close a loophole that allows nefarious third-parties to spoof a customer's phone number and immediately gain access to their voicemails. Those two companies? EE and Three. Armed with a target's phone number and VoIP calling system, researchers were able to trick both carriers' voicemail systems into believing a call originated from one of their SIMs. Attempts to hack into Vodafone and O2, however, were unsuccessful. Vodafone blocked attempts with PIN requests, while O2's systems always timed out. When pressed about the issue, Three simply pointed to the voicemail security pages on its website and warned users to set a PIN (which isn't enforced by default). EE immediately set about fixing the flaw and sent out an announcement just a few hours later telling customers it had "patched the issues raised in the article." The company said it also plans to run "a full review of all [its] voicemail platforms," to head off any future issues.
New HTC One available in the UK today
Now you've heard the skinny on HTC's latest flagship; the next step is figuring out where in the UK you can grab one. As Carphone Warehouse let slip last week, availability starts from this very moment. At six Carphone Warehouse stores across London, the retailer's offering the new One for £550 unlocked, or for £42 per month with no upfront payment. Head past the break to see where you can get it elsewhere.
Apple's cheaper 8GB iPhone 5c goes on sale in Europe and China
The rumors are true, Apple is launching an 8GB version of the iPhone 5c. After internal documents from German carrier O2 clued us into a new variant of Apple's mid-tier phone, carriers across Europe have now begun taking orders for it. UK operator O2 and French provider SFR are offering the handset for free and one euro respectively on multi-year contracts, discounting it by more than £50 ($83) to tempt new customers. Apple has also added the new model to its online stores, pricing unlocked models at £429 ($714), which means you'll need to pay an extra £40 ($67) to double your storage. While the 8GB variant is available in China and Australia, it remains conspicuous in its absence from the company's US store. Apple has remained quiet regarding sales of its multi-colored iPhone, but today's price drop could certainly indicate sales didn't meet expectations.
Apple reportedly launching a cheaper 8GB iPhone 5c on March 18th (updated)
Apple doesn't talk about how many iPhone 5c devices it sells, but the rumors are that it's not doing as well as its two siblings. According to leaked documents from O2 Germany, Cupertino is looking to boost its middle child by launching an 8GB version that'll retail for 60 euros less than the current 16GB model. What does this spell for the "bottom tier" iPhone 4S, which is currently offered to customers for free on two-year deals? We couldn't possibly speculate, but if this trimmed-down hardware is appearing in Germany, it's probably going to launch everywhere else in the world, too. Update: We could also see the return of the 4th-gen iPad, which was discontinued following the launch of the iPad Air. 9to5Mac reckons it might replace the iPad 2 as the entry-level tablet. Picture proof after the break.
HTC's overpriced Desire 310 ready to underwhelm Europe in April
When the Desire 310 popped up on HTC's Chinese site a few days ago, we wrote it off as a regional product with no international aspirations. Well, we were mistaken, and though there's no word on the low-end handset coming to the US, it's most certainly bound for Europe. HTC didn't invite the Desire 310 to party at MWC, but then again, there's not much to celebrate. The handset bundles a 4.5-inch, 854 x 480 display with a 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek CPU, a gig of RAM, 4GB of storage (expandable via microSD), a 5MP camera, 2,000mAh battery, 3G connectivity and Android 4.2. It's an incremental improvement over the Desire 300, with a few design tweaks like the omission of soft keys (a recent trend for HTC). We're told in the UK that the Desire 310 will arrive at O2, Vodafone and Carphone Warehouse at the end of April in a selection of hues, and the folks over at GSMinfo.nl note a recommended price of 169 euros for The Netherlands, or around £140 (UK pricing isn't available yet). With the far superior Moto G going for £100 on pay-as-you-go or £130 unlocked in the UK, though, we can only suggest HTC raise the stakes soon if it's serious about betting on lower-end devices.
Experience life as a rugby player with an Oculus Rift, nine GoPros and zero bruises
The Oculus Rift's impact on gaming is obvious, but it's not hard to imagine how the virtual reality headset could change how we consume home entertainment as a whole. UK mobile network O2 and the England rugby team know this, and have collaborated to create an immersive experience to prove it. Recorded using nine GoPro Hero 3 cameras on a custom gimbal, the footage sees you on the training pitch with the team, where you get stuck right in the middle of the action, and burpee along, right next to the players. While this is mostly part of a broader promotion for the sport's six-nations tournament in Europe, you can bet your bottom 100 cents that we're going to see a lot more of these "experiences" going forward. We're getting the hairdryer out for the inevitable skydive one already.
UK carrier finds loophole to let it increase prices mid-contract (updated)
Well, that didn't take long. It's a matter of hours since the UK telecoms regulator Ofcom brought in new rules to protect mobile customers from mid-contract tariff increases, and already one network has ducked them by changing its T&Cs. As of today, any customer who signs up with O2 must explicitly agree that their tariff will go up each year in line with inflation, starting with a 2.7 percent increase on March 1st. By contrast, customers who had signed up before today had only been told that prices might go up with inflation. Why is this so ironic? Because, indirectly, Ofcom's involvement seems to have turned a possible price increase into a definite, contractual one, whereas the original intention was to ensure that "fixed means fixed." Anyhow, in O2's defense, it hasn't breached Ofcom's code, and other carriers may well be planning to do the exact same thing. [Thanks, Anon] Update: Unsurprisingly, other carriers are now making their feelings on the news public. In a statement, Three UK has announced that it'll follow the spirit of Ofcom's code, and won't push your prices up part-way through your contract.
