O2 claimed on Monday to have the cheapest prepay mobile broadband offer in the U.K., with the launch of a USB dongle priced at £29.99.
The mobile operator's Pay & Go package gives users the sub-£30 modem with various data offers; users can take 500 megabytes for £2 per day, 1 gigabyte for £7.50 per week, or 3 gigabytes for £15 per month.
O2 has slashed the cost of the USB dongle itself since it first entered the mobile broadband sector in April.
At the time there was no prepay option, and the nearest offering took the form of a £20-per-month rolling contract, with a modem priced at £119.99.
The dongle announced on Monday, which provides download speeds of up to 3.6 megabits per second compared to top-line HSDPA speeds of up to 7.2 megabits per second, is aimed at light users and the youth market, O2 said.
"Pay & Go will appeal to those customers who want to snack on the Internet without the need to commit to a long term contract," said Peter Rampling, O2's marketing director.
"Our younger customers want to live online and can do so with Pay & Go at affordable prices," he commented.
Each price point also gives customers unlimited WiFi access via O2's partnership with wireless hotspot operator The Cloud, which provides coverage at more than 6,000 locations.
Bundling unlimited WiFi access with low-cost mobile broadband packages could deliver an important boost to customer satisfaction in the U.K; user reactions have been mixed due to complaints over connection speeds and high prices.
http://www.totaltel e.com/View. aspx?t=2&ID=102048
O2 has also launched a network coverage checking service, and a 50-day happiness guarantee, which allows customers to return the device within 50 days of purchase for a full refund with no early termination charges.
The operator said that since launching these measures in November it has seen a considerable drop in returned modems, because its customers are better informed.
Meanwhile Virgin Mobile also announced Monday a new tariff for what it claims is unlimited Internet access specifically from handsets rather than via USB modems.
The MVNO said that for 30 pence per day, both contract and prepay customers can access any Website from their mobile phone.
The new tariff coincides with the launch of Virgin's new mobile Web portal, which provides links to branded content including news, music and games, and incorporates Yahoo's mobile search service.
"We are giving all our customers the opportunity to use the Internet on their phone, without having to worry about racking up huge bills or working out complicated price structures," commented Graeme Oxby, managing directory of Virgin Mobile, in a statement.
However, a fair usage policy of 25 megabytes per day applies, and users that wish to download more data will be charged at £2 per megabyte.
O2 has slashed the cost of the USB dongle itself since it first entered the mobile broadband sector in April.
At the time there was no prepay option, and the nearest offering took the form of a £20-per-month rolling contract, with a modem priced at £119.99.
The dongle announced on Monday, which provides download speeds of up to 3.6 megabits per second compared to top-line HSDPA speeds of up to 7.2 megabits per second, is aimed at light users and the youth market, O2 said.
"Pay & Go will appeal to those customers who want to snack on the Internet without the need to commit to a long term contract," said Peter Rampling, O2's marketing director.
"Our younger customers want to live online and can do so with Pay & Go at affordable prices," he commented.
Each price point also gives customers unlimited WiFi access via O2's partnership with wireless hotspot operator The Cloud, which provides coverage at more than 6,000 locations.
Bundling unlimited WiFi access with low-cost mobile broadband packages could deliver an important boost to customer satisfaction in the U.K; user reactions have been mixed due to complaints over connection speeds and high prices.
http://www.totaltel e.com/View. aspx?t=2&ID=102048
O2 has also launched a network coverage checking service, and a 50-day happiness guarantee, which allows customers to return the device within 50 days of purchase for a full refund with no early termination charges.
The operator said that since launching these measures in November it has seen a considerable drop in returned modems, because its customers are better informed.
Meanwhile Virgin Mobile also announced Monday a new tariff for what it claims is unlimited Internet access specifically from handsets rather than via USB modems.
The MVNO said that for 30 pence per day, both contract and prepay customers can access any Website from their mobile phone.
The new tariff coincides with the launch of Virgin's new mobile Web portal, which provides links to branded content including news, music and games, and incorporates Yahoo's mobile search service.
"We are giving all our customers the opportunity to use the Internet on their phone, without having to worry about racking up huge bills or working out complicated price structures," commented Graeme Oxby, managing directory of Virgin Mobile, in a statement.
However, a fair usage policy of 25 megabytes per day applies, and users that wish to download more data will be charged at £2 per megabyte.
