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Move to Orange or Vodafone UK

J

joe8232

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 21, 2005
252
15
Hi all,

Just wondering about peoples experiences about moving from O2 to either orange of vodafone now that our iPhone contracts are up. I am torn between which to go to. I was looking at the Vodafone £20 a month tariff with 600mins 500mb data or the Orange £20 and adding the £5 data package.

I was with orange before I moved over to O2 and was very happy with them but have no experience with Vodafone. I am aware of the O2 simplicity for iPhone deal but I think i'll still move as I seem to have problems with receiving text messages a long time after they are sent.

Any thoughts / experiences would be greatly appreciated!
 
Orange say they have the best 3G coverage and Ofcom's data (from a year ago) seem to bear this out:

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/radiocomms/ifi/licensing/classes/broadband/cellular/3g/maps/3gmaps/

That's the main reason I changed from O2 to Orange and I'm happy with the decision. 3G really is much more widely available and I've had no access problems at all. I can't say the same would be true for you of course and the only advice I'd hazard is to go with a monthly rolling contract so you can cancel and go elsewhere if it doesn't work out.
 
allonym said:
Orange say they have the best 3G coverage and Ofcom's data (from a year ago) seem to bear this out:

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/radiocomms/ifi/licensing/classes/broadband/cellular/3g/maps/3gmaps/

That's the main reason I changed from O2 to Orange and I'm happy with the decision. 3G really is much more widely available and I've had no access problems at all. I can't say the same would be true for you of course and the only advice I'd hazard is to go with a monthly rolling contract so you can cancel and go elsewhere if it doesn't work out.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that allonym! I think I will probably go back to Orange as I never had any issues with them whilst using them. The one month contract is definitely the way to go - will probably upgrade to a new iphone in June when apple [hopefully] update them!
 
I went with Orange purely for their 3G coverage which seemed the best of the bunch.
 
Hi

There is no real simple answer, depends on where you live or spend your time.

Orange offer 3G in more places, but Vodafone offer a signal (be it only 2G) in more places than Orange. What I mean is Vodafone have some sort of signal in more places than Orange, so if you travel around the Uk you will be able to make calls and send text in more places on Vodafone than you would be able to on Orange.

Alex
 
Thanks for all repsonses guys! I guess I was just wanting to hear if anyone had any horror stories about moving to other networks [unrealistic I guess]. I have pretty much decided I will go over to Orange on the £20 1 month plan [600mins and unlimited texts] and add the £5 data package. Does anyone know if I have to wait till my contract is actually up to start the ball rolling or should I do it before hand to save paying for an extra month? Thanks!
 
camperdown9 said:
Hi

There is no real simple answer, depends on where you live or spend your time........
Click to expand...

Absolutely!

Another not too bright question with an obvious answer - move to the network which provides the best signal in the area where the phone is going to be used.
 
I just got a 3GS and moved from Vodafone to Orange in the process. Vodafone seemed to give me better coverage where I live but not at work. One thing that surprised me (given the usual cr*p consumer experience in the UK) was that the support team at Orange have been excellent. They did everything I asked, were honest and accurate about how long it would take, and seemed genuinely interested in my customer experience.
 
John T said:
Another not too bright question with an obvious answer - move to the network which provides the best signal in the area where the phone is going to be used.
Click to expand...

Would just say that many businesses prefer Vodafone as they are generally considered to have the strongest 3G network in UK.

They also have the added bonus that for £160, coverage can be boosted with a femtocell (Vodafone Access Gateway) that guarantees 5 bars 3G throughout the house, provided your router is working, that is. I get voice clarity better than landline and data at >1.5Mbps with my 3GS and battery life is extended, too.

Have been with Voda since they started in 1985 and always find their CS exemplary. Colleagues who have tried Orange have had less happy experiences, but hey, that could just be happenstance.
 
urbanleopard said:
Would just say that many businesses prefer Vodafone as they are generally considered to have the strongest 3G network in UK.

They also have the added bonus that for £160, coverage can be boosted with a femtocell (Vodafone Access Gateway) that guarantees 5 bars 3G throughout the house, provided your router is working, that is. I get voice clarity better than landline and data at >1.5Mbps with my 3GS and battery life is extended, too.

Have been with Voda since they started in 1985 and always find their CS exemplary. Colleagues who have tried Orange have had less happy experiences, but hey, that could just be happenstance.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that reply urbanleopard! The customer service is certainly an important factor when choosing a provider! I got the impression with talking with friends that orange customer service was perhaps not as good as vodafone. Hmm, decisions!
 
BBC'll let you stream from iPlayer if you're with vodafone, but not orange.

(this is 3G, obviously you can still stream on wifi)

My ex was with Orange, I thought they were awful (rubbish plans, rubbish signal, rubbish upgrade offers) but they're the only one that really covers the middle of nowhere town he's from
 
Another vote for Vodafone.

I can ACTUALLY USE my iphone when I'm out-and-about, since I unlocked from o2, plus I've got a VAG, which gives me full signal strength whem I'm at home!
 
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