ChatterBank2 mins ago
Smart Phone
14 Answers
I am planning to buy a smart phone and am totally ignorant and confused about SIMS, providers etc, everything presumes that we all know everything about it. We have a desktop computer with internet access provided by BT , does that mean that I can also use them to access the internet from any smartphone we buy without paying extra, or is the smartphone completely separate .Simple explanation needed please.
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You will be able to connect a smart phone to your home router so get free internet access that way. When you are out of range of your home router you will be able to access free internet sites in cafes etc or you can access the internet via the telephone connection; that is usually charged for but your contract will probably include a free monthly allowance.
I bought my smartphone outright without a SIM card or contract. This is called 'SIM Free'.
I have a one month rolling contract SIM card which means I can change to a cheaper/better provider at any time. I currently pay £5 a month.
When I am home my phone connects to my WiFi for internet browsing and uses the SIM card for calls and texts. When I am out the SIM card is used for everything as I don't like using public WIFI.
You can buy a good, new smartphone from.around £100 SIM free
I have a one month rolling contract SIM card which means I can change to a cheaper/better provider at any time. I currently pay £5 a month.
When I am home my phone connects to my WiFi for internet browsing and uses the SIM card for calls and texts. When I am out the SIM card is used for everything as I don't like using public WIFI.
You can buy a good, new smartphone from.around £100 SIM free
You've already had some good answers but I'll chuck in my tuppence worth too, if I may:
To use your phone out in the street (away from your home or any free wi-fi services, such as those now found in many pubs, cafes and supermarkets), it has to be able to access signals from mobile phone masts. To do so, you need to be signed up to (and pay money to) a service provider. i.e. such coverage is NOT included with your BT broadband package.
There are four companies that operate mobile phone masts in the UK. (Vodafone, O2, EE and Three). However each of them allows other companies to run services through its masts. (e.g. if you sign up with Asda Mobile, your phone will connect through Vodafone's masts. If you go with Tesco Mobile, it'll be O2 that's actually providing the service). It's often much cheaper to use one of those 'piggy-backing' services, such as Asda Mobile, Tesco Mobile or GiffGaff, than it is to pay directly to the companies who actually operate the masts.
There are three different ways to sign up to a mobile phone service provider . .
Firstly, you can have a contract. Just like a broadband contract, that ties you into paying a fixed amount for, typically, a period of two years. (Unless you're looking to find a way to get a mega-expensive phone that effectively comes on credit in the same package as your call charges do, I wouldn't recommend going with a contract deal).
Secondly, there are 'conventional' pay-as-you-go (PAYG) deals. A good analogy here is a pre-payment meter for electricity, where you pay so much in advance for what you think you'll need but can then top it up later on if you need more credit. It's just the same with PAYG phones; you just 'top up' the phone with credit from time to time, so that your calls are paid for in advance. The advantage of such a way of doing things is that you're not tied into a contract. The big disadvantage of the system though is that it usually costs a LOT more to make calls and use data (for internet access, etc). So I don't recommend going down that route either.
The way the majority of people seem to pay for their mobile phone usage these days is to use 'bundles'. (That's the term that most phone service providers use but GiffGaff calls them 'goodybags'). Using 'bundles' is a way of getting PAYG freedom (i.e. there's no contract involved) but paying really low prices for calls and data at the same time. You simply buy a 'bundle' each month that gives you a certain number of minutes calling time, a certain number of texts and a certain amount of data for use in that month only. (i.e. unused credit isn't carried over to the next month, except in some O2 deals) In many cases the calling time and data can actually be unlimited. Most people set things up so that their 'bundle' payments are taken from their debit cards automatically every month but, as there's no contract, they're free to switch to a bigger or smaller monthly 'bundle' at any time (or even to simply cease using that provider's services).
The most popular service providers among AB members seem to be Asda Mobile, GiifGaff and Tesco Mobile. I'll use Asda Mobile here as an example, simply because that who I'm with:
https:/
As you can see from that link, you can get unlimited calls and texts for a fiver a month, together with 3GB of data. That's enough for a bit of occasional web browsing (such as checking the weather or train times) but insufficient if, say, you'll be watching loads of YouTube videos. I actually pay a tenner a month for 12GB of data but I've never actually used anywhere near that much. (So I could actually drop down to just £7, or even £5, a month, if I chose to do so).
Moving onto actual smartphones now . . .
Some phones are sold 'tied' to a specific network. That means that you're stuck with paying the (often high) prices of whichever company whose services you're forced to use.
To use your phone out in the street (away from your home or any free wi-fi services, such as those now found in many pubs, cafes and supermarkets), it has to be able to access signals from mobile phone masts. To do so, you need to be signed up to (and pay money to) a service provider. i.e. such coverage is NOT included with your BT broadband package.
There are four companies that operate mobile phone masts in the UK. (Vodafone, O2, EE and Three). However each of them allows other companies to run services through its masts. (e.g. if you sign up with Asda Mobile, your phone will connect through Vodafone's masts. If you go with Tesco Mobile, it'll be O2 that's actually providing the service). It's often much cheaper to use one of those 'piggy-backing' services, such as Asda Mobile, Tesco Mobile or GiffGaff, than it is to pay directly to the companies who actually operate the masts.
There are three different ways to sign up to a mobile phone service provider . .
Firstly, you can have a contract. Just like a broadband contract, that ties you into paying a fixed amount for, typically, a period of two years. (Unless you're looking to find a way to get a mega-expensive phone that effectively comes on credit in the same package as your call charges do, I wouldn't recommend going with a contract deal).
Secondly, there are 'conventional' pay-as-you-go (PAYG) deals. A good analogy here is a pre-payment meter for electricity, where you pay so much in advance for what you think you'll need but can then top it up later on if you need more credit. It's just the same with PAYG phones; you just 'top up' the phone with credit from time to time, so that your calls are paid for in advance. The advantage of such a way of doing things is that you're not tied into a contract. The big disadvantage of the system though is that it usually costs a LOT more to make calls and use data (for internet access, etc). So I don't recommend going down that route either.
The way the majority of people seem to pay for their mobile phone usage these days is to use 'bundles'. (That's the term that most phone service providers use but GiffGaff calls them 'goodybags'). Using 'bundles' is a way of getting PAYG freedom (i.e. there's no contract involved) but paying really low prices for calls and data at the same time. You simply buy a 'bundle' each month that gives you a certain number of minutes calling time, a certain number of texts and a certain amount of data for use in that month only. (i.e. unused credit isn't carried over to the next month, except in some O2 deals) In many cases the calling time and data can actually be unlimited. Most people set things up so that their 'bundle' payments are taken from their debit cards automatically every month but, as there's no contract, they're free to switch to a bigger or smaller monthly 'bundle' at any time (or even to simply cease using that provider's services).
The most popular service providers among AB members seem to be Asda Mobile, GiifGaff and Tesco Mobile. I'll use Asda Mobile here as an example, simply because that who I'm with:
https:/
As you can see from that link, you can get unlimited calls and texts for a fiver a month, together with 3GB of data. That's enough for a bit of occasional web browsing (such as checking the weather or train times) but insufficient if, say, you'll be watching loads of YouTube videos. I actually pay a tenner a month for 12GB of data but I've never actually used anywhere near that much. (So I could actually drop down to just £7, or even £5, a month, if I chose to do so).
Moving onto actual smartphones now . . .
Some phones are sold 'tied' to a specific network. That means that you're stuck with paying the (often high) prices of whichever company whose services you're forced to use.
The smartphones themselves differ too.
The iPhone uses Apple’s operating system and services.
Samsung, LG etc uses Google’s Android operating system. Either should work with your home router.
Apple phones are dear and some of their services have to be paid for. Android devices are usually cheaper and come from a variety of manufacturers.
The iPhone uses Apple’s operating system and services.
Samsung, LG etc uses Google’s Android operating system. Either should work with your home router.
Apple phones are dear and some of their services have to be paid for. Android devices are usually cheaper and come from a variety of manufacturers.
( . . . continued)
It's usually FAR better to look for a phone that's advertised as 'SIM free'. That means that you can choose ANY phone service provider and simply put their SIM card into your phone.
The most expensive smartphones can connect to the '5G' phone network, which offers faster data speeds. However
(a) 5G doesn't cover the whole country yet ; and
(b) most casual phone users won't notice any difference at all between using '5G' and '4G' services anyway.
So I recommend looking for a 4G phone, rather than wasting money on a 5G model. (You should also note that some cheaper phone services don't support 5G, or require you to pay extra to access it, anyway).
Any smartphone can connect to your home wi-fi network, or to the free wi-fi in cafes, pubs and stores. That means that you can access the internet in those locations without using up any of your mobile data allowance.
If you're looking for a specific recommendation for a smartphone, this is what I use myself (and it's also popular with quite a few other AB members):
https:/
Just buy one of those and then pop into a larger branch of Asda (where there's a dedicated counter for electronic goods) and get yourself a SIM card. The assistants should be able to provide you with any assistance that you need but, if not, Asda Mobile's phone support line is very good.
It's usually FAR better to look for a phone that's advertised as 'SIM free'. That means that you can choose ANY phone service provider and simply put their SIM card into your phone.
The most expensive smartphones can connect to the '5G' phone network, which offers faster data speeds. However
(a) 5G doesn't cover the whole country yet ; and
(b) most casual phone users won't notice any difference at all between using '5G' and '4G' services anyway.
So I recommend looking for a 4G phone, rather than wasting money on a 5G model. (You should also note that some cheaper phone services don't support 5G, or require you to pay extra to access it, anyway).
Any smartphone can connect to your home wi-fi network, or to the free wi-fi in cafes, pubs and stores. That means that you can access the internet in those locations without using up any of your mobile data allowance.
If you're looking for a specific recommendation for a smartphone, this is what I use myself (and it's also popular with quite a few other AB members):
https:/
Just buy one of those and then pop into a larger branch of Asda (where there's a dedicated counter for electronic goods) and get yourself a SIM card. The assistants should be able to provide you with any assistance that you need but, if not, Asda Mobile's phone support line is very good.
^^^ Gromit sneaked his post into the middle of my two-part post but it's actually rather well-placed anyway (as it's something that I left out).
The vast majority of smartphones that are in use run the Android operating system, which was created by Google. Some people prefer to use iPhones though, which are made by Apple and use Apple's own operating system. iPhones are great if you're a trendy executive, wanting to impress others with your wealth and style, but they're a damned sight more expensive than Android phones and don't really do anything at all that Android models can't handle just as well!
The vast majority of smartphones that are in use run the Android operating system, which was created by Google. Some people prefer to use iPhones though, which are made by Apple and use Apple's own operating system. iPhones are great if you're a trendy executive, wanting to impress others with your wealth and style, but they're a damned sight more expensive than Android phones and don't really do anything at all that Android models can't handle just as well!
Thanks to all for your helpful posts, things seem a little clearer now. We planned to buy an iPhone SE but that is because we have a Mac computer and are used to that system. We won't be making many calls and even fewer texts but would plan to download some useful apps { still working out how they work! ] so we can pay for parking, contact the AA or our bank or show our theatre tickets etc
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