Mobile Network Comparison

Another disappointing piece of news: Orange have decided to follow ASDA Mobile in putting up their charges in June. The price hike isn’t on such a great scale but then Orange were far from being a budget network to begin with and the changes make them easily one of the most expensive options on PAYG now.

• Voice call charges have increased by a mighty 25% from 20p/minute to 25p/minute. This applies for all outgoing calls to UK mobiles and UK landlines. The minimum call charge has also risen from 20p to 25p. This means you’ll be charged 25p for all calls you make which are shorter than one minute.
• The voicemail charge has risen from 20p/minute to 25p/minute.
• Texts have gone up to 12p per message so the cost for every UK SMS is 20% greater.

To see how this affects the prices compared to other networks, feel free to check out our comprehensive comparison chart. After this price change, Orange are now tied with T-Mobile and O₂ for the most expensive texts in the UK and only 3, Tru and Virgin Mobile charge more for calls.

In a vain attempt to make up for the price rises, Orange have allowed customers on the Dolphin and Monkey plans to use 400 free text messages instead of 300 free text messages when they top up by £10. Still, despite this, existing Orange customers will probably be very tempted to switch to a budget network like Giffgaff, ASDA Mobile or Tesco Mobile. You can read our guides to getting your PAC and porting your number if you want to quit Orange after this price rise.

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From 6 June 2011, 3 will cheekily add a 1p charge for every SMS delivery report. This is apparently a response to the the recent Ofcom rulings on cross-network call charges. 3 is calling for a drastic reduction, or even scrapping, of the mobile termination charges which are estimated to account for around 10% of mobile networks‘ revenue. These charges are paid by both mobile and fixed-line operators when calls are placed between different networks.

SMS delivery reports are a basic texting feature that is built into most networks. Many people find them necessary for their texting communication especially as messages can go astray or be significantly delayed from time to time. We think it’s pretty outrageous that 3 would charge for such a core feature and especially for every single one. It’s not like it costs them much to provide this service which so many people rely on. What’s worse, they introduced this additional charge without sufficient notice. This means that they broke their own terms and conditions for people on contracts who can’t cancel despite the massive increase in their phone bills.

:3 are trying to claim that other networks block delivery reports but O₂ provide them as a manual option and they have always been completely free on Vodafone and most Orange tariffs. We advise all current 3 customers to call them to complain and ask for the new charges to waived on their accounts. Also, a great idea to prevent them getting away with this is to write to the Office of the Telecommunications Ombudsman (OTELO) to complain about 3’s breach of terms.

If you are a 3 customer and this charge is going to detrimentally affect you, you might want to consider switching to a difference network. We’ve got great reviews of the best ones. Don’t worry, you can still keep your phone number and there are tons of cheaper mobile networks out there.

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Sad news – as of today, ASDA Mobile’s prices have shot up (in some cases, by 50%). Calls costs have increased from only 8p/minute to 10p/minute and texts have gone from just 4p to 6p. It was only in April 2007 when ASDA Mobile redefined PAYG deals in the UK with their stunning offer and for years they offered easily the best value tariff around. We’re very disappointed to hear about this price bump and hope that other networks don’t follow suit. Luckily for you, we’ve have diligently gone though all our pages to amend the pricing ensuring that our price comparison chart is always up-to-date with accurate information allowing you to choose the best offers available.

Also luckily for you, they still do offer fantastic value for money. The new prices will add a few quid onto your monthly bill but you’ll still be saving tons over other networks. Also, thankfully, their great bundles are still the same price and offer texts from as low as 2.4p and any-network any-time calls from only 4p per minute.

However, if that’s not consolation enough, there are still plenty of great networks that do offer dirt cheap calls and texts still and will post you a free SIM card. Check out Giffgaff and Family Mobile which both will give you 4p texts and 8p calls (as well as some other amazing deals like unlimited data that ASDA Mobile never had). And if you do decide to change networks now ASDA Mobile is more expensive, we got great guides to help you get your PAC and port your mobile number.

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