All Articles Tagged o2

Chris from Mobiletech Addicts let us know that, as previously reported, O2 is coming through with the iPhone unlocks. Once their web form is submitted, they send a text (it took all of 15 minutes form him), then:

I put in a Vodafone Sim Card into the phone and fired up iTunes, a couple of minutes later and the [above] message appeared.

Congrats UK residents, you’re free at last!

(Now if only Rogers Canada would find a pair and do likewise right…)

Making good on their promise from a few days ago, O2 UK has launched a website where customers can get their iPhone’s officially unlocked starting November 10, 2009. Here are the details:

• Pay Monthly customers can get the unlock any time, but you have to keep paying O2 for the length of your remaining service contract.
• Pay Go customers can get the unlock after 12 months, for a one-time £15 fee (deducted from airtime balance).

To begin the process, customers need to complete the online form (via the link above). The process will take up to 14 days, but customers will get an SMS confirmation when it’s completed, and they can then place a non-O2 SIM in their iPhones, hook up to iTunes, and finish the unlock.

Curious as to whether the other major new iPhone multi-carrier market would be following suit, TiPb contacted Rogers and received the following reply:

Rogers policies haven’t changed in this regard.

One step forward, one step back. Hopefully Rogers will reconsider and take a page from O2’s consumer-friendly approach.

Meanwhile, if you go for the new O2 unlock, let us know how the process works out for you!

[Via Chris Oldroyd]

With the UK moving from the iPhone exclusively on O2, to one launching on Orange UK tomorrow, with Vadafone UK/Ireland and perhaps 3 also in line, what does this mean for existing iPhone users and their carrier-locked iPhones? Thankfully, it looks like O2 is doing to do right by you:

Once the iPhone becomes available on other UK networks, we will allow O2 customers to unlock their iPhones, although of course they will still need to honour any outstanding contract period they have. At the end of their contract period, they are entirely free to move to another operator — though naturally we hope they won’t want to!

Excellent news for the UK, and we can only hope other countries and carriers, like Rogers, Bell, and Telus in Canada, will swiftly follow suit (we won’t hold our breath though…)

We’re not sure how this process would be handled, for example, would an iPhone user need to physically go to an O2 service rep to have their iPhone unlocked via in-store iTunes tools? If anyone has an answer, let us know.

[Times Online via Stuartino in the TiPb forums]

Pop-quiz: You’re O2 and you just lost iPhone exclusivity in the UK, and now have to compete with both Orange and Vodafone for users’ iPounds. What do you do? Why, tell them you still have the iPhone… and are getting the Palm Pre?!

We’re proud that we’ve been able to offer an exclusive iPhone deal to our 20 million customers for the last two years. We always knew that iPhone exclusivity was for a limited period of time, but our relationship with Apple continues and will be an ongoing success. We have over 1 million iPhone customers and they remain very important to us.

We aim to offer our customers the best devices on the market, including becoming the home of Smartphones and we are really pleased to now add another device in the Palm Pre. We also offer award-winning customer service and benefits, which is why more people choose O2 than any other network in the UK.

What say you UK readers, if you’re thinking of taking your iPhone to another network, will offering you the Palm Pre change your mind?

[via Engadget Mobile]

The Register, (via Engadget Mobile) is reporting that T-Mobile UK is slipping unlocked iPhones to high-value customers in an attempt to keep them from switching to the exclusive UK iPhone carrier, O2.

It seems if you do indeed appear to be a big spender on T-Mobile, you just need to find a willing customer service rep, threaten to take your money and go to O2, and they’ll slip you an unlocked iPhone (smuggled over from T-Mobile Germany, perhaps?). Apparently, however, they’re limiting this to 150 units a week so as not to be too overt — or called out to joust by angry O2 bigwigs.

Any UK readers nab one?

Very brand-conscious start time aside, looks like UK customers on O2 now know what time the queue ends and the buying begins…

UPDATE: Sounds like the second poster, below, might be there just in case a store sells out and wants to inform customers. Thanks to everyone in the comments for logic-ing this out!

Due to high demand we have run out of the iPhone 3G S

The good news is there are more coming soon

Ask a member of staff for details

Posterized version after the break!

Read the rest of this entry »

With AT&T US and Rogers Canada having already weighed in, TUAW now brings word on what the chaps across the pond can expect for the iPhone 3G S, and it’s, well… a lot of numbers, innit?

Check out their full post for all the details on Monthly and Pay & Go Plans, but highlights include:

32GB iPhone 3G S will range between £274.23 (~$444US) and £96.89 (~$158US) for an 18-month contract and £175.19 (~$283) and £0 for a 24-month contract. Contract prices range between £29.38 (~$48US) and £73.41 (~$120US) for 18-month terms and £34.26 (~$55US) and £73.41 (~$120US) for 24-month terms. All plans include unlimited UK data and WiFi.

So, who’s for a bit of a line up on Regent Street June 19 then?

(And yeah, old school LoTR graphic still alive!)

It’s been two weeks since the July 11th, 22 nation launch. Do you know where your iPhone 3G is? Sadly, for many, the answer is still “backordered” if not “out-of-stock”. But don’t worry, your always customer conscious and perennially consumer focused mobile cell provider wants to make sure you know that they know that you’re feeling some pain. And they want to assure you they’re doing everything they can to get your money you your shiny new iPhone 3G.

First, they are absolutely, positively not hoarding them or stockpiling them in any secret iVaults. It’s still first-come, first-served, and in AT&T is prioritizing direct fulfillment (with a 2 week wait time), and advising their stores are currently sold out. (Hey, they’re moving it twice as fast as last year, remember? Just imagine if they had stock!)

Second, for its part Apple has stopped providing JSON data to independent webbers who were keeping you better informed (than Apple) as to what stores had precisely which units when you got there 15 exactly minutes too late. Back to Apple.com, or the still long line ups outside Apple Retail, for those in the US.

Third, in the UK 02 Online is out, stores are in increasingly short supply, but might get a few more units trickling in today.

Not worried in the least, Apple’s supply-chain wizards plan to launch the iPhone 3G in 20 more countries in just under a month from now. Good luck with that.

Sounded like a great idea, dinnit? Put up a website where your customers could upgrade to the brand-spanking-new iPhone 3G kit, right? Digg effect, meet iPwnage (no, not the hack, the tidal-wave of traffic Apple’s little gadget brings with it). It’ll Steve your website right quick — especially when you offer to hand deliver them on launch day!

Says O2:

“We had invested heavily to add a huge amount of additional capacity, 250 times its normal rate, and back-up systems. We tested this carefully in advance. The massive simultaneous crush exceeded even our worst case assumptions. Demand was at 13,000 orders per second. Frankly, we have to admit we just weren’t prepared for this unprecedented level of demand. No Web site is.”

Yeah. Just be happy you don’t host a Stevenote stream. Traffic aside, though, 13,000 orders per second is staggering, and O2 admits Apple can’t meet that demand during a 22 country simultaneous launch. In fact, supplies look tight for the next few week, and nary an iPhone White in sight!

Our sympathies for our United Kingdom friends. If any of you mange to nab an iPhone 3G, please let us know!

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Proving once again why telcos lead the universe in lack of customer satisfaction, within the span of a single day the UK’s exclusive iPhone 3G carrier, O2, announced and then un-announced Pay-As-You-Go plans!

The original info revealed that you could get an iPhone 3G 8GB for £300 and 16GB for £360 on the PayG plans, with browsing (data?) and WiFi tossed in free for the first 6 months, and £10 a month thereafter. Offer valid to new and upgrade-worthy customers until the end of the year.

Now, however, the page is gone, the server is bereft, and only a very Apple-esque talk-to-you-later notice remains.

Accidental upload snafu, rapidly rolled back? Attempt to gaslight over-enthusiastic iPhone non-contractors? You decide!

UPDATE: Apple Insider is reporting that O2 may be honoring their usual 1-year-later unlock policy for the iPhone 3G on Pay-As-You-Go. This means, 12 months in, you could cough up £15 to get your iPhone opened up to any network.

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