NEWS: 3 calls foul over Orange 3G coverage claims on iPhone launch day

Amy-Mae Elliott — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:20:35 +0000

ASA complaint and Ofcom request revealed over Orange's new "You're Covered" ads

It seems Vodafone is not the only operator to get its claws out in a timely manner as Orange becomes the second operator to offer the iPhone in the UK, as 3 has revealed - on the day of the Orange iPhone launch - it has put in a formal complaint to the ASA about Orange's new advertising campaign.

While Orange and O2's price plans for the iPhone are very similar, it seems Orange is hoping to appeal to consumers on the strength of its 3G network with a new ?4 million "You're Covered" advertising campaign.

However, 3 is taking issue with Orange's claim that its 3G network "currently covers over 93% of the UK population - more than any other network", and has asked Ofcom to put measures in place for a more consistent way to of calculating coverage.

"We're confident that we have the biggest 3G network in the UK, both in terms of geographic and population coverage, built on a 9192 site network that grows by around 150 sites each week", says 3.

"But it's no surprise consumers are being confused about coverage. Right now each operator chooses a population coverage measurement that suits it. We currently claim 92% coverage. We could use a measure used elsewhere in the industry that would boost our claimed population coverage to 95% in an instant, without reaching a single extra customer".

"We're happy to open up our network to a third-party to judge. We"d like to see a common standard applied across the industry, to give consumers a more realistic picture of 3G coverage available to UK consumers on all networks".

Tags: Phones Mobile phones 3 Orange iPhone Mobile phone industry Advertising Ofcom ASA 3G

3 calls foul over Orange 3G coverage claims on iPhone launch day originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:20:35 +0000

NEWS: Top 5 PAYG phones for under ?50

Dan Sung — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:24:37 +0000

Style and function that you can afford to drop and have stolen

We're not all made of money. Some of us might just be after a cheap phone that works - maybe a second handset or perhaps something to buy as a present. Whatever your need, if it's budget you're after then that's exactly what we're bringing you today from Pocket-lint with the very best in PAYG mobile phones for under ?50.

5) Nokia 6300

It may be as old as the hills but the Nokia 6300 is a a mobile with class. Just a 2-inch QVGA screen on it and a 2-megapixel camera for trickery but it will shoot video and support up to 4GB of memory through a microSD card. The best thing about the 6300 though is the plain look and feel of the thing. It's got a lovely metal casing which not only makes it stylish but also gives it a wealth of protection. You can throw the thing on the floor as many times as you like and it's not going to break. It'd be nice if it had a 3.5mm jack or something to really call you to the handset, but you'll find all those additions at the more expensive end of the Classic range. This is the best from Nokia within the budget and just sneaks in at ?49.95.

4) Samsung B3310

Let's not beat around the bush here. There's nothing special about this phone apart from the QWERTY keyboard, but the fact is that you just don't get these things on phones under ?50 anywhere else. The whole handset is designed as a written communicator for SMS, e-mail and even built-in access to Facebook, MySpace and Photobucket. Elsewhere, there's a 2-inch LCD display, FM radio, and a 2-megapixel camera. The downside is that the only colour it comes in is pink. ?49.90.

3) Samsung U600

You have to look for small mercies in the budget phone department. Comparatively speaking the U600 is an imaging handset and otherwise it's its lack of glaring mistakes that raises it above the rest. It's got a 3.2-megapixel camera with flash that will shoot video and a fairly bog standard 2.2-inch QVGA to view your snaps on. That said, get them off the phone and you'll have something worth looking at. There's no 3G - not that you could really use it to much effect on this phone - nor is there a 3.5mm jack, which you could, but it's quad-band, stylish and certainly offers bang for one's buck. ?34.95 and not a hint of regret.

2) Skype Phone S2

Sexy this handset ain't, but beneath the plain Jane exterior lies just about the best budget phone you'll find. It measures in at 103 x 45 x 14mm, has a 2.2-inch QVGA screen, a 1150mAh battery, 50MB of on-board memory backed up by a microSD card slot that supports up to 4GB and both HSDPA speeds of up to 3.6Mbps and a mighty 3.2-megapixel camera. The real selling point of the S2 though is that it gives you free Skype to Skype voice calls and chat forever. As in, life. At no data cost at all. Know enough people on Skype, make a lot of calls overseas and this one will pay for itself in a matter of weeks. ?49.99

1) LG Cookie KP500

5 million consumers world wide can't be wrong, or at least if they are you'll have a very large support network. The Cookie has offered touchscreen technology to the masses with the KP500 and a nice chunky 3-inch display to watch videos on too. At 13.9mm slim, this 89 gram handset has an "intuitive" Active Flash user interface with haptic feedback and comes with a built-in stylus. The UI gives you widget control plus there's also a 3-megapixel camera, a MP3 player, FM radio, calendar, clock and motion sensing games too. What keeps it different to the big boys is that there's no Wi-Fi, no push e-mail, no 3.5mm jack and no GPS. Otherwise, it's about as smart as a feature phone can get. Very good indeed for ?49.90.