Orange launches an unlimited plan. Kind of!

I was caught sleeping. 

I didn’t know Orange UK had launched an unlimited plan. 

It was actually a mail from Dan Lane that called my attention to this news.  Dan is Managing Director of BlackFin Ltd.  (Incidentally I have a lot to write about BlackFin soon).  Back to Orange:  No one told me.  No PR.  No announcements.  Not even a press release sent into the ether that I could pick up on.

Anyway, yes, an unlimited plan from Orange?   Could be interesting.

The critical issue for a lot of people I meet is data cost.  In fact, almost everyone I meet who is NOT on T-Mobile’s unlimited data plan (extra 7.50/month to whatever plan you’re on), feels a total FOOL when I tell them what I use.

I don’t say this lightly.

I mean they feel a COMPLETE AND UTTER FOOL for paying money to an operator that charges them two or three pounds a meg for data. 

It’s not good.  It’s nothing short of appalling that any mobile professional in the UK should feel constrained by their data usage because they’ve got a shit service plan from a smart operator charging them through the nose.

Anyway.. here’s Dan’s email:

I’ve been eagerly awaiting [Orange’s] response to T-Mobile’s Web ‘n’ Walk packages since they released them and I couldn’t be more disappointed.

What a pile of crap!.

Sure, unlimited SMS and landline calls are on there but for me the real attraction is unlimited data… with T-Mobile I can get unlimited data for under 30 quid a month… with Orange… 75 quid a month (both on 18 month contracts)

As soon as my Orange contract is up I know I’ll be switching providers!

With that in mind, let’s have a look at the offering:

I can’t link you directly as the Orange system doesn’t seem to support that.  Instead you need to navigate there yourself from http://shop.orange.co.uk.  Or click on the screenshot to the left.

So, the best one worth looking at is Panther at £75 (on 18 months).  I’m not interested in anything that isn’t unlimited which means I need to dump all the 12 month plans and focus on 18 months.  So…

Well, first of all, it’s not unlimited.  Not quite. 

Texts are unlimited.  This is good.  Sure, it’s most probably subject to a fair use policy, but that works for me.

Second, there is unlimited mobile browsing.  Also, wicked.  Finally.  This equates to a 1,000mb fair use policy as per the terms and conditions.  Again, acceptable.  Good news.

You get 1,600 minutes.  Now that is 53 minutes a day.  That’s pretty good.  It’s not brilliant though.  But we’ll continue.  What else do you get?

– unlimited free calls to your Magic Number
– inclusive Orange Care phone insurance
– 100 more anytime, any network minutes included when you buy online
– dedicated Customer Service
– 4MB free email for three months

I don’t quite know what this ‘4mb email’ thing is.  I wonder if in fact, you only get unlimited mobile browsing — that is, looking at web pages — but you are charged for data access?  E.g. I wonder what happens if you connected your laptop to the web — are you charged extra?  It doesn’t say on the page.

So, summary…

For £75 quid a month, you get unmetered text messages (to other UK phones) and unlimited mobile browsing (whatever that specifically means), along with a few other cool options and 1,600 minutes.

Why couldn’t they have gone the whole hog and made it ‘unlimited calls’? 

I think this is a good deal for some.  No doubt there will be quite a few Orange customers upsold to one sort of unlimited plan or another.  Initially, the £75 option is very pleasing on the eye. 

However if you’re looking for just unlimited data, you need to fork out £75 a month for the Panther plan — compared to adding £7.50 to your existing T-Mobile service plan for the same facility. 

It’s a step in the right direction.  I will need to take a very, very close look at whoever releases a £75 (or similar) plan which includes unlimited texts, unlimited calls and unlimited data.  (All, of course, ‘within reason’).