Mobile phones

[liv]

OK, so when I move to Stoke-on-Trent I'm going to be living initially in a flat that doesn't have telephone or broadband access. I do have the right to set up these services, but that seems pointless; it would take away the advantage of having somewhere temporary to live with no strings in terms of how long I stay.

So what I want to do is get a high-end mobile phone contract, the kind that includes a fancy phone, data access and some amount of free or affordable calls. Data access can be over the phone or via mobile broadband or ideally some combination (I already have a baby computer). The kind of phone I want is something like a Blackberry, with a real keyboard and decent sized screen. I don't find touchscreens or Apple design particularly sexy, and I don't need the absolute latest shiny model. I don't care if my phone can act as a camera or music player; I do want something that can more or less pretend to be a handheld computer / portable internet terminal. I'm happy to spend around £30 a month, and I don't mind signing up for a long period, as obviously I will keep said mobile phone after I move somewhere more permanent. Is this realistic?

The problem is that I have absolutely no idea about either physical phones or phone providers! Partly cos I've been out of the country, and partly cos I haven't been keeping up with the market. So, can any of you recommend me:

• A phone company
• The sort of services and perks I can reasonably ask for in a phone plan
• A mobile phone chain where people are helpful and will give me a sensible choice of options
• A website where I can compare price plans and services
• A website where I can compare phone models and their features
• A brand and model (or range of models) of phone
• Anything else I should be considering when I make decisions (network coverage? flexibility and bolt-ons?)

Alternative approaches: I could install a proper landline and broadband system, but make sure I can transfer the contract to my permanent place. I'm not so keen on this idea, because I basically do need a modern phone and sensible mobile contract anyway, and would rather wait until I know my situation before I start paying setup charges.

Also, I could perhaps take a more basic phone or even put up with my ancient dinosaur one, and source a not brand new model with the features I want on eBay (eg last year's Blackberry). This is probably only really worth it if there is a specific obsolete model which is really really good. Cos you rarely save money by refusing the phone that comes as a bribe to sign up to a mobile contract.

Comments

[mathcathy]

I agree that the best way to get internet is to get a mobile internet USB stick - you can get them on pay as you surf from Vodafone at least (£35 up front for the device and then you'd have to contact them to find out charges.) Or it's £10-£15 a month 'unlimited' use over 12 months.

High-end mobiles which include mobile internet are harder to come by in the £30 range. The iphone is the best, I think, and that's at least £40, knowing that because I've toyed with getting one.

With mobiles, you are always best to call the companies and talk it through. It's surprising what you can get if you haggle enough, especially if you already have a contract. I don't entirely agree that you can't do well out of not getting the free-offer phone. It depends on whether you are happy with the handset you've got. If you can use mobile broadband with your netbook, then your best minutes/texts deals are going to be without a handset.

[liv]

Wow, this is super helpful, just the kind of detail I was hoping for! I do agree that mobile broadband sticks are more useful in general than mobile phones with data plans, but the specific situation is that I need a physical handset, and I need some kind of phone plan with voice calls (and texts) as I shall be without a landline. So my plan is to take advantage of the perks and freebies phone companies use to persuade you to sign up, and get myself a decent modern phone with hopefully some internet thrown in. However, I will certainly look in to the possibility of getting a basic (possibly even PAYG) phone and a USB stick separately, in case that does turn out cheaper.

[mathcathy]

What I was thinking is that you can get a decent handset with minutes and text deals for between £15 and £20.

I pay £15 a month for 600 mins, 1000 texts and unlimited internet (with O2 over 24 months, and I already had a handset I liked well enough) for example. Mine's a bit of an anomaly, because O2 were competing with Vodafone's staff deals, but it gives you a flavour of what you can push for.

Shopping around is key, knowing what you want and arguing for it. It's proper British haggling! And it's always easier if you've already got a contract, because the initial connection charges are the bit that cost the operator the most money, I think.