hi all,

I'll be moving to London shortly and will get an N900. I don't care about minutes and texts but will need to be online 24/7 with massive use after office hours.
Any suggestions what provider I should go for?

Thanks

fair usage is the big issue with the big five UK networks:

Vodafone: 500MB per month before extra costs. good 3G coverage.
T-Mobile: 500MB per month before extra costs. great 3G coverage.
Orange: 750MB per month before extra costs. good 3G coverage.
O2: No limit. Will cap speed if above 1GB per month good 3G coverage.
Three: No limit. No cap but poor coverage

Beware that O2 expressly forbid video and audio streaming on their 3G network. so that means no skype calls or youtube on the go.

Also note that iPlayer only works with the 3G networks of Vodafone and Three at the moment. But since the N900 is crap at iPlayer, thats negligable. and when they do release flash for the N900, you can always use wifi regardless of network.

Three allow audio streaming including Skype but you have to pay extra for that service on top of mobile internet service

Also if you want home broadband as well, most of the mobile networks discount their home packages if you are a mobile pay monthly customer. For example, my O2 package includes up to 20meg unlimited ADSL broadband for £7.50 per month because I am on O2 mobile, which is half price.

I'm happy with O2 as I don't use video or audio streaming on the go, only from my home wifi, but the advantages and disadvantages of each are something that you need to decide for yourself.

Other networks that I don't know much about (to research) are Tesco Mobile and Virgin Mobile. These use the O2 and T-mobile transmitters respectively, so their coverage should be good and great, respectively.

im on T-mobile, their coverage of 3G in my area is better than orange, but vodafone are the best in that department. Ofcourse, that could all change in London!

Youll need the web n walk plus plan from Tmobile if you want to use msn however.

Be aware that while O2's terms may disallow audio/video streaming, they don't actually police it - Skype, iPlayer, and Youtube on the N900 all work fine over O2's 3G service.

im on 3pay payasyougo. you get 150 free megs 200 texts and free 3to3 with skype and msn free each time you top up. if i want to use more like you, i buy the mobile broadband add on that gives a gig for a tenner. but when at home i use wifi anyway they are recommened.

are you sure nidO, cos I get a message saying that I am not on a supported network when i try iplayer on 3G. also, the built in browser can't handle iPlayer without being jerky

i'm on O2 online-30 tarriff with unlimited web bolt on and am curious how you manage it but not me

I strongly recommend T-mobile for London Great coverage, overall good 3g speeds, and they are cheap! Their fair usage is mostly 1GB/month. My recommendation, get the n900 carrier-free and go for a T-Mobile Sim-only deal. 15/20 pounds a month are the best ones. I went for the 20 pounds one

I use Three's data service (1GB mobile broadband), with a Nokia S60 phone and an N810, rather than an N900, and have found that coverage is in in populated areas, and A roads is fine. It isn't much behind (if behind at all) anyone else these days.

Also, there are no extra charges for Skype and streaming on Three, other than it just eats though your data allowance more quickly. In fact you can cheerfully use skype over data on Three with no voice allowance. So you could theoretically use a PAYG sim with data only in a N900 on Three.

O2 coverage was good for me... Voda is not bad now, but I use 500MB in less than 2 weeks. I am at 602MB at the moment(have been using minimum) and my minutes refresh on the 8th, lol...

I'd definitely choose o2 over vodafone, but they didnt have the n900 then...

I use an O2 simplicity contract monthly renewable with "unlimited" internet for £20/month, I preferred to pay the N900 full price (well after cashback and discount around £370) that always works out cheaper than locking myself up on long term contracts.

Forgot to mention that I find the coverage and speed really good