All posts tagged Mobile Data

Data Roaming Advice Part 1

by 0044 Guru on February 2, 2012 in Data Roaming with No comments
data-roaming-ipad-on-the-beach

It was recently highlighted in the media that 60% of Britons are confused by data roaming. To be honest, it’s no wonder why! Mobile data use in the UK can be confusing at the best of times but when you add the frightening costs of data roaming into the equation it becomes even more important that you know your KB’s from your MB’s.

Thanks to our obsession with our iPhones, Android devices, iPads and remote working the demand for mobile data is exploding. In fact in 2011, mobile data traffic more than doubled

But what is mobile data? And how much will you need? In our 2 Part Guide we will outline exactly what you can do with your data, how you can keep it under control and how much data you’ll be likely to consume.

Let’s start with the jargon KB, MB and GB?

There are 1,000 kilobytes (KB) in 1 megabyte (MB) and 1,000 megabytes in 1 gigabyte (GB). Simple.

OK, so now we know the units but how much data do we really need? Fortunately it doesn’t matter if you are connecting via your smartphone or laptop data usage is the same. However the usage requirements can differ drastically and as expected this has a knock-on effect on the amount of data you will require.

mobile data roaming

How much data do you need whilst abroad?

This question is really answered by; how important is the data to you? If the majority of your access is for leisure we’d recommend that you wait until you have a WiFi connection rather than wasting your precious mobile MB’s. Generally we’ve found that people want mobile data access for one of 3 reasons:

  • Need to check emails (10-20 per day) - Nothing more nothing less. Will not be accessing or sending large files in excess of 1MB. In this instance you can certainly get by with 50-200 MB per month.
  • Want to use my smartphone as per normal - If this is the case you need to budget between 200-500 MB per month and avoid watching too many videos!
  • Essential work related - To make sure everything operates as in the UK, we would recommend that you use an unlimited or heavy usage data package in excess of 1 GB. However if you will be accessing video content, gaming or downloading excessively then you will need an unlimited package.

Now you know how much data you are likely to use abroad you need to consider the costs of roaming with your UK Network operator.

Within the EU

Mistakenly people tend to think they are OK to roam in Europe because of the recently imposed cap of €50 however with rates of £3.00/MB you can quickly reach this amount.

Consequently €50 is not the deal it seems when it only equates to a 16MB or one Youtube clip!

Outside of the EU

This is when it starts to get really dangerous! A quick trip over the EU border or a long-haul flight to the USA and you can start to look at costs of £7.00+/MB! As in the EU O2 have introduced a worldwide cap on data roaming at £40 and once you reach 50MB you’ll be cut off.

According to Which?, if you’re on the UK network 3 and you go to the US, you can expect to pay more than £3,000 for 1GB usage – which would cost £7.50 in the UK!

In Part 2 out on Sunday we will discuss the best steps you can take to reduce your mobile data roaming costs. In fact we can help you save over 80% when abroad with a few little tricks of the trade.

For further information about how to avoid data roaming charges please visit: www.dataroam.co.uk

Roaming with mobile data abroad

by 0044 on September 24, 2010 in Data Roaming with No comments

As mobile roaming activity comes to an end many mobile users will be hit with hefty charges for mobile data whilst travelling. The introduction of Smartphones means that consumers are used to using mobile data in the United Kingdom in the same way as they can make calls or send texts and without the extra cost. However, mobile data abroad is a completely different affair and there are many examples of mobile users racking up huge mobile data bills when using their Smartphones abroad and roaming.

If you’ve seen any of the press stories of mobile data roaming charges – where unsuspecting mobile users have run up hundreds of pounds on their mobile bills just by using mobile data for accessing the internet or downloading files then you might be concerned about using your iPhone abroad next time.

New rules introduced by the EU commission also mean that users will be cut off when their monthly bill for using mobile data to access the internet abroad reaches a certain level. However, more knowledgeable mobile users can still achieve great savings on mobile data across the EU with a SIM card from www.dataroam.co.uk allowing users to access mobile data rates of £0.01/MB. With a data SIM card from dataroam the user is also always in control because the SIM enables them to add credit as they need to. Heavy usage will simply exhaust their credit balance on mobile data consumption rather than providing them with a huge bill.

Angus MacLeod of 0044 Ltd commented, “Most people assume that they can take their Smartphone abroad and use it in the same way as they do in the UK for mobile data. That’s perfectly understandable but if you’re not careful mobile data abroad can really create a huge expense. Products like our Global SIM can help control those costs so if you plan to use mobile data when you travel it really is worth checking out.”