No Finnish outrage at iPhone packages?
I’ve been looking around the few Finnish blog posts and comments online about TeliaSonera’s iPhone packages in Finland and, considering the backlash some operators are getting, it’s been almost a surprise to have heard nothing but silent grumbling here.
Let’s look at the basics. The iPhone is a nice device, no doubt about it. Sure, Apple is still messing things up by not offering an unlocked version, but it does something that phones have done poorly for quite some time: Internet connectivity. There is over-the-air syncing, a good browser, rich email, an in-built store, video features, maps and widgets. The kind of device to finally get people using the Internet on the go. Yet that usefulness has been all but destroyed by extremely poor packages under the TeliaSonera wing.
To put it bluntly, none of the packages offer the one thing you really want with an iPhone: unlimited data. It’s what the iPhone is about. Even worse, the small and medium package offer ridiculously low amounts: 100MB and 250MB respectively. Only the large package offers a fair, if not fantastic, 1000MB. However that’s 90 euros a month. OK, you do get the iPhone for free then, but you’re still paying for 1000 SMSes and 1000 minutes of talk time. I want neither.
TeliaSonera do offer a ‘My Sonera’ option, where there is a minimal monthly fee and you can build up the package as you want. Downside: you have to pay the full 400-500 euro price for the iPhone, which isn’t even unlocked for you. Additionally I still can’t figure out if I can get unlimited data for the iPhone with that and, if so, what exactly it costs. The My Sonera package builder doesn’t offer the iPhone and doesn’t offer an obvious way to add a data package, unless I can use their USB dongle package for that.
Whatever happened to the lovely “buy phone, pick an operator” model that worked so well here before?
You can get unlimited data to My sonera-option, it costs 14,9 euros per month. Speed is 512 kbps. Speed can be upgraded to 1 mbps for another 4,9 euros per month. If you want full speed (3,6 mbps) it costs 19,9 euros per month.
No, I don’t work for Sonera, but I have been considering iPhone after my current 24 month contract with Nokia N73 ends in November.
Data limits in small and medium packages are just so unrealistic for iPhone, and large package with 90 euros per month is just stupid. Who will sends 1000 SMS per month, when you have phone with full internet capabilities?
Comment by Hiljaisuus — July 21, 2008 @ 12:40 pm
Yes, there is the ‘my sonera’ option but, as mentioned, you do need to pay the full price of the phone (which is still locked!), and you don’t get to use their HomeRun WLAN network, which you do with the actual packages.
Agreed on the data limits. I have absolutely no need for 1000 SMSes a month, although sending SMSes is really nice with the iPhone. Data is what its all about.
For what its worth, I did get an iPhone the first night it was available
Fantastic device, just slightly spoilt by politics. Might write up on that a bit later.
Comment by setok — July 21, 2008 @ 1:31 pm
I like my Nokia E71, a lot. Mobile Scred looks very promising on it
Comment by Pasi — July 23, 2008 @ 12:28 pm