I bought a SIM today in order to take advantage of the headline offer of
"International calls from 1p/min".
The identity crisis: The packaging says O2, the T&C says Telefonica UK
and the phone says BT Cellnet!
The T&C: talks about having to top up £15/month to "keep your free
monthly allowance", but I don't see International calls as being within
any "allowances", they are PAYG. Does this mean I can load £15 and use
it at my leisure (over many months) while using this SIM only to make
International calls?
--
Roland Perry
On Wed, 02 May 2012 16:47:50 +0100, Roland Perry wrote:
> I bought a SIM today in order to take advantage of the headline offer of
> "International calls from 1p/min".
>
> The identity crisis: The packaging says O2, the T&C says Telefonica UK
> and the phone says BT Cellnet!
It's an old phone then. AFAIK the network names for the network ID
numbers are hard-coded in the phone's firmware - my Nokia 3330 reports
"BT Cellnet" with an O2 SIM and "One2one" with a T-Mobile SIM.
On Wed, 2 May 2012 16:47:50 +0100, Roland Perry <roland@perry.co.uk>
wrote:
>I bought a SIM today in order to take advantage of the headline offer of
>"International calls from 1p/min".
>
>The identity crisis: The packaging says O2, the T&C says Telefonica UK
>and the phone says BT Cellnet!
>
>The T&C: talks about having to top up £15/month to "keep your free
>monthly allowance", but I don't see International calls as being within
>any "allowances", they are PAYG. Does this mean I can load £15 and use
>it at my leisure (over many months) while using this SIM only to make
>International calls?
Company history: Cellnet started as part of BT (along with Racal
Vodafone) as one of the original mobile phone operators. Cellnet was
floated of as O2. BT shareholders received 'free' shares in O2. O2
was purchased by Telefonica. I think different parts of the package
belong to different eras.
"Scott" <newsgroups@gefion.myzen.co.uk> wrote in message
news:niq2q791v6p2cj846p37kros9oarssvj2p@4ax.com...
> On Wed, 2 May 2012 16:47:50 +0100, Roland Perry
> <roland@perry.co.uk>
> wrote:
>
>>I bought a SIM today in order to take advantage of the headline
>>offer of
>>"International calls from 1p/min".
>>
>>The identity crisis: The packaging says O2, the T&C says
>>Telefonica UK
>>and the phone says BT Cellnet!
>>
>>The T&C: talks about having to top up £15/month to "keep your
>>free
>>monthly allowance", but I don't see International calls as
>>being within
>>any "allowances", they are PAYG. Does this mean I can load £15
>>and use
>>it at my leisure (over many months) while using this SIM only
>>to make
>>International calls?
>
> Company history: Cellnet started as part of BT (along with
> Racal
> Vodafone) as one of the original mobile phone operators.
> Cellnet was
> floated of as O2. BT shareholders received 'free' shares in
> O2. O2
> was purchased by Telefonica. I think different parts of the
> package
> belong to different eras.
Slight correction: Cellnet was rebranded as O2 (technically mmO2)
it wasn't floated, and then included as part of a section of BT
that was sold to Telefonica, the Spanish operator. They agreed to
maintain the O2 name as they do to this day.
On Wed, 2 May 2012 19:31:07 +0100, "Woody"
<harrogate3@ntlworld.spam.com> wrote:
>"Scott" <newsgroups@gefion.myzen.co.uk> wrote in message
>news:niq2q791v6p2cj846p37kros9oarssvj2p@4ax.com.. .
>> On Wed, 2 May 2012 16:47:50 +0100, Roland Perry
>> <roland@perry.co.uk>
>> wrote:
>>
>>>I bought a SIM today in order to take advantage of the headline
>>>offer of
>>>"International calls from 1p/min".
>>>
>>>The identity crisis: The packaging says O2, the T&C says
>>>Telefonica UK
>>>and the phone says BT Cellnet!
>>>
>>>The T&C: talks about having to top up £15/month to "keep your
>>>free
>>>monthly allowance", but I don't see International calls as
>>>being within
>>>any "allowances", they are PAYG. Does this mean I can load £15
>>>and use
>>>it at my leisure (over many months) while using this SIM only
>>>to make
>>>International calls?
>>
>> Company history: Cellnet started as part of BT (along with
>> Racal
>> Vodafone) as one of the original mobile phone operators.
>> Cellnet was
>> floated of as O2. BT shareholders received 'free' shares in
>> O2. O2
>> was purchased by Telefonica. I think different parts of the
>> package
>> belong to different eras.
>
>
>
>Slight correction: Cellnet was rebranded as O2 (technically mmO2)
>it wasn't floated, and then included as part of a section of BT
>that was sold to Telefonica, the Spanish operator. They agreed to
>maintain the O2 name as they do to this day.
I know that's what the Wikipedia entry for O2 says, but according to
the BT entry BT Cellnet ws demerged from BT in 2001 and relaunched on
1 May 2002 as O2. The takeover by Telefonica did not take place until
2005. See also: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology...3/mobilephones
I see I omitted to mention that Cellnet started as a joint venture
between BT and Securicor before it became BT Cellnet.
In message <jnromk$9hq$1@speranza.aioe.org>, at 16:51:32 on Wed, 2 May
2012, Andrew Benham <adsb@address.invalid> remarked:
>> The identity crisis: The packaging says O2, the T&C says Telefonica UK
>> and the phone says BT Cellnet!
>
>It's an old phone then.
Yes, at least ten years.
Anyone know the answer to the tariff question:
T&C talk about having to top up £15/month to "keep your free
monthly allowance", but I don't see International calls as being
within any "allowances", they are PAYG. Does this mean I can
load £15 and use it at my leisure (over many months) while using
this SIM only to make International calls?
I asked the retailer, but they didn't know.
--
Roland Perry
Andrew Benham wrote:
> On Wed, 02 May 2012 16:47:50 +0100, Roland Perry wrote:
>
>> I bought a SIM today in order to take advantage of the headline
>> offer of "International calls from 1p/min".
>>
>> The identity crisis: The packaging says O2, the T&C says Telefonica
>> UK and the phone says BT Cellnet!
>
> It's an old phone then. AFAIK the network names for the network ID
> numbers are hard-coded in the phone's firmware - my Nokia 3330 reports
> "BT Cellnet" with an O2 SIM and "One2one" with a T-Mobile SIM.
>
Although if the phones CSP was enabled, modern Sims would
make it read O2 or T Mobile, etc.
Presumably the 3330 was supplied on a GSM network like
Cellnet or Vodafone, if from a PCN network like Orange or 121
CPS would have been enabled as standard.
On 02/05/2012 16:47, Roland Perry wrote:
> I bought a SIM today in order to take advantage of the headline offer of
> "International calls from 1p/min".
>
Note "from 1p per minute. USA is 2p per minute to landlines, more to
mobiles., 99p a minute to Antarctica... which isn't a country, and no
rates for "the channel islands, and "isle of man" which they do treat as
non-uk. Yuk.
> The identity crisis: The packaging says O2, the T&C says Telefonica UK
> and the phone says BT Cellnet!
>
* "o2" is the marketing or trading name name,
* "Telefónica UK Limited" is the company who own it and who you have a
contractual relationship with, but who don't seem to provide any of the
statutory info such as "company number" or "Vat Number" on their web site
* "Bt Cellnet" was once the name of the network and as others have said
> The T&C: talks about having to top up £15/month to "keep your free
> monthly allowance", but I don't see International calls as being within
> any "allowances", they are PAYG. Does this mean I can load £15 and use
> it at my leisure (over many months) while using this SIM only to make
> International calls?
Yes. The "free monthly allowance" is "free texts to 02 mobiles " or
"free calls to o2 mobiles".
but also note:-
7.1. If you do not make or receive a chargeable call at least once in
any 6 month period your Mobile Phone will be disconnected and you will
lose any remaining credits balance on your Account. If you wish to be
re-connected after this time you will be given a new Mobile Phone number
On Fri, 04 May 2012 09:36:27 +0100, Dave <dave.g4ugm@gmail.com> wrote:
>On 02/05/2012 16:47, Roland Perry wrote:
>> I bought a SIM today in order to take advantage of the headline offer of
>> "International calls from 1p/min".
>>
>
>Note "from 1p per minute. USA is 2p per minute to landlines, more to
>mobiles., 99p a minute to Antarctica... which isn't a country, and no
>rates for "the channel islands, and "isle of man" which they do treat as
>non-uk. Yuk.
>
>> The identity crisis: The packaging says O2, the T&C says Telefonica UK
>> and the phone says BT Cellnet!
>>
>
>* "o2" is the marketing or trading name name,
>
>* "Telefónica UK Limited" is the company who own it and who you have a
>contractual relationship with, but who don't seem to provide any of the
>statutory info such as "company number" or "Vat Number" on their web site
>
They do. As you say, O2 is the trading name. On the O2 website -
'About O2' - 'Company details' will show:
Telefónica UK Limited is registered in England and Wales. Registration
number:1743099.
Its registered office is at:
260 Bath Road,
Slough,
Berkshire,
SL1 4DX,
United Kingdom
Telefónica UK Limited is registered under VAT number: GB 778 6037 85
On the Telefonica website, under Telefonica UK the 'Find out more'
link directs you to the O2 website which contains the information
detailed above.
"Roland Perry" <roland@perry.co.uk> wrote in message
news:F56osfWmcVoPFAkY@perry.co.uk...
>I bought a SIM today in order to take advantage of the headline offer of
>"International calls from 1p/min".
>
> The identity crisis: The packaging says O2, the T&C says Telefonica UK and
> the phone says BT Cellnet!
Telefonica UK [Ltd.] trades as O2.
Older phones will recognised the network as BT Cellnet - rebranded as O2
about ten years ago - IMO because the previous [BT] customer service was so
bad that the brand name was a liability rather than an asset.
>
> The T&C: talks about having to top up £15/month to "keep your free monthly
> allowance", but I don't see International calls as being within any
> "allowances", they are PAYG. Does this mean I can load £15 and use it at
> my leisure (over many months) while using this SIM only to make
> International calls?
You need to read these carefully - probably you lose the benefit if you
don't top up. OTOH the credit normally stays alive and should not run down
if you switch off data access.
"Scott" <newsgroups@gefion.myzen.co.uk> wrote in message
news:go03q7plpt6dv2mpmdbum6ikanlp42isb2@4ax.com...
> On Wed, 2 May 2012 19:31:07 +0100, "Woody"
> <harrogate3@ntlworld.spam.com> wrote:
>
>>"Scott" <newsgroups@gefion.myzen.co.uk> wrote in message
>>news:niq2q791v6p2cj846p37kros9oarssvj2p@4ax.com. ..
>>> On Wed, 2 May 2012 16:47:50 +0100, Roland Perry
>>> <roland@perry.co.uk>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>>I bought a SIM today in order to take advantage of the headline
>>>>offer of
>>>>"International calls from 1p/min".
>>>>
>>>>The identity crisis: The packaging says O2, the T&C says
>>>>Telefonica UK
>>>>and the phone says BT Cellnet!
>>>>
>>>>The T&C: talks about having to top up £15/month to "keep your
>>>>free
>>>>monthly allowance", but I don't see International calls as
>>>>being within
>>>>any "allowances", they are PAYG. Does this mean I can load £15
>>>>and use
>>>>it at my leisure (over many months) while using this SIM only
>>>>to make
>>>>International calls?
>>>
>>> Company history: Cellnet started as part of BT (along with
>>> Racal
>>> Vodafone) as one of the original mobile phone operators.
>>> Cellnet was
>>> floated of as O2. BT shareholders received 'free' shares in
>>> O2. O2
>>> was purchased by Telefonica. I think different parts of the
>>> package
>>> belong to different eras.
>>
>>
>>
>>Slight correction: Cellnet was rebranded as O2 (technically mmO2)
>>it wasn't floated, and then included as part of a section of BT
>>that was sold to Telefonica, the Spanish operator. They agreed to
>>maintain the O2 name as they do to this day.
>
> I know that's what the Wikipedia entry for O2 says, but according to
> the BT entry BT Cellnet ws demerged from BT in 2001 and relaunched on
> 1 May 2002 as O2. The takeover by Telefonica did not take place until
> 2005. See also:
> http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology...3/mobilephones
>
> I see I omitted to mention that Cellnet started as a joint venture
> between BT and Securicor before it became BT Cellnet.
You are right it was floated first. Customer service remained diabolical for
another five years, but now is acceptable and they don't overcharge all the
time.
These days BT ring up occasionally trying to get back my custom. They won't
be getting back my old business landline phone and fax numbers because they
failed / refuse to migrate them during service changes and as for mobile -
well they didn't want my custom and sold off my account.
Identity crisis and incomprehensible T&C 
Linear Mode
