T-mobile gprs without Web'n'Walk

I have a t-mobile payg sim, without any web'n'walk.

Their terms and conditions (like most mobile cos.) are v. confusing. Am I
entitled to use my phone as a modem to connect to the internet?

--
John Blessing

"John Blessing" <blessij@**REMOVE**THIS**gmail.com> wrote in message
news:FmNUg.1185$w07.918@newsfe6-win.ntli.net...
>I have a t-mobile payg sim, without any web'n'walk.
>
> Their terms and conditions (like most mobile cos.) are v. confusing. Am I
> entitled to use my phone as a modem to connect to the internet?
>
> --
> John Blessing
>


In answer to my own question. T-mobile Customer Service rang back in
response to an email I sent them with this question (well done - I wish all
CS were this good). Short answer is that the T&C allow it.
--
John Blessing

On Wed, 04 Oct 2006 13:09:11 GMT, John Blessing wrote:

> "John Blessing" <blessij@**REMOVE**THIS**gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:FmNUg.1185$w07.918@newsfe6-win.ntli.net...
>>I have a t-mobile payg sim, without any web'n'walk.
>>
>> Their terms and conditions (like most mobile cos.) are v. confusing. Am I
>> entitled to use my phone as a modem to connect to the internet?
>>
>> --
>> John Blessing
>>
>
>
> In answer to my own question. T-mobile Customer Service rang back in
> response to an email I sent them with this question (well done - I wish all
> CS were this good). Short answer is that the T&C allow it.

At £7.50 per MB they'd be really dumb to prevent it. It's a goldmine for
them.

In article <XnOUg.48$gO3.28@newsfe7-win.ntli.net>,
blessij@**REMOVE**THIS**gmail.com says...
> "John Blessing" <blessij@**REMOVE**THIS**gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:FmNUg.1185$w07.918@newsfe6-win.ntli.net...
> >I have a t-mobile payg sim, without any web'n'walk.
> >
> > Their terms and conditions (like most mobile cos.) are v. confusing. Am I
> > entitled to use my phone as a modem to connect to the internet?
> >
>
> In answer to my own question. T-mobile Customer Service rang back in
> response to an email I sent them with this question (well done - I wish all
> CS were this good). Short answer is that the T&C allow it.
>

The website implies you are automatically on Web'n'Walk for PAYG which
is 0.73p per KB with a maximum daily charge of £1.

Then CS reply contradicts their own website but it isn't entirely
unknown for CS to give out invalid information.

It specifically prohibits modem use though no one is sure how they'd
know unless you connnect to something like Windows update which a
handset is unlikely to do by itself :-)

Steve.

Stephen Henson wrote:
> > >I have a t-mobile payg sim, without any web'n'walk.
> > >
> > > Their terms and conditions (like most mobile cos.) are v. confusing. Am I
> > > entitled to use my phone as a modem to connect to the internet?
> > >
> >
> > In answer to my own question. T-mobile Customer Service rang back in
> > response to an email I sent them with this question (well done - I wishall
> > CS were this good). Short answer is that the T&C allow it.
>
> The website implies you are automatically on Web'n'Walk for PAYG which
> is 0.73p per KB with a maximum daily charge of £1.
>
> Then CS reply contradicts their own website but it isn't entirely
> unknown for CS to give out invalid information.
>
> It specifically prohibits modem use though no one is sure how they'd
> know unless you connnect to something like Windows update which a
> handset is unlikely to do by itself :-)

HTTP headers ought to do it.

If I connect to www.showmyip.com from my laptop, it says (using the
data that your browser passes on to every website that you visit):
"Browser: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; SV1; .NET
CLR 2.0.50727)"

If I use my MDA, it says:
"Browser: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 4.01; Windows CE; PPC; MDA
Vario/2.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1)"

If the web server I'm talking to knows this information, then my ISP
certainly knows it. While I'd be amazed to find that T-Mobile check the
headers of all HTTP traffic to make sure that the device is claiming to
be a phone and not a computer, they can if they want to.

In practice, I'd imagine they look into whether you're keeping to these
T&Cs only if usage exceeds a certain number of gb per month, since
you're unlikely to achieve more than a couple of gigs on a smartphone
unless you use it for VoIP or as a modem (both banned, of course).

(obTechieDigression: if you're using a geek-friendly browser, you can
set the HTTP headers to whatever you like, and therefore can pretend
that your PC is a smartphone. If anyone actually bothers to do this,
then they probably should look into acquiring some kind of
girlfriend/boyfriend...)

--
John Band
john at johnband dot org
www.johnband.org

"Stephen Henson" <steve@nospam.invalid> wrote in message
news:MPG.1f8de15955fc18719896f4@news.clara.net...
> In article <XnOUg.48$gO3.28@newsfe7-win.ntli.net>,
> blessij@**REMOVE**THIS**gmail.com says...
>> "John Blessing" <blessij@**REMOVE**THIS**gmail.com> wrote in message
>> news:FmNUg.1185$w07.918@newsfe6-win.ntli.net...
>> >I have a t-mobile payg sim, without any web'n'walk.
>> >
>> > Their terms and conditions (like most mobile cos.) are v. confusing.
>> > Am I
>> > entitled to use my phone as a modem to connect to the internet?
>> >
>>
>> In answer to my own question. T-mobile Customer Service rang back in
>> response to an email I sent them with this question (well done - I wish
>> all
>> CS were this good). Short answer is that the T&C allow it.
>>
>
> The website implies you are automatically on Web'n'Walk for PAYG which
> is 0.73p per KB with a maximum daily charge of £1.

Shortly after I got an email from CS, saying I would need Web'n'Walk. So
maybe what you say is correct. Confusing or what.

Might just stick with my Voda contract (at reduced rate since I threatened
to leave <g>), at least that is straightforward.

--
John Blessing

On Wed, 04 Oct 2006 11:59:33 GMT, "John Blessing"
<blessij@**REMOVE**THIS**gmail.com> wrote:

>Their terms and conditions (like most mobile cos.) are v. confusing. Am I
>entitled to use my phone as a modem to connect to the internet?

No, it seems that the £1 per day GPRS Web 'n Walk is the default and
that is supposed to be only for use from the handset. However, I know
from experience that they don't care (or more likely can't tell) if
you use the handset just as a modem.

The non Web'nWalk is not restricted, and can officially be used from a
PC. But who'd want to, at that price?

--

Iain
the out-of-date hairydog guide to mobile phones
http://www.hairydog.co.uk/cell1.html
Browse now while stocks last!

Stephen Henson <steve@nospam.invalid> writes:
>
> It specifically prohibits modem use though no one is sure how they'd
> know unless you connnect to something like Windows update which a
> handset is unlikely to do by itself :-)
>
Take a look at the new web'n'walk tarrifs, the basic £7.50 option prohibits
modem use, but there are now other options.

Phil