[3GScottishUser]

O2's online prepay customers will be granted free texts as the network launches a new offer. From tomorrow (16/10/2007), customers who sign up to the network's online Text Anytime tariff will get free texts each month, with the amount of texts dependent on monthly spend.

A customer spending £30 or more on top-ups each month will get unlimited free texts, £15 per month will provide 500 free monthly texts and £10 per month equals 300 free texts.

Customers who are already on Text Anytime are eligible for the offer now by sending UNLIMITED to 21300. O2 will switch over any exisiting prepay customers on other tariffs to Text Anytime on request.

UK marketing director Sally Cowdry said: 'O2 has always been considered the home of text. We listened to what our customers asked us and now we are pleased to be able to give them unlimited texts, so that they can text their friends and family as often as they like with no limits.'

http://www.mobiletoday.co.uk/content/17050.asp?men=2&sub=6

[Hands0n]

Almost no 3G, just ditched WAP and iMode, actively installing EDGE and now "free texts" - I feel like that Detective in the TV Police series that goes back in time to the 1970s :)

[Ben]

To be honest, if O2 went back to text-mad tariffs it'd be no bad thing. That's about all they had going for them.

[getti]

Ben... dont you mean HAVE not HAD lol

[Ben]

I prefer to talk about O2 in the past tense, it feels more natural ;)

I know, I know, they've got a big company behind them, they've got The O2, they've got the iPhone. Yet amidst all that they lack substance, not to mention proper SMS delivery receipts and a 3G network :D

[Hands0n]

"Life on Mars" - thats the title that wouldn't come to me earlier :) And that is exactly where I place O2 in my thoughts. Old, outdated, outmoded, out-everything. Definitely a past-tense company. I can't even find it in myself to wish them well. I'd sooner be on 3 than O2 - stands back for the Irish T3G contingent to cheer "Hooorah! for Harry and England!".

Steady on lads, I'm not quite ready yet :D

[3GScottishUser]

Despite the lack of 3G promotion and some pretty unattractive PAYG pricing 02 continues to be the UK's favourite mobile provider.

I had a look at their site today and whilst there is nothing spectactular on offer there is enough to make 02 attractive both for contracts and PAYG.

A SonyEricsson K800i for £99 looks good on PAYG and when you factor in the extras on the tarriff you can see why many still choose 02 in preference to others.

02 have yet to have a period when their subscriber numbers fall. Is that not the real measure of them providing what the average customer wants?

[Hands0n]

Is that not the real measure of them providing what the average customer wants?

Yes, exactly - it may as well be VHS vs Betamax all over again. The masses, generally, are quite loyal. I even know of a few who will not upgrade as they are "quite happy with" their many-years-old handsets. I try and convince them to upgrade and sell on eBay if, for no other reason, but to subsidise or pay entirely their renewed contract. But no, they won't even do that!! WTF!!! Give the darned phone to me then!!! That, I contend, is what O2 are trading on. For if the buyin public ever got serious in analysing their usage vs costs they'd dump O2 in a blink.

[3GScottishUser]

I take the point but the sheer volume of 02's customer base suggests otherwise especially when you factor in the close to 30% churn each year.

It has to be something more than blind loyalty I suspect.

[Hands0n]

No, you said the word "average" and that really is the crux of it. People do not, yet, understand that the mobile market is so varied. They almost seem to equate their mobile in the same context as they BT Landlne (which they also will not entertain moving elsewhere). It really is the discerning [relative] few who actually shop around.

Why else do the CPS and Wholesale Line Rental companies have such a tough time selling landlines? You'd think people would beat a path to their doors and leave their BT contracts behind. But no, the masses stay with nice, safe BT. The same is repeated with the mobile networks.

Quite!

NB: I'll give you a good anecdotal example. A friend of mine has Sky TV. I have had to nag since its launch for them to take Sky Broadband Base (2Mbps) for free and stop paying T*scali £14.99 per month for 512Kbps ADSL. See? Brand loyalty to their first provider at its best. Now, can I get them moved off disparate mobile networks and onto Vodafone Family (they call eachother all of the time)? No, not a cat in Hell's chance - they all like their phones (scream!!!!!) even though I explain they can get the same handset on Vodafone! Its a curse knowing what I know, I tell ya!

[Ben]

The O2 of recent years appear to have been very good at catering for the 'now'. AFAIK they offer some aggressive retention deals when customers come to the end of their contracts, and they have been good with free texts and those (god awful) all day free calls promotions they ran a couple of times. They get involved in a lot of music events and generally keep their customers, particularly the younger ones, engaged through interaction - like O2 treats or this latest text-to-get offer.

What they have consistently lacked is forward vision. I couldn't have predicted a few years ago that their mostly inherited BT GSM network would still be serving them so well today. But then 3G take up has been far, far slower than many of us would have predicted or liked to see.

But there's always the argument that, actually, they have plenty of forward vision. Where they're at is exactly where the average punter is at. Their 'unlimited' data allowance is pitiful, yet it doesn't matter because so is the average users data usage. Their 3G network remains small, but there's every chance they'll be able to put 3G in 900MHz so maybe the wait will have been worthwhile?

Of course, you can always wait for 'what's next'. The moment something happens that takes advantage of comprehensive 3G networks like those operated by 3, Orange and Vodafone then O2 is looking at some big problems. As we have seen, network roll-outs don't happen over night. If the iPhone isn't setting alarm bells ringing over at O2 HQ, and if there aren't people screaming in the halls that the age of data is arriving, then it's hard to see where their future, with tiny ADSL2+ start-up Be, is headed.

[3GScottishUser]

I met a friend last night and he had a Nokia N95. Its on 02 and he's propably typical of many 02 customers. He's delighted with the device and his tarriff.

02 have been very clever in satisfying the demands of customers for the latest handset technology and simply ignoring or being slow to invest in high speed network improvments that don't appear to have done much for anyone else.

Whilst others have chased minority interests like videocalling, TV on mobiles and Internet, 02 have perhaps learned the lesson from the past (WAP failure) and focussed on proven revenue streams. They have not been totally blind to innovation and have offered i-mode and a limited amout of 3G but they clearly have been hedging their bets.

Looking at all the mobile companies strategies over the last 4-5 years its 02 that sits head and shoulders above the lot in terms of company performance. They have consistantly outperformed everyone else in terms of customer growth.

I suppose its the old hare and tortoise situation. Whilst we 3G tekkie enthusiasts have been following every new development with interest, 02 have been quietly signing up customers for good old voice and text and they have been laughing all the way to the bank! Even now they have the technology to switch on 3G in more areas and improve the range of services but they are playing a shrewd game by backing the i-phone as an exclusive. Once again whilst Vodafone, 3, Orange and T-Mobile fight to educate and attract customers to ever more complex services 02 have stepped aside and chosen to do something different that will undoubtedly make a big impact in attracting customers.

I get a gut feeling that for most folks the voice and text services are paramount. A nice handset that can take good pictures and maybe play MP3's is another big plus. I am sure these factors are the ones that have have been the priority for 02 and keeping it simple has been the key to their success in the UK.

Maybe in time the appitite for technology will come to haunt 02 but I doubt that will be for a few years and by then they will have a decent 900Mhz 3G service that they can roll out easily and which will be far more reliable than the 2100Mhz one that exists now.

I have never spent a lot with 02 or had a contract with them but putting aside my own selfish tekkie agenda I can understand why 17.8 million use their network now.

[gorilla]

Well can I just point out that my O2 N95 is working extremely well on 3 and the O2 sim passed on to my dad. Had I retained the O2 sim I would not have fully utilised the N95's capabilities. I too have friends with O2 N95's and that was the reason I was reticent to get one.

Back to OP. Spend £30 and get unlimited texts? These high spenders should be on a contract.