[Hands0n]

Possibly the last to market, O2 have gone one up on the competition with their offering. At just under £30.00 they are offering one of three different Netbook or Laptop deals on a 24-month contract.

These are pretty good deals, if the area you are in is well served by O2's 3G/HSPA which for many is a bit of a long shot. It is reasonably well known that O2's 3G network is sparsely distributed across the UK. O2 were even taken to task for this by OFCOM (http://networks.silicon.com/mobile/0,39024665,39170199,00.htm), that great toothless industry regulator. And there is no mission statement from O2 that they are going to do anything about the situation any time soon.

So be warned, this "deal" is a bit of a gamble, Caveat Emptor (Buyer Beware) applies. You really do need to do your homework to ensure that you will be able to access 3G/HSPA from O2 where you intend to use the PC.

That said, if it all fits then the choice of offer is very appealing.

[miffed]

I am not so sure about o2's "poor' coverage anymore. I seem to have a 3G signal pretty much anywhere I go now - this wasn't the case as recently as 6 months ago - so it looks to me like the iPhone has given o2 the kick in the pants that OFCOM should have provided - and in many of my "regular" haunts I have notices coverage jump from 2g-3g overnight - I even got text message from o2 letting me know when they were about to improve coverage at my address. I do get the impression that they are really trying !

[Ben]

Coverage has definitely improved. It's still not great, but it's better - acceptably so for the iPhone but I'd say there's a long way to go if anyone wanted to use O2 for mobile broadband.

[Hands0n]

I am not so sure about o2's "poor' coverage anymore........ I do get the impression that they are really trying !

Perhaps, but my own local experience doesn't yet match yours :( I think that, given O2's showing to date, that the buyer has to be careful if they are not to be terribly disappointed. 24 months commitment and the best part of £800 in the process is a big stretch for a lot of people. To then find that the proposition does not bear fruit would be unbearable [for me].

But it is encouraging to read positive experiences of O2's coverage from someone who has previously seen O2 at its sub-optimal.