O2 have decided to scrap the fair usage policy it was planning on imposing on the data usage for the iPhone which is available in the UK from Friday. Existing 'unlimited' packages available on O2 tariffs are subject to a fair usage policy that limits monthly use. This new truly 'unlimited' option for the iPhone will help confuse customers even more as it adds a third meaning to O2's definition of 'unlimited'.
Depending which package you subscribe to, a fair usage policy limits the data you can use on packages they claim are 'unlimited'. With the 'O2 Web Bolt On', you receive an 'unlimited' inclusive data of 200MB (megabytes) per month. If you subscribe to 'O2 Web Max', you also receive 'unlimited' data, but in this instance it is 3GB (gigabytes) per month. O2 are said to be reviewing the fair usage limits for other non-iPhone packages.
O2 are keen to encourage iPhone users to use the Internet, and are probably happier to make the service actually unlimited as the phone is already bandwidth limited by the lack of broadband Internet access, such as 3G, that has been available on other handsets for some years. O2 have been especially upgrading their GPRS access to EDGE to enable the fastest possible Internet support for the iPhone, however many users may be unimpressed by the downgrade in speed they receive compared with 3G and HSDPA which has been available on other common handsets.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/11/06/unfair_o2/
O2 marketing director Sally Cowdry said: "customer feedback has been that if we say unlimited, it should be unlimited".
I'll believe that when they scrap the FUP on their new broadband service.
The iPhone doesn't have 3G so hardly a big deal if O2 give you genuinely unlimited use with that.
I wonder if they will extend the same gesture to their new O2 broadband.