All you can eat data: which network is the best?

What UK network offers the best unlimited data packages? Damien McFerran investigates. 

When the first iPhone and Android handsets hit the market a few years back, network operators were faced with something of a problem. This new breed of smartphone relied heavily on data connectivity and most contracts at the time didn’t include nearly enough allowance.

To prepare for the smartphone revolution, many operators offered unlimited data on their contracts. Simply put, you could download as much data as you liked without any penalty. It seemed like a happy solution at the time, but it didn’t take long for the situation to change.

As smartphones become ever more prevalent, networks were faced with rising data traffic. One by one, they changed the small print on their ‘unlimited’ data contracts to stipulate that customers must abide by a fair usage policy, usually set at around 500 to 1000MB a month.

With smartphones slowly but surely becoming the market standard, we’re seeing a shift back towards truly unlimited contracts again. And this is hardly surprising. After all, when all your rivals are limiting their customers when it comes to data, offering a truly unlimited contract is a pretty solid way of winning new buyers – just look at what Three has achieved.

But for the average punter, it’s incredibly confusing. Which networks are generous and which are penny-pinching misers? Thankfully, Know Your Mobile is at hand to provide the wisdom you desire.

Info: O2 was once the poster child for unlimited data deals. The company proudly boasted that its contracts were free of additional charges for net-lovers. However, that changed a few years ago, and now all contracts sold via the company are subject to limits.

Data allowance: O2 uses bolt-ons to allow its customers to select how much data they need. These begin at £3 (for 100MB) and go as high as £10 (for 1GB). It’s a flexible system, but it’s a far cry from the unlimited deals the company used to offer.

Bear in mind: O2 doesn’t allow pay as you go users to tether their phones to other devices, so even if you have a data bundle, you won’t be able to hook up other devices via Wi-Fi.

Info: Orange is another provider that shuns the word ‘unlimited’. All of its contracts are bound by data allowances, ranging from as little as 250MB to 2GB. Even the most expensive iPhone 4S deal - a staggering £61 over a 24 month period - is limited. However, the 2GB offered in this bundle will more than likely be enough for most users.

Data allowance: Offered in tiered amounts: 250MB, 500MB, 750MB, 1GB and 2GB. No unlimited data allowance, so once you use up all that data, you’ll be paying through the nose.

Bear in mind: Orange and T-Mobile are bedfellows now, and T-Mobile has recently confirmed that it is resurrecting its unlimited data deals. There’s a chance that Orange may follow suit.

Info: T-Mobile was one of the few networks to avoid placing limits on data usage, but the company still forces customers to agree to a fair usage policy. Curiously, T-Mobile monitors your streaming and downloading/uploading activity, and places a 500MB shackle on that. Email and web browsing, however, don’t count towards this figure.

Data allowance: Unlimited for email and browsing, but subject to a 500MB limit for uploading and download data, as well as streaming media content from the web.

Bear in mind: T-Mobile has just announced that it is bringing back unlimited data contracts, with no restrictions on streaming, uploading or anything else. If you’re looking to get a new phone and want a decent data deal, you might want to consider T-Mobile – but expect rival networks to follow suit over the next year or so.

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