Best smartphone pay-as-you-go plan for Ireland
December 11, 2012 10:02 PM Subscribe
Back home to Ireland for Christmas - what's the best pay-as-you-go mobile deal for a smart phone?
My USA Simplemobile SIM on my unlocked international Samsung SIII won't work in Ireland - So I need to get a local SIM. I need good 3G/HSDPA coverage (Waterford area). Unlimited data would be wonderful.
A bit of googling seems to show that three.ie have a good deal of all you can eat data. Is that the best plan? What's their HSDPA coverage like? Is another carrier better?
My USA Simplemobile SIM on my unlocked international Samsung SIII won't work in Ireland - So I need to get a local SIM. I need good 3G/HSDPA coverage (Waterford area). Unlimited data would be wonderful.
A bit of googling seems to show that three.ie have a good deal of all you can eat data. Is that the best plan? What's their HSDPA coverage like? Is another carrier better?
I go with O2 in Ireland. Usually runs me 20 yoyo, and that's from Carphone Warehouse or whatever it's called, and you get a month of internet included in the top up or something. No idea how their coverage is in Waterford. I used three in the UK during the summer and they were fine but a bit dearer I think, but that deal you linked to sounds nice.
posted by Iteki at 10:23 PM on December 11, 2012
posted by Iteki at 10:23 PM on December 11, 2012
On preview yeah, DarlingBri is right, you need to know what works where you will be.
posted by Iteki at 10:23 PM on December 11, 2012
posted by Iteki at 10:23 PM on December 11, 2012
(To clarify, I would ask on the Waterford board on Boards.ie - there is also a Waterford county board if you're not in or near town.)
posted by DarlingBri at 10:34 PM on December 11, 2012
posted by DarlingBri at 10:34 PM on December 11, 2012
I would advise against Meteor if you have any concern over coverage. I'm with them, and my 3G signal drops out at seemingly random locations - including places where you'd expect it to be fine. Like the middle of Dublin.
If Waterford coverage is fine and data allowance is all you care about, though, then 3 is probably a good choice. As far as I'm aware, they're the only carrier offering 'unlimited' (usual T&C's apply) data on a pay-as-you-go plan.
posted by anaximander at 10:57 PM on December 11, 2012
If Waterford coverage is fine and data allowance is all you care about, though, then 3 is probably a good choice. As far as I'm aware, they're the only carrier offering 'unlimited' (usual T&C's apply) data on a pay-as-you-go plan.
posted by anaximander at 10:57 PM on December 11, 2012
I still keep my Vodafone phone for home trips, and have never had issues, though as DarlingBri says there can be problems in certain areas with coverage. But as one of the main providers, along with O2, they're generally very reliable when it comes to coverage...I've never had problems in the twelve or so years I've been with them. Have heard things like anaximander about Meteor's coverage being dodgy - wouldn't be too sure about Three either for some reason!
posted by cornflakegirl at 2:08 AM on December 12, 2012
posted by cornflakegirl at 2:08 AM on December 12, 2012
Response by poster: Thanks everyone. I went with the Three network. Free SIM. Unlimited HSDA+ data connection for €20 top up. Coverage is pretty good. Measured > 2gb/s upload and download. No issues. Works great using my phone as a WiFi hotspot.
posted by Long Way To Go at 5:45 AM on December 22, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Long Way To Go at 5:45 AM on December 22, 2012 [1 favorite]
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posted by DarlingBri at 10:21 PM on December 11, 2012