Orange yesterday held it’s hands up and admitted that it’s data network was having a massive hissy fit leaving Orange users without mobile data access.  Voice data seemed to be unaffected but email and web browsing completely failed for many users. The full extent of the problem isn’t known, but forum posts and other articles are suggesting that many users had been having issues with the data network for a good while before Orange admitted the problem existed. Me included.

While this may have been a minor inconvenience to some, roaming buisness users were no doubt livid, and were made more so by Orange’s admission that they had no scheduled fix for the problem.

No information has been forthcoming about the cause of the outage.

Earlier this year the advertising standards agency upheld a complaint about Orange’s claim that its “3G network covers more people in the UK than any other operator“, the ASA ruled that because orange could not show that they had gathered data for the performance of their rivals in the same way that they did for their own network the claim was misleading.

A big company misleading people? Advertising people lying through their recently whitened teeth?
Surely not.

I can’t help feeling that this outage and Orange’s response is a fairly standard fare for big business nowadays. If you work for a big company, feel free to print out and keep my handy guide to managing major technical problems:

1. Say NOTHING until someone goes to the media. Arrange for your forum to be  ”down for maintenance”.  Spend more on advertising.

2. Deny the problem and stonewall any questions.

3. Keep denying the problem until several high profile third parties have confirmed it beyond the point where anyone with half a brain still believes you.

4. Issue a vague, non committal statement that the problem may possibly be real but only affects a few people and it’s probably their fault anyway. Stupid customers.

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until the problem is fixed or the media lose interest.

6. If the problem gets fixed, either:

a) SAY NOTHING, that would mean admitting you were wrong.

b) Announce the fix amidst great fanfare, casting yourself in the role of hero whilst glossing over the fact that it was your stupid fault in the first place.

7) If you are still getting flack, a member of management may have to do a Captain Oates.

Sound familiar?

From next week travellers in the EU will be protected from running up massive bills for mobile data.

If you are abroad and using a mobile broadband dongle or one of the many smart phones with an always-on data connection, your data connection will be cut off if you hit a 50 Euro limit.  As soon as you reach 40 Euros you will be notified by your network, and given the option to lift the cap if you want to.

This new EU regulation comes in the wake of several recent stories of unwary travellers running up truly staggering bills whilst abroad. Last year, a student from Nottingham managed to run up a bill of nearly £8000 in a single month. William Harrison took a mobile broadband dongle to Paris with him for a summer internship and was clobbered by the monster bill after using skype to keep in touch with family and friends in the UK.

Even with the new regulations most of us will not want to run up a 50 Euro bill, so what can you do to protect yourself?

First and foremost, check what your network will charge you for data roaming, some networks will allow you to add a pre-paid data roaming bundle to your tariff.

Smartphones with always on data connections can catch you by surprise, they can connect to the internet automatically to check emails etc without you doing anything. Most smartphones will allow you to disable data roaming, so make sure you do this before you set off. The method varies from handset to handset so you may have to research a little.

Here’s an example of what you need to do with an HTC Desire, it’s similar on most Android based phones:

Go to Settings, choose Wireless Controls, then Mobile Network Settings. Next make sure the check box marked ‘Data Roaming‘ in un-checked and you’re good to go.

Happy Holidays.

Briefly: Mobile broadband is the fastest easiest way to connect to high speed internet, no wires, no landline no fuss!

If your on the go and need access to the internet you need mobile broadband, whether you choose between a USB stick or a dongle you simply plug into your laptop or computer and you are off! Mobile dongles are essentially mobile modems and these devices can also be called mobile USB sticks and USB modems….they fit in to any computer or laptop via the USB port.

Who is it for? Mobile broadband is ideal if you work on the move, live in a shared flat or do not have a landline phone.  Now there is no need to hover around public places trying to get hold of a wireless connection, you will have it all the time and from only £14.98 a month!

At Mobilesplease we have a vast range of mobile broadband devices where you are sure to find a tariff and usage to suit you.  Huawei are renowned for their expertise in 3G and business internet connectivity and the E160G USB stick which comes in white and black is perfect for beginners coming onto the mobile broadband scene. The devices come with new technology Birdstep which basically means that the device software self installs so you can just plug and play. Plus with download speeds of up to 3.6mbp it is like having broadband on the go.                                                                     

One of the best things about these dongles is that they are small enough to go in your pocket or bag and means you can use it anyway and everywhere such as the bus, park or even your favourite restaurant.

At Mobilesplease we have some great deals on mobile broadband devices such as free gifts of laptops…you will be connected in no time.

If you need to no any further about mobile broadband just let us know. We also have a vast range of the latest phones that come with 3G internet which may be even better when on the move!