[3GScottishUser]

From Mobile Today (03/03/2006):

EasyMobile is about to take its cut-price Sims into mobile phone shops, with The Link scooping a three-month exclusive on the virtual network’s first foray onto the high street.

A deal was finalised a month ago between the two management teams, with handsets and advertising put up in shops on Wednesday this week. The Link will start with four heavily subsidised handset deals as Easy looks to start with a bang. The Nokia 1600 will be priced at just £14.99 with an additional £10 top-up.

EasyMobile is sticking to its trademark simple tariffs of 15p per minute on voice calls and 5p for texts with no line rental.

The move into retail confirms the lack of progress made by easyMobile’s web-only deals. Industry watchers have described easyMobile’s performance so far as ‘pretty poor’ based on the number of hits on its website.

One observer commented: ‘easyMobile needs to build its brand. There is an element of easyMobile buying connections, but their costs will still be low because they won’t have box breaking to contend with and customers top-up online.’

EasyMobile will fight it out with 3’s recently-launched WePay proposition as well as deals from Virgin Mobile as the market heads towards the Easter sales period.

Handset deals were struck last month as easyMobile tried to secure big-volume deals in order to be able to price the handsets keenly. Easy group boss Stelios Haji-Ioannou said: ‘We are continuing to offer consumers a great deal with an even wider choice.’

Nick Wood, MD of The Link, said: ‘[It] is a great example of tariff innovation and we’re sure that easyMobile will be an attractive proposition for many of our customers.’

The deals

Nokia 1600 £14.99 + £10 top-up
Nokia 3220 £49.99 + £10 top-up
Nokia 5140i £69.99 + £10 top-up
Motorola V3 £99.99 + £20 top-up

http://www.mobiletoday.co.uk/artman-test/publish/article_1239.shtml

[Hands0n]

I've had a good experience with the easyMobile SIM. But the tariff, while being fixed, understandable, and not unreasonable is not the cheapest around. But it does make sense and if it is affordable to the individual then it really is rather good in comparison with the competition - and with no hidden stuff, which really appeals to me.

Their dearth of a high street presence was bound to keep them stuck as a niche offering, and most of the people I associate with were not of a mind to even check out the website, let alone subscribe! Stelios has a job on his hands to break into this mindset and having attractively priced handset/SIM packages is a sound way to start doing this. Lets just hope the handsets are not all coloured Orange!! That would be just too much lol :D

I quite like the notion of the Motorola V3 at £99 with a £20 top up - you can't get them on eBay for so little!! And that £20 is going to last quite a while if you are a modest user (top ups don't expire in the traditional sense).

Top up expire with easyMobile is fairly straightforward too - if you don't spend at least £5 a month they knock £0.75p off the outstanding balance each month, gradually whittling the top up down to zero before expiring the SIM some time later.

easyMobile and Link may have to watch out for the box breakers, especially with the V3 which may well be a target too much to resist.

Edit: - The easyMobile offers are on The Link's website too http://www.thelink.com/martprd/editorial/EasyMobile%20Mobile%20Phone%20Offers

[3GScottishUser]

The entry level Nokia at £24.99 including £10 top-up looks a great deal for anyone who is a light user.

OK the phone is not all singing all dancing but it looks good enough to do the job and the calls are 1/2 the cost of 3's WePay X/Net calls so your top-ups should last a while longer.

Texts at 5p are good value too when you consider you dont have to commit to buying a bundle.

EasyMobile might just be onto a winner with these pocket money priced deals.