O2 UK Launches Unlimited 4G Mobile Broadband Data Plans

After Three UK led the way, followed by Vodafone, then EE and today mobile operator O2 has become the last of the major UK providers to launch its own “Unlimited Data” (mobile broadband) tariffs for 4G and future 5G customers, which are available on both their Custom Plans and SIM-only contracts from £33 a month.

We should point out that Three UK has been playing the “unlimited” (all-you-can-eat) data game for the past few years, although the gradual launch of 5G services and the moves to target the fixed broadband ISP market seem to have finally nudged their rivals into following suit. Once Vodafone jumped then it was only a matter of time before the rest followed and now they have.

O2’s Unlimited Data plans – also called “Limitless” on their site – will start from just £33 per month for an 18 month SIM-only plan but you can also get it with all the usual Smartphone plans and so forth. At present this is for their 4G tariffs but O2 says to expect the same when their 5G network goes live in busy parts of Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh, London, Slough and Leeds next month (here).

Nina Bibby, O2’s Chief Marketing Officer, said:

“We’re excited to be unveiling our Unlimited Data plans today. Now there’s no limit to what you can do on O2. As the customer champion, O2’s mobile plans have always been designed to put customers in control, and with the option of unlimited data on our award winning network, we are now providing our customers with the ultimate choice.”

However O2 are known for hiding caveats in their small print and the T&C’s suggest they may be a bit less forgiving than their rivals: “Fair use policy applies, personal and non-commercial usage only. If you regularly use 650GB of data per month or tether 12 or more devices we may consider this to be none permitted use and have the right to move you to a more suitable plan. EU roaming capped at 20GB per month, chargeable at 0.4p per MB afterwards.”

By comparison Vodafone tends to cap most of their unlimited plans by mobile broadband speed (except the top one), while EE and Three UK both have what we’d call a soft cap of 1000GB. Essentially the operator might contact you if you’re regularly using over the stated level, although they generally won’t disconnect or limit you.

In O2’s case we suspect the suggestion of moving “you to a more suitable plan” is a vague reference to their business tariffs (i.e. your usage might be deemed commercial but that’s often easy to argue against), which is the same sort of language as EE have used.

Meanwhile customers on O2’s Custom Plans who want to upgrade early from another handset will need to pay off the remaining balance of their device plan first. And by recycling an old device through O2 Recycle, customers can receive a cash payment which can be used toward their upgrade. Customers who want to keep their phone after their device plan comes to an end will only pay for their monthly airtime plan from that point. From 4th October customers on an O2 Custom Plan can also flex up to Unlimited Data plans.