O2 Mobile Broadband Review
In a nutshell: O2 Mobile Broadband is available as a Pay as
you Go package only, on a 30-day basis. The charge includes WiFi access
from 7,500 WiFi hotspots. Modems are available in Black, White or Pink
and connection speeds of up to 7.2Mbps download and 5.76Mbps upload
are possible, depending on location. Ofcom's
survey of mobile broadband, published in May 2011 found that O2
offered the fastest average download speeds of all mobile broadband
providers. O2 are our recommended choice of mobile broadband providers.
Best buy: O2
Mobile Broadband ( £10.21 per month) or O2
Mobile Broadband PAYG.
O2 mobile broadband lets you connect your laptop to the internet on
the move using a USB modem (called a "dongle") or via a WiFi
"hotspot." The 30-day option costs £10.21 for 1GB of
data.
An independent study undertaken by SIRODA in January 2010 across 150
UK locations found that O2 provided the fastest mobile broadband music
download speeds. In London, O2 also achieved the fastest web page access
times. A survey by Ofcom published 26 May 2010 found that O2 was the
fastest mobile broadband provider in the UK, although Ofcom noted that
speeds depend very much on location.
The O2 service is compatible with both PC's and Apple computers.
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Price Plan
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Data Allowance
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Price
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30 days
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1GB
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£10.21
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O2 Mobile Broadband User Reviews
Love your mobile network? Hate it? Please share your experiences to
help other people choose the mobile broadband network that's best for
them. Please do not review this network if you have not used it. This
is a review site, not a forum, so please don't just ask questions. Please
do not use swear words or offensive language, and please, no advertising!
Average rating from 55 reviews: 
Reviewed by pc from england on 26th Mar 2012
o2 dongle,very unreliable. keeps reloading softwear each time I put
dongle in. won't connect most of the time. Really disappointing.
Rating:  Reply
Reviewed by lee from england on 16th Feb 2012
DON'T buy a o2 mobile broadband ( dongle )they are rubbish they lose
connection while you are talking to people they take ages to re connect
( when it decides to ? )WE LOOSE MONEY ON A REGULAR BASIS BECAUSE OF
CONNECTION PROBLEMS and it won't connect to Facebook any more i no this
because i connected it to my mates sky internet and it worked fine put
the dongle in and got a blank page ?
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Emmy from England on 24th Jan 2012
Well I wanted to buy wireless internet to my flat, first I asked virgin
who didn't do anything about my order for about 2 months (!!!) so I
cancelled that order and went into an o2 shop. They were very helpful
and helped me set up a contract for wireless internet (like £20p/months),
but they won't be able to come and install the phone line until in 1
month!! Why does it take so long time? I've already waited months to
get the internet but I guess that's not o2 fault really... However,
I haven't started using my wireless internet yet so I don't know how
it works... I hope it works flawlessly - because that's what they promised...
However, the shop assistant persuaded me to become a o2 customer (to
get the internet cheaper - he claimed I would yearn lotsa money). to
become a o2 customer, you need to buy stuff, of course. so I bought
a dongle. He claimed I only have to top it up every three month or so
with like £2 - I really hope this is true. I'm so tired of being misled
by sellers! Well, there were LOADS of extra charges. You have to buy
like £45 for the engineers coming to install the line, like £25 for
the router, and £20 for getting the dongle... and then you have to be
extremely careful when register on their website (they ask you to do
this to get extra data to your dongle account) - so you don't accidentally
agree on setting up more contracts and pay loads of extra money. The
dongle works fine except from that facebook is not working! So overall,
the starting charges ended up on like £100 which is crazy! I just hope
I will get extremely GOOD service and that they don't trick me to pay
loads of extra money like hidden charges.
Rating: 
Reply
Reviewed by Tom from England on 17th Dec 2011
Pros : Excellent 3G speeds (especially in comparison to 3, Orange and
T-Mobile) Cons : 3G is impossible anywhere outside of major cities,
'unlimited data' actually meant 500mb of data per month, better value
for money elsewhere. Just save yourself the trouble and get WiFi.
Rating:
Reply
Reviewed by bridgie from ireland on 8th Dec 2011
o2 works great 4 me before o2 i was with another network it was terrible,couldnt
download anything.i am so pleased with o2 thumbs up
Rating: 
Reply
Reviewed by iHateO2BuyThree(3) from UK on 1st
Oct 2011
Please don't buy mobile broadband from O2!! It's terrible despite whatever
some websites say! I checked my coverage and it was good. Bought a dongle
and plugged it in my laptop and it was a different story! It literally
took half an hour to load google and even then some of it was missing
like the logo!!!!! This was all the time not just during "peak times".
My usage would always go in like 3 days but I didn't even get to go
on anything so I'm a bit confused! So, erm, yeah. DON'T BUY O2 MOBILE
BROADBAND!!!!! BUY A DIFFERENT ONE!! *COUGH COUGH 3 COUGH COUGH!*
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by pete from uk on 1st Sep 2011
terrible company. they lie, refuse to give you a mac key and try and
charge you for a service you cant even use due to sending them the router
back. stay well away from o2 you'll have nothing but problems
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Izabela from Ireland on 10th Aug 2011
Hi all, If you are planning on buying an O2 MODEM or an iPhone with
O2 you will be so angry at their POOR functionality that you will detest
O2 for a long long time for taking your money and not providing the
services that they are supposed to. I've been using both for 9 months
now (only 3 left till my contract terminates thank God!!) and I ALWAYS
had problems with the Internet connection. It is so slow (and I live
in Dublin city centre re MODEM) it takes 3 minutes for the Google homepage
to load!! Technical support? Yes, you can try them if having the same
conversation with them infinitely doesn't bother you. DO NOT BUY INTERNET
FROM O2.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Gaz from UK on 12th Jul 2011
Very good 3G coverage (London Area) but the unlimited Wifi is of no
use, it never in 6 months managed to connect but if I shut the O2 software
down and connect manually I can get the BT Splash screen fine, boot
up O2 connection manager and it tells me that the wifi is too busy or
I'm too far away. In short dont buy this on the strength of the unlimited
Wifi but the mobile coverage is good, reliable and fast, if it had been
sold as mobile only for the price it would be 5 stars but I dont like
to be mis sold so it gets 3.
Rating:
Reply
Reviewed by Bowman from UK on 2nd Jul 2011
I got the O2 PAYG dongle. According to the O2 website I am in an area
of excellent reception. I cannot connect at all and the system reports
a weak signal I am returning this rubbish.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by suzanne from wales on 10th Jun 2011
im very very unhappy with my network it goes off after 5 mins, depite
my calls to o2 they are so unhelpful. i feel like im wasting my monthly
bill of 35.00 for basically nothing. wont have o2 again after contract
ends.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by JA from UK on 6th May 2011
O2 is the worst neetwork provider I have used in my life. Their price
is exorbitant and they are the most unfriendly lot I have encountered
in the mobile companies world. The contract ended and when some days
later I asked for my PAC code to keep the number they refused to give
it to me arguing I should have asked for it before cancelling but how
consumers are supposed to know all these details in advance, no network
can use this number for 6 months anyway so they should be technically
to give it back to me, I interpret this as a lack of will and a punishment
to a customer who did not renew a contract at the end of it. Stay well
away from them and be happier ...
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by dan from uk on 23rd Mar 2011
i have a 02 dongle and have purchased a month which is now £15 for 2gb
and 30 days, 2 days later the data runs out and i havent been on any
websites that involve streaming such as youtube! i now have 28 days
on it and no data this really is a rip off because i only use it for
web surfing and e-mails....
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by stuart macintyre from england on 7th
Mar 2011
do not o2's mobile internet,PLEASE PAY ATTENTION,I have two contract
phones with them a samsung smart phone + htc desire android, I was told
i would be able to stream youtube on them from o2 shops "LIARS" if you
only want a phone that can make phone calls, then o2 can do that| if
you wan't internet usage go to ANY OTHER NETWORK because they all stream
video, 3mobile + virgin + orange/tmobile I know stream video very well.
02 I can't wait until I finish with you.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Sue from UK on 5th Jan 2011
Bought an o2 pay as you go dongle as I'm not a heavy internet user.
I haven't even managed to put any money on it yet because the only signal
I can get (and that is very low) is talk talk and it lasts about 15
seconds before it goes off again. I've taken my laptop into every room
of my home, even taken it outside and just cannot pick up anything.
I live in Kent not outer Mongolia. I Didn't realise these dongles expire
after 30 days if you haven't put any credit on them. I've now ordered
a BT broadband contract. Hope I've done the right thing!!!
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by dave from uk on 23rd Sep 2010
got the 02 uk network pakage for family, with wi-fi yet we cant pick
it up for free browsing for a year. o2 didnt warn us on anything, called
customer services they didnt have a clue. we had to move to pick up
wifi. they switched us over. they will rinse you. signal is terrible
used o2 uk within 4 to 5 days they tried tell me we used it all up dont
bother o2 uk. wifi only good point to an ending
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Georg from UK on 20th Sep 2010
I cannot recommend them at all. Their mobile internet is !!!!extremely!!!!!
slow, and that in the centre of London. Around train stations it is
unusable. Georg
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Alan Hudson from England on 5th Sep
2010
I have o2 mobile broadband and its adequate at best, the software always
crashes, and includes a data counter that simply lies, though they promise
to text you if you get near your limit, they do not, the overusage charges
are crippling though they do disconnect you if you run it past about
£240 (about 1gb over on a £40 a month 10gb tariff) the software's text
service is dodgy at best. Just get real broadband guys, this sucks
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by jim from ireland on 17th Aug 2010
paid €250 to watch world cup on o2 broadband. Very dear!!!!!!
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by eoin from ireland on 12th Aug 2010
DISGRACEFUL.......cant say anything good about them.......hidden charges......outrageous
overusage charges..shocking coverage....extremely slow broadband.......dont
waste your money
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Paul from UK on 31st Jul 2010
Some of these reviews are actually for home broadband not mobile broadband.
I have home broadband from o2 and its great but mobile broadband from
them is slow and unresponsive. Relies on a good 3g signal. If you have
a BT landline and don't need access anywhere get o2 home broadband set
up with router. Enjoy speeds of 11MB/S over WIFI, or 16 over cable connected
to computer. These mobile broadbands are far slower and patchier but
on the upside it will work anywhere, so long as its in a 3g area.
Rating:
Reply
Reviewed by Dave Roberts from United Kingdom on
19th Jun 2010
Simply appalling. So frustrating to use, software install takes 10 minutes,
increases Windows Startup by a good 30 seconds and is so badly designed,
and un-responsive. It feels like it was knocked together in a day, with
testing taking place over half a day. I was informed in the shop to
expect 3.2 meg, if not 3g, then half a mbps, which I was overjoyed with.
I was conned, paid my money then for hours after, grew more and more
frustrated with awful software, and hardware that simply just doesn`t
work. It takes about 2 mins to connect, then double that to load a simple
page. Even though reception says Very Good, constantly an error would
occur, saying no coverage. I just have to take it back to the shop,
DO NOT use O2 Mobile Broadband, you will tear your hair out. I tried
a number of computers, and locations which indicated on their website
had great coverage.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Michael Gardiner from UK on 4th May
2010
DO NOT USE O2 BROADBAND!! Why? Because in their Terms and Conditions
it states that if you leave them for another ISP you must return their
router or they will charge you £50! Yep, even if you have completed
the obilgatory 12 months period. They keep this part quiet of course,
wouldn't want to deter customers from signing up. I have to say that
it is a unique stipulation in my experience, no other ISP has ever asked
for their kit back when moving on.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Andrew from Scotland on 12th Apr 2010
Switched from virgin to o2, best move ever! Even though i am paying
for 20MB and getting 13MB max (this is due to BT not updating the exchange)
its still brilliant. i live with 5 other guys and we download all the
time, and surf whilst doing so. But, we get maximum bandwidth all the
time. No capping policy which is great. And less than £10 a month! Really
recommend!
Rating:
Reply
Reviewed by Paul from UK on 4th Apr 2010
Terrible coverage - despite being told 'excellent' in the shop. Not
enough bandwidth to watch video, websites take 2-3 mins to load. Amazingly,
even my 3 donlge was better (but not great)
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Phil from England on 27th Mar 2010
I cant fault O2. I even get internet with a very low signal strength.
It very rarely looses connection. Iwould recommendit to anyone!
Rating: 
Reply
Reviewed by Aaaaaaa from Ni on 26th Mar 2010
Seriously what do u people expect if you want fast speeds just realise
you have to pay the price of a landline as well mobile broadband is
not meant to be fast, you can't expect the networks to know exactly
what speeds ur going to get either so many factors come into what speeds
you get, I.e. The buildin ur in, how many people in your area are using
it, and obviously if u have a mast close by or not (and don't say they
should put more masts up coz they cost millions) and if you want cheap
deals like they do in the uk then think about it logically, everyone
expects things to be perfect but we have thebest mobile networks in
the world and the most competitive alot of other countries have to have
credit on their phones just to recieve calls never mind what you get
for mobile broadband
Rating:
Reply
Reviewed by fred from england on 7th Mar 2010
The worst dongle on the market! it fails after 30 mins and i have to
wait hours for it to re-connect. whatever you do, buy something else!!!
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by mirriam from london on 10th Jan 2010
i've got an o2 mobile broadand on 24 month contract for £40 when signing
up with them i was living in walthamstow and the coverage was ok i am
now living in essex and have no coverage at all. 02 says they dont cover
this area they dont cancel the contract, they also wont drop my tariff
i will never buy anything from 02 again even if its free!!!!
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by richard from uk on 8th Jan 2010
hey what the matter with you guys ;) 02 is actuallly really good, i
had it for year now and when i had a problem, they fixed it up in no
time
Rating:
Reply
Reviewed by kev from uk on 4th Jan 2010
Worked quite well for 2 months. Problem with dongle, would not replace,
advised to send for repair by shop. No assurance on length of time away.
02 direct very helpful, 02 shop customer services awful !!
Rating:
Reply
Reviewed by kev from uk on 29th Dec 2009
i'll tell you, o2 pay as you go mobile internet dongle is like trying
to strain water through a solid wall it is rubbish, when i had the device
it was connecting to hsdpa network at between 20-40%, now it does not
connect to hsdpa it connects to 3g occasionly but most of the time to
edge network what does that mean, less than 10 kbs speed and to down
load a small 28meg means just over 2 yes 2 hours and they call this
a service how is it the signal is just usable and then over time it
deteriates to nothing i am not happy rubbish service, i expected better
form o2/bt
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Laura from Scotland on 28th Dec 2009
I was shocked to read the negative reviews given to o2 for their broadband,
I've had mine a while now and not once have I had any problems with
it. The dongle cost me £15, the man that sold me it was very helpful
and polite, while I explained to him the problems I had with the network3
and T-Mobile dongles - Which I'm NOT going to go into on here, I might
get angry again!! LOL :-D Mobile broadband will never compare to NORMAL
broadband, say that of Virgin or BT, but it is good as a stop gap or
for traveling. What I can't get my head around is the amount of people
who complain they can't download stuff, dongles were merely created
to allow internet access, not for movie downloads. After using other
networks, and now finally getting an o2 dongle I won't be looking back.
Rating:
Reply
Reviewed by Bill from UK on 26th Dec 2009
Not happy with the PAYG mobile O2 Broadband at all. On my account web
page it says I still have credit. Whenever I find the web page is running
slow I find if I top up this problem some how automatically dissapears.
Could it be possible this is done deliberately to get people to top
up even though there is credit to get more money out of people?
Rating:
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Reviewed by Bridget from uk on 13th Dec 2009
so far my o2 pay as you go dongle has been great, but lately not very
good signal, but i am quite impressed so far and i have had it for nearly
a year.
Rating:
Reply
Reviewed by Callum from Wales on 5th Dec 2009
im with 02 its descent enough for facebook...thats about it.. anyone
know how 2 view webcam on msn with it or infact youtube...which tbh
slow is an understatemant cheers
Rating:
Reply
Reviewed by mike from england on 19th Nov 2009
HI I HAVE HAD O2 BROADBAND FOR MONTHS AND I HAVE TO SAY IT IS BAD VERY
BAD IT IS SLOW MOST OF THE TIME 1.3 DOWN LOAD SPEED ,,AND WHEN YOU GO
TO YOUR HOME PAGE AND GO ONTO YOUR EMAIL YOU HAVE SO MANY PROBLEMS YOU
WANT TO THROW YOU LAPTOP AT THE WALL I HAVE RANG O2 THEY SAY I AM GETING
2G DOWN LOAD SPEED BUT YOU DO NOT THEY DO CHECK TO SEE HOW GOOD YOUR
SPEED IS I AM SORRY O2 PULL YOUR SOCKS UP AND GET IT RIGHT...
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Claire from England on 23rd Sep 2009
Really rubbish. I used to be on T mobile, but that messed up my computer
so i decided to go onto 02 to see if it was any better, and i might
as well go back to T mobile. Absolutely rubbish, takes forever to connect,
and when it does i can't see any vids on youtube because it is so slow,
or email, i can just browse, and even then it takes about 5 minutes...it
shouldn't be this bad. Will this nightmare ever end????????????????????????
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by KATIE from ENGLAND on 4th Sep 2009
BOUGHT MY 02 MOBILE BROADBAND A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO WORKED FINE, UNTIL
NOW, LAST THREE DAYS ITS BEEN ON AND OFF MOSTLY OFF, WHEN I CAN ACCESS
THE INTERNET I AM THROWN OUT AFTER A FEW MINUTES, WHEN I TRY TO GET
ONLINE I CANT, ITS AWFUL O2 SHOULD BE LOOKING AT THE PROBLEM AND SORTING
IT. (4TH SEPTEMBER 09) WHEN IT WORKS ITS FINE...
Rating:
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Reviewed by gianni from uk on 1st Sep 2009
the worst mobile broadband on the market, i left 02 for 3, there coverage
is unbeatable and the price is outstanding.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Ikenna from London, Uk on 20th Aug
2009
I tell u this don't leave o2 to 3 network if you love ur life
Rating:
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Reviewed by Adam from UK on 7th Jul 2009
Bad area coverage. We used to use Orange UK and changed to 02 to see
if better coverage and it's the worst possible. Takes around 10 - 15
minutes to pickup the 02-UK network and once connected, it connects
at 56 kbps. Slow connection, slow program loading. Complained to 02
and will pursue.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Tony Calzone from UK on 22nd Jun 2009
Decent for checking emails and browsing, anything more, forget it!
Rating:
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Reviewed by Rachel from England on 15th Apr 2009
I got totally ripped off by o2. Please don't use them, it could happen
to you. Supposed to pay £15.00 a month, supposed to get an email when
nearly reaching 3gb limit. Never received an email, used less than 1gb
over limit and monthly bill was £182.28!!!!! This is despite not being
able to get any signal at all on a few occasions. Please do not get
taken for a fool... like I did!!
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Danny Harper from UK on 13th Apr 2009
Awful Customer Service and they lie through their teeth.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Piecan from UK on 6th Apr 2009
I've had good CS with o2. I left Plusnet, which is a very good company,
so was worried it might not be as good. The change over was very fast
and easy and I was kept in touch by text and email of the progress.
The only problem I have with it is that it doesn't have a place on their
website with a current status report of any issues. Like many others
I had the dns problem which caused lots of disconnections. Fortunately
I found their forum reporting the issue and a temporary solution until
it was fixed (which worked great). Plusnet have a very good website
giving details of any problems and the lead time fixing them, which
I miss.
Rating:
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Reviewed by alice x from dubi on 13th Mar 2009
o2 is a very good broardband i wud recomend it definitly my brothers
is o2 (it is great) mine is orange (not so great)i wud recomend it!!!!
thank you to all the dubi doctors for helping me
Rating:
Reply
Reviewed by Kirsty from England on 12th Mar 2009
I felt obliged to write a review after taking out O2's pay as you go
mobile broadband, as I'd used these pages to help me make the decision
in the first place. Firstly; shop assistant in the O2 shop could not
have been nicer or more helpful (without the pushiness I associate generally
with phone shop assistants). Secondly, my only regret is that I did
not buy my dongle sooner! The internet was very easy to set up (I'd
previously had problems connecting my laptop to wifi internet so I was
a little wary) and it works an absolute treat! Being able to top my
internet up as and when without being tied to a contract is ideal as
a student. The dongle was much cheaper than others have advertised at
only £30.00 and I think £15.00 for 30 days unlimited internet access
is extremely reasonable. All in all I'm very happy with my mobile broadband
and would happily recommend it to anyone who, like me, live in a good
network area. I haven't really tried it out on the move as my laptop
is too heavy to really drag around with me. The picture quality is not
as good as it is at university but there have to be some comprimises
doesn't there? :)
Rating:
Reply
Reviewed by Claire from UK on 5th Mar 2009
Had problems from the beginning. It kept dropping connection after 30
minutes and took hours to get back on. Cancelled in store under the
50 day guarantee and that was the start of the real problems. O2 now
insisting that the account is still active and I owe money even though
I have proof it was cancelled. Its taking loads of phone calls to customer
service and the store and I've even had to go into the store. Still
not resolved. The service is pathetic and the customer service is appalling.
They are only interested in taking money. I've given 1 star but only
becuase I can't give none!!! Stay away
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Mark from SW England on 22nd Jan 2009
Have had nothing but problems with O2, have spent hours on the phone
to technical services attempting to rectify thse issues but to no avail.
It's been taken to the highest tier, and has been blamed on several
occasions to upgrades to the local exchange taking place. Two months
on and speeds are still slower than dial-up (3.4 kb/s on one download!!)
and one computer in the hous eremains unable to connect to the 02 box
entirely. Looking into cancelling the contract but I do not want to
pay the £50 charge for cancelling the contract early and having had
the broadband longer than the 100 day grace period. Avoid like the plague.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Laura from GB on 10th Jan 2009
this is ok and im in an excellent signal area but it is still really
really slow. i ent 100% satisfyed but in my eyes slow internet is better
than no internet
Rating:
Reply
Reviewed by yenrod from NW England on 27th Dec
2008
Ive had O2 mobile broadband non-contract (usb dongle) for over a week
now and as much im on 'low signal' im still getting HSDPA so the nets
pretty quick and upto now has been good and highly recommendable. I
was gonna check it out and if i never liked it take it back and buy
my network of 8 yrs - vodafone 1GB offer but this has got to be better
£7.50 for a weeks worth or 2pound a day or £15 for a month. Very Good
Rating:
Reply
Reviewed by zhao from uk on 25th Dec 2008
very good
Rating:
Reply
Reviewed by bryony from england on 25th Nov 2008
o2 is the best! i can get signal almost anywhere and they have the best
offers all my mates are on o2 aswel now so thats good =)
Rating:
Reply
Reviewed by Andrew from England on 17th Sep 2008
Do not pay 119 for the usb stick in order to get the 30 day rolling
contract if you intend to cancel the contract for any reason. If after
cancelling (several months after in my case) you decided you can make
use of the service again you will not be able to use your existing hardware
as O2 insist you have to buy ANOTHER usb stick to get a 30 rolling contract.
It is a complete con
Rating: Reply
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