Choosing a network is soo frustrating!!

With only a month to go till my contract is up, I've been looking into which network to move to. The reason I'm moving is that the phone I want (HTC Hero) isn't on O2 who I'm currently with.

I was 95% sure that I was just going to move to T-Mobile as they've got it on a good deal, and I thought their coverage was good enough. But I've since been reading up a bit on the TMob and Orange networks, and about how they have to use different frequencies for 2G from O2, so in order to compensate they need more towers.

It seems Orange have the better coverage, but their customer service and 3G isn't as good as TMob, but TMob's 2G isn't as good as Orange.

I need 3G with the Hero as it uses Data a lot, but I'd be using txt and calls also so I need to be able to use both.

It's all getting quite annoying now! I'm going to have to get an 18 or 24 month contract, so I don't want to find that after a few weeks or months that the coverage is woeful but I'm stuck for the length of the contract.

My only saving grace may be to get the Hero on O2 through a deal (like on buymobilephones.net), but then I don't know what O2s 3G is like - I've read some bad reports recently.

I'm stuck what to do - if anyone can shine a light on the best solution, pleeeease help


Just for info - I'm moving to a new house in January near Cambuslang in Glasgow, and although the coverage maps show good enough coverage, I don't think they represent real world use.

T-Mobile and Orange are merging together in November. The coverage probably won't be incorporated until next year, but it'll make anybody currently on T-Mobile (me) very happy that the coverage will be second-to-none.

I'm staying with T-Mob because I know I'll be able to get a really good phone but keep my excellent tariff. An HTC Hero or BlackBerry Bold would do me quite nicely I reckon!

The network merger is probably about another year away. So I could get an 18 month contract on O2, which will end once the T-Orange network is established. If it's then looking like the best newtwork, I'll be able to switch. The phone won't be locked to O2 so I'll not need to get it unlocked. O2 seem best at the moment, even if they're not going to be in future.

Does O2's coverage extend to where you live? If you look at the OFCOM 3G coverage maps (some of the network ones are slightly doctored) you'll see that O2 actually have the worst 3G coverage. Orange currently have the best, followed by Vodafone, with T-Mobile and 3 pretty much joint third.

I wasn't sure about O2 3G as I said in my OP. If they aren't that good, then maybe I'll go for Orange, although T-Mobile do have the phone on a cheaper tariff.

you also get a better data plan on T-Mobile, FUP of 1GB instead of 500MB.

Fair point, but 500MB is probably more than enough. And I think I'd rather have a decent 3G at my home, which I'd get with Orange, than a higher FUP.