Carphone Warehouse and Vodafone have teamed up to launch the new MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) offering 9, 18 and 24 month contracts. This move sees Carphone re kindling its relationship with Vodafone after Vodafone stopped Carphone from selling it's contracts a year ago. Strangly Vodafone have once again teamed up with Carphone to sell contracts under the name of Talkmobile.
Talkmobile offers low cost contracts on a shorter term, which sounds like a fantastic deal - but be prepared for the down side of paying for your mobile phone! The line rental on Talkmobile tariffs are kept low with the most expensive tariff at just ?18 per month. This results in a lack of high end handsets being offered with their deals, as they would probably cost too much therefore putting customers off.
The tariffs are available in 3 levels:
&bull?12 line rental for 50 minutes and 50 messages
&bull?15 line rental for 75 minutes and 75 messages
&bull?18 line rental for 100 minutes and 100 messages
All calls made out of your inclusive minutes and messages will cost 20ppm, with text messages costing 10p each. Compared to other networks these tariffs are value for money. o2 for example charge ?25 per month for 100 inclusive minutes on a 12 month contract. It is refreshing to see Talk mobile covering such low usage users, giving those people who use fewer minutes a choice of a lower priced tariff fitting their usage instead of paying a higher line rental for allowances they will never use.
These are ideal contracts for those who are looking for low line rentals or want to take a shorter contract length despite the fact that you may have to pay for your handset. Some phones are free on 9 month contracts, such as the Samsung C300 and Motorola W220.
Talkmobile would be a first step in taking out a contract especially for those PAYG customers who have been considering venturing into the world of contracts. They would have the added benefit of not being signed up for a full 12 month - or 18 month contract that most other networks seem to push new customers towards these days.
