3G Switch off affecting all Pay as you Go Customers.

[NK-001]

I have been on the phone to customer services this morning but they fail to comprehend what my query was.

This issue affect all pay as you go customers (I am on pay as you go classic). I have a modern 5g enabled phone. My SIM is a 4g enabled SIM.

O2 restricts all pay as you go customers to 3G calling only. We can not make calls over 4G (known as VoLTE). We can only use 4G services for data.

What will happen to the calls of all of us pay you go customers once 3G is switched off? Will they go thorugh 2G (which will eventually also be turned off)? Do O2 have plans to enable 4G calling (VoLTE) for pay as you go customers?

[Enlli]

This question has been raised on a number of occasions. There is no information forthcoming from O2.

Regulars on here suspect that O2 will ditch PAYG or move people to giffgaff which now has 5G, Volte, WiFi Calling and eSIMs

[madasaf1sh]

@NK-001 

I will echo what @Enlli has said , the current feeling on here and other forums, is that o2 will ditch PAYG and move everyone to giffgaff, and very much like what VM did with PAYG if you don't like it then after a period of time they switch off PAYG..
I cant blame o2 and other MNO for wanting rid of PAYG, it is a loss making product, which costs more to run than what customers pay in... so if o2 are then first then I can see Three palming off there PAYG customers to Smarty, Vodafone to Voxi and EE to one of there partners...

I have heard murmurings that o2 are testing VOLTE on PAYG,  but that is it, no sign off anything else..

[NK-001]

That's gonna be a real bummer because O2 is the only network where customers who were on classic pay as you go can stick to it. I don't imagine GiffGaff will let the tariff continue.

For those who don't use mobile data and have low useage, Classic PG is the best tarrif for them. I fully acknowledge this tarrif can't be profitable for O2 but it doesn't mean I don't want to keep it

[Enlli]

Offerings of old fashioned PAYG where you put on money and used it as you wanted are getting getting less and less.

Even Ip mobile has put up minimum charges.

I have a giffgaff SIM in my van tracker on PAYG and it is only used for a small amount of data each month. Just top it up when it needs it.