Who remembers 'O2 Chat'?

[Oxygen87]

The long standing members of O2 (or Genie) will remember on the WAP page that there was a section called O2 Chat (formerly Genie Chat) back in 2001 / 2002.

For those of you who are too young to know, it was back in the days before smartphones existed, we had black and white 2G WAP phones, they were all the rage!

I used to chat on there and then ended up meeting and becoming good friends with some of the people from there and last night when we were chatting away about this, I thought well if it hadn't have been for O2 Chat all those years ago, we would never have actually been friends in the first place.

I'm just interested really in finding out if anyone else used it and did you make any life friends?
Comments below!

[pgn]

I remember it, but only very dimly.

That and being able to send 10 free SMS msgs online from O2 website too - used that a few times.

[Anonymous]

I don’t remember having O2 chat, but I do remember O2 broadband in the naughties and having the ability to send free SMS.. (as above)
When 20mb broadband ruled those copper cables!

Those prices!!!!!

[liggerz87]

Yep also o2 active it was called were you could buy ringtones yep I was on it used to use nickname nos on it

[liggerz87]

Then o2 made I mode for specific phones which I mode originated in Japan first

[liggerz87]

https://www.mobileeurope.co.uk/magazine/features2/7548 bit more of a read about it I mode

[TallTrees]

I had a Motorola phone on monthly payment for calls with Motorola - it's a vague memory, maybe 1996 a paper bill 🙃 Philip's mobile on Orange (very tasty) can't remember how paid 1997. Never heard of o2. Remember that Hutchison were flying a very large advertising balloon in town promoting their network, getting people to go mobile.
Wonderful facility when travelling long distances. Coverage wasn't too bad. Phones were a reasonable size too.
Fantastic love the mobile phone 😍

[RyanK1992]

I remember o2 Broadband very well!
We used to be a customer back in the day with the white box!

I did see this article a few months ago
https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2019/07/o2-uk-confirms-plan-to-re-enter-fixed-line-broadband-m...

[Anonymous]

Piggybacking Virgin.. now there’s something I’d not heard..

[Oxygen87]

O2 were under the Cellnet brand name in 1996 which later became known as BT Cellent and then O2 when it demerged from BT.