Re: @AC 10:04
Been with T-Mobile for 18 months now, more or less since I came back to the UK after 24 years abroad.
Coverage is indeed excellent and there's a comprehensive HSDPA network there.
But...
Packet data is important to me, which is why I'm on a web'n'walk plus deal with a 3GB allowance and streaming allowed. And this is the reason I just jumped from T-Mobile to O2. Even though I get a full 3.5G signal on all 4 of the phones I've tried this with, and the packet data connection is established, no data actually flows half the time. When it does, it's sometimes slower than GPRS (ie., forcing the phone to GSM mode results in faster data). If it does speed up to a dizzying 300 or 400kbps, it'll run like that for a minute, cut out for 30 seconds and then start again. This makes streaming wholly impractical.
O2's coverage is less impressive than T-Mobile's, but at least the data connection works.
Oh, and I have loads of contacts throughout Europe, none of whose networks have agreements with T-Mobile UK for MMS reception. T-Mobile UK users can only send MMS messages to users of SFR in France. Users on all other networks simply receive an SMS (in English so they can't read it) with a link to a page on t-mobile.co.uk and a password. With O2 (and any other network in the UK for that matter) I can just send an MMS and the recipient will receive an MMS. T-Mobile customer service spun me some cock and bull story about how they have roaming agreements with Orange and Bouygues as well, and how it should therefore work. How stupid do they think users are? Anyone with half a brain knows that this has nothing to do with roaming agreements and I resent T-Mobile thinking that I _don't_ have half a brain.
My number is being ported to O2 this week.