Mobile phone contracts (probably UK-centric)
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We currently manage around 30 iPhone 5S's under a Vodafone shared data package (40gb). The company wants to ditch Vodafone and move to EE, whilst at the same time replace all the phones with newer models.
I see two options on how to roll this out.
Option 1: activate and setup the new iPhones with an EE sim. Ship the phones to the users. When the switchover day occurs, their old Vodafone phones will stop working, and their new EE phones will start working. So during that day, they need to carry around both phones.Option 2: get Vodafone to unlock the existing phones. Ship the EE Sim cards to the users. When the switchover day occurs, their old Vodafone phones will stop working. When that happens, they need to remove the Vodafone SIM card and insert the EE SIM card. Their old phone will then continue to work. At some point, they will need to replace their old phone with their new phone, but this can be done at our leisure.
I'm planning on suggesting Option 2. I can't see any big advantages with Option 1. With Option 2, it will be possible to do a backup and restore from iCloud. It will also be possible to do the transfer when the user is next in the office, which makes things easier. The less the users have to do and the more the IT department can do the better, but most users are located remotely.
Second question: My assumption is that it is always best to buy the latest phone rather than a previous generation. Firstly, this allows you to extend the refresh cycle by a few months, and secondly, there are still significant advances with each new generation in terms of processor speed and battery life. The powers that be just see that the 7 is $100 more than the 6S and want to take the money. Any opinions? I haven't done any detailed TCO analysis.
I'm only half involved in this project and am trying to stay out of it as much as possible. Not least because I hear that customer service with EE is worse than Vodafone and I don't want to start having to deal with shoddy customer service (someone else outside of the IT department handles that now). If it was down to me I'd stick with Vodafone but a number of users have been complaining about coverage.
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Sorry not read all the post (yet) one thing that pops in my mind is the numbers are you transferring the number to EE or having new numbers?
Option 2 would be the way I might tackle it as you roll out the New phones as needed. Another thing to consider/ask instead of just planning to replace all phones we have a "Hardware" fund that we use to buy phones from as needed.
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Option 2 sounds like it's the go.
If the battery life is better, then it's the better choice just with that. If you've got road warriors the extra juice is worth more than $100. Besides they're already keen to splash the cash.
Is there anything that the 7 does that the 6S doesn't?
G/L with Vodafone. If they're anything like Vodafone here, you're going to have a bad time outside cities & major regional centers.
Also for giggles, http://www.vodafail.com/ <-- so bad someone made a website. Granted their trying to improve but their coverage blows chunks. (and #vodafail on your favourite social media site) -
Option 1 vs Option 2 seems to be the expense outlay of the new hardware. Unless there is a business driver, upgrading the hardware should be done as late as possible. This of course means that you're considering things like battery longevity, needed performance, etc when determining a needed upgrade. For example, if you near a near waterproof phone, then the 7 might be the way to go.
As to your analysis - 6s vs 7 - how long have you had the 5s? What is your normal phone refresh rate? If your refresh rate is 3 years, then the 6s is probably fine as it will very likely be fully supported by Apple for 3 additional years in software updates. Now the question is, do the features of the 7 make it worth the extra $100? List out the feature changes and assign each a GBP value. Should make it pretty easy to know if it's worth it then.
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We have nothing set in stone regarding refresh rates etc etc. Some users rarely use their phones, and when they do, it's mainly just for voice calls, so a 5S is fine, I guess. For others, like myself and our Sales Reps, it is practically an extension of our arms - we use them all the time. For heavy users like that, I find the 5S crap - partly the speed, but mainly the tiny screen.
Having said that, at the moment I have ditched my 5S and am trialling an iPod touch / Nokia dumb phone combo. The iPod does everything I need apart from voice, which the dumb Nokia does pretty well. I'm a big iPod fan. It means I'm slightly more out of touch with work, which suits me (eg I can only pick up my e-mail when I have wifi access). It's just a trial though.
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@Carnival-Boy said in Mobile phone contracts (probably UK-centric):
We have nothing set in stone regarding refresh rates etc etc. Some users rarely use their phones, and when they do, it's mainly just for voice calls, so a 5S is fine, I guess. For others, like myself and our Sales Reps, it is practically an extension of our arms - we use them all the time. For heavy users like that, I find the 5S crap - partly the speed, but mainly the tiny screen.
Having said that, at the moment I have ditched my 5S and am trialling an iPod touch / Nokia dumb phone combo. The iPod does everything I need apart from voice, which the dumb Nokia does pretty well. I'm a big iPod fan. It means I'm slightly more out of touch with work, which suits me (eg I can only pick up my e-mail when I have wifi access). It's just a trial though.
it also means you're probably carrying around two devices all the time. What a pain!
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Yeah. Its ok in this weather as I have a coat with loads of pockets. Might be more of a pain in the summer.
