Vodafone explains N95 crippling apparently for good of us all

This is infuriating!

A) It states that mobile phone rates are competitive.. This is a load of crap. When I'm abroad I'd rather pay 10p/min instead of the £1.75/min that Vodafone charge.

B) Vodafone does not have to provide a VoIP service, they do not need to handle any billing. All they need to do is make the integrated VoIP client visible to the user. If he/she wants to use it, then its up to the user

C) They fail to point out tha the phone has WiFi, and most people will use the service through WiFi. NOT Vodafone's data connection.

Vodafone know they are in the wrong, and the statement has not cleared anything up at all. It's a good example of how a companies PR representatives come up with complete utter bollo**s that infuriates it's customers even further.

If only they were straight up with an answer along the lines of...
"VoIP has been disabled, because we rely on voice calls to pay for subsidised handsets. Disabling VoIP will restrict the user to using ONLY Vodafone's voice services. This will also ensure we obtain maximum revenue from roaming users. We look forward to having you bent over a barrel again in the near future."

Completely agree with you, especially point C), WE CAN USE IT THROUGH THE WI-FI you numphties 😊

Agreed, again, especially on point C.

Lets hope an easy re-flash becomes available to solve the issue.

Just playing devil's advocate here...

Is it not quite understandable for a network operator to want to ensure that they get the same level of revenue from a customer to whom they have given (or close to given depending on the exact level of subsidy) a very expensive device as from a user of a cheaper device?

Network operators have always tailored firmware to suite themselves.

You did have the option of buying sim free if you wanted a standard Nokia build.

xerxes wrote:Just playing devil's advocate here...

Is it not quite understandable for a network operator to want to ensure that they get the same level of revenue from a customer to whom they have given (or close to given depending on the exact level of subsidy) a very expensive device as from a user of a cheaper device?

Network operators have always tailored firmware to suite themselves.

You did have the option of buying sim free if you wanted a standard Nokia build.

Believe it or not I actually blame NOKIA.

They should not allow anyone to modify (cripple) their handset firmware. They should only allow branding in the form of themes and additional apps. No changes to the firmware functionality should be permitted - then we would not end up with buggy network branded firmware, missing functionality and different FW versions existing on network variants of the same model handset.

Believe it or not I actually blame NOKIA.

I disagree... The mobile industry is very unique. Nokia is very much stuck having to give the networks what they ask for. After all, the customer gets what the customer wants.

xerxes, I do agree with what you are saying, but there is no value to Vodafone by disabling some handset features. People will use the handset as they would normally, and they will find other means to make VoIP calls. For example, I will just have to lug about my old N80 to make VoIP calls (or use a laptop).
They are simply taking away convenience from the user, and as a result are potentially losing customers.

A good example of example of Vodafone's ways....
One of the very early camera phones (from Sharp), Vodafone blocked all data ports. The only way of getting pictures off the phone were to upload them through Vodafone data. Obviously they would profit from this.
Most people just didn't bother getting the photo's off in the end.

Hi Guys ,

Just found this forum and trying to get to grips with my N95,

Currently on Tmobile with basic web N walk does any one know if they have surpressed Viop function if not any chance of a link on how to use it .

Also know this is not the right place but saw this article on using the N95 in sports mode to track a GPS route it saved GPS data that could then be uploaded to google maps and it created a route presentation anyone Know how to do this looked really cool.

Cheers

Zeberdy

Nigma wrote:I disagree... The mobile industry is very unique. Nokia is very much stuck having to give the networks what they ask for. After all, the customer gets what the customer wants.

xerxes, I do agree with what you are saying, but there is no value to Vodafone by disabling some handset features. People will use the handset as they would normally, and they will find other means to make VoIP calls. For example, I will just have to lug about my old N80 to make VoIP calls (or use a laptop).
They are simply taking away convenience from the user, and as a result are potentially losing customers.

A good example of example of Vodafone's ways....
One of the very early camera phones (from Sharp), Vodafone blocked all data ports. The only way of getting pictures off the phone were to upload them through Vodafone data. Obviously they would profit from this.
Most people just didn't bother getting the photo's off in the end.

I wasn't saying it was smart. Just understandable.

The fact is that nearly all big companies still fall prey to the idea that they can control what their customers do. They still don't see that when a disruptive technology (like VOIP) comes along they either have to embrase it or get left behind.

Unfortunately for the corporates, disruptive technologies are coming more and more frequently as time passes.

What Vodafone should be doing is building out (or buying) a VOIP network and putting the "billing integration" in place. I doubt many users would bother with a separate VOIP service if they could get reasonably priced VOIP from their mobile provider.

There nothing stopping them doing it except fear of canablising their own market.

Nigma wrote:I disagree... The mobile industry is very unique. Nokia is very much stuck having to give the networks what they ask for. After all, the customer gets what the customer wants.
.

I value your opinions Nigma, and for most handset models theres some validity to your argument.

However, the N95 is unique and Ground-Breaking and is so important that no network could refuse to stock it - this places Nokia in a unique position to put an end to crippling of standard features of their frmware by networks.

I blame Nokia, Orange and Vodafone equally for the VOIP situation.

If Nokia offered FREE debranding to all owners with proof of ownership they would be remove from the above list of offenders.

i dont see what the problem is
vodafone are expensive anyway

vote with your feet - get one from tmobile or o2 - porblem solved.
or wait for 3 to do and xseries oen with skype!

- re tmobile web and walk - the voip app is on tmobile n95s so you can use it with wifi no problemo. but you need WandW max to use VOIP over 3g.

which 90% of the time isnt an issue.

I think this is just blind panic from the mobile carriers,

It's like when ripping Mp3's was supposed to bring about the downfall of the music industry, now that they have found our how to make money out of it they are all in favour.

The time will come when the carriers will see that if they had a VOIP service that was default to their phones then they will make money out of it.

Lets not loose the point vodafone and orange are a business ther goal has nothing to do with providing a mobile phone service or data or VOIP come to that they are all about making money!!!

scorch wrote:It's like when ripping Mp3's was supposed to bring about the downfall of the music industry, now that they have found our how to make money out of it they are all in favour.

Ok. I accept i did use the term MP3 quite loosely :laugh:

I meant download type tracks of course with their security but you get my point...