What is PCN?
PCN is really an old marketing term, not a technology. The industry no longer refers to PCN at all,
but instead calls it GSM 1800. UK PCN systems are GSM running
at twice the frequency. PCN/GSM 1800 is the system that is most recent to the market. It
is used by the One2one, Virgin and Orange networks. Vodafone and Cellnet also have frequencies
allocated in this band, but it is not yet clear how they plan to use them.
GSM1800 was designed and expected to become a mass-market system, and the Orange network
is being built with a design capacity for many users. Generally,
signal strength inside buildings can be a problem at these frequencies,
but more transmitters are improving signal generally as they come on line. In some
buildings it works better than 9800, though!
Will it work abroad?
It seems likely that there will be similar 1800 networks built overseas,
and "roaming" agreements, allowing use of UK phones abroad, are likely.
Roaming at 1800 MHz in many countries including France, Germany, The Netherlands, Switzerland,
Thailand and Malaysia is currently available.
An EC directive has made governments issue licences for an 1800 network in every country by the end of the decade,
but less populated countries may take a while to roll out these networks.
Many will probably use dual-band 1800/900 phones, which are now commonly available. If you have
the choice, getting a dual-band handset seems to make sense.
What does it cost?
The tariff structures are now so complex that there isn't room to explain them here (I don't know them anyway!).
In general, One2one are cheapest, but their coverage and customer service is a drawback. Orange allow you to choose
from competitors' tariffs, so you may find that a One2one tariff on Orange suits you best.
Orange originally promised "calls from home competitive with fixed phones", but so far have failed to deliver on this.
There are ways to cut the costs of using mobiles. See the Affordable Connections page for details
What about incoming calls?
Incoming calls are at different rates for each network when calling from BT.
This means that they very between about 25p/minute peak to 2p/minute at weekends for calling Cellnet phones.
In general, however, expect to pay between 18p and 25p per minute.
Free calls?
Those "I'll be there in ten minutes" calls that last only about seven
seconds are an affordable proposition. Because there is no minimum call
charge, very short calls can be cheaper than a local call on a fixed BT line, and don't forget the
"free" inclusive call allowances on all the networks except Virgin.
Comments, suggestions and amendments welcomed!
cellular. v1.53 23 Nov 99