O2 wins prepaid battle by eliminating voicemail

O2 triumphs in the war against ghost voicemail

A user tired of having their carrier reactivate the answering machine every few weeks found that O2 was the only €7 plan that solved the problem. The detail matters: there is no prepaid line. Those looking for pure prepaid without voicemail must search among virtual operators renting other networks, where fine print always lurks.

The case is recurrent. In Symio, the answering machine is reactivated without customer permission, and the explanation received is that the phone itself activates it when in the pocket. In Digi, the problem was different: network outages and customer service taking more than half an hour to respond. The combination leaves the user with no way out: pay more, tolerate the voicemail, or leave.

Which carriers offer prepaid without voicemail?

The list emerging from the exchange is short and nuanced. Xenet, a Valencian operator reselling Orange or Movistar coverage, allows deactivating the voicemail by dialing a code, and it does not reactivate, according to shared experience. Lowi, on the Orange network, has also never activated it on several lines. Suop, which presents itself as a real telecom because it does not operate at a loss, also deactivates it with the same code.

The underlying problem is that Orange networks reactivate the answering machine by default, according to several testimonials. A technical solution exists —dial ##02# and call— but it is not always definitive. In O2, however, the voicemail simply does not exist. This, combined with WhatsApp support and €7 per month, tips the balance.

Prepaid price versus contract plans

The economic comparison is clear. O2 offers €7 with unlimited calls and enough data for those who rely on home wifi. Digi has a similar plan, but worse customer service according to those who have experienced it. Lowi drops to €8 with 50 GB. Lemmon offers 100 GB on the Orange network for €5. The range is narrow, but service differences are huge.

Some argue that 50 GB is little. Others respond that with tethering during the workday they do not reach 25 GB per month. Real consumption depends on usage, not the large print in the contract. The discussion about unlimited data —which no company offers without real limits— remains in the background.

Customer service as a decisive factor

The point weighing most in the final decision is not the price, but who answers on the other end. O2 provides support via WhatsApp and phone, with Spanish agents, according to several testimonials. Digi, however, accumulates complaints for delays and poorly resolved incidents. Symio directly offers explanations that customers describe as crude.

Portability to O2 was completed in two days. The user who started the thread now has 5G where they previously did not, the app works better than Symio's, and above all, there is no voicemail. The question remaining in the air is whether that 5G will hold up when the network saturates, or if in a year we will be reading the same thread with another operator in the crosshairs.