Getting proper internet access on T-Mobile Web n Walk Plus

Since joining T-Mobile I’ve been impressed with the speed of Web n Walk. However, I had problems accessing MSN Instant Messenger, Jabber, FTP & IRC. Some other users recounted there MSN IM troubles in a Modaco thread on on the introduction of port blocking and a 3G forum thread on WnW AUP. I’m happy to report that a T-Mobile technician and I resolved the issues. The short answer: I was on Flext+WnW, upgraded to WnW Plus. T-Mobile switched my plan to Flext+WnW Plus, everything in the base package. Since then I’ve reliably been able to make MSN IM, Jabber, FTP and IRC connections. A longer answer follows: T-Mobile markets Web n Walk plans in 3 tiers:

1. WnW: web browsing on your handset, upto 1 GB/month. No Instant Messaging, VOIP or P2P.
2. WnW plus: internet on your handset or a computer connected through it, upto 3 GB/month. No VOIP or P2P
3. WnW max: internet on handset or computer, upto 10 GB/month. All traffic types allowed.

A WnW plan may be sold as part of a Flext contract, or later added as an extra. My contract had been upgraded to WnW plus, from WnW - I was experiencing connection issues with MSN IM and other protocols. A colleague had taken WnW plus from the start, it was part of his base contract - he has no connection issues. Swapping SIMs made no difference, the behaviour was not related to our different handsets. Once I informed the T-Mobile technician of this, he asked the route by which we came to WnW plus. The technician changed my contract to match my colleague’s and the connection problems promptly disappeared. It could have been the act of reseting the account that fixed this, or that it was a bug triggered by a particular account configuration. The very helpful technician said that he would be chasing the matter, to check if anything systematic is at play to cause these symptoms.