The new pricing would be ideal for iPhone users -- the only catch is that you need to have an ABN number to qualify.
The new pricing would be ideal for iPhone users -- the only catch is that you need to have an ABN number to qualify.
Telstra Business today released its new Next G mobile broadband pricing, with even better price points than the BigPond Wireless pricing we mentioned a few days ago. The new plans, available from 21st January, are as follows:
- The "casual plans" are available with no contract, which is a big advantage over the BigPond Wireless plans, which come with a minimum 12 month commitment.
- "Standard plans" have a 24 month commitment and allow you to get a price-subsidised modem (for example a Sierra Wireless Aircard 880E+ ExpressCard or ZTE MF330+ USB modem for $0 on all standard plans)
- "Member plans" have an 24 month commitment and give you a monthly discount if you bring your own device and just want Telstra to give you a SIM card
- "Mobile voice data pack" plans are bolt-on data plans that can be added to a Telstra Business voice plan
It's these last plans -- the "mobile voice data pack" plans that would be ideal for use with smartphones such as the iPhone. For example, you could sign up to the $49 cap or $79 cap, which provide $200 / $450 worth of calls respectively (plus some bonus credit for Telstra-to-Telstra calls) and add the $19 1GB Mobile Voice Data Pack plan for a total monthly cost of $68 or $98. (Of course, these prices assume you already have an iPhone or are prepared to buy one from Apple upfront.)
This compares very favourably to Telstra's official iPhone capped plans, where the same voice caps apply, but you have to take Telstra Mobile's regular "browsing packs" which offer a comparitively piddly 150MB for $10/mth, or 300MB for $29/mth. If you wanted 1GB of data, you'd be paying an additional $59/mth on top of your voice capped plan at the normal rates. Regular (non-business) Telstra iPhone plans do have the advantage that you get free access to Telstra hotspots nationwide -- though this is of dubious value, given you have to follow a lengthy process to log in to each hotspot by typing in your mobile number and then entering a six digit PIN which is SMSed to you.
The Telstra Business Mobile Broadband plan refresh is also good news for people who just want to use a Mobile Broadband modem. You can now get 3GB for $29/mth on a 24mth contract, which seems very cheap given Next G's quality compared to the other mobile networks. To qualify for the same pricing on BigPond Wireless, you'd need to have a home phone and mobile phone with Telstra.