Looking for a mobile broadband plan that won’t break the bank? If your usage patterns are fairly sporadic and you’re not given to downloading on the go, Three’s new $15/1GB scheme will hit the sweet spot. Although you should really consider this a $20/1GB plan, because Three will also charge you $5 per month for your choice of a USB or ExpressCard modem.
The same modem surcharge applies to the revamped $29/3GB and $49/6GB plans, which were previously capped at 2GB and 4GB respectively. In all cases you’ll need to sign a 24 month contract so the overall cost of the modem comes out at $120. That’s still a good deal for what you’re getting, especially if you opt for the ExpressCard, but it’s a step away from the ‘free modem’ deal previously offered across the board.
But not everyone has to pay for the modem. Three Mobile customers get a freebie. Yet curiously and perhaps confusingly, Three has retained the ‘free modem’ deal on the $29 and $49 plans but tied this to a lower download limit. In other words: for $29 per month you can choose between 2GB of data and a free modem, or 3GB of data and a modem at $5 per month.
For $49 it’s 4GB and a free modem or 6GB plus the $5 monthly modem surcharge.
So in all reality we’d suggest that anyone who’s not using Three mobile should consider the new plans to be $20 per month for 1GB, $34 per month for 3GB and $54 per month for 6GB, one you take the $5 per month modem cost into account.
What if you’re already got a 3G modem, perhaps even one from another carrier’s network? “If it's a 3 modem they can bring it across to this deal” a Three spokesperson told apcmag.com, “but not if it’s a modem from another carrier.”
The spokeperson also said that existing Three customers on a different plan could move onto one of the new plans but cautioned that “cancellation fees may apply depending on what plan they are on”.
As before, excess data on all plans is charged at 10c/MB while roaming onto Telstra’s GSM network once you step outside of Three’s 3G HSDPA network attracts a cost of $1.65/MB. A ‘national roaming allowance’ of 1MB is included in the $15 plan, with 2MB on the $29 plan and 4MB on the $49 plan.
Based on this latest bit of biffo in the mobile broadband price wars, Three clearly has the edge in affordability – $15 per month for 1GB is easily Australia’s cheapest mobile broadband plan. Even allowing for that extra $5 per month for the modem, it still costs no more than a mere two hours of access to a commercial Telstra or Optus WiFi hotspot at the current rip-off rates. As long as you’re seeking just email and Web while you’re on the move, Three’s new entry-level plan is almost a no-brainer.
Vodafone however remains the better value once you step into the mid-range price bracket, based on its $40/5GB plan. This includes a free USB or ExpressCard modem once you ink a 24 month contract.
$40 for 5GB with a free modem tossed into the deal compares favourably to Three’s mid-range deals of $29-$34 for 2GB-3GB and $49-$54 for 4GB-6GB (depending on if you go for the free modem, are a Three Mobile customer or opt for the $5/month modem charge).