Vodafone cuts prepaid mobile broadband, adds 2GB bonus

Send to a friend Print
David Flynn27 July 2009, 2:58 PM

Vodafone drops the price of its Prepaid Mobile Broadband Starter Pack to $119 and extends the promo date for its bonus 2GB of data to get you started.


Despite having released its first pre-paid plans less than three months ago, Vodafone today tweaked the deal on its mobile broadband starter kit.

Previously pegged at the same $149 as most of its competitors for the bundle of a USB modem Vodafone has trimmed the ticket back to $129, and $119 if you order the kit online.

3 charges the same $129 for its starter kit but unlike 3’s deal, the Vodafone beginner’s bundle also includes a chunk of data to get you going. And it’s a mighty big chunk – 2GB, in fact.

That’s four times the nominal 500MB allowance of the starter kit, and represents an extension of Vodafone’s launch promo which offered 2GB for start kit activations through to June 30th. The 2GB bonus is now valid through to September 30th.

Optus is also offering a similar 2GB promotion, and as with Vodafone both carriers offer a dual-band USB ‘Internet stick’ modem which taps into the respective carriers’ 2100MHz and 900MHz 3G networks.

But Vodafone currently has the edge by being $30 cheaper up-front, offering a 30 day usage period for all data recharge packs (Optus allows only 15 days on the entry-level $15/500MB pack) and also permitting up to 5GB to be rolled over into the next month.

Usage is also calculated in 1MB increments whereas Optus rings up a minimum 10MB of data every time you connect. That’s right – every session counts as at least 10MB, even if you only download a few emails and click through a few Web sites.

(Optus has granted one concession, which is that the first 30MB of usage each day is tallied to a total of 10MB. But once you go past 30MB in any given day, every subsequent session has an effective 10MB ‘flag-fall’).

The cost of Vodafone data recharge packs remains the same: $19 for 500MB, $29 for 1GB and $49 for 3GB, with an extra 10% of data added to your tally if you recharge your account online with a credit card.


Post your comment



Comments

 RSS feed Email alert

petert (Senior member):

Vodafone can do what they want in terms of downloads and cost, but it is all rather irrelevant given their poor coverage. If Vodafone really wants to do something that is actually useful, then it needs to extend its network. Sure, there is currently a lot of talk about what they are going to do, but they haven't done it. Currently, the majority of their network extension is close to 12 months behind schedule; an incredibly poor performance. Mobile broadband is meant to be just that . . . mobile! But with Vodafone, it is little more than a joke.

27 July 2009, 3:46 PM (7 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Esquire (New user):

Quoting petert:
But with Vodafone, it is little more than a joke.


I agree, I bought this online a month ago for work travels and have been unable to use it most rural towns of northern NSW and South East Queensland. When you do connect it is so slow it's not worth it. They got my $120, I got a modem I am unlikely to use now but at least I don't have any recurring monthly fees.

27 July 2009, 3:51 PM (7 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Tin (Senior Forumologist):

Quoting Esquire:
They got my $120, I got a modem I am unlikely to use now but at least I don't have any recurring monthly fees.


If it's not network locked (or you can find the unlocker tool) you could always use it with another ISP on the Optus network. So many plans and options popping up using the Optus wholesale network now.

27 July 2009, 4:18 PM (7 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Tin (Senior Forumologist):

Remember, it's only any good if you only intend to use it in areas they service. Vodafone's coverage is still a bit 1990's.

27 July 2009, 4:03 PM (7 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

McBanjo (User):

Well really, if being mobile while online is so absolutely vital, Telstra's NextG is your best investment. In any other case, you'd be fine with simply tethering your iPhone, or getting a permanent data line. What's the point in paying $120 vs. $150 if it doesn't actually work and you need it? You'd only pay for this if you needed it or saw the benefit in it, right? At least with Telstra you'll know that if it doesn't work, you're asking for the impossible.

27 July 2009, 10:43 PM (7 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Tin (Senior Forumologist):

Quoting McBanjo:
At least with Telstra you'll know that if it doesn't work, you're asking for the impossible.


Uh huh... Like simply not sending out already assigned modems, or using the SIM instead of the IMEI to base things on. Telstra coverage might be better, but is it worth the hassles of being sent a modem whose IMEI is already assigned to another account or simply being double billed?

28 July 2009, 11:01 AM (7 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Esquire (New user):

I considered Telstra but for a minimum cost of $758.40 on a 200MB 12 month plan, NO WAY! Realistically 12 month plan would probably cost over $1,000.00 at least with vodafone no contract.

28 July 2009, 5:26 PM (7 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

petert (Senior member):

" Quoting Esquire:
at least with vodafone no contract."

Sure there is no contract. There is also no service!





28 July 2009, 6:41 PM (7 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Tin (Senior Forumologist):

Quoting petert:
There is also no service!


Yep. At least Optus try to compete on coverage aswell as price. Vodafone seem to have given up on coverage about 5 years ago. Optus continually seem to expand even in tiny country towns.

29 July 2009, 12:51 PM (7 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

ACERCON (New user):

DONT FORGET ABOUT SOUL WWW.MYSOUL.COM.AU CHEAP WIRELESS INTERNET LOOK FOR YOUR SELF

08 August 2009, 7:17 PM (7 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Not signed in
anonymous user Anonymous user


Tags