Vodafone has fairly average 3G coverage (it transmits from the same tower locations that Optus uses), and extremely limited HSDPA coverage.
Vodafone has fairly average 3G coverage (it transmits from the same tower locations that Optus uses), and extremely limited HSDPA coverage.
Outside of capital cities and some selected regional locations, you can only get GPRS at dialup-modem speeds via the 2G Vodafone network, but at least this is at no additional charge to the monthly fee.
Vodafone only offers wireless internet data for postpaid (monthly billed) customers.
Prepaid customers are limited to accessing then net via WAP GPRS -- basically, they can only browse websites via their mobile handset through a restrictive WAP proxy server.
By default, on most Vodafone plans, you can use 3G HSDPA/3G/GPRS at a cost of $1 per 5 mins (which can be included in capped plan amounts). Because it's charged based on time, Vodafone offers unlimited data traffic. That's $12 an hour, though, so it can get costly quickly.
If you are already a Vodafone customer with a SIM card, you can add a Vodafone data bundle via the telco's website. That SIM can then be used with a data card, USB modem or your phone handset via a USB cable or Bluetooth.
Vodafone gives the option of month-to-month data bundles, or if you contract for 12 or 24 months you receive a discount on the price of the USB modem or data card and a cheaper monthly fee.
It is also one of the first networks to strike alliances with laptop manufacturers who have built 3G modems into some models. Lenovo has it in the T60 and X60 and HP has it on the NC6400. This is certainly convenient, because the antennas are built into the notebook's case and there are no modems that you have to plug in, but it's also rather irritating that the PC makers have sold your right to choose your mobile network -- you get a choice of Vodafone, Vodafone or Vodafone. Expect to see more of these kinds of deals in the future as mobile broadband becomes more popular.
By default, Vodafone compresses graphics in websites to allow more web browsing to be viewed per megabyte of traffic, but can result in some websites looking like their graphics have been over-compressed. You can disable this, but have to have the custom Vodafone connection software installed, or have a proxy enabled to bypass it. Vodafone is the only carrier to force this on by default.
Vodafone has made no public announcement of when it plans to go national with 3G HSDPA, except that intends to at some stage. (As mentioned above, it does have HSDPA already in a smattering of locations.)
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