Optus fails to deliver on Australian iPhone plans

Tech : Duncan Riley
Posted: July 2, 2008

iPhone pricing plans from Optus, one of the three Australian telco’s offering Apple’s iPhone July 11, have been revealed today, and local users won’t be happy.

iPhone in Australia has all the details here. Some of the highlights:

A 8G iPhone 3G from Optus will cost $0 on a $79 AUD (around $74 USD) cap plan over 24 months which includes $550 of calls, text and more, plus (in Optus’ words) “a whopping 700MB of included mobile data.”

700mb. Whopping. I’m Speechless.

Here’s the run down on the various post-paid plans

Don’t want a plan? 8GB iPhone 3G (Black)= $729, 16GB iPhone 3G (Black or White)= $849.

The thing I can’t work out: Optus offers unlimited data to Blackberry users on a $79.95/ month plan, or if you’re buying the unlimited data separately, $39.95. I know this because I tried to get my existing 2G iPhone on the plan and they wouldn’t allow me to do so, leaving me instead on a $29.95/ mth data plan of 200mb a month. Not a lot I know, but when the 2G iPhone only connects over GPRS at 36kbps, it’s enough…only just.

Telstra and Vodafone are yet to announce their plans, but with Vodafone known for their aggressive pricing you’d expect something a lot more appealing than this rubbish from Optus.

(via Andrew Sayer)

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Viewing 11 Comments

Matt 3 months ago 1 point
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I was under the impression Telstra announced their plans earlier this week when they also announced that they too were delivering on the 11th. It was on a bunch of news sites, though I can't find it on their website.

Anyway, yeh the Optus pricing blows considering the current data available on the Blackberry but I honestly don't think we'll see anything that much better from Vodaphone as they won't need to be that competitive with this junk pricing announced. The other problem with Vodaphone is that their 3G network outside of the big cities is pretty lacking.

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http://www.mathewpacker.com

Duncan Riley 3 months ago 1 point
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Matt, Telstra announced the price points but not the data plans...it's the hidden catch they haven't mentioned yet, and I'm betting they were waiting for someone else to go first. True on the coverage, but Optus/ Vodafone is the same network, and they're claiming 98% within 12 months...but yes, it sucks now, never use to have any coverage when I was in WA

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thesmart1 3 months ago 1 point
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FYI the unlimited blackberry data plans/boltons is only for data sent and recieved through the Blackberry internet service APN. So if you have this bolt on/plan on a non-blackberry you will just be paying for nothing. All your data will still be going through the Optus APN, and charged at the standard 1.5c per kb rates.

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Duncan Riley 3 months ago 1 point
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I know...but it still says to me that unlimited isn't a completely foreign concept to Optus. I guess ultimately I was hoping for something better than 700mb. Compare it to a 3G data plan for a laptop even: 5GB 39.95 with Optus...I know this because I was in the Optus store at Camberwell for an hour today making them fix my mobile, which kept telling ppl when I didn't answer the phone that it was disconnected.

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nickobec 3 months ago 1 point
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Duncan, it appears that Optus and Vodafone are not sharing the their network everywhere. According to their websites in WA Vodafone's 3G network only goes as far south as Cockburn, while Optus claims as far south as Rockingham.

And that huge 700Mb is for traffic in both directions.

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Michael Air 3 months ago 1 point
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Sure Blackberry is unlimited but at 2G speeds which means there's only so much damage folks can do in a month.

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http://hirem.com

tobie 3 months ago 1 point
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Telstra announced yesterday.. I am not with Telstra and never will be.. I am not with Vodafone either, so I was looking forward to see what Optus has in mind... it's pretty much what I expected.. but I am just glad that I get to keep my free talk time. The plan is not ideal.. no plan is ever good enough for users... but I'll live..

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moikel 3 months ago 1 point
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Here in Australia we are bit narrow minded, i read that the average user in the US uses 5 Gig a month.

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nikmik 3 months ago 1 point
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I am a very disappointed Optus customer. As usual we are being robbed in Australia! I will not be buying my iphone locally, it's a farce that they will be sold for $199 U.S. and over $700 here in Australia! Fortunately my sister who now lives here has friends in the U.S. who can send one over. For too long we have been getting the worst deals here!

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Ed K 3 months ago 1 point
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nikmik, the $199 price in the USA is a locked in contract. The phone won't be allowed to leave the phone store without being switched on and locked into a US contract. You can't buy it outright there otherwise it will be similar in price to the outright model here.

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Kel 3 months ago 1 point
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The $729 price for the phone outright was unlocked though wasn't it?

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July 2, 2008 at 11:46 pm Sean Kelly

Still actually cheaper than my current plan and am using v1 iPhone. I will make the switch, if only for the MobileMe push stuff.
July 3, 2008 at 2:21 am Seth Yates

Pretty disgraceful, really. I'm on Optus BlackBerry unlimited plan you mention and its pretty good (albeit a bit pricey imho, but it still craps on Telstra's BB plans). Hoped that Optus would have lifted its game for the iPhone though. With what will no doubt be stiff competition on price from Voda and Telstra, they'll probably have to revise their plans.
July 3, 2008 at 2:22 am Seth Yates

Telstra's pricing early details: http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,23946085-23272,00.html
July 3, 2008 at 3:02 am Craig Thomler

Optus - FAIL!
July 3, 2008 at 3:20 am Duncan Riley

Seth, they still haven't disclosed the data plans though, and that's the key
July 3, 2008 at 3:54 am Allison

My theory is that corporations wont pick up iPhones as a work tool due to its current limitations and so the Blackberry is being left competitively priced data wise for them...
July 3, 2008 at 4:10 am Ole Begemann

Sean: MobileMe will also work with a first gen iPhone.
July 5, 2008 at 2:45 am Seth Yates

Duncan, look like I was wrong about Telstra having a better plan. I was in a Telstra store today and the rep there told me it would be the same as the standard phone data and Next G pricing. That's $29 for 80MB and $1/MB over.