Do You Use The 3G Features On Your Mobile?
Last week, the Australian Communications and Media Authority released a report that stated that in Australia, one third of mobile users have a 3G phone, but two thirds of those users didn’t use the available 3G service like internet browsing, video calls and music streaming.
Apparently, some people just aren’t interested in using their mobile for anything other than making calls. Others believed that the price was too high, and others just had no idea how to actually use the services.
The report also found that most people preferred using their mobile phone to a landline, and VoIP is still in its infancy here in Australia.
But with all the noise about getting a 3G iPhone and NextG services, I ask you, dear reader, whether or not you actually use the 3G services on your phone? Or is it too cost prohibitive, an unpleasant experience or just too confusing? Let us know in the comments…
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Comments
Too expensive. I’m not too worried about the whole screen size thing or the speed of it (i use it for work and it is plenty fast enough for my needs). What really irks me is that telstra is allowed to monopolise the sector. NextG is the only service that covers enough of the country to be remotely usable, but they charge so much it is not funny, and there is no way you can get a decent amount of data without commiting to them for the next 2 years or your first born, whatever comes first.
It will be interesting to see what vodafone offers with the iPhone. I suspect a lot more mainstream media outlets and les tech savvy people will become concirned about the shocking state of 3G in Australia if they rip us off any more.
Won’t use it until the costs are reasonable, by reasonable I mean around the 2 cents per MB, not the crazy hundreds of dollars that you have to pay for a couple of MBs if your not on any rediculous contract.
Year right like we can all afford it……….Look Telstra has all the other phone companies by the balls and they charge like one too….so of course its going to cost the world……Fact is if you want people to use this technology then make it “accessible” “affordable” and “reliable” oh hell why am I bothering we are talking about Telstra here arent we????
Just another day in SILLYVILLE!!!
We are traveling around Australia, I thought it would be great but because of the lousty service and high costs it useless.
Bottom line is – who needs it? Who on earth actually WANTS to make or receive video calls? I fail to see the point. The conversation is the point of a phone call – not watching a jerky, pixelated image of the other person just talking.
And as for “streaming media” – who the heck wants to watch movies or TV shows on a tiny phone screen?
Apart from the anti-social aspects of doing that, and the outrageous costs for data – who actually wants to use a phone for anything other than phone calls? Not me.
I have a NextG Nokia as I need coverage in Tasmania outside the cities, and it’s either NextG or nothing. But as for actually using any of the NextG or 3G features – never!
Just plain old voice phone calls – heck, I don’t even use text messaging. I’d rather just make a quick call and get the conversation over with, instead of spinning it out over umpteen back-and-forth text messages that end up costing about the same as a short call.
Why don’t I need it? because I sit infront of a computer all day at work and get everything Next G offers from there.
Apart from that it is way too expensive – luckily I’m a cynical old biddy so I can see through all their hype – I pity the kids who get sucked in by all this and their parents who end up paying
I have recently started using Google Maps on my Nokia E65 and love it. Can lookup specific types of businesses as I drive around – e.g. wanted to take away Thai dinner one night on the way back from city and was able to find one on the way!
I am on $5 per month explorer pack with THREE which seems to suffice.
At the same time, I will need to inexperienced and gullible to try and watch TV on the go, and pay heaps for it. I am not sure what they (3G providers) are thinking.
I looked up my facebook last week on my Nokia E65 through Optus. I’m on a $49 cap for calls. 4mb of download cost $59!!! Fortunately the $9.90 internet cap covered most of my usage. in the end it was only an extra $15 on my normal bill.
Having said that, I think it’s way too expensive atm. I’ve used Google maps a couple of time and it hasn’t been too much. After my facebook experience I don’t think i’ll be using it on a regular basis.
It is way too expensive, my new phone has GPS but to speed up the connection is uses it’s 3G to connect to a server, so I just avoid this function as I don’t know how much it will cost me. I like having the option there but prefer not to use it. Happy to browse the web on my phone if I’m at home using my WiFi connection, would like a bigger screen, that is where the iPhone wins.
Like some others, forced into Next G when CDMA was goinG to cancel in January. All I want is a phone for emergencies out of town & the occassional drive up the Newell H’Way to QLD.
Bought LG 550 ‘cos of blue tick & capacity for external antenna. Guy in a Telstra dealer shop broke the antenna socket whilst demonstrating where to connect it. That was on 15 April. Still waitng for them to do something about it. Still owe $630 on the 24 mth plan & no phone.
The whole Telstra Next G thing HAS BEEN ONE GAINT RIP OFF.
Yes, 3G on your mobile is too expensive. Using it for calls and S.M.S is costly enough. I would rather use my computer..
Telstra 3G – your kidding me right.
I have the cheapest poxest most basic CDMA phone on a prepaid plan – I recharge it at $5 a year….
That is it. I shall use it till it dies.
As for Telstra’s 3G prices…
Those bastards the management of Telstra, should be kicked out onto the street, and lined up in a row and run over with a steam roller like the cane toads they are.
Outrageous prices.
I’m with 3, and don’t currently use any of the extra features, as they are not included in my cap, and a horribly over priced. Video calling, internet browsing and music downloads all incur an extra fee. Until they are included within the ‘cap’ they offer i wont use them.
Besides, if these services are as unreliable as everything else they offer, id rather cut off my own hands than use them. 3 needs a kick in the ass and an adjustment to reality if they think they are providing their customers with quality service.
Thats why i have a Notebook. The alternative 3g, only more extreme and cheaper.
Yes , i do have two 3g ohones on Telstra , but switched off 3g and now on 2g.. Saves battery power too..
Talk and text is all i need.. Notebook does the rest.
I’m on 3, and use the free email service when travelling, and pay the 5 bucks per month data plan charges.
However, the only time I really use it is when I’m away from the cities, so its more like a GPRS service than true 3G. When I’m in the cities, I’m usually close to a true broadband connection, so don’t bother.
Still, it beats the crap out of GSM, which has simply laughable internet connectivity.
I’ve never been big on games or gizmos on my mobile, i just want it for a phone and i don’t have a landline aside from for my ADSL2.
recently i’ve subscribed to Fox on my mobile cause i’m at a remote minesite and need entertainment. What i’ve noticed? I just can’t watch the same i dream of jeannie and battlestar galactica that many times ina row! the signal drops out and garbles the program, and as a pay off for having 3g on my phone, my new phone no longer works as a radio and all the games are demo’s for 20 seconds then pay to download. If anything it’s actually made my phone less usefull! I really can’t be bothered trying to browse the web on it…. how tedious. I only got 3g cause it’s all the shop sold and i needed to get telstra to get coverage on site.
I used internet and other ‘advanced’ features of 3g for a few months after i got my Nokia N73 from ‘3g only’ operator. although it was really good to have my phone connected to internet, and i even managed to use ‘voip’ using my data connection. but the cost of maintaining a data plan with limited downloads did not seem to me as good-value-for-money; and has forced me to cut-off my data connection and use my phone only for voice calling. if unlimited plans came up i might consider using it again.
I suspect most people (like me) don’t buy a 3G phone for 3G. We get a high end phone for other reasons (like the network gives it away) and if it comes with 3G so what, I might get around to it some time.
Other reason is that I don’t normally trade stocks or book airline tickets while I am sitting in a bus. What would be really useful is a service that tells me when the next bus is coming. (note, I said when the next bus is coming, which is not the same thing as when it is due). But I guess there will never be serious money in that.
I have a NextG service and use it for Video Calls at night time when there 20c for 10 min, I didnt think i would use it as much as i do also i do use the free BigPond site for news some times, I also have got the foxtel on my phone which is $12 a month but i can use it as much as i want, so yes i do use 3G services but not for the internet as its $2 per MB (i think).
The problem is the costs of these services.
Data costs on mobile is still very high.
Perhaps if there was some bandwidth limit on plans every month (like ISPs) without extra cost, or if there was some other way to get free data with a phone plan, then it would be accessed and favored more by the people who use it. When others see them using it, they will try it, and 3G services will become for commonly used.
I think it is Great! I am on the mid-range X-series with 3. I get 500MB a month for $20. I connect the phone to my computer and I get 500kb/sec downloads wherever I want in Brisbane. It is cheaper than alot of broadband plans for the amount of data.
The main reason I have it though is because I work in a job which I am able to just take my laptop with me and surf the net… a 12+ hour shift goes alot faster if I can screw around on facebook.
It is probably the sole reason that I will renew my contract with 3 when the 24 months is up. The only people that get charged huge amounts from it are people who don’t read the conditions or use common sense! For example: ebay chews through 500kb a page, this page is 120kb. Youtube chews through the MB at a huge rate (doesn’t cache either, so if you want to watch it again, you have to download it again)
However, my 3G experience ends there. I have not even tried video calling (nor do I see any use for it for myself)
Over in Melbourne here. I was on Three for around four years, and I rarely used 3G services. Occasionally when I’m really bored I’d bring up some Sky News.
Having said that, I got an iPhone and went on Virgin Mobile’s 300mb $10 data plan, and I use it every day. I set it to check my email (that does suck the battery fast though), and when I’m on the train I pop open Google Reader, and go through my news.
I regularly use the iPhone to check train timetables, Rotten Tomatoes, and movie times.
I find it indispensable, its just damn slow at loading websites on GPRS. I’d be willing to spend upwards to $900 for a 3G iPhone given how useful the iPhone already is.
So the problem with current 3G phones and services are:
- Premium services are expensive. Why do I have to pay so much to get stuff for free if I jump on the internet (with a cheap data plan).
- Internet interface sucks. No one wants to use a less than full featured browser, and a fiddly joystick or number pad.
The best way to enjoy 3G internet is using a bluetooth enabled laptop connecting to the phone. It allows you to use the net just as you would at home but you can now be mobile. Handy if you have a long train trip to work in the morning, can catch up on the latest news online. The downside is of course the cost for data. Once operators offer 3 or more GB for less than $35 it will make it a good alternative to fixed line services. But until then, it is way to expensive.
Jeez, after setting up IMAP mail i got slugged with a bill of just under $400 for a month. Only $19 of it was for phone calls. Al my phone did was check email and download the Headers… bugger that..
ITS THE COST!
all data charges in australia are a rip-off compaired to many other parts of the world.