Continuing on from our in-depth look at Optus’ iPhone plans, we now look at post-paid. Things here are a little more complicated.There are two post-pay options: Cap plans and “yes” plans.
The cap plans start at $19 per month and go all the way up to $179 per month. For the sake of convenience (mostly because I’m lazy), we’ll look at these two extremes in particular.
The $19 cap plan gives you $50 worth of talk time and texts and 100MB worth of data. This is the plan that you put your grandma on because she only really needs to receive calls and check the odd email from your cousin who’s backpacking around Eastern Europe. At 47 cents per 30 seconds and a 35 cent flagfall, anyone on this plan is likely to chew through their cap and data within a few hours.
But of course, that doesn’t include the iPhone itself. To get your Jesusphone, it’s either a 12 or 24-month contract, with the 8GB iPhone costing $51 per month for 12 months or $21 per month for $24 months. Ouch.
On the other end of the scale, you can drop $179 per month on your iPhone. Aside from the ludicrous proposition of actually spending $180 a month on your mobile phone (seriously? $180? You should try texting, Skype or the age-old art of shutting the hell up), you get 1GG of data and $1500 worth of calls.Now in case it wasn’t clear, the mere concept of using $1,500 worth of voice calls is absurd to me. Less absurd is the notion of people using a couple of GBs worth of data each month. In my humble opinion, this is where Optus have dropped the ball – I agree that 1GB of data is enough to placate 90 percent of users each month. But if, like me, you spend an hour on the train twice a day every day, you might spend that time watching something like YouTube. 1GB won’t cut it for that amount of data. Optus should have or should have, offered higher data amounts with less voice for the same price and it would have made more sense. The iPhone itself, fortunately, is free on a 24 month plan.
Excess data is 35 cents per MB: not great, but not terrible either. And of course, there are a heap of plans in between these two extremes, at $49, $59, $79, $89 and $149. To look at their specifics, check out Optus’ iPhone site.
Things could have been much worse here, but they could have been much better, especially in data allowances. You get 1GB for $15 (although as reader Daniel points out, X-Series for 1GB is $30 - although I still think this is better value than Optus) at Three, yet you need to spend $149 per month to get that same level of data. Hopefully, moving forward, Optus will start to become slightly more generous with their data pricing.
Dav[e]Tech
July 3, 2008 at 4:00 PM
and as far as i am concerned, 3 will always continue to have better data deals becuase that is what they tend to specialize in.
going for the expensive pre-paid + unlocked then move to another carrier (hello 3) seems like the cheaper plan.
then again, perhaps buying a iphone 3g from ebay for the american price of $299 and getting it shipped is cheaper than going through a provider. how is that good business sense?
Report Permalinkchuck bulimic
July 3, 2008 at 4:00 PM
seriously – you must not use a phone for talking at all ….. it is easy to rip up that amount of talk time if a phone is an essential part of your job ( read OS clients , sales etc etc )
Report PermalinkNige
July 3, 2008 at 4:08 PM
You’re right the data is lousy on those plans, most US users use 200 – 400 MB on the EDGE network, with 3G you’d use lots more. Think how much more we use the interwebs now compared to dial up.
Also isn’t it interesting that you can get 5GB for $39.99 on Optus Personal Broadband
Report PermalinkDaniel
July 3, 2008 at 4:18 PM
1 Gig of data on your phone actually costs $30 from three. Do your research (Type x-series into google)!
By the way, your condescending tone is quite irritating – please try not to insult your readers.
Report PermalinkCraig
July 3, 2008 at 5:36 PM
I think the $59 cap is looking pretty sweet. $350 of calls, 500 meg of data and $7 for the phone over 24 months.
Report PermalinkMark
July 3, 2008 at 10:23 PM
Umm Optus is charging 78 cents a call and 35 cents flag fall. Like hell… this is a dollar a call.
That is seriously like umm FUCKING EXPENSIVE
Robbers with the GodPhone I name you Optus
Report PermalinkBrandon
July 3, 2008 at 11:14 PM
Re: (seriously? $180? You should try texting, Skype or the age-old art of shutting the hell up)
Nick, you have me in hysterics. I cannot stop laughing. You’ve made my night!
Report PermalinkChris
July 4, 2008 at 7:59 AM
The iPhone in the US is $299 USD on the $69.99 plan, at Optus on the $59 plan it is $168 AUD(24x$7) and on the $79 plan is is $48 (and in the US it is $299 regardless of the plan you join on).
Report PermalinkI agree data is the key here, we’ll see what Voda comes out with (they have probably been scrambling over the last twenty four hours trying to re-jig their plans!)
caseyg
July 4, 2008 at 1:33 PM
Plans need more data.
Report PermalinkI’d be happy to pay $10 per GB as a plan add-on
(thats the rate of their personal mobile broadband)
Cate
July 5, 2008 at 6:38 PM
Hey,
Report PermalinkSo with the $59 cap, is there an amount you have to pay at the start for the handset? Or is it Telstra where you have to pay about $300 upfront for the handset and then monthly payments?
gage
July 10, 2008 at 2:18 PM
Seriously guys, WAIT TO BUY THIS PHONE! There are bugger all (50 000) allocated to Australia initially. The telco’s know this and are pricing it to cash in on the hype.
The fanboys sleeping out will be really sorry one year into their absurdly priced 24month contracts when supply ramps up and the competition starts…
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