I just thought i'd make mention, for those whom are trying to save a dollar or dont use there Mobile Data that often, there is now an option that might appeal.
Kogan Mobile was born just prior to Christmas, and uses the Telstra Next G network, so pretty good for those travelling.
https://www.koganmobile.com.au/
It should be worth mentioning that Kogan uses Telstra Wholesale.... It is not the entire Telstra Next G network, it does not use 4G (LTE) and is not available in ALL Telstra areas, it is really only in parts of West Oz that it is lacking from towers.
I bought 3 SIM cards off them at Christmas and have used them over some trips, country coverage is great, just as with full service Telstra.
The best part of the Kogan offer is the price.
Unlimmited Calls, Unlimited SMS, 6Gb of data a month: https://www.koganmobile.com.au/plans/
Or for $9.99 a month you get 2Gb of Data only, great for an Ipad or MiFi device
I have a lot of friends that were out of contract and have moved to Kogan on the 365day plan.... thats $299 and all you calls and texts and picture messages are sorted for the whole year!!!! No more to pay.
They have been totally inundated since its release... There is much talk about it on the "Tech" forums (the normal wait is 2 weeks)... Telstra have actually been caught out deliberately slowing down porting of Telstra customers to Kogan. All other carries switch over with in an hour or less.... surprise surprise :)
It can also concur that speed is good, better than Optus, Virgin or Vodafone and generally on par with Telstra unless its Telstra 4G (LTE) which isn't available in many places anyway. The SIM cards are FREE, but $4.95 delivery... You get a trail period to test them for Free also, it expires in 7 days.
$79 for 3 months is very appealing for a lot of people, especially for unlimited calls and sms and 6Gb of data.
The SIM card will work in ANY Telstra locked handset, as well as any Unlocked handest (modems included). No setting changes need to be made, just pop it in and away you go (unless you have an unlocked phone that was previously used for Optus, Virgin or Vodafone, in which case you just add the Telstra APN)
-- Edited by SaltyDog on Friday 22nd of February 2013 11:24:25 PM
Thanks for your post, I live in a fringe area with only Telstra broadband with their Next G modem and was unsure if it would work here but after your post I have ordered a sim card and am hopeful for an alternative to Telstra, sort of anyway, great that it comes at Telstra's expense, just the cream on the cake for me.
Thanks for that, Salty. Looks very good. And timely, as I was in the midst of trying to rationalise my phones between Telstra (an obvious keeper), Amaysim and Savvytel in preparation for a big trip starting soon. They all have their good points, but it gets VERY complicated.
Coverage in my home state of WA doesn't seem too flash, but having recently tried Optus even in big country towns, I went back to Telstra (which is starting to have some sensibly priced deals, at long bloody last). Forget Vodafail.
So Kogan seems well worth a try, maybe the $79 for 90-days deal just to see how it goes, especially as I travel north and across the country. I really like the "unlimited" bit. Makes it easy to understand and being able to call home whenever I like for less than $1 a day seems pretty good to me. In fact, it's better than my home fixed-line phone. Hmmmmm!
Cheers, Tony
__________________
If you don't stand behind our troops, please feel free to stand in front of them.
I hate nothing more than wasting hard earned money on Telco's... they make enough money!!!
Kogan and Boost both use the Telstra network, Boost actually use the FULL telstra network including 4G (LTE) Yes "Unlimited" is the way to go... personally i use Optus $2 Days for my personal/work phone (Pre Paid)
Its a great deal, Unlimited calls, Unlimited sms, Unlimited Data!!!! yes thats right, unlimited Data!! for $2 a Day! The days you dont use it, you dont pay a cent! I actually use it as the main broadband connection for my whole house..... so for $730 a year, i get Unlimited Phone calls, Unlimited text, Unlimited picture messages and Unlimited internet... I stream radio stations while driving (no going out of FM or AM range, no static and plenty of stations with No Ads or ego inflated DJ's) and my internet connection isn't locked down to my home, it works anywhere in Australia.
I have found Optus to be a lot better than it once was, especially in the Eastern States.... for me, its pretty much on par with Telstra. BUT.... In a congested network (busy town or event) Telstra and even Kogan, have more bandwidth to play with, so when my Optus SIM slows down during peak load times, the Kogan is still preforming at reasonable download speeds (2-3Mb/s)
Yes it is a complicated world in mobile communications.... so for me, the more places that offer "Unlimited", the easier it is to understand!!!
Across the board, the Kogan deal has outstripped all others... and by a good margin!! The only reason you should probably look further, is if you live or plan to travel up the North/West of WA.
I am still amazed at the amount of people that are on $70 a month contracts, yet when they go over their set limit, get a bill for $270 a month!!!! Those days are so gone..... but people are a bit like sheep, they just sign up again.
As most of you probably already know, when buying a new handset, just make sure it covers the 850Mhz and 900Mhz band (Telstra and Optus's long distance bands)
-- Edited by SaltyDog on Tuesday 26th of February 2013 05:34:35 PM
Hi Salty, yeah thanks mate for the heads up on the Kogan deal. I have a sim card on the way.
This will be in addition to my Telstra phone plan. We don't have a landline anymore and rely on the mobiles as modems for the net. I purchased a mobile modem from Virgin some time back so I could purchase more bites when needed. To get reception out of town for the Optus network I mounted an antenna on the roof, attached to the antenna port of the mobile modem. It was only recently I noticed Amaysim was cheaper than Virgin for the prepaid. Cheaper than Virgin for a topup but nowhere near the deal by Kogan and on the Telstra network (no antenna needed).
People taking up phone plans isn't particularly due to the sheep mentality, but more to the fact they aren't aware of the Kogan deal. Wish I had known a couple of months back!
It's good to see we are now getting the option to choose a different company than Telstra but with the same network the same as the way we had it back in the CDMA days (Southern Cross Telco as an example).
I am much the same as you Al, haven't a landline for 10 years and i've been on Pre-Paid for 9 years with my mobiles. The last 5 years using them as a form of internet connection. What was once a slow and painful affair, now outstrips others i know on normal home ADSL. Every year it gets better
Yes,I have seen their o/s charges on their website,they are without doubt the cheapest I have seen anywhere.
I don't ring o/s as we have no family away from Australia.
any help,when needed is second to none.
also,on the couple of occasions
when I have rung them,they have friendly,courteous,and easy to understand.
when I first joined them a couple of years ago,the 1 minute charge was 15 cents
no flagfall,then I get an email saying charges have reduced to 12 cents a minute.
Unheard of,what other Telco's actually reduce prices,especially when they are the cheapest anyway
Cheers.
John
Hi John,
Yes it was 15c when I first started with them, I don't make a lot of calls that is why I went for prepaid, and as you say no flag fall and no contract, just what I needed.
After studying the alternatives, have ordered a Kogan sim. Their unlimited deals are unbeatable. As I noted earlier in this thread, they are even better than my Telstra landline. Only trouble is I can't really ask friends/family with landline phones to call me on a mobile number.
Cheers, Tony
__________________
If you don't stand behind our troops, please feel free to stand in front of them.
After studying the alternatives, have ordered a Kogan sim. Their unlimited deals are unbeatable. As I noted earlier in this thread, they are even better than my Telstra landline. Only trouble is I can't really ask friends/family with landline phones to call me on a mobile number.
Cheers, Tony
Tony,
you may find that most of your friends have a mobile contract with unlimited calls so they are paying that regardless of the amount of calls they make, a lot of people are getting rid of home phone these days, rental fees are a ripoff, we got rid of our landline years ago and we still get calls from the few friends who still have landlines.
