Choosing the right mobile internet package
Tuesday, 29 April 2008
By Paul Wallbank
I love my mobile internet. Being able to access my emails, documents and websites from my phone is the best business tool I have. It means I can work anytime, anywhere.
But there is a downside to it. The cost of getting your plan wrong can be very ugly indeed. Last week’s SmartCompany report that Australians are wary of the costs of mobile broadband is hardly a surprise.
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Thankfully, I’ve avoided big bills by choosing the right plan and this is essential to getting the most from mobile internet.
The nastiest shock comes in the form of excess usage charges. Most Australian internet plans have a data allowance and if you go over that allowance you are either slowed down or charged an excess rate.
It’s these excess charges that scare customers off, and quite rightly too. It’s easy to run up a bill into the thousands if you don’t choose the right plan.
The key is to choose a plan that suits your internet use. Some providers have better regional coverage while others have more generous data allowances.
You can also modify your internet usage to restrict data downloads. For instance I check my email through the web browser, which means I’m not downloading huge volumes of messages I won’t read.
Of the providers, Optus and Telstra have add-on data plans with very stingy download limits. They have the widest coverage, however and it’s difficult to go past Telstra if you want mobile internet access in regional areas.
Three Mobile has some generous allowances included in its plans, but coverage range is restricted and its roaming rate when you are in an area that doesn’t have a Three service is a simply hair raising $1650 per gigabyte.
Vodafone uses a timed model of an outrageous $12 an hour. This is against your mobile capped plan, so if you have a high enough plan, you won’t be charged an excess. Like Optus, its mobile browsing speeds drop in regional areas and coverage is patchy outside the major population centres.
Interestingly, Vodafone’s hourly internet rate is identical to what almost all the providers charge for Wi-Fi hotspots. Wi-Fi is different to mobile internet, being the same technology used in home and office wireless networks.
I’d argue the $12 an hour rate is what has killed hotspots stone dead in Australia. Overseas countries that don’t have this rip-off-the-customer rates have seen the use of hotspots explode. Sadly hotspot access here is a luxury reserved for expensive hotels and airport lounges.
There’s no doubt Australian wireless internet is being held back by high access costs. But it is a valuable business tool that can’t be ignored and so probably won’t go the path of hotspots.
By shopping around and seeing what your mobile provider can do, you can and should take advantage of what mobile broadband offers businesses. Do your research and watch your bills closely though.
Paul Wallbank is a writer, speaker and broadcaster on technology issues. He founded national support organisation PC Rescue in 1995 and has spent over 14 years helping businesses get the most from their IT investment. His PC Rescue and IT Queries websites provide free advice to business computer users and his monthly newsletter has over 3000 subscribers.
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Comments
Debbie writes: I have purchased my new home just out of Melbourne in Romsey and have a fusion plan in Melbourne for home phone and internet. That house is being sold, and Optus do not offer this service in Romsey, however they will disconnect at no charge when required as the service is not available. Now I am frantically researching, or attempting to, my options. I will still be spending some of my working week in Melbourne, so I thought wireless would be the best option. It seems however Romsey is a BLACK SPOT! I feel I am being pushed back to Telstra, and not enjoying the thought. Any ideas?
Paul replies: Hi Debbie, you'll find Romsey is covered by the Federal government's Australian Broadband Guarantee program. If you search their website on your address you should find there are two or three operators, as well as Telstra, operating in your area. Keep in mind these wireless services aren't designed for the mobile broadband I discuss in this article but are intended to connect properties to the Internet in areas not suited to ADSL broadband.
Kevin writes: Glad to see someone else finds the $12/hr fee a ripoff! As someone who spends time in both Australia and North America I've often wondered why there are so few WiFi hotspots in Australia. 3's no contract $199 USB modem purchase with 3GB data for $29/month (no contract) is the best deal I've found. Only problem is I'm limited to certain capital cities.
Paul D Hauck writes: I signed up for a Vodafone plan with a PCMCIA data card for my tablet, just a few weeks ago, which is $29 (possibly $39? – I really shouldn't have killed all those brain cells when younger) for 5GB per month. I got it specifically to avoid the risk of excess downloads when Windows decides to go get a service pack or something. They mentioned a data rider to a mobile phone plan, which sounded like what you mention – are you talking just about data plans to mobile phones, possibly?
Paul replies: Yes Paul, this article's just about phone plans. There's a whole range of other deals designed for laptops, tablets and even fixed locations. Interestingly those are far better value than the mobile plans.