3 Mobile into pricing fray with SMB offer

By Peter Dinham
Wednesday, 24 June 2009 13:45

Technology

As competition for the hearts and minds – and hard earned money - of mobile phone users continues to heat up, 3 Mobile has upped the ante with a new monthly subscription plan to try and snare small businesses.

3 today announced the launch of the plan – dubbed  ‘The Works’ – which for $110 a month, it says SMBs will have a greater choice of services “than ever before”, including more talk, email and mobile Internet value.

As all the mobile providers battle it out for marketshare and new sign ups, Australia still waits to see a decent business plan like the one announced yesterday for Optus consumer users of the iPhone 3GS which goes on sale in Australia this Friday, with the carrier offering the phone to your run of the mill consumers, not business users, for zero dollars upfront on a $99 a month plan, including 1.5GB data.

John Casey, director of marketing for 3 Mobile – or to be precise, the newly merged entity Vodafone Hutchison Australia (VHA) – claims ‘The Works’ is the only business plan on the market to include international calling with the plan inclusions, alongside unlimited access to email on 3 and instant messaging.

‘The Works’ is the only business plan on the market to include international calling within the plan inclusions alongside unlimited access to Email On 3 and Instant Messaging, as well as 3,000 minutes of national voice calls, 500 SMS and MMS messages and 3GB of data.

“In the current climate, the need to be constantly available to your customers has never been more important,” Casey says, adding that 3 is offering small businesses all the tools they need to stay connected in one simple, cost effective package.
 
Just like ordering a hamburger with the lot, with The Works plan, 3 throws in a ‘free’ Nokia E71 handset or choice of other available mobiles.

And, as we reported in iTWire on Monday with consumer users of the Optus service, you do get the shiny new 3GS iPhone and they throw in 1.5GB of data and unlimited calls, but unfortunately not for business.