Optus takes on Vodafone over 'free iPhone' plans

Stephen Withers
Friday, 26 June 2009 11:57

Business IT - Technology

On the positive side, the Optus $79 plan (which actually costs iPhone buyers $69, remember) does include 'unlimited' standard MMS and SMS, and 1G of data.

For comparison, Vodafone's $69 plan also gets you a $0 upfront 16G iPhone 3GS with 1G of data.

The $400-worth of calls is charged at 40c per 30 seconds with a 35c flagfall. That's equivalent to 90-odd calls - roughly one-third fewer than you'd get from Optus.

And where Optus offers unlimited standard SMS or MMS, Vodafone gives the choice of free calls to Vodafone mobiles at evenings and weekends, or free unlimited calls to a single nominated Vodafone mobile, or 100 free standard SMSes.

Both Vodafone and Optus offer extra credit if you sign up online.

To get a $0 upfront 16G iPhone 3GS from Telstra, you need to sign up on a $100 per month (or higher) plan.

3 appears to be waiting until next month to announce its iPhone pricing.