Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Tuesday, 02 June 2009 14:41
Opinion and Analysis
Page 1 of 3
There’s been much hoopla over the next HTC Google gPhone, both from
Vodafone and 3 Mobile, and now Vodafone has finally released its
magical pricing structure. Abracadabra?
Google’s highly anticipated HTC Magic phone seems set to mesmerise users, but how much cash will it magically make disappear from your wallet?
Well, the good news is - much less money from Vodafone than its merger partner 3 Mobile charges for its capped plans if you like talking a lot.
Vodafone’s plans start from $69, but it offers an unlimited voice and 2GB data plan at AUD $114 per month for both consumers and business customers, a price only $5 more than 3 Mobile’s $109 monthly plan, made up of the $99 cap and $10 for only 1GB of data.
I wonder if 3 Mobile will ever respond to these prices, having led the way with caps in the first place.
Today, 3 Mobile’s caps start from $29 per month and go all the way up to $199 per month (with the $99 plan being the first where no additional handset installments are payable), on top of which you still need to include a $10, $15 or $20 X-Series broadband cap of 1GB, 2GB or 3GB per month – but there’s no unlimited voice plan.
Vodafone’s has four plans - $69, $79, $99 and $114. None need additional handset payments on a 24 month contract, and all offer included data.
Yet with Vodafone offering such cheaper pricing at $114 per month for unlimited voice calling and text on consumer and business plans, and 2GB of data, and without needing to be limited by the pesky and expensive 3 Mobile 3G Roaming Zones – Vodafone is striking a deep blow against its own merged stable mate, and of course Telstra and Optus, too.
Well, at least for those customers looking for a $100-$115 per month plan, especially if it is “unlimited”, instead of a $29 or a $49 plan.
Surely 3 Mobile will have to respond at some stage if it wants to continue signing new customers up at $100 per month type of plans.
Vodafone’s plan has been around since the 24th of March 2009, and according to the “
New Vodafone Unlimited Cap” page, will only be around until the 30th of June this year.
Whether it’s extended or not will depend on how much load Vodafone wants put on its 2G and 3G networks, because as we saw with Optus in the iPhone 3G and subsequent unlimited calling offers plan from itself and a host of MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) resellers like TPG, Soul, Dodo and others, too much of a load will lower network quality for everyone.
3 Mobile does offer some benefits with its HTC Magic over that from Vodafone, and likewise Vodafone has some unique features of its own, but 3 Mobile’s Magic will only be branded the “HTC Magic” and not the “HTC Magic with Google” (as with Vodafone) because it changes the “standard” Google Android OS 1.5 software spec and actually includes more as part of the package!
The same fate has befallen Rogers in Canada, with gPhones that lack the Google branding on the outside, while still, as with 3’s Magic, offering all the Google goodness within.
So, what are the rather annoying differences between the two Magic acts?
Please read on to page 2…
