Unwired ups wireless broadband data quotes

Stuart Corner
Monday, 08 September 2008 07:31

Your IT - Home IT

Faced with increasing competition from 3G wireless broadband services, Unwired has cut prices and increased data volumes on its plans.

The new line up includes a 10GB (upload and download) plan for $39.95 per month. The cheapest 3G offering at this price, from Three, gives only 6GB and there is no plan from three offering more than 7GB, for $49.95. On Next G, $10GB will set you back $129.95 per month. However most 3G plans have no peak v off-peak restrictions, and Unwired does. Peak time is between 2pm and 2am and the 10GB plan is 5GB peak and 5GB off peak.

Also, the Unwired plan is only 256/64kbps. And if you want Unwired's highest speed offering, 1024/256kps, you have to pay $99.95 per month for a 30GB plan. However Unwired does not require 12 or 24 month commitments, unlike most 3G based offerings.

The company said that all customers on existing subscription plans, introduced in February, would be automatically upgraded to the greater capacity offerings based on the applicable price point.

Unwired CEO, David Spence, took a swipe at the mobile operators, claiming that they were "attempting to provide Internet services over mobile phone networks purpose built to carry voice traffic." and saying: "We expect these networks to be busy during the working day, so we are unique in being able to offer such a long off-peak period to our customers.

The full line-up of plans is now $29.95 – 6GB, 256/64k (casual users); $39.95 – 10GB, 256/64k ; $49.95 – 16Gb, 256/64k ; $49.95 – 10GB, 512/128k; $64.95 – 16 GB, 512/128k; $99.95 – 30GB, 1024/256k . All downloads are split 50:50 peak and off-peak.