EXCLUSIVE: Telstra launches USB modems for Next G wireless

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Thursday, 14 December 2006 18:55

Your IT - Home IT

Milne continues that “The USB card also means you can swap between an office or home PC and a laptop for when you need to be on-the-move. You can even connect when travelling with roaming available in thirty countries”. The roaming pricing is not mentioned, so we can safely expect it will be expensive as all roaming is today. But for those who are travelling overseas, especially business users, this roaming ability is naturally very useful indeed.

Milne then highlights that the USB modems are especially handy for laptops without PCMCIA slots, which is a surprisingly large number these days, including MacBooks and MacBook Pros. Milne says: “Our new Modem and USB Mobile Card have the added advantage that they can be used on any Windows laptop or Windows desktop PC with a USB port, including laptops that don’t have a PCMCIA card slot.” 

Specifically on the subject of Mac compatibility, Milne says that “A Mac-compatible version will be available early in the New Year [2007].”

So… cheaper pricing is available for those wanting access to Next G through the fixed wireless USB modem that needs external power. That is good news, although not for mobile USB users hoping for cheaper pricing. Premium services and wireless convenience comes at a cost, prices only come down later through increased competition.

Here’s the pricing you can expect to pay on the service. Visit http://shop.telstra.com for more details and the relevant terms and conditions. All prices are in Australian dollars (AUD).

BigPond Wireless Broadband Modem (Desktop USB modem) - $249
BigPond Wireless PCMCIA or USB modem - $299

DESKTOP USB MODEM PLAN PRICES:

On a 12 month plan, Desktop USB modem users will pay $39.95 for 200Mb at 256kbps speeds (known as G Fast), and $49.95 for 1Gb of data at 256kbps. Excess usage charges are at 15c per megabyte.

On a 12 month plan, for ‘Super G Fast’ speeds of 550kbps to 1.5Mbps, Desktop USB modem users will pay $49.95 for 400Mb, $79.95 for 1Gb and $149.95 for 3Gb of data download. Excess usage charges are at 15c per megabyte.

PCMCIA OR USB MODEM PRICES

On a 12 month plan, PCMCIA or USB modem users will pay $49.95 for 200Mb at 256kbps speeds (known as G Fast), and $79.95 for 1Gb of data at 256kbps. Excess usage charges are at 30c per megabyte.

On a 12 month plan, for ‘Super G Fast’ speeds of 550kbps to 1.5Mbps, PCMCIA or USB modem users will pay $79.95 for 400Mb, $109.95 for 1Gb and $199.95 for 3Gb of data download. Timed plans of 10 hours for $29.95 and 20 hours for $49.95 at Super G Fast speeds are also available. Excess usage charges are at 30c per megabyte.