The Government has offered Australia's three mobile operators, and vividwireless, renewal of their existing spectrum allocated on 15 year licences in the late 90s and early 2000s at set prices, while the Government expects to rake in $3 billion.
As the iPhone 3G can’t be used in a tethered fashion with a laptop or desktop computer for use as a wireless 3G modem, the ability for even greater data usage from the iPhone 3G is limited to on-device usage only.
This may mean that we’ll actually see a decent plan from Telstra for the iPhone 3G, although some readers may believe that aliens from outer space will make their existence public first.
Still, I can only personally hope that Telstra do indeed come out with realistic and affordable plans, for this will only put pressure on Optus, Vodafone and potentially 3 Mobile to be even more competitive, rendering the consumer the true winner in the iPhone telco wars.
Telcos will need to be aware, however, that the eventual unlocking of the iPhone 3G is inevitable, and users may discover ways to share the iPhone 3G’s data connection with laptop and desktop computers anyway, as has happened with the original iPhone.
That said, the iPhone tethering method was achieved through a convoluted process that only highly persistent users would bother implementing.
Currently, hacked iPhones can also be used for p2p file sharing and other data hungry features, so exactly how telcos will be able to police this is unknown, unless, of course, it simply comes off the existing data download cap, after which a charge of some kind per megabyte is applied.
So... it now seems certain that Telstra has put away its knitting and joined Apple, Vodafone and Optus in selling the iPhone at last.
We just need Sol Trujillo to come out in a woolly jumper holding an iPhone 3G to make the official announcement!
“Watch this space” as Peter Taylor from Telstra says. It would seem Telstra’s Big T, Sol Trujillo, is set to step into that space next week.
It’ll be one small step for Telstra, and one giant leap for Telstra customers wanting the iPhone 3G.
Now the question will be if this puts Optus and Vodafone on the backfoot, or if they’ll come out on the front foot, stinging like a bee, with voice and data plans to please you and me. We’ll see!
David Bass
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