Carriers hampering iPhone 3G with stingy data plans

By Stephen Withers
Thursday, 10 July 2008 09:45

Mobility

The iPhone 3G hour is almost upon us and it's time to check out how the three carriers reselling Apple's device of the decade stack up. Do any of the plans stand out from the crowd or are they all a load of codswallop with stingy - or expensive - data plans?

The basics: Apple's iPhone 3G will be available starting tomorrow, Friday 11 July, from Optus, Telstra and Vodafone.

There are two main problems as far as we can see.

Firstly, indications are that the iPhone will be in short supply at first. So if bragging rights are important for you, be prepared to dash from store to store, especially if you decide to go with Optus but didn't previously pay a deposit to get access to the priority queue.

Secondly, the plans - at least those we've seen - suck, to put it bluntly. The problem is that the carriers seem to be stuck in the old school of thought that says mobile phones are primarily for talking and texting, with a little data traffic thrown in.

The iPhone turns that on its head. It's more a mobile Internet device that can also be used for making phone calls and sending and receiving SMSes.

One of the big attractions is that the iPhone's Safari web browser allows the use of regular web sites, not just the cut-down versions you see on many other phones.

And up-front features such as YouTube, Maps and Weather all rely on Internet connectivity.

Nobody really expected Australian carriers to provide unlimited data plans as AT&T does in the US, but what have Optus, Vodafone and (probably) Telstra done? Please read on.