Has Optus wiped Telstra through the iPhone 4 data door?

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Tuesday, 27 July 2010 13:31

Your IT - Mobility

Optus has released, as expected, iPhone 4 voice and data pricing that makes Telstra look its usual stingy self, but if Optus’ network stays as reportedly crappy as ever, Optus could confidently offer as much data as it wanted, safe in the knowledge no-one will be able to use it… right?

Ah, it’s iPhone time again, and this time for the much anticipated and much AntennaGated iPhone 4, or iPhone Flaw as those naughty Inquirers have taken to calling it.

After Apple officially announced last night that 17 new countries would be able to welcome the iPhone 4 from Friday July 30, and revealed that the black iPhone 4 16GB would retail for an outright, unlocked price of AUD $859, while still keeping the 32GB model’s price a crunchy little secret, carriers have started announcing their prices.

UPDATE: The news is that the 32GB iPhone 4 will retail in Australia, unlocked and outright, for $999.

While Telstra starts off with a ludicrously paltry 200MB data offering for its cheapest plan, Optus shoots back across the bow with a much more generous 1GB minimum data offering, or five times that of Australia’s 800 pound telcorilla.

However reports that Optus’ network is still crap must surely be a worry for any potential Optus iPhone 4 customer, which, if true, is a bit like putting a single propeller engine onto an Airbus 380 and hoping it’ll take you to the moon.

Heck, fly me to the moon and let me sing among the stars of reliable data accessibility, and I’ll be a happy camper, but lumber me with poor connectivity on what is arguably the world’s best smartphone and you may as well cut me off at the knees and expect me to win an Olympic Gold medal in the marathon. 

All of that said, Optus is nevertheless offering much more generous data plans, and much more generous voice plans, too – including an “unlimited” option that predictably will come with a few small print limits here and there, as unlimited plans invariably do.

For Telstra, the iPhone 4 up its sleeve still benefits from Telstra having the best 3.5G network in Australia, able to save lift travelling couples from bad eBay purchases and able to deliver incomparable voice and data, but as always, it’ll cost ya.

But if you live on your phone, why would you want to put up with anything but the best?

I’ll really have to ask Optus to send me an iPhone 4 micro SIM so I can test their network out for myself and see whether the reports, from the field, of Optus still being Droptus are true, for me at least, or not.

Until then, choose your iPhone 4 plan wisely, and may the carriers battle it out to give us ever better deals - no matter who chooses to "launch at midnight", which is but the first day of iPhone 4 ownership, not the next 24 months.

 

Optus iPhone 4 deals for consumers here and businesses here.

Telstra iPhone 4 deals are here.