Data on the go still far from cheap
These days, it seems you only have to blink and there’s a new 3G data plan just waiting to connect you to the world anywhere you go, while simultaneously lightening your wallet to a fairly ridiculous degree.
3 Mobile (aka Three or Hutchison, depending on the length of your memory) is the latest to jump on the bandwagon, this week announcing new pricing for its 3G data service and launching an Express Card version of its broadband access price as well.
While 3 scored headlines worldwide last week after launching its X-Series 3G plans — which essentially offer all-you-can-eat pricing models similar to PC-based broadband — the new prices unfortunately don’t go quite that far. The Australian launch of X-Series won’t happen until early 2007. 3 also hopes to launch nationwide HSDPA-enhanced services around the same time.
Meanwhile, 3 is dropping the pricing on its existing broadband roaming offerings, ranging from $29 a month for a stingy 200MB download limit through to $69 a month for 2GB of 3G-surfing action.
Unfortunately, there’s a fairly major catch. Those limits only apply if you’re within a 3G reception area (essentially, most capital cities, albeit with large coverage holes). Outside those areas, you can still connect via GPRS, but 3 will whack you with a whopping great $1.65 per megabyte charge once you exceed its tiny ‘national roaming’ limits.
Even on the $69 a month plan, for instance, you get just 6MB of ‘free’ GPRS access. For a travelling worker, the monthly bill is likely to be much, much higher, since it’s almost impossible to predict whether you’ll get a 3G signal or not.
The roaming approach means that most of 3’s rivals come off looking better in the broadband stakes. Vodafone charges $99.95 a month for a 1GB download cap, but doesn’t charge any extra for using GPRS, and claims that in practice it doesn’t charge for excess data except in extreme cases. Vodafone also launched a USB version of its card this week, suitable for PC Card-slot phobics and Mac users.
If you’re sure you’re going to exceed 1GB, for $129.95 a month, Optus offers a 2GB download cap.
If you want to avoid ever falling into a GPRS speed trap, then Telstra’s Next G network is the most viable option. You’ll pay for the privilege, though, with a 1GB download cap plan costing $79.95 a month for the sub-3G 256Kbit/s G Fast option, or $109.95 for the pacier Super G Fast option.
No matter how you look at it, 3G broadband remains an expensive business (and we haven’t even mentioned the $400 or so you’ll pay for the access card). However, if a company can better the existing 3 price with a genuinely national network, we suspect there’s a fortune waiting to be made.
