As Optus halves allowances, Vodafone cuts prices. Wireless broadband is getting really interesting.
We'd already complained about Optus' rather stringent rules on its Pre-Paid broadband offerings -- specifically that usage was counted in 10MBps blocks, even if you only downloaded a kb or two of data each time -- when the service launched, but yesterday the company inexplicably made its pre-paid wireless broadband even worse value.
From the 24th of November, your pre-paid Optus purchases will get you half the data they used to. Recharge now with $30? You'd get 2GB of data. Recharge after the 24th? 1GB only (or 1.15GB if you recharge online). $40 used to get you 4GB, but will only buy you 2GB after late November, and both of those options only last for thirty days, with the same 10MB minimum hit each time you log in. You can check out Optus' new pricing schemes here .
And at the same time that Optus is seemingly doing its best to make Telstra's Next-G look affordable (and with Optus' 10MB hits, it arguably now is), Vodafone's still plugging away at the budget end of the market, announcing pricing cuts to its 24-month contract broadband plans.
Vodafone's 1GB plan (with a $5 Internet Stick repayment) drops from $29.95 to $19.95 (or $24.95 in real terms), while its 5GB plan will cost you $39.95/month with no modem repayments to bear. Those are prices that you used to have to bundle a mobile service with to get out of Vodafone, but they're now offering them on their own. Vodafone's pricing and plans details can be accessed here. Like many of the wireless deals out there, these are 24-month contracts.
Also see Unwired undercuts 3's wireless broadband