I've just been comparing plans again for my 1st gen iPhone, which of course I own outright and which is unlocked.
I hadn't been taking much notice of Telstra, because anecdotal evidence seemed to suggest that they are always the most expensive. But I've stumbled across a different plan and its cheap enough that I wonder whether I'm misunderstanding something.

The Telstra Get Connected Member Plan looks pretty cheap.

For a $25 a month minimum, over 12 or 24 months, you get 5 cent a minute calls to all Australian landlines and to Telstra mobiles, or 36 cent a minute to other mobiles. The flag fall is 35 cents and the billing increments are 1 minute (which adds up) so those bits are more expensive than their standard plans. You can add a data pack to that with 150 mb for $10.00.

That looks surprisingly good to me. Am I missing something?

UPDATE: I was missing something. Despite every indication on their webpage, it now looks as though the $25 "minimum spend" is in fact an access fee and includes no usage at all. Apparently on this plan, all usage is defined as "excess usage"!! Go figure!

Okay, it looks like I can now answer my own question. The third person I talked to at Telstra, and the first one who sounded sure about what they were saying, said that the $10/150mb data pack is only available to a 3G phone. GPRS data packs cost an outrageous $85/10mb!

So unless anyone knows otherwise, it doesn't look like a goer for a 2G unless you are happy to go without GPRS data access. Does anyone know of a cheaper GPRS/EDGE pack with Telstra?

It may still leave the possibility of the Get Connected Member Plan for someone who owned an iPhone 3G outright though.

EDIT (14/8): Now I've found several posts on other threads that report that you can take a 3G/NextG plan with Telstra and put the 3G chip in the 1st gen iPhone and it will work fine, simply reverting to GSM & EDGE. Can anyone confirm that this is still the case?

EDIT: I can now confirm that this is the case myself. The 3G SIM works fine in the 2.5G phone. The Get Connected plan is not as good as it looks though, for the reasons described in the update to the post above.

I refer of course to Tasmania, the jewel in Australia's crown - yes, I'm totally biased.

There are a few disadvantages in living here, another has become evident now that I really would like to buy an iPhone.
For Tassie-wide coverage, Telstra have us by the short and curlies.

The data pack is bad enough, but looking at the overall cost of owning an iPhone, call costs are a big part.
With my current telco (Southern Cross) I get fantastic mobile call rates. 15c per 30 secs, calculated by the second with a 15c flagfall. There are other great benefits including no contracts, and just pay for what you use.

However...no 3G, they won't provide that until Optus upgrade the service in Tassie, and that will be at least a year away.

I've read all the posts here but I am still unsure. What would you do if you lived here, wait for Optus or cough up Telsta's fees?
Would you go on a plan or buy outright?

You could consider buying a 2nd-hand 1st generation iPhone and staying on the plan you are currently on. Then you'd get most of the benefits of an iPhone while you wait for the Tasmanian 3G upgrade.

Has anyone else seen the new Topless Virgin plan? It's Post-Paid $99, leave when you want, all you can eat unlimited calls with 1 gig of data.

Am thinking of going on this until a decent plan appears for people who have already paid out their iPhones (like me)

Seems like everyone is getting cheaper and better plans recently due to the iPhones launch.

And this is a pretty damn good plan... Expensive, but with the choice to leave being there.. unresistable until i feel i no longer need the overkill of unlimited calls, and as we all know by now, a gig of data is more then enough to use 3g everywhere.



Rates – Cheap rates on great value pre-paid & monthly plans

I would go for the cheapest Optus plan which is $19 for the plan and $21 for the iphone so 42 a month which is a total of $1008 over two years.

This is your iphone 24 month installment plan, not much differnace to buying outright and unlocking.

Then unlock and take it to Three.

Iv'e found my Three sim works with no problems data download is (in my experience) 3-5 times faster too and the X series plans are so good value eg $20 for 2gig-that's if you have a Three plan already.

The official Three packs aren't bad either-you have to watch the roaming to telstra though so be careful but I have my optus sim as a back up when I venture out of the city.

Hello!

I've already googled to solve my problems, but its a little bit too special so I need your personal advice.
First fo all I have to say that I'm an 16 years old German exchange student and I will probably stay in Australia until next year July.
I now want to buy an 16 GB iPhone 3g but Im not really sure whether i should choose and plan or buy prepaid!?
I phone a little bit, text a lot (!!) and would also use a lot of data (but dont know exactly how much it would be!?)!

So my Questions:

1. Prepaid or Plan?
1.1. If Prepaid, whats about the data amount?
1.1. If Plan, which of the 5 Provieder (Vodafone, Optus, Telstra, Three, Virgin)?

2. What would be my amount of data if I:

- use a lot of Youtube

- normal to much web-surfing

- checking e-mails each hour

- using applications (relatively often i would say)

- have wifi at school and at home

Are that 500MB? or 1GB?

3. Is the difference between "Monthly Minimum Speed" and "Motnhly Handset Repay" that if your text/call-value in one month is 50$, with the first one you are just charged 50$ and with the second one you are charged 50$ PLUS the Handset Repay?


Maybe some of you guys could suggest some of the Plans from here, if you think I should take a Plan rather than Prepaid!

Thank you ahead!

greets timo

Yes, that might be a good way to start off with iPhone. Are you suggesting you have one for sale or know who has?

I don't. But I reckon with all the people upgrading, there must be a few going on eBay etc.

Problem solved!!! (I hope)
I ordered an iPhone today from Telstra. Got onto the business plan they now have:
16gb black iPhone, $289 upfront.
$65 plan 24 months contract
Unlimited, untimed calls to all landlines and Telstra mobiles
30c per minute to non telstra mobiles
$10 data pack 150mb
$5 SMS pack unlimited texts

Unless I've missed something, that seems a good deal to me.
So this Friday I should have my phone delivered to my door!!

Hmm...can nobody help me with my problems?

Go on the Virgin $70 plan. 1GB of data (heaps) and a 16GB iPhone for $4. Plenty of calls included in that $70 cap too.

But that are about $1700...thats too much (i forgot to set a price-limit). Dont want to spend more than $1000 in total!!! And just a 12-month-contract ... does anybody has a suggestion?

Hi guys,

I did blog post about how the various plans out there stack up for me and my requirements ie decent call package , minimum 1GB of data, metro coverage. I came up with Virgin for me but if you want more info you can checkout my post at Tragic Rambit: Which Iphone Plan in Australia is the best?.
Good luck, its pretty daunting filtering through all the plans out there.

I can't make up my mind between virgin or $39 Optus. I want the iphone for data, don't care about calls much. While it would be wifi at home, I would use the iphone on the daily commute (about 3/4 hour each way, five days a week), and maybe a bit during the day. Would 500mb be enough, or should I go for the virgin gig? The other bit that appeals with virgin is the free V2V (my wife is virgin ) and the unlocked phone.