Virgin offers the Huawei E1762 Mobile Modem (via the Optus network). They also offer the MiFi-style mobile router for $199, with the ability to share mobile broadband out to multiple devices.
They aren’t the only provider to offers such a service, but their pricing attractive and best of all they will unlock it for you as long as you recharge up a minimum value.
Virgin’s speeds are a little questionable. They somehow remain in the middle of the pack even though they use the Optus network. We have heard very similar reports about Exetel, except that they seem to be faster than Optus. It could be some kind of configuration issue.
Compared to Optus, Virgin’s plans offer much more in value. Data rates for postpaid customers aren’t cut in half. The $39/6GB plan has no excess cost involved, for the next 250 MB, you just get shaped. This makes it much easier to control and manage your usage. If that’s exceeded, which feels unlikely at shaped speeds, there’s a single penalty day taken out of the next month’s coverage.
Virgin isn’t available in either NT nor Tasmania (Optus isn’t there at the moment). Although speed is an issue, they are well ahead of several providers when it comes to value for money.
