Exetel went into a bit of a hibernation with their wireless mobile broadband collection in the past 12 – 18 months after being one of the first ISPs to really push mobile broadband and to provide with competitive pricing.

Having regularly read their business blog over the past 2 years, issues with hardware supply and wholesale pricing from Optus to make it worth their while have driven them to close their mobile broadband offers from the retail market.

Although you may have noticed that we kept their pricing on the PrepaidPlans.com.au site over the period. This is mainly because the offers remained active for Resellers and so were where able to offer them to you.

This week Exetel announced new 12 month mobile broadband plans. The plans run for 12 months and you can begin with the 1.5GB per month plan for $15 per month with excess data at 6c per MB. This upgrades to 5GB for $25 and goes all the way through to 18GB for $75 per month. Bare in mind a $15 connection fee applies.

You can find out more about Exetel Prepaid Mobile Broadband pricing here. Interested in their 12 month wireless mobile contract plans?

Quick post just before we shut down for the night. Walking around DickSmith at lunch today I couldn’t help but notice that Boost Mobile had sharpened their pencils and put forward a really competitive starter pack. Boost Connect is now offering a USB stick for $49 with 2GB of data that lasts for 20 days. Recharge packs then start at $10 for 360MB increasing to 7.2GB for $100 lasting for 60 days.

My prediction was that at some stage prepaid usb’s would be handed out the same way they hand out prepaid mobile sim cards. These now cost $2 in most stores.

Portable, lightweight and compact is what we all want when it comes to internet on the go. Vodafone has got this with the Pocket Wi-Fi™. Like a gadget from a cool Sci-Fi or some Spy movie, the Pocket Wi-Fi™ allows you to connect up to 5 Wi-Fi devices at once.

What can I use the Pocket Wi-Fi™ for?
Create your own little Wi-Fi hotspot for easy access to the Internet or set up a mobile office with up to 5 laptops (with Wi-Fi connection) at a café or even at a park.

Connect your tablet device to the Internet without having to search for a Wi-Fi hotspot

Why use a Pocket Wi-Fi™?

• Coverage – significantly boost in-building coverage. Place the Pocket Wi-Fi™ where you get the strongest signal connection your Wi-Fi enabled devices
• Portability – small enough to slip into your pocket or bag and it’s battery powered (up to 5 hours)
• Simple – no software to install, single button to switch on & securely connect WiFi enabled devices
• WiFi High 5 – access your MBB data allocation using up to 5 WiFi connections at once! You can connect all your WiFi devices such as your laptop, netbook, smartphone, iPad, iPod Touch, gaming console, etc.
• Connectivity – acts as both your 3G modem and WiFi router

While Vodafone offers the same modem hardware provider as the other non-Telstra carriers, it offer a rather flash interface for users to operate the account with.

Recent tests were undertaken by PC Authority who used a 7.2Mbits/sec capable K3715. This uSB has a retractable USB plug which retracts into the body of the modem when not in use. It means the cap can’t be lost and the plug’s unlikely to be accidentally snapped off.

PC Authority reported that although Vodafone’s software looked more user friendly, it was slightly less stable.

Vodafone’s speed test results put it generally in a third place position, slightly behind Optus and lagging Telstra significantly.

Vodafone’s claims that it covers “92% of the places you live and work in Australia”. Technically correct, however what this really means is that it works fine if you live around metropolitan centres.

In terms of value for money, Vodafone’s $29 pre-paid plan gives 2GB of data, double that of Virgin and doesn’t come with without Optus’ nasty 10MB per login sting. It also has a 12GB/365 day expiry plan which is great value if you are likely to have irregular usage and worry thta your credit might be wasted.

Monthly contract customers get the second cheapest per GB price, with a reasonable excess data charge and without the horrible speeds of Three.

Vodafone’s $29.95 plan hits the sweet spot of speed and affordability. While it never hit the heights of Telstra’s speed, it’s not charged at anywhere near the same rates. It ran second to Optus in speed terms, but by a short margin only, and Vodafone’s pricing plans for post-paid don’t cut your data in half in the second year.

A marginal speed victory over Virgin, combined with more data at the $29.95 price point, makes this the value broadband bundle to buy.

AAPT are the first Australian ISP to remove data caps and offer unlimited broadband plans starting at $100 a month. The offer isn’t just for broadband, it also covers line rental for a home phone line. You will however need to switch over to an AAPT home phone plan.

AAPT has also signed a deal with EMI to offer over a million tracks for free streaming plus $50 worth of music downloads (in MP3 format) every month.

You will need to sign up for a 24 month contract to get it, and when you add in your actual home phone calls your monthly bill will be higher than just $100.

AAPT/EMI PARTNERSHIP SETS AUSTRALIAN BENCHMARK 

IT’S MUSIC TO YOUR EARS

Sydney, 15 February 2010 – Australian telco, AAPT, has joined with record label EMI Music to launch a unique music service, the first of its kind in Australia.

The service – unlimited broadband and home phone line rental bundled with a music subscription – gives customers access to a massive catalogue of music with unlimited streaming, appealing to a wide spectrum of music lovers.

Customers can subscribe to the music service as part of a new AAPT 24/7 unlimited super fast broadband package or as an addition to a variety of AAPT’s existing value-for-money broadband plans.

Available from February 15, 24/7 Unlimited Broadband* offers customers unlimited broadband, home phone line rental, unlimited streaming of all catalogue on EMI Australia’s new digital platform, The In Song, and $50 worth of music downloads every month, for just $99.95.

Customers will have access to one million songs from multiple labels including artists such as Robbie Williams, Lily Allen, Jet, Norah Jones, Keith Urban, Madonna, Gabriella Cilmi, Eskimo Joe, Evermore, Green Day, Britney Spears, Kings Of Leon, Jessica Mauboy, Foo Fighters and thousands more. Subscribers can stream music 24/7 with no caps and no throttling – and create their own playlists with their favourite songs.

Existing AAPT broadband customers are able to add the Music package (unlimited music streaming and $50 monthly music downloads) to their existing plan for just $17.99.
“AAPT has committed to unlocking broadband restraints for the past year and what we are now launching will certainly change the telco landscape forever for consumers,” says AAPT Chief Executive Paul Broad.

“AAPT has led the way with unlimited products over the past 12 months, starting with 2am-to-8am, then 8pm-to-8am and now 24/7 unlimited, fast-speed broadband.

“When we launched our first unlimited product, we started considering how we, as an organisation, could support the music industry’s plight and actively encourage our customers to consider artists’ royalties when they downloaded music.

“It’s about giving others a fair go – and that’s what Australians are known for. Quite simply, it’s the right thing to do,” he said.

EMI’s Chairman Mark Poston said, “It’s our first venture into providing content in this manner and we’re excited that it’s an affordable way to access legal music downloads. It’s also a great chance for consumers to be able to stream music and hear songs from the depths of our extensive catalogue.

“This innovative partnership is in line with EMI’s strategy of making great music available to as many people as possible and focusing on the consumer experience.”

The music service uses EMI Australia’s new digital platform, The In Song – a million-plus song catalogue of high quality mp3s that work with any music device including iPods.

Anyone signing up to the Music package in the first three months will be in with a chance of winning their dream trip to a concert, anywhere in the world#. For more information about the product please visit – www.aapt.com.au/music

* PRODUCT DETAIL:

24/7 Unlimited Broadband: Residential use AAPT ADSL2+ coverage areas. 24/7 broadband with no caps, no throttling, home phone line rental (call costs extra) plus $50 of music downloads p/mth and access to up to 1 million songs with unlimited music streaming, all for $99.95 p/mth ADSL2+ on a 24-mth contract. Total minimum cost over 24 months $2398.80. Music pack (without 24/7 broadband) will be available as an add-on to any AAPT Broadband product or Bundle of AAPT for $17.99 per month on a 12-mth contract, available to new and existing customers. Total minimum cost over 12 months is 215.88.

This week saw the launch of the first month to month mobile broadband plan by both 3 Mobile and Vodafone. Month to Month means you get the same value as a 12 month plan without having to be tied into a long term contract. Your minimum stay with 3 Mobile and Vodafone is 1 month. So plenty of flexibility and value. Lets however see how these plans compare with going prepaid. 3 Mobiles month to month plans offer 1GB for $15 p/m, 3GB for $29, 6GB for $39 and 8GB for $49.If you were using your mobile broadband for emergency usage (ie you also have some form of fixed line at home/work) you might consider starting with the basic 1GB plan (enough for emails and some browsing each month). At $15 p/mth it would cost you $180 over 12 months and give you 12GB in total (1GB per month). You need to BYO a USB modem, or you can buy one outright with 3/Vodafone for $79 (totals $180 + $79 = $259). The prepaid mobile broadband alternative would be $149 inclusive of USB modem, comes with 12GB of data that would last you 12 months. So at the most basic level, prepaid is way ahead (by $110).

If 2-3GB per month was more in-line with what you would be using, month to month gives you 3GB for $29 p/mth, totaling $348 (36GB), plus $79 for the modem (or BYO). The equivalent in prepaid is 2GB for $29, totaling $348 (24GB), plus $69 or $79 for a modem. So the more you spend with your mobile broadband connection, the better the value the month to month plan will be. And remember, month to month means no long term contract, after one month, simply cancel the plan if you need to.

Some great product development this week by both Vodafone and 3 with the launch of a range of month on month or pay as you go mobile broadband plans. What this means is that you can now get the same or similar value offered by a 24-month contract, without actually being tied to a contract at all.

While there’s been a number of other adjustments, the big shift is the introduction of plans with a one-month contract, ranging from $15 for 1GB to $49 for 8GB. That’s essentially the same prices that Vodafone and 3 were previously charging for long-term contract users. You can either use your own modem or purchase one for $79. Super-casual broadband customers would probably still prefer pay-as-you-guy, but as an insurance policy for when ADSL goes down, $15 a month with no lock-in is pretty cheap.



ISP Adam Internet will deploy a firmware upgrade to its WiMAX network in Adelaide next quarter that will push the network’s capability beyond the current 15 Mbps limit.

Managing director Scott Hicks said the ISP had deployed the firmware upgrade in its labs ahead of the planned production rollout.

The network was currently capable of speeds up to 15 Mbps, although customers could achieve up to 12 Mbps due to an “artificial limit” imposed by Adam.

Hicks said that approximately 70 percent of customers on the network were achieving the artificial maximum 12 Mbps speeds.

The firmware upgrade would allow users to achieve speeds “significantly above” 15 Mbps, Hicks said.

“At the moment there’s 300 to 400 customers that are active on the network,” Hicks said.

“Of those customers, about 70 percent are getting the full potential speed they can achieve.

“Our network is designed so that the average distance for most customers from a tower is 1.5 km to 2km.”

As I said in an earlier post, over the weekend I visited several telco stores at our local shopping centre to find out just how easy it is to unlock a usb modem and buy another providers sim card to use it with. This is the feedback I received.

3 Mobile – the guys at the stand told that it was possible but they had never done it before. The recommended I bring in my laptop and give it a try. They just couldn’t guarantee that it would work. They said that I needed to ensure that the usb modem had actually been unlocked. What I forgot to ask was what was involved in unlocking a 3 Mobile USB modem.

Vodafone – told me that you couldn’t unlock your Vodafone modem. And if I wanted to use their recharge vouchers that I needed to buy one of their USM modems through which to use it.

Optus – told me that they had not unlocked a modem before and said that at a retail store level it was complicated. The store was actually a franchise store, so maybe I needed to speak to tech support person at Optus rather than a store. If you visit the Optus site though, it says that that modems are locked for 12mths and you need to pay a fee of $100 to unlock them. Remember that this is a fee not a recharge voucher.

Virgin – these where the only guys that gave me a confident answer that they could unlock a Virgin USM modem to be used on another providers plan. They also said that Virgin plans don’t charge you a fee to unlock the modem, you simply need to recharge atleast $80 on your new service.

So where does that leave us. If you want an unlocked USB modem, then Optus, 3 Mobile and Virgin are where to go. Optus will charge you $100 for the pleasure. 3 Mobile can’t guarantee if it will work or not and Virgin say Yes thanks we can unlock and we won;t charge you a fee.

I will do some more diging around 3 Mobile to what what else I can discover. Visit us at prepaidplans.com.au to find out how much buying a prepaid broadband sim card.