Australia's cheapest iPhone plans - News - Communications

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This story was printed from ZDNet Australia.
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Australia's cheapest iPhone plans

By Joseph Hanlon,
July 10, 2008
URL: http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/Australia-s-cheapest-iPhone-plans/0,130061791,339290315,00.htm

At last we've come to the end of the secrets and speculation. We know everything about the iPhone 3G and we know how much each of the Aussie telcos will be charging us for one. All that's left to do is sift through the seemingly endless plans to discover the best value iPhone deals.

For the sake of comparison, we're looking strictly at out of pocket expenses. It's important to note that the charts below don't take additional services into account. While Telstra may look like "Australia's most expensive iPhone" — especially in regards to its data charges — some would argue that its network, services and coverage make up the difference.

Prepaid
In line with their initial iPhone announcements both Vodafone and Optus will offer the iPhone out of contract with prepaid SIM cards. These handsets will be network locked but both companies offer unlocking for an additional fee.

	Outright — 8GB	Outright — 16GB	Unlocking fee
Optus	$729	$849	$80
Vodafone	TBC	TBC	$75

Cheapest plan — 8GB model
This chart represents the cheapest iPhone on a post-paid contract over the life of a 24-month contract.

	Monthly spend	Handset payment	Included calls	Included data	Minimum total cost
Optus	$19	$21 p/m*	$50	100MB	$960
Vodafone	$69	$189 or $7.88 p/m*	$310	250MB	$1,845
Telstra	$30	$279	$25	5MB	$999

*p/m = per month

Cheapest $0 upfront — 8GB
Each of the carriers will offer the iPhone fully subsidised at a certain price point.

	Monthly spend	Included calls	Included data	Minimum total cost
Optus	$79	$550	700MB	$1,896
Vodafone	$169	$1,200	1GB	$4,056
Telstra	$80	$70	10MB	$1,920

Big Spender — 16GB
Have you got a pile of cash begging to be spent on mobile calls and data? This chart shows the opposite end of the the spectrum; the most costly plans with each of the carriers.

	Monthly spend	Included calls	Included data	Minimum total cost
Optus	$179	$1,500	1GB	$4,296
Vodafone	$169	$1,200	1GB	$4,056
Telstra	$100	$90	10MB	$2,400

In summary
Optus is subsidising the handset at a lower price point than Vodafone and will appeal to shoppers looking for the cheapest price over the life of their contract. However, Vodafone offers significantly increased data allowances and, while you'll pay a premium for the handset, will appeal to people who intend to use the internet heavily.

Alternatively
If you felt, as many have, that iPhone pricing is exorbitant, then one alternative would be to take your unlocked iPhone to Australia's forgotten carrier 3 Mobile. The table below assumes you sign up to 3's AU$29 cap plan plus the 500MB X-series plan for AU$20 per month. The handset cost is the cost of a prepaid Optus iPhone plus the unlocking fee.

However, a word of warning; 3 spokespeople were unsure if iPhones bought from other carriers and unlocked would function on its network. "We don't know," a spokesperson said. "We haven't seen one. We are not going to know until the phones have launched and people start trying."

	Handset cost	Monthly spend	Included calls	Included data	Minimum total cost
8GB	$809	$49	$150	500MB	$1,985
16GB	$929	$49	$150	500MB	$2,105

For all the information you need about the iPhone in Australia check out our iPhone launch centre, and stand by for our full review of Apple's hotly anticipated smartphone.