Optus Mobile:
Optus has a myriad of data plans for various devices, but we will focus on their E173 USB stick modem. With it, Optus offers 1 month of free access, unlimited data for social networks within Australia, no excess usage charges, round-the-clock support, wide 3G dual band coverage, and, like most sticks, it’s fast.
Hardware:
The most popular modem from Optus is the E173 USB ‘stick’ modem. It can handle up to 7.2mbps and has a micro SD card slot.
12 Month Data Cap Plans:
Their most affordable plan has an upfront cost of $69 and costs $4.95 a month but has no included data. It’s designed for people who want to browse Facebook (Facebook is not counted against data usage) and occasionally check their email or search Google for something. You can however top up with Data Blocks on all these plans. Over the course of 1 year you’re looking at spending $54.45 in total.
Next up is the $19.95 per month option and this too has a $69 upfront fee. It also gives you 2GB a month of data and over 12 months it will cost you $219 (without topping up). Then, for $29.95 a month and no upfront fees charged, you will receive 4GB of data. This is for people with moderate surfing needs and the price over 1 year will be $329.45. Another option is $39 a month and that will get you a nice 8GB monthly without any upfront fees. After 12 months you will have spent $439.45 with this one.
The first month’s access is free for all of the above plans. For these last two below, Optus is offering a $20 discount on each for a limited time and there is no upfront fee on them either:
$59/10GB per month ($439.45 total)
$79/16GB per month ($659.45 total)
Month-To-Month Data Cap Plans:
Their cheapest monthly plan is $29 per month and this gives you 4GB. Then we have the $39 option with 8GB’s of data and the $59 per month option gets you 10GB. The $79 one includes 16GB.
All of these have a $69 upfront fee to them.
Data Blocks:
These allow you to top up your data with a one-off fee. However, with Optus you can only do it 4 times in one month and any unused data does not roll over into the next month so you have to use it all. If you go over your chosen package’s data amount within the month, and you continue using data, you will be charged at 8c per MB for peak, and 4c per MB for off-peak. Peak is 7am to 12pm and off-peak is 12pm to 7am. However, Optus web mail, Optus myZOO and Facebook are not counted against your data consumption at all. You can surf these as much as you want.
Optus is a sponsor of the Australian Open and is a company focused on service. They are the second-biggest network with many other mobile service providers using the Optus network for their products.