Mobile Broadband Costs
The cost of mobile broadband is getting cheaper all the time as providers compete with each other to offer better deals and new devices such as the iPhone and iPad change the way we use mobile broadband and force the introduction of new plans. We constantly monitor the top mobile broadband providers in Australia for the best deals and compare similar plans on this site. We’re also seeing more bundled deals such as free netbooks or smartphones so it pays to shop around and see what you can get for your money.
There are two ways in which you can pay for mobile broadband: through a monthly contract which is usually for 24 months or sometimes 12 months, or on a pay as you go basis. The contracts are generally better value but don’t offer the flexibility of pre-paid options.
If you opt for a monthly plan, the costs to consider are:
- The monthly cost for the data allowance on the plan.
- Any monthly modem or device charges or any up-front costs of buying a device.
- Any additional costs that may be incurred if you exceed the data download limit or if you roam outside the designated coverage areas.
The other cost to consider is the penalty that will be incurred if there’s a chance you may want to terminate the contract before the end of the term.
Ongoing Monthly Costs
You pay a set minimum amount per month depending on your data requirements. The cheapest mobile broadband plans are around $15 to $20 for 1GB of data per month. At the upper end with high data plans , prices are around $40 – $50 a month for 5GB - 7GB of data. New plans and deals are coming out all the time so check our popular plans for the latest costs.
Device Costs
You need a device such as a USB modem, a smartphone or a netbook / laptop to use mobile broadband. Mobile broadband devices are either offered free as part of a plan, there is a monthly charge for the device over the term of the contract or you can purchase a device outright up front. There’s no best way to do this. It pays to check out the deals that mobile broadband providers are offering at any one time but other than that it’s a case of weighing up the total costs over the term of the contract and evaluating your own requirements against the offers.
Exceeding Usage Limit
Mobile Broadband plans are on the basis of data downloads and with a contract you pay for a maximum amount of data per month. In calculating your costs you need to be aware what happens if you exceed the download quota for the month. Some providers charge a fee per megabyte for excess data. Other providers don’t charge any extra but slow down the connection until the next billing period. To avoid these extra charges or diminished service it’s important to evaluate your data requirements, pick the right plan and then stick to the limit. An alternative may be pre-paid mobile broadband depending on how easy it is to stick to the limits imposed with a contract.
Roaming
It’s important to consider where you will be using mobile broadband and check the coverage for each provider. 3 Mobile charge roaming fees for mobile broadband access outside their coverage areas which can become quite expensive although they have recently entered into an agreement with Telstra and those charges are now greatly reduced.
