jery_wang

Hi,

Can anyone tell me what's the cheapest for:

1. Fixed line
2. Mobile
3. Broadband

in Melbourne?

I have checked that fixed line:
Telstra is cheaper than Optus. Telstra is 17.5c per call for $29.95 rental.

Mobile: Optus prepaid cheaper than Telstra prepaid. Optus is 37c per 30s.

Broadband: (from http://www.whirlpool.net.au/)
http://www.exetel.com.au/a_plan_pricing_new.htm
for $35/mo with 512kb/128kb. The good thing is that the off-peak is unlimited.

Any idea with other provider?

Thanks.
Jerry

Banksia

For cheapest fixed line, go VoIP with engin.com.au. 10 cents unlimited for ALL calls within Australia. About $10 for the number rental. Overseas rates are cool too but phone cards are hard to beat. You can still use phone cards with Engin.

Just watch the impact on your internet rate as packages can make that a bit cheaper but nothing non-VoIP touches VoIP.

ozzieeagle

Orange is defenitely the cheapest mobile, at 18cents per minute, you can also ring the UK at that rate. Also free for 5 mins to any other orange user 24/7. So if you and your partner have one, It's free calls. Cheapest plan is 22 dollars per month for 2 mobiles.


Voip, by anyone is the cheapest way to phone, you need broadband for this though.

Iprimus could well still be the cheapest Telco for broadband and phone calls, However their service is woeful, 1 hour waits waiting for assistance quite common, and their broadband only goes up to 512k at present, They used to include free local calls in their bundled package, I think it's only 150 calls now.

I went to IInet, for speed compared to price being the draw, as speed wise they are the fastest available at present, 16 x faster than Iprimus at it's best, for about 15 dollars a month more, plus the download capacity is 4 times greater. plus you get a free voip line.

jery_wang

Anyone tried http://www.exetel.com.au/a_plan_pricing_new.htm
It's $35 for 512/128 up to 8 GB and download between 1am - 10am is uncounted.

This looks very good.

jery_wang

Hi,

I cannot find the $22 for 2 mobiles on Orange website.

How is the voice quality of iinet when you use VoIP?

Thanks
Jerry

ozzieeagle

Orange regularly advertise pairs of phones as special offers in the press. Just keep an eye out, best bet the weekend papers.


My IInet voip service works fine, the quality is noticeabliy different from the fixed line, however the service is more than adequate bearing in mind the cost. I will add that the broadband speed maybe relevant, and IInet start at 1.5 mpbs.


Just did a quick check, they are now down to 18 dollars for two phones... on the following URL


http://www.orange.net.au/pages/defau...d=2&pageid=440

martinw01908

I'm researching Australia as as place to emigrate to. Costs of everyday things are things I'm looking at. I notice that standard broadband is not as fast as it is in the UK. Its $35 (£15) for a 512K connection with only 128K upload with only a 2GB download allowance. For £15 in the UK you can get up to 2Meg broadband with no activation fee and 10GB allowance and 256K upload.

You can get faster in Aus but its expensive. 1.5Meg broadband with 256K upload is $70.00 per month! With a $145.00 line activation fee!

Does anyone know why broadband is so expensive in Aus? Is there some kind of Telecoms monopoly there. Its a bit like Ireland was a few years ago it seems. Or am I completely wrong?

ossigeno

Australia is a completely different environment to the UK. Big country with a dispersed population compared to a tiny island with overcrowded population.

Telstra have a monopoly on the local-loop exactly the same as BT do in UK. I would add that I think the broadband market is probably a year or two behind the UK.

I have 1.5/0.25 for $45/month.

martinw01908

Cheers. So lots of long cable runs between towns? Small numbers of subscribers on each exchange? (although probably not in the cities)

$45 is not so bad - thats about the same as UK prices, who is that with if you don't mind saying?

ossigeno

I am with AANet. I am on their 12 month 1500/Sp plan, can't see this on their site anymore, nearest is a 6 month 1500/SPV for $55/month.

The place to research is on Whirlpool. Personally I would choose between iiNet, aaNet or Internode. Probably go for a ADSL2 package next time,

e.g iiNet or Internode

ozzieeagle

There are no activation fee's with IInet, IInet speeds start at 1.5 megs x 256, through to 12mbps x 2048, (for the same price, as they call it their ADSL2 package) they have a lite user download rate of 59 bucks per month, for 8 gigs downloads. Their medium user package is 40 gigs, for 69 buck and all ltheir packages include a free voip service, which is basically a second telephone line. It's 30 bucks per month to get a telephone line here, so the voip component makes it a really good deal.

You may be getting the activation fee mixed up with the modem cost.

Australia and the UK, now both have ADSl+2 which is 24,mbps.

jery_wang

Thanks.

When you say the quality is noticeably different from the fixed line, can you still talk without repeating any words?

I used phone card a lot which also uses VoIP, to some destination the quality is bad until the other party can't hear clearly to what I say and I keep repeating what I say.

Jerry

ozzieeagle

In all honesty, I would say 85pct of the time Its very good, I have had some bad calls, there again, you can hang up and pick a different line/route. No probs with local calls.