paulry

Their deal offerings look good

astera

Yeah, but is it really needed over the <$25/mth annual offer from Kogan?

On a side note, are there any major differences between what networks these "virtual operators" like Kogan, Amaysim or Virgin are based on? Apart from 4G, are there any coverage differences? Would being based on the Telstra network be a big plus or no difference at all?

paulry

The Amaysim pay as you go deal is better value for my wife and I, and my kids could get by with the $20 deal - though I would be tempted to get them the $25 Kogan deal to eliminate the risk of shock bills.

astera

I take it that when leaving Australia (but still requiring a mobile number - for ibanking purposes for instance) the best choice would be Vodafone's 365-day validity prepaid deal at just $20?

GarryP

https://www.aldimobile.com.au/plans ?

$15 for 365 on Telstra

astera

Interesting.

Though I'm more inclined to look at an operator that can get me what I need when I am in Oz and then give me a long-term (365 day) deal that I can switch to when I leave for a couple of years or so...

astera

Bought one of these 4G prepaid mobile broadband modem/routers from Telstra (the one that can connect up to 5 devices simultaneously) and was very happy with it.

For $149 I got the equipment and 5 GB of data included for the first month, after which $180 should keep you connected for a full 12 months if you don't use too much data.

paulry

How much data do you get over the 12 months?

astera

12 gigs, so I wouldn't use it as my main connection. For $199 you get 18 GB from Virgin but no 4G.

Personally I'm fine with the 12 gigs even though during my last trip I had to use it as my main connection so I ended up using quite a bit of the first month's 5GB allowance.

paulry

It's competitive with what else is on offer but it's still seems expensive for what you're getting.

astera

Just curious but what prices do people get for international calls from their landlines where they just dial a certain prefix to route the call via a different operator?

I know my grandma uses this but every time I ask who this goes through she doesn't actually know, except that it apparently costs a lot less.

GarryP

You should be able to get calls for little more than a local call in the destination country. Basically they route the calls over the VoIP to an endpoint in the country, so there's no reason it should cost any more. eg my VoIP to the UK is about 1p/min

Obviously using a computer to computer type call (eg Skype, Viber) are free, and usually video as well.

Higher rates are only there as traps for the unwary/stupid.

lesleys

A useful starting point

http://prepaidplans.com.au/

astera

Awesome link, many thanks.

What is this Lebara company like? Are the decent when it comes to stuff like international calls (quality of the connection), etc.?

I also noticed Dodo, a company that a neighbour once used for mobile broadband. I thought they used to make use of the Telstra network but now I see that they are on Optus. Putting 4G aside, how does the Optus infrastructure compare to that of Telstra?

astera

Which networks' prepaid packs feature the actual mobile phone number on the reverse of the packaging?

I was looking at Optus prepaid SIM packs and they have a "control number" listed on the back. Is this also the SIM's mobile number in Optus' case?

P.S. On a side note, prepaid mobile internet from Telstra rocks. I'm using their 4G prepaid modem and the speed is phenomenal. i guess it really is a case of "you get what you paid for..."