4000 Psi

hi, i need advise in understanding how typical land-line phone service fees
compare to a typical cellular service fees in AUS ... could someone
recommend some good deals on both in the Brisbane area ... thank you!

Alan

On Fri, 28 May 2004 12:38:11 -0700, "4000 psi" <nospam@for_me.com>
wrote:

    >hi, i need advise in understanding how typical land-line phone service fees
    >compare to a typical cellular service fees in AUS ... could someone
    >recommend some good deals on both in the Brisbane area ... thank you!

Too many variables to answer.

See:
http://www.optus.com.au/Vign/ViewMgm...ew_200,FF.html

and
http://telstra.com/index.jsp


Cheers, Alan
--

A Mate

There are literally hundreds of 'deals' and various combinations depending
on just whom you choose as your phone provider - and what services you want
bundled - internet, mobile, cable TV, land line.

Essentially most land lines are owned by Telstra, which however wholesales
services to other providers. The next biggest owner of land lines is Optus,
who also buy land line space from Telstra (Still with it???).

Personally I have an Optus phone service (bundled with cable internet). Line
rental about $27 per month (including 50 free local calls). Local call cost
15c each.

I have a Vodafone prepaid mobile service (I'm a light user, keep it so
family can ring me!!). $30 for a 6 month sim usage, including $15 call
credit. Recharge cards available everywhere. Cable TV I use Foxtel (Telstra
are part owners!).

The major mobile providers are Telstra, Optus and Vodafone. They own all the
towers, but wholesale to an army of resellers. Best coverage is Telstra (and
its resellers); but all three have essentially the same coverage for cities
and towns. It's only bush coverage that's significantly different. Telstra
also run a CADMA network, which gives much better rural coverage.

Best of luck in working out what's best for you!!



"4000 psi" <nospam@for_me.com> wrote in message
news:IyMtc.1918$aM1.1772@fed1read02...
    > hi, i need advise in understanding how typical land-line phone service
fees
    > compare to a typical cellular service fees in AUS ... could someone
    > recommend some good deals on both in the Brisbane area ... thank you!

4000 Psi

    > I have a Vodafone prepaid mobile service (I'm a light user, keep it so
    > family can ring me!!). $30 for a 6 month sim usage, including $15 call
    > credit. Recharge cards available everywhere.

what are you referring to when you say "Recharge cards"? i'm not familiar
with the concept ...

A Mate

As your prepaid credit balance diminishes you 'recharge' it by any one of
several ways. #1. Credit card. #2. Buy a credit at a post office - dial a
number and enter the code the PO sold you. #3. Buy a recharge card, sold at
all supermarkets newspaper shops etc. Scratch off the security coating to
reveal a number code. Dial the recharge number - enter the code!! Recharge
effectively pays money into your prepaid mobile account.

Remember in Australia every one and their kids down to 6 yrs or so owns a
mobile phone. Not all parents want to bestow unlimited call credits on their
offspring (Services offered through mobile phones can be mind boggling, and
very expensive). So you can control your mobile phone expenditure very
precisely if you wish to!!

Different carriers have different policies for subscribers whose credits
have expired. With Vodafone you can no longer dial out or sms - but you
continue to receive calls and sms messages for a time!!


"4000 psi" <nospam@for_me.com> wrote in message
news:zARtc.1965$aM1.998@fed1read02...
    > > I have a Vodafone prepaid mobile service (I'm a light user, keep it so
    > > family can ring me!!). $30 for a 6 month sim usage, including $15 call
    > > credit. Recharge cards available everywhere.
    > what are you referring to when you say "Recharge cards"? i'm not familiar
    > with the concept ...

4000 Psi

    > Different carriers have different policies for subscribers whose credits
    > have expired. With Vodafone you can no longer dial out or sms - but you
    > continue to receive calls and sms messages for a time!!

don't you get billed for both outgoing and incoming calls on a mobile ... if
you can still get calls for a time after charges have expired are these
incoming calls free?

do the mobile contracts include long distance service?

Daniel Bowen

"4000 psi" <nospam@for_me.com> wrote in message
news:6%Stc.1975$aM1.342@fed1read02...
    > > Different carriers have different policies for subscribers whose credits
    > > have expired. With Vodafone you can no longer dial out or sms - but you
    > > continue to receive calls and sms messages for a time!!
    > don't you get billed for both outgoing and incoming calls on a mobile ...
if
    > you can still get calls for a time after charges have expired are these
    > incoming calls free?

No, you only get billed for outgoing calls.

    > do the mobile contracts include long distance service?

All calls from mobiles are timed calls, whether they are going to local or
long distance numbers.

Recommend you read the web sites Alan referred to.


Daniel

Roger Martin

"4000 psi" <nospam@for_me.com> wrote in message
news:6%Stc.1975$aM1.342@fed1read02...
    > > Different carriers have different policies for subscribers whose credits
    > > have expired. With Vodafone you can no longer dial out or sms - but you
    > > continue to receive calls and sms messages for a time!!
    > don't you get billed for both outgoing and incoming calls on a mobile ...
if
    > you can still get calls for a time after charges have expired are these
    > incoming calls free?

Usually just outgoing calls are charged on mobiles.

    > do the mobile contracts include long distance service?

Unless you specifically block long distance calls on your phones you will
get every service thats available - information services, reverse charges,
international, etc etc.

My own preference is to go with Telstra for everything - phone, broadband
and mobile service - you get one bill, get discounts which I still dont
understand, the connection plan costs they have are similar to everyone else
out there.

I have a whinge about Optus - my son has one and we came upon a fatal road
accident late last year - he dialled 000 for the emergency services and it
rang out three times without being answered. By then someone else had got
through on 000.

A Mate

You only pay for incoming mobile calls in the USA and Canada as far as I
know. Certainly you only pay for outgoing in Australia and NZ (and
Europe!!).

All mobile phones pay the same for 'long distance' as for local (That 'long
distance higher rates' for cell phones is another North American speciality.
All mobile phones have access to all network services.


"4000 psi" <nospam@for_me.com> wrote in message
news:6%Stc.1975$aM1.342@fed1read02...
    > > Different carriers have different policies for subscribers whose credits
    > > have expired. With Vodafone you can no longer dial out or sms - but you
    > > continue to receive calls and sms messages for a time!!
    > don't you get billed for both outgoing and incoming calls on a mobile ...
if
    > you can still get calls for a time after charges have expired are these
    > incoming calls free?
    > do the mobile contracts include long distance service?

Alan

On Sat, 29 May 2004 14:47:52 +1000, "A Mate" <[email protected]>
wrote:

    >You only pay for incoming mobile calls in the USA and Canada as far as I
    >know. Certainly you only pay for outgoing in Australia and NZ (and
    >Europe!!).
    >All mobile phones pay the same for 'long distance' as for local (That 'long
    >distance higher rates' for cell phones is another North American speciality.
    >All mobile phones have access to all network services.

Almost all of the EU countries charge for incoming.
At least they did last year, when I was there.

Cheers, Alan
--

Alan

On Fri, 28 May 2004 19:58:03 -0700, "4000 psi" <nospam@for_me.com>
wrote:

    >> Different carriers have different policies for subscribers whose credits
    >> have expired. With Vodafone you can no longer dial out or sms - but you
    >> continue to receive calls and sms messages for a time!!
    >don't you get billed for both outgoing and incoming calls on a mobile ... if
    >you can still get calls for a time after charges have expired are these
    >incoming calls free?
    >do the mobile contracts include long distance service?

In Australia all incoming calls, mobile or fixed, are free. That is, as
long as you've paid for the basic service, there is no extra charge for
receiving calls.

It was quite a surprise (an unpleasant one) to find that wasn't the case
overseas.

On mobiles, it varies, but there is usually no difference between long
distance and local. It is more expensive to call overseas.

As I said earlier, it's complex. Check out the sites I mentioned. It
also depends on where you intend to go. There are some country areas
where GSM will not give coverage but CDMA does. There are vast areas
where the only coverage possible is satellite. So it also depends on how
critical instant communications are to you. If you intend wandering the
outback, sometimes a combination of CDMA and CB radio may be the more
inexpensive option, which is the way my mum does it in her motorhome. We
sometimes spent a week or two out of range in the caravan, then answered
a load of message bank queries on the mobile as soon as we got back to
civilization.

If you intend staying around Brisbane, GSM is fine but it will depend on
how long you intend being here and how much you will use the phone - for
outgoing only, incoming don't matter for cost. Some of the "cheap"
contracts are commitments for twelve or 24 months.

If you are only here for a short time, a pre-paid recharge card may be
best.

Cheers, Alan
--

A Mate

Last year - I used local pre-paid sims in Ireland, Italy and Turkey. NO
charge for incoming!!

I also used Fido in Canada - a charge for incoming calls - and very poor
coverage. gsm is not the main cell system in Canada!!


"Alan" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > On Sat, 29 May 2004 14:47:52 +1000, "A Mate" <[email protected]>
    > wrote:
    > >You only pay for incoming mobile calls in the USA and Canada as far as I
    > >know. Certainly you only pay for outgoing in Australia and NZ (and
    > >Europe!!).
    > >
    > >All mobile phones pay the same for 'long distance' as for local (That
'long
    > >distance higher rates' for cell phones is another North American
speciality.
    > >All mobile phones have access to all network services.
    > Almost all of the EU countries charge for incoming.
    > At least they did last year, when I was there.
    > Cheers, Alan
    > --

Alan

On Sat, 29 May 2004 21:49:55 +1000, "A Mate" <[email protected]>
wrote:

    >Last year - I used local pre-paid sims in Ireland, Italy and Turkey. NO
    >charge for incoming!!


Maybe not for pre-paid. I was on Telstra roaming:

Ireland:
http://www.telstra.com.au/mobile/pro...eratorid=28071
or http://tinyurl.com/2cz5e

gives incoming at AU$0.41, with a setup of AU$0.40. On the same site,
you can check Turkey ($0.80,$0.40) or Italy ($0.45, $0.40). I suspect it
is factored into the overall cost on pre-paids, because talking to
locals in Italy we confirmed that incoming was charged on their normal
mobiles, not just something Telstra added on. It varied a little in cost
between servers, and was something we checked before choosing when
roaming.

Australia is one of the very few countries that doesn't charge for
incoming. We travelled 14 countries in Europe. All charged incoming.
It's one reason we left the phone off most of the time, and called
people back or emailed after checking messages. It's hard to politely
get people to shut up when they don't realise it's costing you as well
as them.

The OP may find that his local service has roaming agreements with
Telstra or Optus, this may solve his problem, as it did ours, provided
his frequencies are compatible. We only had bi, not tri, so couldn't
roam in the USA.

Cheers, Alan
--

Dave Campbell

"Alan" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > In Australia all incoming calls, mobile or fixed, are free. That is, as
    > long as you've paid for the basic service, there is no extra charge for
    > receiving calls.
    > It was quite a surprise (an unpleasant one) to find that wasn't the case
    > overseas.
    > On mobiles, it varies, but there is usually no difference between long
    > distance and local. It is more expensive to call overseas.
    > As I said earlier, it's complex. Check out the sites I mentioned. It
    > also depends on where you intend to go. There are some country areas
    > where GSM will not give coverage but CDMA does. There are vast areas
    > where the only coverage possible is satellite. So it also depends on how
    > critical instant communications are to you. If you intend wandering the
    > outback, sometimes a combination of CDMA and CB radio may be the more
    > inexpensive option, which is the way my mum does it in her motorhome. We
    > sometimes spent a week or two out of range in the caravan, then answered
    > a load of message bank queries on the mobile as soon as we got back to
    > civilization.
    > If you intend staying around Brisbane, GSM is fine but it will depend on
    > how long you intend being here and how much you will use the phone - for
    > outgoing only, incoming don't matter for cost. Some of the "cheap"
    > contracts are commitments for twelve or 24 months.
    > If you are only here for a short time, a pre-paid recharge card may be
    > best.
    > Cheers, Alan
    > --
As stated by a few contributors, incoming calls to a mobile service are
free - provided you are contracted to an Australian network provider. If you
are using an overseas phone and global roaming, you will pay for incoming
and outgoing calls. (Not that this is likely to be a situation you find
yourself in. US cell phones don't work in Aus.)

In terms of network coverage, it's a bit hit-and-miss once you get away from
the main population centres. A few weeks back I was near Beechworth (Vic)
and, out of a group of us using various networks (Telstra CDMA, Optus
Telstra and Vodafone GSM) I was the only one who got any service, and that
was with Telstra GSM. Even other Telstra GSM users didn't get a signal. CB
radio is good for staying in touch with other members of your party, but if
you're really going seriously outback it's worth considering hiring an HF
(RFDS) radio. It costs, but 24-hour emergency watch is reassuring. Take a
look at http://www.rfds.org.au/hfradio.htm for a description.

There is, or was, a bit of a quirk with the pricing of Telstra's GSM. For
national calls, you pay whatever your contracted rate may be. For
international calls, you pay the fixed line rate plus an "air-time" charge.
Not sure if it still works, but recently it was cheaper for me to phone
Singapore than to phone somebody in the next street.

Dave Campbell

Frank Slootweg

Alan <[email protected]> wrote:
    > On Sat, 29 May 2004 21:49:55 +1000, "A Mate" <[email protected]>
    > wrote:
    >
    > >Last year - I used local pre-paid sims in Ireland, Italy and Turkey. NO
    > >charge for incoming!!
    >
    > Maybe not for pre-paid. I was on Telstra roaming:
    >
    > Ireland:
    > http://www.telstra.com.au/mobile/pro...eratorid=28071
    > or http://tinyurl.com/2cz5e
    >
    > gives incoming at AU$0.41, with a setup of AU$0.40. On the same site,
    > you can check Turkey ($0.80,$0.40) or Italy ($0.45, $0.40). I suspect it
    > is factored into the overall cost on pre-paids, because talking to
    > locals in Italy we confirmed that incoming was charged on their normal
    > mobiles, not just something Telstra added on. It varied a little in cost
    > between servers, and was something we checked before choosing when
    > roaming.
    >
    > Australia is one of the very few countries that doesn't charge for
    > incoming. We travelled 14 countries in Europe. All charged incoming.
    > It's one reason we left the phone off most of the time, and called
    > people back or emailed after checking messages. It's hard to politely
    > get people to shut up when they don't realise it's costing you as well
    > as them.

You were charged for incoming because you used an *Australian* mobile
phone (/SIM) while *outside* Australia. I.e. you have an Australian
phone number, but are outside Australia.

That is normal, i.e. as soon as I take my Dutch mobile phone outside
The Netherlands, I pay for incoming calls. What I pay is the part which
is *not* payed by the caller. The idea is that the caller has no way of
knowing that I am not in The Netherlands, so it is not fair for hir to
pay for the fact that I happen to be abroad, so (s)he pays the normal
local Dutch rate (i.e. so to speak "to the border") and I pay the rest,
i.e. "from the Dutch border" to whereever I happen to be.

So it seems that in the civilized world, there is no charge for an
incoming call to a local mobile phone number! :-)

[deleted]