Text message cost scandal
Some simple research has proved what many people have known for a long time — Australians are being ripped off by telcos when it comes to the cost of text messaging.
The standard flat rate for a text message at Telstra and Optus has remained unchanged at 25 cents, while at Vodafone, a text is 28 cents.
All carriers offer discount plans, generally for text messages to other people with the same carrier, eg the Telstra one-cent text to other Telstra users.
According to the article, the cost of texting on the GSM (2G) system is effectively free for the telecommunications companies, as they piggyback on the management channel used for the operation of the network. Costs on the 3G network are miniscule.
“The 25 cent cost of a text, for 160 bytes, means Optus and Telstra effectively charge $1560 per megabyte. If comparing with a $30 internet plan with a download limit of 10 gigabytes, the charge per megabyte is 0.3 cents, including free email.” (more…)
New Year SMS peak
I filed a story on the newspaper website today about Optus expecting a record number of text messages to be sent in Australia on New Year’s Eve.
I thought it was one of those quirky yarns that people would be interested to read.
Optus expects customers to send a record 57 million text messages and make 67 million mobile phone calls tomorrow. Last year, Optus mobile customers sent 44 million SMS and made 58 million mobile phone calls on New Year’s Eve.
On Christmas Day this year, Optus customers sent nearly 50 million text messages, an increase of 28pc from 2008.
The website stats went ballistic this afternoon. For most of the day there were more than 50 people on the site at any given time and most of them were reading that article. (more…)
Google Android phone on Telstra
I have a new Google Android HTC Magic mobile phone working on the Telstra network.
Telstra is not expected to offer the phone until later this year, and even then it will probably be an expensive purchase on a plan.
I acquired mine from Hong Kong via eBay for $650 including postage. It was “unlocked” which means you can insert a SIM card from any service provider and it should work. (more…)
HTC Magic on Telstra
I have a HTC Magic Google Android phone working on the Telstra network in Australia.
I bought the phone on eBay from Hong Kong and installed a ROM that added the Google features, including Android Market.
I’ll write this weekend in more detail about the process (which isn’t easy).
- New topic now posted
Telstra marketing harassment
A story on The Age website talks about aggressive telemarketers acting for Telstra.
TSA Telco Group has been contracted by Telstra to win back customers who have switched to a new telco.
There are claims the company ignores the Do Not Call register and employees pose as Telstra staff. (more…)
Bigpond billing game
I cancelled my Bigpond wireless broadband account when I moved from Kalgoorlie to Mount Gambier. It wasn’t cheap at $89 a month for about 250MB of data and the kids broke the modem, so overall it was a lost cause and superfluous.
I was actually in credit when I closed the account because I had inadvertently paid a couple of months while also having a direct debit drawn. Bigpond said they would reimburse me with a cheque. (more…)
It’s hard to love Telstra
I’d like to like Telstra, I really would. They have the best network and they are currently majority Australian owned. They used to be our national public telco.
In addition to having the best network, you’d think one of their competitive advantages in regional Australia was having a network of Telstra shops.
I visited the Telstra Shop in Kalgoorlie today and left unimpressed. (more…)
