Telecom XT - Smart Phones; Stupid Plans?
Vodafone's iPhone $40 plan offers the following for $40 per month on a 24 month contract:
- 250Mb mobile data (overage at 25c/Mb)
- 30 minutes anytime calling to any network (overage at 89c/min)
- 300 TXTs to any network (overage at 20c/TXT)
In return for signing on for 24 months, Vodafone offers you a $480 subsidy off the retail price of the iPhone.
How does Telecom compare?
Sadly, even though Telecom offers a selection of "smartphones" to their customers, all of their plans are built on the fundamental component "voice minutes". Instead of offering "packages" to their smartphone users, you are forced to start with a voice plan, then add txts, then add data (with one exception - see below).
I don't know about you, but I don't make a lot of calls on my phone. That's due largely to the high cost of calling, and Telecom's voice minute packages aren't going to encourage that to change.
The very cheapest base "voice minute" plan (compulsary) is One Rate 50, which offers 50 minutes any time for $29.95. You can't choose fewer minutes, nor can you choose not to buy any minutes. Every plan must be customised around a One Rate plan. The next level above is One Rate 100, offering 100 minutes for $49.95 - but this alone is more expensive than Vodafone's $40 plan and does not include ANY data.
After you have chosen a One Rate voice package, you can then add TXT and data packages. Let's assume that you can make do with 150 TXTs (the cheapest TXT package add-on at $6). Bolted onto One Rate 50, we are now at $35.95 for 50 voice minutes and 150 TXTs.
Most smartphone users are going to be looking at using between 120Mb and 250Mb of data ($12 and $18 respectively). Assuming you can make do with "just" 120Mb of data, this is how your plan with XT shapes up at $47.95 per month (open term):
- 120Mb mobile data (overage at 50c/Mb)
- 50 minute anytime calling to any network (overage at 58c/min)
- 150 TXTs to any network (overage at 20c/TXT)
That's significantly more expensive than the Vodafone iPhone $40 plan (20% more), and offers less data, less TXTs, but 50 voice call minutes instead of 30 minutes). And what about handset subsidies? While Vodafone offers $480 for a 24 month contract, Telecom offers a pathetic $80 to sign on for 24 months ($40 for 12 months). It is nice to have the open term option (ironically it wasn't that long ago that Vodafone offered only open term plans while Telecom forced contracted terms), but with the subsidies on offer with Vodafone it is definitely worth consideration.
It would seem that Telecom doesn't really focus their plans at users like me that don't talk much, but instead use the smartphone more for data. Even last year when Telecom offered an enticing $600 credit for bringing an iPhone to XT, that required you to sign up for One Rate 180 offering 180 minutes of calling for $79.95 per month (no data, no TXTs).
Telecom plans will no doubt suit a lot of corporate clients who do a lot of voice calling. But for the average non-business user like me, I don't think Telecom really cares much for our business. At least that's all that I can ascertain in my appraisal of their offerings for iPhone users that are keen on bringing their shiny new devices onto XT.
There is one exception to the "rule" of having to customise XT plans by starting with voice, then bundling TXT, then bundling data. The "Text and Talk 300" plan is available until July 31 for $29.95 per month. With this base plan, you could get the following for $41.95 per month (signup required by July 31, 2010):
- 120Mb mobile data (overage at 50c/Mb)
- 20 daytime minutes, 300 night & weekend minutes to any network (overage at 75c/min)
- 300 TXTs to any network (overage at 20c/TXT)
By the way, the title of this post is not meant to suggest for a moment that Telecom NZ is "stupid". On the contrary they have already acknowledged this feedback and I have every confidence that Telecom XT will take a look at their plans and consider my points above. Let's hope it happens sooner rather than later so New Zealanders can connect their smart devices to an arguably faster network.
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Comment by NonprayingMantis, on 28-Jul-2010 15:53 , user id: 37078)
there is also XT onebill which is $10 a month for 20mins and 200 txts.
http://telecom.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2083/kw/xt%20one%20bill/p/202/r_id/166
you can add a data plan onto that. nearest comparable one to the voda one is 240MB for $18
so that is $28 total for 20 anytime mins, 200 SMS, 240MB of Data
Voda is $40 for 50 mins, 150 SMS, 250MB of data.
sure you don't get the handset subisdy with that one that voda offer, but you do get similar level of value in the plan (esp if you don;t call much) for only 70% of the price. No contract either. Leave whenever you like
alternatively go prepaid. the only thing more expensive on prepaid is voice calling (which you say you don't really use). everything else is cheaper when you take into account bonus topups.
Comment by Buttonmash, on 28-Jul-2010 15:55 , user id: 34006)
That's not quite right.
Last year Telecom offered One Rate 180 with a $600 account credit ON TOP OF the $300 credit you already qualified for (for migrating from Vodafone), and they included the $18, 240MB data plan for free as well.
It was a very nice deal all things considered. Hopefully they'll come to the party again this time.
Comment by NonprayingMantis, on 28-Jul-2010 16:11 , user id: 37078)
@ahmad, yes sorry you are right. my bad. For some reason i thought it included 20 mins. As you say, you don't use voice calling much.
I wouldn't include the subsidy as part of the plan cost since you are also locked inot a 24 month contract - the subsidy is purchasing your right to leave at any time, not purchasing you a discount on the plan.
it really depends on if you can stay within the limits set out by the voda plan. the overage charges are quite high on the iphone40 plan.
if you were on prepaid and used a few more MB than your iPhone40 plan allowed you could well be better off on, say, the 500MB plan
similarly a few dozen SMS more than your small allowance and you get pinged at 20c/txt
Comment by Linuxluver, on 28-Jul-2010 16:17 , user id: 20622)
I am on a Vodafone Smart80 plan for two years. I got it with an HTC Magic, which I have since sold, and now use it with a Google Nexus One.
I have 120 minutes / month and I'm also part of a "family" group. That's unlimited 'everything' (voice, txt, pxt, video-calls) between 4 linked VF numbers. I rarely use my mobile to call anyone else and it's very common for me to end a month with over 100 minutes not used.
Beyond the 250MB of data (10c overage) included in my plan, I have had the 3GB / month data "promo" for the past 12 months and it ends September 1st. My monthly data usage has been around 1.5GB.
I got the Smart80 because I reckoned I'd do about 500MB / month in data and the additional charges would be $25, taking me to $105....whereas a plan with 500MB included - "Smart130" - was $130 / month. Even more unused minutes had no value to me at all. So Smart80.
I also have a "Broadband Pro" month-by-month acct with 3GB of data for $79.95 and *another* 3GB (if I need it) for an additional $10. This SIM is supposed to go in a Vodem, but works fine in my Nexus One. But any outgoing voice calls or txt are charged at very high rates. I don't care about the voice. I might use 10 minutes / month - but I do a fair amount of txt-ing...which is why so little voice.
Ideally, I'd like Smart80 with 3GB or 4GB and I'd happily pay $80-$100 / month for that.
Telecom? Nothing comparable as far as I can see. Their pricing model is still based on CDMA pricing plans (based on my recent experience with Bell Canada - a CDMA provider)....with a basic package and then eat your heart out on the myriad add-ons.
Telecom also don't yet have an Android phone that is appealing to me. I have no interest in iPhone. I don't like the walled garden at all.
Comment by rupertbg, on 28-Jul-2010 17:11 , user id: 46678)
Isn't the main reason for a Telco to have specific iPhone plans is because of the traffic? iPhones are a lot more likely to use large amounts of data, and I remember hearing somewhere that they traffic manage the iPhone plans, and that's why they give you more incentive to be on them. And maybe also why iPhone's are so much slower and flakey on Voda.
Comment by cmgoh, on 3-Aug-2010 08:36 , user id: 56088)
I came from Singapore...
For 3 yrs in thie beautiful country, I'm still on prepaid plan with Vodafone. I've not able to convinced and justified myself in getting a postpaid plan with any of the telcos here.
As much like the writer, I hardly make any phone calls (thanks to the telcos here, 89cents per min)
Since I hardly make mobile calls, I've signed up the BBLite with Vodafone that gives me 100MB for $10.
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Comment by Ian, on 28-Jul-2010 15:50 , user id: )
Good summary - it's also worth noting that for the last year or so Vodafone has been giving subscribers 3GB of traffic instead of 250mb, and also throwing in 1000 free PXTs. I expect to see this running out at some point (since they're charging astronomical amounts for the iPad plans now), but still, bonus!