Biggest monthly data limit on XT Pre-Paid?

Forums › Spark New Zealand (including Skinny and BigPipe) › Biggest monthly data limit on XT Pre-Paid?

zan5hin

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#51804 1-Dec-2009 12:34

Hi, I am coming from Australia for 2 months in NZ and will be getting a Pre-Paid XT SIM. I am confused as to what the biggest data pack I can get, as I will have an iPhone and be tethering to my UMPC.

I emailed Telecom and I got back this reply:

Thank you for contacting Telecom.

With Pre Pay you can get the data plans which are available via the following link.
http://store.telecom.co.nz/mobile/prepaid/plans

In short you can pay $1.00 per day for up to 10MB or you can choose a data extra of $6 per month for 20MB, $12 for 120MB and $18 for 240MB. All other data plans are for post paid mobiles only.

This is ridiculous. Surely 500MB is available for the iPhone? I would really prefer the 2GB for $59.95 even.

Please help I am arriving this week and I need a geek opinion.

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#278237 1-Dec-2009 12:44

I'm not sure about the iPhone, but I have a data card with 500MB per month on Pre-pay costing $29.95.

If I go over that limit, I can use another 500MB of data for $29.95, giving me a total of 1GB for $59.90.

I can't see why Telecom would place stupidly low limits on an iPhone whereas they don't on a data card. Doesn't make any sense at all.

qraider

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#278241 1-Dec-2009 13:00

I don't think the plans are phone specific, i.e. they don't care whether you have an iphone or not.

Prepaid data plans: http://www.telecom.co.nz/mobile/mobilebroadband/plansandpricing/prepaid

Mobile Broadband 500MB
$29.95 per month 500MB (expires at the end of each calendar month).

$29.95 for an additional 500MB to use in the same calendar month, any data over this is 10c per MB

Casual rate
$1 a day for up to 10MB and $1 for each additional megabyte. As much as you want to use, and you only pay on the days you use it.

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70MK1

10 posts

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#278248 1-Dec-2009 13:07

grant_k: I can't see why Telecom would place stupidly low limits on an iPhone whereas they don't on a data card. Doesn't make any sense at all.

There is no limitations or differentations between what devices can go on what plans with XT. The plans are simply plans that you choose then use as you wish :) So really up to the end user as to what they want or need, I dont do a lot of data so just reply on the Casual Rate myself :)

@zan5hin take a look at the link below, the 500MB Plan is available for Pre-Paid, however it is hidiing under the "Mobile Broardband" pages. Again as above, no limitation on what device uses that plan

http://www.telecom.co.nz/mobile/mobilebroadband/plansandpricing/prepaid

[edit] qraider hit the submit button quicker than myself, must not eat and type at the same time lol

zan5hin

9 posts

Wannabe Geek

#278250 1-Dec-2009 13:15

Well I just called Telecom XT Mobile general enquiries and got through to some Phillipines call centre, I could barely hear the guy but when I said I want to bring my iPhone he started going on about how iPhones are not supported.

What are Telecom XT thinking....I am one of millions of tourists visiting new zealand and they are telling me I can't use my iPhone and when I can I have to pay $18 for 240MB but forbidding me from using 500-2GB a month at a realistic price?

Isn't there someone on this forum on prepaid with a big data plan who knows more then the people at Telecom XT because seiously they are not helping.

NealR

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#278260 1-Dec-2009 13:27

As mentioned earlier the largest prepaid plan the Mobile Broadband 500MB
$29.95 per month 500MB (expires at the end of each calendar month).

$29.95 for an additional 500MB to use in the same calendar month, any data over this is 10c per MB

No one is "forbidding" you from using any device on the XT network.

We basically don't care about what device you use on the XT network other than we are no able to easily provide you with device support for a device you did not purchase from us.

I am sure that I can answer most technical questions you may have about XT. :)

Neal

The comments I write on this forum do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer and as such cannot be taken as official statements of my employer.

manhinli

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#278264 1-Dec-2009 13:29

At: http://www.telecom.co.nz/help/content/0,10709,206249-204568,00.html#prepaid_data2

Prepaid Data

All of the XT Network mobile data plans are available on Prepaid, except for the Mobile Broadband 2 GB and 4 GB plans and the Blackberry plans. This includes the Casual plan, data extras, and the mobile broadband 500 MB plan. The Casual plan and data extras have been designed for data usage on a mobile phone device, and the mobile broadband plans have been designed for data usage on a laptop.

I would assume that means that a normal Prepaid SIM pack should be able to have Mobile Broadband 500MB to be added to it.

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zan5hin

9 posts

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#278287 1-Dec-2009 13:50

Thanks guys. It is just disappointing you know more than the CSRs at Telecom about their own product.

It is also disappointing they don't cater for big data users on pre-paid. In Australia I pay about NZ$10 for 300MB so it is about half the price for data and it is a pain that to get 1GB of data I have to pay NZ$60 without even any phone calls included!

With Three Australia for NZ$88 it would give me 1GB of data, plus NZ$770 worth of calls.

NealR

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#278321 1-Dec-2009 14:39

There's a good reason I may "know more than the CSRs"...so please do not be disappointed :)

I will pass on your recommendations to the product team for larger data caps at lower prices.

Neal

@manhinli, yes you can add the 500M plan to a prepaid connection.

The comments I write on this forum do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer and as such cannot be taken as official statements of my employer.

grant_k

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#278338 1-Dec-2009 15:09

zan5hin: ...It is just disappointing you know more than the CSRs at Telecom about their own product.

CSRs are bottom of the food chain in most of these big companies.

And Yes, you won't find anybody much higher UP the food chain than NealR :)

zan5hin

9 posts

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#278385 1-Dec-2009 16:42

Ah thanks NealR, I didn't see your tag that you are a company man.

Telecom may be device agnostic however the data plans are really skewed more towards the USB modems and contrats rather than users who wish to tether from their handset to receive mobile broadband.

What happens if I wish to bring my own compatible unlocked USB modem with me, would this allow me to access the 2GB mobile broadband at the standard monthly price of $59.95?

Can I register a post-paid account as a non-citizen with my worldwide Mastercard and put my backpacker hostel as my address to get post-paid 2GB on my iphone or USB modem?

Maybe you are worried that your regional customers with slow ADSL speeds due to distance from their exchanges will disconnect their ADSL and switch to mobile broadband which I assume is a concern.

This may just be a wandering geeks opinion but it seems to me Telecom are getting a decent ARPU and they could offer the 2GB plan for $59.95 on prepaid. Or maybe make it a tourist only option and do a promotion with the NZ tourism board or the backpacking publications.....

There are planeloads of iPhone and other Smartphone users landing everyday and it seems Telecom is missing an opportunity. Not to mention the growing number of netbooks and laptops with integrated 3G or Mobi.

If you compare the 3G footprint of Telecom XT to Vodafone in NZ it would make the Verizon vs AT&T advertisement quarrel look like a bad joke however this isn't being exploited by attractive data bundles.

ajw

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#278403 1-Dec-2009 17:14

zan5hin: Ah thanks NealR, I didn't see your tag that you are a company man.

Telecom may be device agnostic however the data plans are really skewed more towards the USB modems and contrats rather than users who wish to tether from their handset to receive mobile broadband.

What happens if I wish to bring my own compatible unlocked USB modem with me, would this allow me to access the 2GB mobile broadband at the standard monthly price of $59.95?

Can I register a post-paid account as a non-citizen with my worldwide Mastercard and put my backpacker hostel as my address to get post-paid 2GB on my iphone or USB modem?

Maybe you are worried that your regional customers with slow ADSL speeds due to distance from their exchanges will disconnect their ADSL and switch to mobile broadband which I assume is a concern.

This may just be a wandering geeks opinion but it seems to me Telecom are getting a decent ARPU and they could offer the 2GB plan for $59.95 on prepaid. Or maybe make it a tourist only option and do a promotion with the NZ tourism board or the backpacking publications.....

There are planeloads of iPhone and other Smartphone users landing everyday and it seems Telecom is missing an opportunity. Not to mention the growing number of netbooks and laptops with integrated 3G or Mobi.

If you compare the 3G footprint of Telecom XT to Vodafone in NZ it would make the Verizon vs AT&T advertisement quarrel look like a bad joke however this isn't being exploited by attractive data bundles.

We get ripped off here in NZ when it comes to mobile and 3G data pricing.

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#278407 1-Dec-2009 17:22

NealR: There's a good reason I may "know more than the CSRs"...so please do not be disappointed :)

I will pass on your recommendations to the product team for larger data caps at lower prices.

Neal

@manhinli, yes you can add the 500M plan to a prepaid connection.

+1 for higher caps :)

Paulthagerous

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#278411 1-Dec-2009 17:29

NealR: There's a good reason I may "know more than the CSRs"...so please do not be disappointed :)

I will pass on your recommendations to the product team for larger data caps at lower prices.

Neal

@manhinli, yes you can add the 500M plan to a prepaid connection.

I hope you mean "know more than most CSR's" because there are bound to be things that some of us know that you would at least have to look up

cafeg

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#283857 18-Dec-2009 18:24

Nealr,
Can we add the 500 megabyte plan that is on the T Sticks to a normal prepay Sim ?
As this plan is charged @ 10cents a megabyte up to the first 300 meg..
So if you only use 100 meg you only pay $10..

Be great if we could get it on a prepay Sim as well..

manhinli

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#283859 18-Dec-2009 18:39

I believe it is possible to add the Mobile Broadband 500MB to any normal Prepaid SIM - because the ones you get with T-Stick are also ordinary Prepaid SIMs

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