Holiday in Australia - What local mobile provider would be the best to use?

Forums › Off topic › Holiday in Australia - What local mobile provider would be the best to use?

wilsa

15 posts

Geek

#73553 15-Dec-2010 18:59

Hi All

Am heading over to Melbourne for 10 days in the coming week. Want to pick up a prepaid Sim Card that I can use while over there and then give to friends who head over/use again myself in the future.

Have an HTC Wildfire so network would have to be compatible with

HSDPA/WCDMA: 900/2100 MHz

GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz

I started looking at Voda Australia but their "Buy $29, get $150 of Credit" looks pretty bad when you dig down to their call rates.

Would mainly be looking at using it for data with the odd call or text to other Australian numbers. Any recommendations?

Thanks in advance

Also if there is also a forum on this then could you point me to it

Chur

Sam

[Mod Net :cleaned up code]

sarg

750 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 31

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#418025 16-Dec-2010 10:54

try Optus prepaid $1 a day gives you unlimited national and mobile calls within Australia
http://personal.optus.com.au/web/ocaportal.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=Template_woRHS&FP=/personal/...

that would be an ecumenical matter

nitrotech

1285 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 168

#418045 16-Dec-2010 11:19

Could try www.virginmobile.com.au - they resell optus and have a good international pack for calls back to NZ for 10c

dalboy

9 posts

Wannabe Geek

#418189 16-Dec-2010 17:30

We just went for a few weeks and got the Voda sim and all the credit. Really good, never used it all up but when you get out of the city coverage can be iffy. The google maps were invaluable. We were hunting in the NT. The Australian guys we were with all use Telstra as their 3g coverage is really impressive.

dalboy

9 posts

Wannabe Geek

#418649 17-Dec-2010 20:16

Just a wee point, My brothers Blackberry Bold (Voda NZ) came up as locked when we tried to put Australian Voda sim in it. The $29 dollars for a throw away Nokia was worth it.

Batman

Mad Scientist
30012 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 6217

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#418655 17-Dec-2010 20:50

Optus $1 a day. Prepay and only charged when used. It goes like this:

$1 a day unlimited landline and Optus when used.
$1 a day unlimited other mobiles when used.
$1 a day unlimited data (tether disabled) when used.

Cost $30 for sim pack.

Or $10 for the cheap international pack 4c to call NZ w a flagfall

wreck90

780 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#418673 17-Dec-2010 22:19

One thing - it's a pain in the a*** activating a prepaid sim.

You need to go through fairly intensive identification processes when activating a prepaid sim -that was through vodafone, assume they do this due to legal requirements.

Dyson

Shop now for Dyson appliances (affiliate link).

Batman

Mad Scientist
30012 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 6217

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#418700 18-Dec-2010 00:34

Don't call. Buy at a proper shop and it's activated at a click of a mouse.

Batman

Mad Scientist
30012 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 6217

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#418701 18-Dec-2010 00:36

Some shops are offering double credit at the moment ... But you'd have to go to dodgy backstreets and nooks to find these

alasta

6889 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 3363

Trusted

Subscriber

#418760 18-Dec-2010 10:07

I used 3 when I used to work in Australia from time to time, but I wouldn't recommend them. Generally their network was fine in built up areas in the major cities, but beyond that their data performance was painfully slow and unreliable regardless of whether I was on their network or on national roaming.

I gather that Vodafone took over 3 recently.

allstarnz

1720 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 24

Trusted

#419060 19-Dec-2010 13:54

Yeah, 3 Mobile no longer exist, they've been cannibalised by Vodafone

VinLew

210 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 1

#419145 19-Dec-2010 18:35

joker97: Optus $1 a day. Prepay and only charged when used. It goes like this:

$1 a day unlimited landline and Optus when used.
$1 a day unlimited other mobiles when used.
$1 a day unlimited data (tether disabled) when used.

Cost $30 for sim pack.

Or $10 for the cheap international pack 4c to call NZ w a flagfall

You can find more info on that plan HERE