The recent squabble between Virgin Mobile Australia (VMA) and Vodafone Hutchison Australia (VHA) over changes to mobile post-paid plans means one thing for the Australian market: Competition is intensifying between Australia's mobile phone providers and customers are likely to reap the rewards.
On March 10, 2020 Vodafone and 3 Mobile announced free unlimited network-to-network national voice calls to all their customers on post-paid mobile phone plans. VHA claims that 3 Mobile and Vodafone customers not only benefit from these recently launched post-paid cap plans, but also enjoy greater flexibility in using their Cap.
‘These caps offer endless same network standard national voice calls, and what separates us from our competitors is the fact that our customers don’t need to exhaust their monthly Cap value before reaping the benefits of unlimited same network standard national voice calls. Vodafone and 3 customers will immediately benefit from endless same network standard national voice calls from the very first call they make,’ said General Manager Edward Goff in a VHA press release.
‘In addition, the new Cap plans will enable customers to use their whole Cap value on international voice calling and texting, making it even easier to stay in touch with family and friends in Australia or overseas. New post-paid customers on contracts above $49 per month can also count on a generous monthly data allowance to enjoy internet and email on the go.’ said Mr. Goff.
However, 3 Mobile and Vodafone do not appear to be the first providers to offer unlimited voice calls between their customers. Virgin Mobile Australia publicly announced on the same day that it has offered its customers this option in their mobile phone plans for some time now, and that VHA's plans are simply ‘copy Caps’.
'Virgin Mobile is delighted to continue giving all of our Your Cap Pre-Paid and Rollover Cap
Post-Paid plan customers the same benefits (and more) that Vodafone & 3 are now proudly
giving to some of their customers.' said the VMA in a press release.
'We think free calls to people on your network is a great idea. In fact, we've been doing the same thing for years!', added VMA's marketing director Anthony Hearne.
'At Virgin Mobile we already offer both new and existing Your Cap pre-paid and Rollover Cap post-paid plan members unlimited mobile talk & text to other members in Oz. Better yet, we don't charge you to call yourself, with free voicemail in Australia, 24 hours a day, seven days a week,' said Hearne.
Regardless of who introduced post-paid mobile phone cap plans, it all spells good news for Australian mobile phone users. As competition intensifies, more deals are likely to be released and more telcos are likely to jump on the bandwagon to sell their product.
For example, in their March 10, 2010 press release Virgin underlined the latest Ray Morgan figures ranking it as the best mobile service in terms of customer satisfaction. Virgin mobile also reminded customers that it was the first company in Australia to introduce 'Rollover Cap Plans' allowing people to rollover unused credit from month to month. Virgin also boasted it had just added its one-millionth member and that all customers are able to enjoy the benefits of the Virgin business mix.
‘All of our plans offer each and every Virgin Mobile Member unbeatable value. But what really separates us from our competitors is the fact that we treat our customers like members. That means access to a host of extra benefits ranging from Virgin Family offers such as Velocity points, mobile credit when you fly with Virgin Blue, VIP access to gigs and even a free beer on Friday. Cheers!’ said Mr. Hearne.
Perhaps in response, VHA announced on April 12, 2010 a new range of mobile broadband packages for 3 Mobile and Vodafone customers.
'The new Month by Month plans offer the value of a contract with complete flexibility of not being locked into a long term commitment. Available on both Vodafone and 3, mobile broadband can be purchased for as little as $15 per month. This low monthly cost allows the download of 1GB of data. The Month-by-Month plans are also available at $29 (3GB), $39 (6GB) and $49 (8GB). Customers have the option to either ‘BYO’ their own broadband modem, or purchase a stylish USB modem internet stick for the low one-off cost of $79.' said VHA in their April 12, 2010 press release.
'The Combo Cap Plans ensure that Mobile Broadband customers can be rewarded when they sign up for broadband alongside Vodafone and 3’s new voice caps featuring unlimited free network-to-network standard voice calls. For just $29 per month, customers receive all the value of the new $29 voice cap as well as a free modem and 1GB of data on a 24-month contract. There is also a $49 Combo Cap Plan ($49 voice cap and 2GB of data) and a $69 Combo Plan only available on the 3 network ($69 voice cap and 3GB data) for those who use more data and make more calls, on a 24 month contract.' said VHA.
In a March 10, 2010 press release, Optus indicated it was ready to compete with VHA and VMA's new mobile phone packages. Optus quickly came to the party by announcing its new month-to-month mobile phone plans and the new Optus prepaid 'Turbo-Max'.
'In a drive to deliver more value than ever before to the prepaid market, Optus today launched Turbo Max, one of Australia’s best pre-paid offers. With the new $70 and $100 Optus Turbo Max pre-paid plans, Optus customers can enjoy virtually ‘unlimited’ mobile usage with the flexibility and certainty of pre-paid.' Optus announced in their press release.
'For customers who make lots of calls, the $70 Optus Turbo Max provides a huge 3,000 minutes of calls per recharge to any Australian mobile. For those who like to text, talk and browse, the $100 Turbo Max provides 3,000 minutes, 3,000 SMS and up to 2GB of data per recharge.' said Optus.
It is therefore clear that Australia's mobile phone industry is booming and alive with competition, so stay tuned to the Compare Mobile Plans news blog for more exciting mobile news updates!