HONG KONG: Optus has introduced a new category of home internet plan, taking advantage of its 4G mobile network to provide fast and flexible internet access for those with spotty ADSL coverage or who don’t want their internet connection hardwired to their house.
For $70 a month, Optus’ Home Wireless Broadband plan includes 50GB of data. Going over the limit will cost an automatic fee of $10, and going over 60GB will cause the connection speed to be slowed to 256kbps.
While 50GB might not seem like much for the $70 compared to some ADSL or cable plans, it’s quite a bit compared to the mobile internet plans that are the only option for many students, short term rentals, those in shared accommodation, or outside ADSL coverage areas (for example Telstra’s biggest mobile broadband plan includes only 15GB of data and costs $105).
Optus’ Home Wireless modem uses the mobile 4G network, but isn’t for taking on the go.
Optus’ Home Wireless modem uses the mobile 4G network, but isn’t for taking on the go. Photo: Optus
The catch with Optus’ new service is that the Home Wireless Broadband plan includes a SIM that works only in the supplied Huawei E5186 modem, so the internet is confined to your house and can’t be put in a tablet or USB device for use on the road. The telco is selling it as akin to standard wired internet with a wireless router, except there’s no installation, no cables, and no need to contact Optus every time you change address.
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It stacks up well against low-capacity wired plans as well, assuming you don’t need the bundled home phone, with a 50GB tier 5 NBN bundle from iiNet costing $80 per month and a 50GB ADSL2+ bundle from Telstra costing $70 per month.
The $70 Optus plan is available month-to-month if you’re happy to pay for your modem up front ($240). Otherwise you can sign up to a 24-month plan and get the modem for free, or sign up for 12 months and pay an additional $10 per month.
The main existing competition in this space is small provider Vivid — which was purchased by Optus in 2012 — which offers a very similar service at a much better price — unlimited data for $79 per month on a 12-month plan (plus $79 for the modem). However, unless you’re right in a metro area, Vivid doesn’t offer much in the way of coverage.
