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MNP and
MNP and "No Plans"
Mobile Future on the Horizon?
(Part 1/2)
November, 2001
By Daniel Cheung
It has been a month since 25 September, 2001 -
the launch of Mobile Number Portability (MNP). Amongst all the political
finger-pointing between the Telcos, what does MNP really mean for Australian
consumers?
In the press, there has been much bickering and
political finger-pointing between the three network providers of Australia -
Vodafone, Optus and Telstra. Many mobile numbers so far continue to be
left in a limbo state of porting, and many customers are understandably irate -
to the point where even the ACCC has had to step in to intervene with the
telecommunication giants.
This, although far from an unexpected outcome in
the wake of MNP, does take the focus away from the underlying aim of the
introduction of MNP - to foster competition of the Australian mobiles
industry. This in turn should logically mean cheaper rates for mobile
customers. In this month's issue of Buyer's Guide, we focus on what the
major Telcos are offering in the near future to grab their share of the market.
 Vodafone
Vodafone has been vigorously promoting its
"No Plans" offering on the media since September. With new No
Plans there are no lock-in contracts to tie you down, no minimum monthly spend
and no access fees. Vodafone also offer a simple flat call rate of 1¢ per
second to your friends and family within Australia. International calls and
special services attract a different rate. You can choose to pay monthly or
pre-pay your calls and even use No Plans with your existing mobile phone.
The service can also be cancelled at no cost at any time. There is however
a connection fee of $29.95.
No Plans is probably a glimpse of the future of
the Australian mobile industry - where there will be a shrinkage of the
long-term mobile phone plus connection service offerings that has dominated over
the past several years.
(Press "Next" button to read Part 2/2)
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Let’s face it, the two gadgets that most people never leave home without, are the cellular phone and the digital audio player. Hence, it makes sense in combining the two devices into one convenient package...
