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BigAir Goes Off-Peak With iBurst |
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Written by Adam Gosling
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Thursday, 07 September 2006 |
Wireless broadband provider BigAir makes no secret of the
fact that it's targeting Telstra BigPond Mobile Card Plans with its latest rate
plan changes.
Offering from 2 to 5 times the speeds, and up to 7.5 times the included
download allowance versus similarly priced Telstra BigPond Mobile Card plans,
BigAir has re-jigged its iBurst plans to add off-peak data allowances.
The company provides a comparison between its $79.95 plan and Telstra's own
$79.95 plan, demonstrating that BigAir gives you 1024k/345k compared to
256k/64k which is four times better down and five times better upload speeds
for the same price.
When it comes to data, the BigAir plan is three times the size offering the
same 1000MB peak as Telstra but adding an off-peak allowance of 2000MB. Excess
charges on Telstra are 30 cents per MB compared to shaped speeds on BigAir's
iBurst with no additional charges.
Off-peak hours on BigAir run from midnight until 8am, seven days a week.
BigAir CEO Jason Ashton said: "The launch of these plans reinforces to the
market that BigAir aims to deliver superior high-speed wireless broadband and
excellent value to its customers."
That's a pretty compelling comparison on the face of it. But Telstra isn't
really even in the game yet. Once its new 3G voice and data network is
completed at year's end Telstra will no doubt change the competitive profile of
wireless broadband in Australia.
And while iBurst, owned by one-time Telstra subsidiary Commander
Communications, has coverage off in major urban centres including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra
and the Gold Coast, Telstra's new network will be nearly ubiquitous.
iBurst and BigAir are right to try to grab marketshare to take advantage of
Telstra's tardiness, but it's running out of time to achieve critical mass
before Telstra ramps up the competitive pressure.
Here are some other plan comparisons as provided by BigAir.
BigAir iBurst Mobile Plans versus
Telstra BigPond Mobile Card Plans (By Volume)
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BigAir*
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Telstra
BigPond**
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Comparisons
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$29.95
256/128 200MB
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$49.95
256/64 200MB
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• BigAir 40%
cheaper per month
· BigAir 2 X maximum Upload Speed
• BigAir has NO excess usage fees
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$44.95
512/256 900MB
(300MB peak and
600MB off-peak)
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$49.95
256/64 200MB
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• BigAir 2 X
maximum Download Speed
· BigAir 10% cheaper
· BigAir 4 X maximum Upload Speed
· BigAir has 50% more Peak data
· BigAir up to 4.5 X total included data
• BigAir has NO excess usage fees
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$79.95
1024/345 3000MB
(1000MB peak and
2000MB off-peak)
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$79.95
256/64 1000MB
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• BigAir 4 X
maximum Download Speed
· BigAir 5 X maximum Upload Speed
· BigAir up to 3 X total included data
• BigAir has NO excess usage fees
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$79.95
1024/345 3000MB
(1000MB peak and
2000MB off-peak)
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$79.95
512/64 400MB
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• BigAir 2 X
maximum Download Speed
· BigAir 5 X maximum Upload Speed
· BigAir 2.5 X Peak data
· BigAir up to 7.5 X total included data
• BigAir has NO excess usage fees
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$99.95
1024/345 6000MB
(2000MB peak and
4000MB off-peak)
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$109.95
512/64 1000MB
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• BigAir 2 X
maximum Download Speed
· BigAir 5 X maximum Upload Speed
· BigAir 2 X Peak data
· BigAir up to 6 X total included data
· BigAir 9% cheaper per month
• BigAir has NO excess usage fees
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**Telstra
BigPond prices and conditions as per www.bigpond.com
*The BigAir plans are offered subject to BigAir's normal Terms and
Conditions. Coverage areas are available on the web site. www.bigair.com.au
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