Disruptive Bundle Brings Skype To Mobiles

Written by Adam Gosling

Wednesday, 28 March 2007

3G network operator Hutchison's 3 Mobile has announced its X-Series pricing for the Australian market, significantly undercutting Telstra NextG pricing for mobile broadband downloads. But the Australian announcement of 3's X-Series is about more than cheap data for mobile users, the announcement signifies a shift in thinking about mobile networks. Like the X-Series rollouts overseas, 3 in Australia is bundling a large number of Skype to Skype minutes in the data plans. Even the entry level plan, which offers a healthy 500MB per month data allowance for A$20 includes up to 1000 minutes of Skype to Skype data as an extra. More importantly, 3 not only gives you the allowance, but has done a deal with mobile Skype developer iSkoot to bundle its client software on the phones - positively encouraging users to use it. Traditionally, cellular network operators have shied away from VoIP as a perceived threat to their revenues. Like Hutchinson's has done in the past, with its disruptive introduction of call caps, this change in paradigm may alter the way we think about mobile phone plans in the future. In another move that we will see much more of in Australia the X-Series announcement also brought mobile and fixed broadband closer together with a partnership between 3 Mobile and upstart ADSL2+ network operator, iiNet. The alliance will see X-Series customers offered a discounted fixed broadband service. This tie-up will allow users to securely access the content saved on their home PC via the bundled Orb services. Orb allows you to view, listen to or watch the media files you have on your home PC. "Orb is all about providing media freedom and 3 is remarkable in that they're not about control, they're about giving their customers choice too. The mobile device and the stuff on people's PCs is as personal as it gets, so being able to bring the two together, with Orb, 3 and the X-Series gives customers something truly unique," said Curt van Inwegen, General Manager, Strategic Partnerships, Orb Networks. Bringing that together with a decent amount of home broadband is an important part of the access mix and "Bringing iiNet to our X-Series customers will not only complete their experience but also add to the value equation our customers expect from 3. Our companies share the same values around pricing and leading the market," said Nigel Dews, CEO, 3 in Australia. Michael Malone, iiNet Managing Director said, "The X-Series from 3 represents a truly innovative approach to bringing the Internet to the mobile. We are delighted to provide the broadband speeds and service to complement customers' X-Series experience." In addition to Orb, Skype and other services such as MSN Messenger and Yahoo! IM, Mobile Web, Google and eBay, all X-Series packages include unlimited access to the best of Planet 3 with the Bumper Pack including News, Sports, Weather, entertainment and information plus 3's Email. "X-Series is all about giving customers the freedom, choice and experience they get from the Internet today on a PC, on their mobile. Once again we've taken a fresh new approach to pricing, opting to encourage customers to use exciting services like Skype and Orb as well as the Internet with the large data allowance they get, rather than slapping a premium on the service and penalising customers for using it or worse - not encouraging its use at all for fear of bill shock. It's very similar to broadband pricing consumers know at home today - but in many instances will be much better value," said Dews. An example is that for $30 a month customers get 1GB of data to use surfing the Internet, accessing their photos or music on their home PC, or simply plugging in their mobile to a laptop and using it as a modem. That $30 also includes a generous allocation of free Skype to Skype calls and unlimited access to a great range of Planet 3 content including News, Sports and Weather. Alongside the services and pricing plans 3 offers a number of mobiles capable of using 3's newly completed HSDPA (3.5G) network and intended to be used with the bundled data plans. 3 says more mobiles will be announced shortly, but that not all X-Series services will be available on every mobile. The company launched the service announcing the N73 and E65 from Nokia and two HSDPA-enabled mobiles the DoPod 810 and the LGU830 were suitable handsets for X-Series subscribers. www.three.com.au Related news items Hybrid Drive Boosts Laptop's Skillset -10/10/2007 The Poor Man's Palm -02/10/2007 Nokia E51: Smarter Than It Looks -19/09/2007 Palm Goes Consumer With Treo 500v -12/09/2007 Vodafone UK Promises All-You-Can-Hear Music -12/09/2007 Newer news items Telstra Offers Pre-Paid On NextG -23/05/2007 First BB Now Optus Goes Down -24/04/2007 Campus Wireless Means Faster Downloads -23/04/2007 Aussie Bush Could Get Second 3G Network -16/04/2007 Railroad Gets Its Own 3G Coverage -03/04/2007 Older news items Mobile, Not VoIP The Big Growth Area For Voice -16/03/2007 Opera Community On T-Mobile -15/03/2007 3 Could Take In More Cash From NZ -06/03/2007 NZ Telcos Mislead With Marketing -02/03/2007 Mobile Rates Cut By 40% -26/02/2007 Tag This Now: