Ring Ring

[Swany]

Morning all,

I'm curious as to what plans/contracts or methods formites use for communications.

I'm currently bundlesd with optus...mobile, home phone and internet and see my bills creeping up and up. Not on any contract so considering dumping my land line, using mobile only and going wire less internet.

Have been using skype but find it a hassel with computer head phones etc.

So what say you formites?

Cheers

Swany

 

[wylie]

If you do a search you will find a few threads on this, but just to kick it off and give you some info, I am in Brisbane and pay $99 Optus Fusion which gives us 20GB cable broadband plus free home phone line rental and free local calls. So the bills never rises and if we use our 20GB it simply slows down to dial up speed but we never pay any more. We have only ever been slowed twice, both times when one son was downloading TV shows to his laptop, and then it was only the last couple of days of the month, and we do get a warning when we have used 80% of our data.

We used to spend about $80 a month on home phone including line rental and about $75 on internet, so we are saving plenty per month.

I don't know if we could save more, because I find it mind-boggling trying to compare apples and oranges and I reckon they make the plans difficult to compare for just that reason .

 

[Aaron Sice]

i got a free internet phone with a $65 monthly business cap.

with that i get free landline calls and free telstra mobile calls.

i also bundled in my wireless LAN, home phone and wife's mobile and i think we pay about $200pcm all up - which is a lot less than the $400-$600 i was paying previously.

 

[Swany]

Anyone gone mobile only?

 

[MichaelW]

Anyone gone mobile only?

Nope, but have considered it...

I'm currently set up like this:

Telstra Line Rental $25 (includes silent number)
MyNetPhone Whirlpool saver VOIP ~$15
Exetel ADSL2+ 30Gb/20Gb $45
Blackberry Mobile $Free from work

So my total comms bill is around $85/month. In fact, my Exetel ADSL2+ plan includes $10 worth of free VOIP, but I never set it up as I'm told its crap so I've stuck with my MyNetPhone VOIP plan.

Cheers,
Michael

 

[sue78]

Similar to Michael's set up

Telstra line rental $20
AAnet ADSL 2 20G + Offpeak $39.90
My NetPhone VOIP $15
2x Virgin Caps with $280 credit p/mth $60

Total $135

Good thing about VOIP is no more international calling cards.

 

[RumpledElf]

Telstra line $25pm + $6 for the fax line
Telstra mobile $20pm
Telstra internet $129pm (half price for the first year)

Can't change, really. The only thing we can move on is the landline, and I'm not sure if other providers do the virtual fax number thing.

 

[Stella]

If you do a search you will find a few threads on this, but just to kick it off and give you some info, I am in Brisbane and pay $99 Optus Fusion which gives us 20GB cable broadband plus free home phone line rental and free local calls. So the bills never rises and if we use our 20GB it simply slows down to dial up speed but we never pay any more. We have only ever been slowed twice, both times when one son was downloading TV shows to his laptop, and then it was only the last couple of days of the month, and we do get a warning when we have used 80% of our data.

We used to spend about $80 a month on home phone including line rental and about $75 on internet, so we are saving plenty per month.

I don't know if we could save more, because I find it mind-boggling trying to compare apples and oranges and I reckon they make the plans difficult to compare for just that reason .

Would love to switch to Optus (already have mobile on plan with them & they appear to have good net plans/bundles) but I cant get ANY type of Optus brand internet at my place - right in the middle of the Gold Coast! Doesnt stop the oversease Optus telemarketers from trying tho!

Want to go totally mobile & wireless internet - have to convince partner to do without home phone first tho.

Cheers
Stella

 

[Swany]

Thanks for the input guys and girls....

I pay $39.90 for 12 gig internet and $33.00 plus call for mobile. On the weekends I can call any mobile from mine @ 20cents for 10 mins, no cap. It's a plan I've had for 10 plus years.

Home phone rental is $34.00 per month plus calls.

All up about $150.00 average monthly spend with optus.

Was thinking dumping the land line and going mobile only and wire less internet. Can't can't seem to figure out if the change would be better as there are variables etc.

I really like having unlimited 10 min mobile calls on weekends to any other mobile for $20 cents.

Cheers

 

[wylie]

I have noticed that younger tenants just do not connect the land line and use mobiles, but until somebody can PROVE to me that using a mobile does no damage to my (tiny ) brain, I prefer to use a land line, especially if I am on the phone for a while (think of hanging on waiting for an operator at Optus on a mobile ).

 

[Swany]

Yep.....just spent 40 mins on the phone to an Optus operator in the Phillipines....

Gonna take some Penadol and lay down

 

[wizzy]

Im 23.

I use my work mobile but primairly for work purposes and calling family/girlfriend when on the road.

I have exetels $60/month naked adsl 2 plan. This does not need line rental.
I get 78GB with this plan and also have 100 "free" "local"(any landline in aus) calls a month.

 

[wizzy]

Swany. I use speaker phone for when i am on hold keep it well away!

 

[RumpledElf]

Gawd, I wish we could get naked adsl. Would save a fortune on internet and line rental.

We're just on wireless (bloody brilliant speed, no dropouts yada yada) and satellite TV. Satellite internet is an expensive laggy unreliable joke, so we passed on that one. Makes me want a wireless LAN inside just so the computers don't feel like they're the only wired things in the house.

 

[sue78]

How can you not have landline if you do property?

I need it for fax. Also, notice in peak periods you always get the msg 'the network is busy'...fine I just use landline. It will cost me a lot more if I couldn't make or receive an important phone call.

We got rid of our pcs and now only use lap tops. It's so much more space saving. We have wifi and we also have a wifi printer. I think that's the way to go. You can buy laptop 'stations' from Ikea which is pretty cool and space saving. Naked DSL is usually $20 more than ADSL 2 so that $20 can pay for telstra line rental. No way I could go naked adsl.

$99 is not cheap for Optus Fusion coz you haven't included your mobile costs and national and international call rates.

 

[Nathan]

optus cable net $50per month

and mobile $150cap with $1500 calls.
i was on $500calls but use to go over and spent like $400pm sometimes... so i know $150pm all up, i just ring people coz i get bored easy now days... stuff having a dinosaur land line and pay extra $30per month for somthing + calls, mobile heaps cheaper...

 

[RumpledElf]

We have wifi and we also have a wifi printer. I think that's the way to go.

Wireless doesn't actually work in our house - even the mobile barely gets reception. Our wireless connection to the outside universe is bolted to my fascia and then wired down to the router computer in the study. Everything else is wired. I have 15 inch thick stone walls in this house!

Appreciate what you say about needing a landline though, the savings would be nice (REALLY nice given we pay $129 for internet + 30 for landline) but we have phone and fax, and having just signed up with Sensis for a yellow pages ad and some other company for some other ad - both of which have our landline number on - there's no way we'd switch to voip and lose our number. Its a nice memorable number too. Has a triple number in it

 

[sue78]

Nathan - wow that's a lot of credit! I'm too busy and every call I get is like work, stress, more things to do. I actually avoid a lot of phone calls...thank goodness for caller ID and msg bank and I prefer to get back to people when I'm ready. I also field calls at home with answering machine. I also get a headache if I talk on mobile for too long. I always use home phone when calling friends and family for long chats.

 

[Lyne]

$99 is not cheap for Optus Fusion coz you haven't included your mobile costs and national and international call rates.

Not quite correct Sue. The Fusion plan includes the following:

20GB data allowance per month
Line rental included
Unlimited standard local calls
Unlimited standard national calls
Unlimited calls to any Australian GSM Mobile
Free Monthly Optus Voicemail subscription

I buy a a cheap phone call (.01 per min) for my international calls.

 

[wylie]

$99 is not cheap for Optus Fusion coz you haven't included your mobile costs and national and international call rates.

I forgot to add my mobile bill is about $35 per month, so fusion is still cheaper for me than when I had separate land line and internet. My mobile use doesn't impact on my land line calls or my internet, so it doesn't really come into the equation. I don't have any national or international calls.

If I was confident that spending a hour a day with a mobile against my head wouldn't harm me, I would possibly consider ditching the land line, but cannot see that happening any time soon.

Still don't believe they want us to be able to compare apples with apples. When it is too hard to "shop around" people stay with what they know (I know I do).