Telstra announces pre-paid wireless broadband

Aimed at young people, frequent travellers and personal users, Telstra hopes to capitalise on the range of its Next G service and the popularity of pre-paid accounts with young people.

This puts Telstra in direct competition against Optus, which launched a pre-paid wireless broadband service earlier this year.

Customers will be able to buy a $149 pre-paid wireless broadband pack, containing a USB model, a Telstra Next G SIM card and $10 start-up credit. The modems are pre-loaded with self-installing software that runs on Windows XP, Vista, 2000 and Apple Mac.

Telstra said that wireless broadband users could expect typical speeds of 550kbps to 1.5Mbps bursting up to 3Mbps in selected areas.

Customers will be able to purchase variable re-charges, from $20 through to $100 for an effective allowance of 6GB of eligible data each month.

By comparison, 6GB of data costs $70 with Optus Pre-Paid Wireless Broadband; $100 will purchase 9GB of eligible data.

Glenice Maclellan, Telstra Executive Director, Consumer Marketing, said that wireless broadband connected users faster in more places than any other 3G network in Australia.

“Pre-Paid Wireless Broadband simply plugs into your laptop giving you access to the Next G network without having to connect any cables so you can surf the web at uni, use it on the train and take it with you really simply if you move house.

“Telstra’s Pre-Paid Wireless Broadband has no contracts or minimum monthly commitments. It provides the ultimate flexibility, is simple to use and can be recharged at more than 5000 locations across Australia.”