Mobile data ramblings
Over the last few years I have shared with you some of my mobile data experiences, going back to the early WiFi and 2G GPRS days.
In the travelogues I wrote during my overseas trips I reported to you on the difficulty of staying at hotels, with the many different settings options for both the WiFi services and the user equipment.
These problems are certainly in the past.
The problem I encountered when trying to use a mobile service during my travels was never the connection. If you stuck to, in my case, the Telstra service, that was easy. I was often surprised how simple it was to get a good data connection. But then there were those awful bills once you got home again – often between $400 and $900, simply for using the email (no attachments) during a two-week trip.
Using mobile SIMs from local carriers has never worked for me. To me that produced problems just like those mentioned above in relation to the early WiFi days. I have never managed to get the settings right on my mobile phone for such a service, despite help desks and willing shop assistants (and there isn’t time to sort out these issues while travelling).
During my latest trip in June, I decided to use Vodafone’s new HSDPA service. In Europe you can have that prepaid, so I didn’t need a contract.
Again I was pleasantly surprised with the ease of use. I got my dongle installed in a local Vodafone shop in a small country town and I was up and running.
Costs were a bit high. I spent E40 ($65) for 40Mb. In all I used it for approximately eight hours of emailing over a five-day period. I did get a nice offer – by filling in a voucher, which of course I did, I would get E20 extra.
The Vodafone documentation clearly indicated I could also use it in Australia.
But then the trouble started. I received an email from Vodafone in the Netherlands that my E20 had been added, and they indicated in that email that they had sent me an SMS, to which I should respond in order to activate the account.
I never received their SMS so I tried to email them back, but they don’t let you send emails without entering a compulsory SMS code.
So off I went to the Vodafone shop in Chatswood. A helpful guy tried everything for me, all at no avail. He also informed me, of course, that the mobile data services in Australia (not just Vodafone) didn’t have a prepaid option. I had to spend a minimum of $59.95 per month, but I could use the Dutch dongle, so that would save me some initial costs.
They couldn’t help me with the E20 credit either. Apparently that was my problem and I would have to sort it out with Vodafone in the Netherlands – so much for being a global company.
As I am a Telstra user I thought perhaps I could organise something with my Telstra 3G account – maybe use the same SIM I use in the phone, also in the dongle.
So I made enquiries with Telstra, but there was no easy solution there either. I need a separate SIM for data only and couldn’t use my current SIM for that. So, on top of my $89 a month, I needed another subscription, starting at $79.95 per month – plus I had to buy a separate dongle worth $300.
While that was certainly not something I wanted to do, I do have to say that the difference in service from Telstra nowadays is refreshing. What a change from even a year or so ago! I was serviced by a very well-informed and honest person, who genuinely tried to find the best solution for me. He was completely customer service oriented.
But the fact is that there was no easy solution that suited me. I still must opt for a solution that suits the operator. Currently I am using the Unwired service and at $99 a month I don’t get value for my money – the speeds are too slow and it has a limited coverage, so I do want to change, but still uncertain what to do.
So for the time being it is back to the drawing board for me.
Paul Budde
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