Vodafone’s new unlimited data mobile plans: What you should know
From $60 per month, but with limited speeds on Vodafone's national network once you exhaust your data quota.
Optus caused something of a stir when it announced its "unleashed" unlimited mobile plans early in April, if only because unlimited mobile data plans have been something consumers have wanted locally for years now.
Telstra made the surprise announcement earlier today that it would launch its own unlimited data mobile SIM, and clearly, there must be something in the telco water today because Vodafone has announced its own take on unlimited data SIM only plans.
Like Telstra and Optus' offerings, Vodafone's plans offer unlimited data but not unlimited speeds, and like Telstra's plans, you also get a data quota as well.
If that seems confusing, it's because both telcos are following the US model of offering a quantity of data that you use first at full network speed, after which you are shaped to 1.5Mbps downloads.
It's very much the model used for "unlimited" plans in the United States, although there you're more likely to be dropped down to 2G speeds once your data allocation is all used up. With Vodafone starting up its decommissioning of its 2G network this week, that's not going to happen here.
Unlike Optus, where there's a proviso that the heaviest users on the network may experience slower speeds, Vodafone puts no limit on how much data you're going to be allowed to use at that 1.5Mbps speed during your billing period.
Vodafone also differs from its rivals, both of which offer just the one unlimited plan by offering three plans, offered on a SIM-only basis under its "unlimited" banner, priced at $60, $80 or $100 per month on a 12-month contract basis. Here are the full contract details you need to know to compare:
| Vodafone Unlimited plan name | Monthly cost | Included data | Minimum 12-month cost | Included extras |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unltd $60 | $60 | 30GB | $720 | 2,000 international minutes to Zone 1 countries, 200 minutes to Zone 2 countries, 5,000 Qantas points |
| Unltd $80 | $80 | 60GB | $960 | 3,000 international minutes to Zone 1 countries, 300 minutes to Zone 2 countries, 7,500 Qantas points |
| Unltd $100 | $100 | 100GB | $1,200 | 4,000 international minutes to Zone 1 countries, 400 minutes to Zone 2 countries, 10,000 Qantas points |
Vodafone says that it's not replacing its existing 12-month SIM-only plans with the new plans and that you're free to use them in any device you choose once you've signed up, unlike Telstra, where you're limited to use in smartphones only.
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