Research carried out by broadband and mobile broadband comparison website www.BroadbandExpert.com.au has found that many Australians could be hit with large bills for exceeding the monthly download limit on their mobile broadband contracts.
The findings reveal that downloading just two episodes of Channel Nine's Sea Patrol after exceeding the download limit could cost as much as $140 (based on 700Mb per episode with a charge of 10c per Mb).
Rob Webber, Broadband Expert's Commercial Director, warns that: "The danger of running up huge bills is likely to be a problem for mobile broadband, where download limits are much lower than for home broadband plans."
Most Australian mobile broadband providers have run on rates of $100 per Gb, which Webber feels is excessive: "A typical mobile broadband contract with a monthly download limit of 2Gb costs between $20-$30 per month, however downloading a further 2Gb would cost up to ten times the cost of the monthly contract!"
Vodafone, Three, Dodo, Optus and Bigpond all charge 10c per additional Mb ($100 per Gb), whilst Virgin is the only provider not to have run on rates. However, customers exceeding their usage limit with Virgin will have the speed of their connection reduced restricting future usage.
According to Webber many companies do not make these run on rates as clear as they could when advertising. "We would like to see all mobile providers clearly stating run on rates so that Australian consumers can make a more informed decision and avoid any unexpected charges."
Webber does note that whilst these rates may seem excessive they are even higher in some countries, citing the UK as an example where some providers charge up to £200 (around $400) for exceeding usage limits by just 1Gb.
www.broadbandexpert.com.au
Guildford, Surrey
Rob Webber, Broadband Expert's Commercial Director, warns that: "The danger of running up huge bills is likely to be a problem for mobile broadband, where download limits are much lower than for home broadband plans."
Most Australian mobile broadband providers have run on rates of $100 per Gb, which Webber feels is excessive: "A typical mobile broadband contract with a monthly download limit of 2Gb costs between $20-$30 per month, however downloading a further 2Gb would cost up to ten times the cost of the monthly contract!"
Vodafone, Three, Dodo, Optus and Bigpond all charge 10c per additional Mb ($100 per Gb), whilst Virgin is the only provider not to have run on rates. However, customers exceeding their usage limit with Virgin will have the speed of their connection reduced restricting future usage.
According to Webber many companies do not make these run on rates as clear as they could when advertising. "We would like to see all mobile providers clearly stating run on rates so that Australian consumers can make a more informed decision and avoid any unexpected charges."
Webber does note that whilst these rates may seem excessive they are even higher in some countries, citing the UK as an example where some providers charge up to £200 (around $400) for exceeding usage limits by just 1Gb.
www.broadbandexpert.com.au
Guildford, Surrey
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