Everyone has mobiles but there are so many plans out there. There are plans that different carriers in Australia have released that have completely unlimited data, and there are other plans that really severely limit you. There are plans from the more shunky providers that sound great but just don’t get reception, so you end up with a great plan you can’t use.
The things you want to look for in a great plan or any plan:
1. Network Coverage
Make sure you’ve got great network coverage, obviously, to start up with. This sounds straightforward, but you’d be surprised at how many places still have terrible network coverage.
A story that still holds true now is one of the major providers in Australia, starting with the letter T and ending with elstra, doesn’t have reception at my parent’s place, so I have reception everywhere else but Dad has this special chair that if you sit it in the yard you get reception. Everywhere else it doesn’t work. You think wow, what a silly thing but it’s still a thing.
They’re changing these things from 3G to 4, from 4G to 5, and you got all these other different things happening. That is going to increase your speed but not your availability or coverage. It’s going to make it great and built up areas but not in rural areas or anywhere, even in just high-density residential areas you could still have problems with.
Find out how secure your IT system is. We offer a free no-commitment audit.
Make sure you check it out and ask some friends to come around to your house or come around to your business or wherever it happens that you think you’re going to be using your mobile most, because that’s the other thing in business, it might be great at the business but you probably have your business phones at your business, you want your mobiles to be working when you’re not at the business. Have them come around and just check it out.
Sometimes, when it’s raining, it works okay. Sometimes, it doesn’t. I know where I’m at. Optus works okay; Telstra works most of the time. But they both sort of fade in and out occasionally, so you’ve just got to be sort of careful.
2. Data Plan
In regards to a data plan, that all comes down to how you go about using your phone. I personally use my phone heaps. I record videos on them occasionally and I do all sorts.
If you want to get a good data plan, look and be diligent with it. Sometimes you have providers, I know Vodafone has this plan at the moment which allows for you to get a 50 gig of data or something for $15 or $20. That will be changed by the time I have this video released, but they do it for two months and then they half or third the data and they only give that to new customers, which I think is a bit rude. Make sure you read the fine print when you’re going to get all of this data if data is important for you.
Lower yout IT spend and boost your efficiency at the same time. Turn IT into utility!
3. The Basics
Most plans now that have any sort of weight have unlimited calls to mobiles, landlines, unlimited SMSs, unlimited MMSs, and all the standard jazz. Some of the things they might not have is call forwarding. I was so surprised that a lot of the major carriers do not have call forwarding included for free to anything but voicemail, so check on your call forwarding.
Check on call waiting. Again, another technology that’s been around forever. What are they doing removing that sort of stuff, but you get what you pay for. If you’re on $100 plan plus with Telstra for a single mobile phone, you’ll find you probably have these fancy features. If these are features you’re never going to use, it might be time to look at one of their sort of Jet Star equivalent line so you’re Amaysims or Boost Mobiles of the world, but check those out.
You might find that the price reduction is totally okay and totally fine for what you do in business or you might love that call forwarding feature and get the shits when it gets removed. I’ve had four mobile phone providers in three months. Not happy, Jan. But here I am.
The Final Word
Make sure you read the fine print. Don’t get locked into any contracts. Just use your current phone and see what you like before you jump into a 24-month something and you’re stuck with them. I don’t think you’re going to be happy with the results. Hope this has been useful and stay good.
