Mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), Amaysim, has launched new contract-free phone pricing, which bests Vodafone’s Infinite plans by AU$5 a month.
The new Amaysim Unlimited plan includes unlimited voice calls and text in Australia, unlimited access to a selection of social networking sites, plus 4GB of data. The plan costs AU$39.90 each month, with the option to cancel the subscription without an exit fee. As an MVNO, the Amaysim resells service to its customers on the Optus network infrastructure.
Full terms and conditions can be found at the Amaysim website.
Unlimited pricing is not a new concept in Australian telecommunications, with all three major telco brands offering the service in some form. Vodafone was previously the cheapest with its AU$45 per month Infinite cap, available on a month-to-month SIM-only basis or on either a 12- or 24-month plan with a subsidised handset. Optus offers unlimited calling and text to customers starting at AU$99 per month on a Timeless plan, while Telstra’s only unlimited offering is over three times the cost of Amaysim’s new product, priced at AU$129 per month.
Amaysim launched the new Unlimited plan only months after the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) released the results of its Reconnecting the Customer inquiry. ACMA published a progress report in December 2010 highlighting the use of the term “cap” and the difficulty customers have expressed in monitoring their usage as issues, which the authority recommends the telcos address.