The low-cost mobile plan market is getting crowded with Amaysim, Red Bull Mobile and recent entrant Kogan Mobile about to be joined by low-cost supermarket chain Aldi. At launch Aldi will offer a range of recharge options to suit almost all sectors of the market.
The Nine Network’s A Current Affair program tonight revealed the Aldi pricing plans for the first time, just a day after Android site Ausdroid first reported the pending March 6 launch of Aldi Mobile. EFTM has also confirmed that Aldi Mobile will operate on the Telstra Network in the same way that Kogan does, by using 3G speeds instead of full Next G and without 4G availability.
Rather than the single unlimited usage approach taken by Kogan, Aldi have followed the Amaysim model with a pay as you go low cost call rate, as well as an unlimited plan.
Aldi Mobile Plans
For $35 a month with Aldi Mobile you will get unlimited calls, texts and 5GB of data (initially stated at 4GB). This is competitive with all three other carriers to within $6 with Kogan, which is still the cheapest on a monthly basis, and offers the most data (6GB).
One of the most appealing elements of the Aldi structure will be the pay as you go model where a $15 or $30 “top up” will give you that same amount of credit, lasting over a full 365 days – with calls during that period charged at 12c per minute, 12c per text. This will likely challenge the Amaysim business model most. Amaysim’s similar offer operates on the Optus network.
Aldi Mobile Phones – Image Credit: Ausdroid
Aldi’s strength will be it’s 300 strong retail store presence. Customers can go in, recharge with cash, and new customers can buy on the spot from the company itself, whereas all the other players at this end of the market are sold in service stations or small retailers, with Kogan selling SIM cards only online.
Additionally, Aldi will likely carry stock of low cost mobile phones more regularly to allow consumers to buy the whole package on the spot
It’s an interesting time for the mobile market, with another shift to the Telstra network, it seems apparent Telstra is targeting the higher yield 4G consumer while relinquishing some of it’s network capacity to the low cost market and not having to carry the overhead of customer service and billing.
