Australia’s first major carrier to launch data sharing plans is… Telstra!

Having played second fiddle to Vodafone and Optus on recent International roaming announcements, Telstra has struck back with a domestic mobile plan focussed win for consumers – sharing your data allowance across multiple devices.

Sharing data between users or devices on a single account is nothing new for the big telcos.  Big business and corporate accounts have been doing it for some time, however for the tech savvy consumers who have a smartphone, a tablet, perhaps a USB dongle or otherwise, there has been a separate amount to pay for each device.  Until now.

With Telstra’s new packages, customers can have up to four devices connected from a single pool of available data on the Telstra network.

Telstra reckons that 80% of Aussies who use multiple devices could benefit from sharing data allowances across their devices, and the big T has acknowledged this move is in direct response to customer demand.

Her’s how it looks.

You choose a standard Telstra “Everyday Connect” plan, and then add $10 for the ability to share it, and $10 per SIM card.  That’s $80 per month to share 1.1GB of data (on the $60 plan) across two devices.

It’s a big step forward, but beware the fine print.  Each additional SIM card costs you $10 per month, so for two tablets and your smartphone you’re already at $90 per month for just 1.1GB of data.

Yes, Telstra are offering 1GB data as a bonus every month for the first 12 months, but time will tell how these plans really compare.

Expect Optus and Vodafone to follow suit very soon as this multi-device market will prove to be both competitive and lucrative for the telcos.