According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics there are 6.15million mobile wireless internet users in Australia, up five percent on the year before and that means it’s a market no telco can ignore. With Telstra dominating the 4G user numbers Vodafone has announced mobile broadband devices for its own 4G network today.
Vodafone 4G Pocket WiFi
Available as a pocket wifi or a USB dongle the Vodafone 4G mobile broadband devices are available with three data options. 2.5GB, 4GB or 8GB per month. At $20, $30 and $45 respectively that’s not bad value when compared to mobile phone plans around the same price.
Vodafone 4G USB Dongle
The device though will set you back an additional $3 to $7 per month depending on the device and the plan you choose.
|
Data Plan |
Modem Pricing |
Total Price per Month |
|||||
|
Access Fee |
Included Data |
4G Mobile Broadband USB Stick |
4G Pocket WiFi |
4G Mobile Broadband USB Stick |
4G Pocket WiFi |
||
|
$20 |
2.5GB |
$5 |
$7 |
$25 |
$27 |
||
|
$30 |
4GB |
$3 |
$5 |
$33 |
$35 |
||
|
$45 |
8GB |
$3 |
$5 |
$48 |
$50 |
||
Both devices are Cat4 enabled, so you will be able to get speeds up to a theoretic 150mbps, however in real-world tests you’re likely to just crack the 100mbps – but hey, who’s complaining. Because of Vodafone’s 20Mhz spectrum in all the capital cities they have the fastest possible 4G network and using a cat4 device like these likely won’t disappoint.
If – as Vodafone themselves describe it – you are one of those people who ” simply don’t want to be locked into a contract” you can buy the devices outright for $119 (Dongle) or $169 (PocketWiFi) and simply pay the month to month access fees as above.
