Revamped mobile plans allow data sharing

Optus has revamped its mobile plans yet again with four key enhancements - allowing data sharing, no lock-in contract option, more value and no huge excess fees.

"These plans build on the breakthrough My Plan products we launched last year," says Paul O'Sullivan, country chief officer, Australia. "Once again, we're delivering on our commitment to provide industry-leading products that dramatically change how customers use data."

Allowing customers to share their mobile plan's included data with up to five additional mobile broadband devices, such as a SIM-ready tablet, pocket wifi or USB modem, is a key selling point.

Optus says this means no more chasing wifi hot spots or using battery-draining tethering. Optus wasn't the first to allow data sharing - Telstra introduced the option last year - but unlike Telstra, which charges $10 a month for the service, with Optus there is just a one-off $5 set-up fee per device.

For those who hate lock-in contracts, Optus has introduced "SIM only" versions of its My Plans with the same features as its contract plans. It has also added more included minutes and more data in the plans.

"All of this comes with protection from huge excess data charges, with automatic top-ups for only $10 per extra 1GB," says Optus.

While this is quite cheap compared with other excess data charges, it does mean that even if you go over by a little bit you'll pay $10, so it's worth keeping an eye on your usage. Optus offers SMS usage alerts to help you stay in control.

MONEY VERDICT

Data sharing can certainly remove the headaches of looking for wifi hot spots but it also means you will chew into your data much quicker - especially if you hook up five devices. Keep a close eye on your data usage to make sure you don't go over your limit. Even though Optus charges only $10 per 1GB, you could end up spending more than you planned each month.

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