3G iPhone Plans Data Cost Suggest Buying Prepaid is Best.

After the hype has passed, and dust has settled, those of us who have yet to buy an iPhone are looking around to find a DECENT plan. Normally, us aussies would be well versed in the art of finding the 'best plan', but the addition of having to consider DATA cost has added that extra element to the equation.

David Braue gets straight to the point in his article 'iphone madness' on zdnet:

Here's the rub: data for the iPhone, for some inexplicable reason that may be simply expressed using laws of physics that are perhaps simply beyond me, is far more expensive than data for other devices — even from the same carrier. Consider for a minute the cost of downloading a gigabyte of data to an iPhone:

• Optus charges anywhere from $50 per GB (on its $19 cap) to $5 per GB (on its $99 cap), and over-limit charges are $350 per GB.
• Vodafone plans include a $20 iPhone data premium that prices data at anywhere from $80 per GB (on its $69 iPhone plan) to $20 per GB (on its $169 iPhone plan).
• Telstra prices its iPhone services at anywhere from $366 per GB (on its $59 iPhone plan) down to $39 per GB (on its $119 Browsing Pack add-on, which is in addition to the cost of data in a normal plan).

What is strange is that buying data alone, ie. on a wireless plan, costs around $40 for 2-3GB per month. Yet, here we have a wide variation of costs, which seem to suggest we're being taken for a BIG ride.

Please, don't overlook this IMPORTANT factor. Data is a big part of the iPhone - watching videos or listening to MP3's via iTunes, Checking your email, or Browsing the Web are all easy to do - and Data intensive. You'll rack up 1GB in NO TIME FLAT. It's easy to do at home, via the wireless, and just as easy on 3G. You want to watch how much data you use when you're out and about, because once you're over the limit of your plan, say goodbye to your valuable dollars.

New plans will come out soon, no doubt with better offerings of data. At this stage, we recommend that, if you haven't bought the iPhone, then go and buy one OUTRIGHT and stick it on a PREPAID - don't get caught up in a contract or you might find yourself with a bill that ain't as pretty. You can pick up a new 3G iPhone for a reasonable price on eBay - in Australia - shipped to you quick. You can even pay via your credit card.