This is an award winning wireless mobile deal that runs on the OPTUS network. The only other network that has higher coverage is Telstra. Their wireless modem is $299 and for 7GB you have to pay $40 monthly for a 24month plan.
So for 3 months off, plus free modem, and $5 off monthly if you have virgin mobile as well, this is a great deal!
12 month connection required. for new customers only. $250 exit fee for leaving within the first 6 months …
haha, i thought i described how bad telstra is and then a bit on this ad, but thanks for the clarification
I thought you said telstra had the best coverage. If you were after a poorer network you could try vodaphone $39 plan gives you 12 GB/month with free pocket wifi and 1 month free.
Should include the company name in the title and cost details.
On another note, although Virgin operates on the Optus network, is there any difference in quality based on preferential treatment for actual Optus customers?
It uses only part of the Optus Network, there are areas serviced by Optus they are not covered by Virgin…
(Virgin Mobile support told me this when i enquired why i couldn't get a signal…)
My ass it runs on the Optus network
wow ur ass is on optus, haha, whats ur heart on…telstra?? jk haha
lol was supposed to be a reply, i like your interpretation better.
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Oh really? Whos network do they use then? please enlighten us. Cant wait to hear your reply.
Whos network do they use then?
they don't use all of Optus's network…
thats right!! because logically (no punn intended) only optus would use all of the optus network
Mikinoz was disputing the fact they use Optus' network. Yet to hear a reply…
I guess you don't like your ass then?
Virgin Mobile, Amaysim, LiveConnected and a whole bunch of other Telco's use the Optus Network in some way.
"the peer to peer is limited to 32kbps", that pretty much means you can't really dl anything p2p, right?
as it'll be very slow!
for p2p just enable encryption only and apparently that solves the speed throttling.
$39 is a waste of money if you can't get any coverage on a few kms out of the Melbourne CBD and Virgin Mobile staff cannot (will not?) tell you when they will fix it…
You should try communicating with the failbots in their call centre.
Obviously an off-shore set up that handles heaps of companies and strictly stick to the script, defying all logic….
"please check you broadband settings, lets start with the APN…"
"please check you broadband settings, lets start with the APN…"
"please check you broadband settings, lets start with the APN…"
Chk chk boom/.
Virgin is the new "Vodafail"
Many many people report no data flow/screwy network connections.
Wouldn't even consider getting into a contract with the bastards.
Phone yes, broadband no.
Read here…
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=1418245
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=1628262
Phone no Broadband no
Virgin customer service is almost as bad as Vodafail but the network is at least solid.
By the way, "This is an award winning wireless mobile deal"… really? Details?
but the network is at least solid.
that depends very much where you are and the time of day….
Melbourne CBD, I get 5 bars & 3G signal but the network is so congested at midday that a map update can take many minutes….
Outside the CBD there are many areas with coverage maps that say they have coverage, but in actual fact they do not…. After about 3 emails and about two weeks, they 'might' admit it is a known black spot, but will not tell you what they are doing to fix it…
I just came back from Tassie 2 weeks ago and only had coverage in Hobart and Launceston and absolutely NO network coverage anywhere up the entire east cost… In Launceston there was no 3G at all, only GPRS…
I would just like to mention how well this works,
Currently using one of these wifi devices in the Melbourne CBD (Docklands).
Current download speed - peak of 3kb/s at 12:50 PM On Monday.
My old dial up connection back 10 years ago did at least 5kb/s from memory.
Although, if you do want to use one of these devices when no one else is on the network, they do work well. Especially in the outer suburbs, if you have a good signal.
You probably mean kB, but even then it can't be right. Are you sure nothing is downloading in the background, ie torrents, updates?
Yep, very sure about that. Nothing else downloading in the background.
Bits/Bytes - either way it is right - its extremely slow. Even skype cannot connect.
It was working fine at about 8AM this morning, before everyone came to work.
Since my last post, I've downloaded 4MB in about 30 min.
Oh, and if you are wondering why I can post, I'm using work's network. Not the virgin modem.
Back up to speed again, must have been a lunch time thing.
it sucks that its on a contract!!
I tried to use virgin mobile to surf internet on my ipad by tethering off my Samsung Wave and it's painfully slow, the connection is unreliable. Worse yet, they refused to let me change from my Smart Cap 29 plan to Easy Cap 19 plan even though the phone can come free on both plans. Now I'm paying $10 extra per month for 1GB monthly quota that I can't use. I think if you are after mobile broadband, better pay a bit extra and get Telstra.
If the data is that slow and useless complain to the TIO and get out of your contract.
Is it possible to use it with iPad 3G?
yes with WIFI mode
I mean anyway to put the sim card into iPad?
if it is a 3G ipad then all 3g devices need to take a sim
$30/month for shit Virgin or $40/month for high speed Telstra with better coverage and speed…gee tough choice. Let's be smart about this not just outright tight asses!!
At night time I hit around 1.5MB/s downloading linux ISOs from the AARNET mirror, slowest in the day with good HSPA-DC+ coverage is around 5-6Mbps and has a low enough latency to game on even. Given how close is price the Telstra services are it's not really that hard a choice.
could not agree more. i used to be on 3, voda and virgin (depend who is cheaper) and purely using those for the free call. then i bought a smartphone and it was a painful slow turtle speed network on 3 (last provider i was with). moved over to telstra pay $10 difference and it is night and day difference.
streaming youtube on tether no wait at all. download speed is upwards 2mbps most of time. so, best $10/month i ever spend.
I am now ordering Bigpond ultimate for 42mbps for my laptop. last time i check on their official test video, it reach 20mbps on eureka tower. will let you know when i got the device.
got this link from whirlpool. basically collated info of people uploading their speedtest using bigpond mobile
http://maps.google.com.au/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=…
Cheers
this is great commentary, pls keep on coming, i was unsure if it was a good deal or not anyways, but other people's inputs is opening my eyes
Virgin mobile broadband sux. It doesn't give you a stable connection, its constantly dropping and reconnecting you. Other optus based carriers are fine, just not virgin never again.
This is why I love OB. Good to know this isn't worth wasting money on. I'm on contract with Virgin Mobile and their 3G in the Wollongong area is pitiful so I can only assume this would be just as bad.
You just described how bad telstra is in comparison and left out all the details for this deal.
This cap costs $39/month and you get 8GB/month.
With telstra, you get a $299 rebate on the modem, if you're on the 24 month contract.