Coles, Woolies and Kogan all launch mobile service

Mobile space is hotting up. Coles and Woolies have have prepaid for a while and Kogan is back this time with Vodafone. Prices keep falling.

Aussie online retail heavyweight Ruslan Kogan has made a dramatic re-entrance into the Australian mobile market, signing a partnership with Vodafone to relaunch Kogan Mobile with cheap prepaid plans offering unlimited calls and texts.
The plans, available immediately from Kogan’s website, use Vodafone’s mobile 3G network and customers will also gain support from Vodafone rather than Kogan.
CEO Ruslan Kogan said he was “thrilled to partner with a like-minded, challenger brand,” describing Vodafone as a network ally that wasn’t afraid of competitive pricing.
Kogan Mobile’s 3XL offering comes with 3GB of data, unlimited national calls and texts for $29.90 for 30 days, or $299.90 for a full year, which works out to 83 cents per day.
The 5XL option meanwhile includes 5GB of data, unlimited national calls and texts for $36.90 for 30 days or $369.90 for a full year, or $1.02 per day.
Tablet users can buy a 2GB data pack for $14.90 for 30 days usage, while there are also 30, 90 and 365 day prepaid options on offer. Users can either bring their own device or set up the SIM with a device bought from Kogan.
Vodafone Australia chief Inaki Berroeta said that while initially Kogan’s plans will only use Vodafone’s 3G network, customers will be migrated to 4G in early 2016.
“These types of relationships are long term,” he said. “It’s a partnership we really believe is going to work and we’ll be working on it at and looking at it every day.”
Kogan’s last foray into the mobile market was its failed Telstra offering a few years ago, in which it offered Telstra plans through a partnership with ispONE, which had a wholesale contract with Telstra.
That contract was cancelled leaving Kogan Mobile customers in the lurch, but Ruslan Kogan said his customers could have absolute trust in this new offering.
“This new service cuts out the middleman and has the full backing of Vodafone,” Mr Kogan said. “This is a rock solid offering that is going to give customers great value for money.
“We’re here to stay this time.”
The new plans are available from today from koganmobile.com.au.
Meanwhile, gorcery giant Coles is also getting serious about mobile services, teaming up with Optus to launch prepaid mobile services starting at $10 on the telco’s 4G Plus network.
The Coles Prepaid offer consists of two plans. A $10 pay-as-you-go-service with a 60 day expiry and 12 cents per megabytes of data, text message and standard national calls, and a $10 for 10 days plan that offers 400 MB of data, unlimited calls and unlimited texts.
According to Coles, the plans have been designed to meet very specific needs. While the $10 for 10 days plan is designed to meet the short-term needs of tourists, the PAYG plan offers a low cost recharge option with a long expiry.
“Our customers told us they’re looking for prepaid options to assist in managing tight budgets and they enjoy the simplicity and freedom of no commitments or contracts,” Coles general manager non-food, Karin Zimmerman, said.
Coles’ entry into the mobile services market follows the recent return of its rival Woolworths in the space. In June, Woolworths launched, Woolworths Connect, which offers two prepaid options each running on the Telstra 3G network.
With Supratim Adhikari

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/bus...amp-mobile-plans/story-e6frgakx-1227574175358