Agree with everything you have said. I should colour the picture a little as my comments at the time re Telstra service are biased due to my ongoing battle to get them to send me an accurate account.
Since Jan 2009 when my mobile plan ran out, my account has been incorrect 11 out of the 13 months. I have spent countless hours on the phone and in Telstra shops and still they cannot seem to get an account correct- as much as they all make promises that "it is now fixed".

On top of this I was sold a Next G phone in Brisbane that I was assurred would have full reception on a remote property in western Queensland. Couldn't get a signal within 130Kms of the place. Complain and Telstra sell mew a high gain antennae for $110 and I have to drive all over Brisbane to get a patch lead. Get out to the opal lease again and it still doesn't work. When I go to the Telstra shop in Longreach the girl pulls up a coverage map with the property names on it and immediately says " no coverage out there". Took me 4 weeks and several lengthy phone calls where I have to completely repeat the problem before someone would agree to a refund.

And don't get me started on ringing the Wireless Broadband service centre (based in Phillipines) trying to have an installation problem fixed only to be asked what colour wires the modem had?

So yes it is a big country and for the sparseness of the population we are well served (cost wise) for comms. services. This however does not mean we should not be entitled to "truth in selling" of products and accurate accounts. It actually says to me that important essential sservices (include power and water) should never have been privatised.

Ray.

You are also incorrect Telstra Prepaid USB modems are WHITE with a 7 on the front

The new prices apply to PLANS and also PREPAID They do not apply to browsing packs which is what I had at the time.

These, if you read my posts are bought through TELSTRA MOBILE and the prices HAVENT CHANGED.

I have now canceled mine and in future will use Bigpond Prepaid which is at the new lower rate.

You only need to buy a sim card for what I was using and it can be used in whatever modem or mobile phone you wish to use it in.

I used mine in an Iphone, a Nokia 6120 and an old Bigpond modem which we had hacked the software to unlock it.

So you see I am not incorrect at all.

I have done a fair bit of research on this so have got a fair idea of whats what.

Graham,i did not mention browsing packs or prepaid.I was referring only to postpaid and the difference between telstra mobile and bigpond.

Don't forget to use Telstra's 'free' download area where you do not cop any download time -all downloads are not metered. Very handy if you are on a small plan. Site address is:

http://www.bigpond.com/unmetered/

Lots of useful stuff in there such as news and weather, sport, medical, travel, etc.

I use this as my home page, as I don't have some useless home page being downloaded every time I log on, which would cost metered kilobytes!

Hi everyone
my bigpond dongle is blue all over and I just saved myself $20 a month on my 3gig plan.
My only available internet access is via bigpond wireless so being tied to a new 24 month contract does not worry me as I have to use this service anyway.

Edit: One of the conditions on this new contract was that all my services Bigpond and Telstra are now combined on a single bill. If they were separate entities could this happen?

happy and safe easter to all

Generally if you go into a Telstra shop you buy Bigpond whatever.

Both sides have used Modems of the same colour. My Bigpond one is blue So was the Telstra ZTE I had

The colour doesnt matter its the software thats in it that differentiates it.

The ZTE modems are identical except for the software irrespective of colour.

Earlier in the thread I said in my reply to Rayw what I was using.

In the original post the link was to a Bigpond site NOT a Telstra one.

The only difference between the two apart from the fact that each others hardware only connects via their own portal is who you pay the bill to. I get a bill from Telstra. If I was on Bigpond I would pay them.

They both connect via the same network, it is merely a billing difference.

Like going into Harvey Norman or Domayne same company different name.

Horses for Courses !

If I did my computing on a desktop PC at my suburban house all the time I would not use wireless broadband. But I don't. My desktop computer is now only used for backup and I do all my real computing on my laptop. I spend almost half the year away from my home, some of that time in my caravan.

I tried a cheaper wireless broadband that uses the Optus network. Apart from the limited coverage of the Optus network it's speed was very variable (even in close proximity to its towers) throughout the 24 hours and at peak times was virtually unusable.

I moved to Bigpond wireless broadband on a 3GB plan, which, after discounts for the landline and mobile I already had, costs me $29.95 a month. Bigpond gives me fast and reliable internet access even in a remote place I have in the wilds of the Victorian Alps, miles from anywhere.

Before I had wireless internet I had cable internet at home and a $10 data pack on my Telstra NextG mobile. I don't need that data pack now and so there is another saving ... so my Bigpond is actually only costing me $19.95 per month. Hardly exhorbitant.

For my needs, Telstra/Bigpond is the best option by a long shot.

Paul.

"You are also incorrect Telstra Prepaid USB modems are WHITE with a 7 on the front"

nd "So you see I am not incorrect at all. I have done a fair bit of research on this so have got a fair idea of whats what"

You are incorrect! You better go back to the "research" desk, where's the "7" that you mention on the Telstra dongle?????

It appears that the decals have changed since last year when I was looking.

There was then , if I remember correctly some new models one with a 7 and one with 21 on it.

These could be used as prepaid or so I was told at the time.

The colour doesnt really matter, its the software its loaded with.

Sorry if I upset anyone.

I would suggest to anyone who has recently signed up on a plan which is combined with other Telstra services, that they check that they are receiving the applicable "discount".

We are still awaiting this billing issue to be rectified.