Newsletter

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By far the biggest news story last month was the launch of Apple iPad in Australia. This time was no different to previous launches with weeks of media hype, product shortages, pre-orders and midnight queues outside Apple retail stores. The Apple site began accepting pre-orders on the 11^th of May while retail stores started selling on the 28^th. Due to supply shortages the last of the pre-orders were fulfilled only by the 7^th of June. By now most people who wanted an iPad have managed to get their hands on one.

In more Apple related news, we saw the announcement of iPhone 4GS at the WWDC in San Francisco. Read more about the iPhone 4GS on our blog.

The new HTC Desire has clearly made its mark in the premium smart-phone market, drawing inevitable comparisons with iPhone 4GS. This Android based device from the Taiwanese manufacturer ticks all the boxes plus some. And Telstra have done s great job of marketing the phone to the movers and shakers through some clever social media marketing.

HTC Legend is the other HTC phone making waves. A smaller screen and a slower processor are the main points of difference between it and the Desire. You can read more about the phone and available plans on our blog. Vodafone has exclusive rights to sell Legend, and Three plans are expected anytime soon.
Plans start at just $29 per month on a 24 month contract.

Other major phones that found their way into the market this month are the Blackberry Pearl 3G, LG Mini and Nokia N900.
There haven’t been major changes on the plan front. It is expected that Optus will raise flagfall rates on its plans next month – from 35 cents to 45 cents. Virgin mobile have quietly raised all standard call rates to 99 cents/minute. VHA have started free calls between their two networks – which means if you are on Vodafone, you can call Three phones for the same rate as Vodafone to Vodafone calls, and vice versa if you are on Three.

Next month we expect to see some more new handsets – Samsung Galaxy S and Google Nexus One. Stay tuned.

1.Vodafone and Three offer 24 month repair warranty on contract phones

2.Telstra launches HTC desire

3.New plans from Optus and Vodafone

4.Cellofane.com.au becomes phonesandplans.com.au

1.Carriers Vodafone and Three displayed an unusually generous side earlier this year when they declared that all handsets bought through them will come with an automatic 2 year warranty. Warranty will apply retrospectively for all contract phones purchased anytime after 1 Dec 2009.

1. 5,000,000,000 mobile phone subscriptions forecast for the end of this year
2. "Where the Bloody Hell Are You?" says Telstra's Thodey
3. Cellofane.com.au Beta goes live

1. 5,000,000,000 mobile phone subscriptions forecast for the end of this year

In 2010 another 400 million people will take up phones services around the world, according to an ITU report. That will bring up the total number of mobile services to a very respectable 5 billion. To put this number in perspective, the total population of the planet was 5 billion in 1987. Most of this growth will be from new additions in emerging markets.

Meanwhile in Australia, with 25 million we have a penetration of nearly 110% with an average of 2.9 phones per household.

2. "Where the Bloody Hell Are You?" says Telstra's Thodey

Telstra recently announced their results for the second half of 2009 and made a startling revelation - Telstra is slowly losing its hold on its main business - voice communications.

It faces two major problems. The first, and probably more serious of the two, is the higher-than-expected decline in land line connections. Till recently, Telstra chief David Thodey was predicting a single digit revenue growth in fixed line revenue. Fast forward to today, and the revenues have actually gone backwards instead.

Second problem is Telstra's struggle in the mobile and broadband space. Telstra is facing a challenging situation in this space with increasing price pressures and aggressive competitors, resulting in a declining market share for the company.

The combined impact of these two issues has resulted in a 3.3 percent decline in Telstra's new profit for the six months to Deccember 2009, and a 2.5 percent decline to the company's revenue.

Telstra desperately need to turn a corner, and soon. But many analysts believe that their slide has only just started.


3. Cellofane.com.au Beta goes live

Navigating the maze of mobile services just got easier. At Cellofane, we make bill shocks and dodgy dealers a thing of the past by arming Australian phone buyers with information about the best options available to them in the market. Now in just a few clicks users can compare hundreds of mobile plans and phones from 13 service providers and 7 phone brands at cellofane.com.au.

Give the service a go and dont forget to share your experience with us on how the Smart Plan Analyser was able to help you make the right decision.