Click below to
find interesting
information from our
November 2011
newsletter
relating to:
Roaming
Travel
Mobile phones
Roaming
Roaming
in 2012
Here's our
(gloomy)
predictions for
the murky world
of roaming costs
in 2012:
Optus
will "simplify"
its zone-based
roaming pricing
by removing the
lowest-priced
zone (after all,
that only
comprises such
well-travelled
destinations of
Bangladesh,
Cyprus, Isle of
Man, Macau and
Norway -
comparable to
Vodafone's token
New Zealand and
Singapore).
Probably in
January while
most people are
on holiday.
Vodafone will
wipe out (so
dramatically
increase) the
lowest roaming
prices it
currently offers
(the "like-home"
rates for its
"3" customers).
Telstra may
move to zonal
pricing (an
effective price
increase).
All three
will finally
change to a
variable
data-roaming
price that
changes for
different
countries
(either
country-by-country,
or zonal).
In 2012 none
will disclose
their
inbound-roaming
revenue (the
hidden rivers of
gold), and their
outbound roaming
profit will boom
as Australians
travel in
ever-greater
numbers given
our strong
dollar, with
ever-more
smartphones
using
ever-increasing
amounts of data.
And of course
they won't
reduce the
prices, even
though the
strong dollar
has dramatically
cut their costs.
Save more on
roaming in 2012,
when you
use our vSIM
post-paid
alternative.
Travel
Google
makes a
move
When
Google
acquired
ITA
Software
in July
2010,
the
travel
industry
knew
that
change
was in
the air
as
Google
expanded
into
travel
(already
offering
Places,
Maps,
user
reviews
and
hotel
price
listings).
In
September,
Google
finally
unveiled
what it
has done
with ITA,
in the
form of
Google
Flights.
Available
only for
north-American
flights
so far,
a visit
there
shows
what
will
come our
way
eventually.
Price-comparison
shopping
is very
slick,
with
prices
visible
for
multiple
destinations,
and over
time.
Once
flights
are
selected,
Google
sends
you off
to the
airline
site to
book
direct.
It's
a powerful
challenge to
traditional
travel agents
(and even more
so to on-line
travel sites).
Google’s
Flight Search
boasts the
hallmarks of the
Google
experience –
amazing speed
and a very clean
interface.
Extras come in
the form of an
interactive map
that shows
instant pricing
to a range of
destinations.
Online travel
agents will be
affected, but
also will not
(yet) be
supplanted.
While the
effectiveness of
Google Flight
Search is
uncertain, one
thing is clear:
it will disrupt
the air travel
marketplace. The
website itself
is only one
element of it.
The innovation
it spurs in
everyone else
will be the real
revolution.
Mobile phones
Changing your
mobile contract
Almost half of
Australia's
mobile phone
users are
planning to
switch providers
next year but
(despite the
ease and
benefits) a
sizeable number
are still
putting up with
bad service, a
study by
Macquarie
University and
SIM-card
provider amaysim
shows.
Consumers
are losing an
average of more
than $300 a year
by sticking with
a phone company
they dislike.
Half of the
survey
respondents said
they found it
hard to switch,
but a similar
number (46%)
were planning to
switch in 2012
with poor
coverage and bad
customer service
among the most
common gripes.
Only one in four
consumers liked
their mobile
phone provider,
but one-third of
respondents were
still planning
to stay with the
same company
despite being
unhappy with the
service.
During the past
year, 16 per
cent of
Australian
mobile phone
users switched
providers,
collectively
saving $600
million, with
Generation X
customers the
most likely to
make the move.
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