Resource | Information about Data plans

Published on: 10th December 2024

Have you seen our Auslan Resource Library videos about Data Plans?

🛜 This video provides information about mobile phone data plans. Have a look and learn more!

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Visual description of the thumbnail:
Title reads “Auslan Information Resource Hub: Information about Data Plans” and shows a person with long blonde hair tied in a ponytail. She is signing the Auslan sign for “phone” and looking at her flat palm with a smile on her face. It includes a note “Produced by Auslan Consultancy” and the background is a light, abstract pattern.

Transcript:
[The presenter is wearing a professional black t-shirt and has their hair tied back in a ponytail. She is standing against a dark blue background. Upper left hand corner features title “What is cellular data?” The presenter begins signing towards the viewer.] What is cellular data? You may have noticed phone companies, such as Telstra or Optus, offering something called cellular data and wondered what it is.
[Upper left hand corner title changes to “Mobile phone memory”] And noticed next to the new phones on display there is something called gigabytes, or GB for short. Some phones may say 128 gigabytes or 256 gigabytes or 512 gigabytes. Mobile phones with fewer gigabytes are cheaper, while mobile phones with more gigabytes are more expensive.
These numbers reflect the amount of memory data. It’s the phone’s ability to store information, such as photographs or apps that you choose to download. The more gigabytes of data on the phone, the more memory it has, the more it can store, and the more expensive it is. If you rarely take photos or download apps on your phone, then a phone with a smaller amount of memory may be suitable. However, if you take lots of photos and download lots of apps on your phone, you’re better off purchasing a phone with a higher memory.
[Upper left hand corner title changes to “Mobile phone connection”] Once you have decided on a phone which is best for you, you will need to connect it to the internet to access services and apps. If you are at home, you can connect your phone to your home Wi-Fi and use it to browse the internet, access social media, or stream videos.
Having mobile data on your phone enables your phone to stay connected to the internet when you are out and about and don’t have access to Wi-Fi. Mobile phone data is a wireless cellular connection that allows your phone to send and receive information. This means you’re able to access the internet anywhere and at any time.
Data is also calculated in gigabytes but it is different to the gigabytes of memory that your phone holds to store information. Cellular data gigabytes means the data used when your phone is connected to 3G, 4G or 5G and using the internet to access services, download apps, stream videos, and browse social media.
Once you have a SIM card for your phone, you will need to purchase additional data per month so you can use the internet when not connected to Wi-Fi.
[Upper left hand corner title changes to “Purchase data”] Data can be purchased in different amounts of gigabytes, or GB for short. One gigabyte is not a lot of data, but a hundred gigabytes is quite a lot of data. If you’re out and about frequently and need to access the internet on your phone, you will benefit from having plenty of data or more gigabytes. If you mostly use your phone from home connected to Wi-Fi, then you’ll only need a small amount of data or fewer gigabytes per month.
[Upper left hand corner title changes to “1 GB = ?”. The presenter points to a changing diagram occasionally, which visualises how a full bar representing 1 gigabyte of data might become empty over time browsing different kinds of media.] One gigabyte of data is equivalent to a thousand megabytes. Let’s say one gig of data looks like this. Your phone will use this data if you upload or download anything through your phone from any apps like Facebook or Youtube. I’ll give you some examples of how you might use this gigabyte of data. If you were to MMS or email approximately 500 photos, that would use this gigabyte of data. It’s also equivalent to about 2,850 emails sent with attachments. If you send video messages, one gigabyte will get you about 40 one-minute videos. Browsing and clicking through approximately 300 webpages would utilise this one gig of data, or downloading or updating around 25 apps. If you were to watch 30 minutes of HD video streaming, that’ll consume one gigabyte of your data, and this also goes for 30 minutes of video calls on FaceTime, Skype or Zoom.
[Upper left hand corner title changes to “Phone plans”] You can purchase mobile phone data from any cellphone provider, such as Telstra, Optus, Vodafone, Amaysim, or many others. There are two options for purchasing mobile phone data. There are postpaid plans and prepaid plans.
With a postpaid plan, you pick the plan that best suits you depending on the cost of the plan, the amount of data included, and the length of the contract. For example, you may select a plan that includes 40 gigabytes of data for $30 per month with a contract period of two years. If you were to use up all of your 40 gigabytes of data before the end of the month, the cellphone provider will automatically give you an extra one gigabyte of data to use but will charge you an additional fee for the extra gig of data, meaning your bill might be $40 that month instead of the usual $30 per month. If you also want a new phone included in your plan, you would pay the $30 per month for your 40 gigabyte of data and also pay an additional cost per month that covers the cost to pay off the price of the phone. This may be, for example, an additional $30 per month on top of the data that you would continue to pay for the life of the two-year plan. If you do change your mind and wish to break the contract before the two-year period, you would be charged a cancellation fee by the cellphone provider.
Prepaid plans give you the flexibility to pay upfront for the amount of data you need on a month-by-month basis with no contracted time and no automatic billing.
It’s important to keep in mind that if your phone is not connected to Wi-Fi and is using your 3G, 4G, or 5G cellular data, your phone may be using up your data without you knowing. Apps on your phone will often automatically perform background updates, which does use your data. You can go into your settings on your phone and turn off mobile data to reduce your data usage. But this does mean that you will not be able to access the internet if you’re out and about and not connected to Wi-Fi. If you’re connected to Wi-Fi, it will not use your cellular data.
[Upper left hand corner title changes to “Purchasing the plan”] You can purchase a postpaid plan via a cellphone provider’s website or by calling them on their service sales phone number. Some phone companies also have a free online web chat service, which can be accessed on their website or via a self-service app that you can download where you can chat with a salesperson. You can also go into a retail store to purchase a postpaid plan.
Prepaid plans can be purchased in a variety of retail shops, such a supermarkets, petrol stations, or post offices. Once you’ve paid, you can use the receipt to top up the data and credit on your phone.
[Upper left hand corner title changes to “Which one will suit me?”] \Phone carrier companies have many plan options to choose from and the prices vary greatly depending on the type of plan you purchase, the data, the package available, and whether the plan includes a phone as well. When choosing the best plan for you, it’s important to consider your budget, how much you can afford to pay each month, and how much data you will need per month. You should also consider whether you prefer a postpaid plan or a prepaid plan. Purchasing a larger data usage deal can save you money, but if you do not require the largest amount of data, it may be a waste of money. It may be worth shopping around and keeping an eye out for limited time only discounted deals on phone data plans offered by telephone companies.
Postpaid plans vary in price depending on the company. 100 gigabytes of data can cost anywhere between $40 to $80 per month. You can also purchase as little as five gigabytes of data for $10 per month. Prepaid mobile data can be purchased in-store or online and can vary greatly depending on the phone company and any limited time only discount deals they may have available at the time. A company may sell 20 gigabytes of data for $20, while other companies may sell 70 gigabytes of data for $10 as part of a special offer. You can search the internet to compare phone plans, the amount of data included, and the monthly cost. Comparison website will show the list of different phone companies and the best deal they have on offer. 

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