Kogan has officially launched its own pre-paid mobile phone service, Kogan Mobile.
The new network will use Telstra's wholesale 3G network, which is capped below the regular speeds of Telstra's 'Next G' network. It covers 97 percent of the Australian population over 960,000 square kilometres and offers typical download speeds of between 550 kilobits per second (Kbps) and 3 megabits per second (Mbps).
Typical Telstra 'Next G' download speeds range from a faster 1.1Mbps to 20Mbps and cover 99 per cent of the Australian population. Most other low cost mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) in Australia, such as Red Bull Mobile, Amaysim and Live Connected, use either the Optus or Vodafone networks.
Kogan Mobile offers a pre-paid plan of $29 per month which includes unlimited calls, unlimited SMS and MMS messages, unlimited voicemail and 6GB of data per month. The plan doesn't require a fixed contract and is among the most competitive in Australia.
In addition to the no contract offer of $29, Kogan Mobile offers a 90-day commitment for $79 and a 365 day full year commitment for $299, both for the same plan. The company also offers a $9.99 per month data only plan (2GB) for devices like Apple's iPad and other 3G capable tablets.
Kogan Mobile provides a "free" SIM starter kit online, but requires a $4.99 postage and handling fee to deliver the pack. Consumers can choose from a nano SIM, which supports Apple devices like the iPhone 5, the 4th Generation iPad and the iPad mini, or a standard & micro SIM which supports most other phones and tablets on the market.
The company also offers free Android and iPhone apps, which are available through Google's Play Store, and Apple's App Store, respectively.
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