Huawei, LG feature in Woolworths’ new 3G service

Earlier this week, Australian shopping giant Woolworths announced a new prepaid mobile service utilising the Optus 3G network, with several handsets manufactured by Chinese vendor Huawei as well as LG Electronics to be sold as part of the service.

Australians can now purchase a Woolworths Mobile Prepaid $29 or $49 cap that includes data, text and voice calls and utilises Optus’ 3G network. The $29 recharge will offer $500 value, including 5GB of data per month, $250 of calls or SMS to any Australian network and a further $250 for calls or text messages to other Woolworths Mobile or Optus customers.

For $49, users will receive the same amount of data, but double the amount of calls, with $500 available for calling any phone on another network and a further $500 for SMS or calls to Optus or Woolworths Mobile customers.

Both packages expire after 45 days, with Greg Foran, director of Woolworths Supermarkets, welcoming the new initiative and calling the new 3G services a response to increased demand by customers eager to use the latest smartphones including Apple’s iPhone and the range of Android devices now on the market.

“Everywhere you look people are using smartphones so we have responded to this demand by offering our customers a great value 3G Prepaid Cap,” Foran said of the initiative. “For the first time, we’ll be offering our customers the latest Android 3G smartphones so customers who may have been thinking about upgrading their 2G phone to a 3G phone can do so at their local Woolworths store at a great low price.”

Two unlocked Android handsets — the LG Optimus ME and Huawei Sonic — will be offered by Woolworth, BIG W and Dick Smith stores alongside the prepaid SIM cards for $138 and $188 respectively. The company has confirmed the special microSIM cards required for use in Apple’s iPhone 4 are also now available for the prepaid program.

Customers using Optus’ 3G network through the Woolies program won’t have unmetered access to Optus Zoo services with a spokesperson confirming Woolies customers accessing Optus’ normally unmetered sites will count towards the 5GB data allowance.

It’s not the first phone service launched by Woolies. Last year the company began using Optus’ 2G network to provide the Woolworths Everyday Mobile program, that offers cheap prepaid SMS and voice calls across the country. At this stage both programs are expected to continue running together.

Image credit: Huawei

3 COMMENTS

  1. What a pity they didn’t pick the Telstra network – at least it’s reliable !!! Then again, they could have used Vodafone…:-(

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