How to use Telstra mobile data in Australia in 2013

So it is 2013 and Australians are using more mobile data than ever.

The volume of data downloaded via mobile handsets, for the three months ended 31 December 2012, was 13,703 Terabytes, an increase of 38% from the three months ended 30 June 2012.

How does the average Australian pay for his/her data on the largest and fastest mobile network? If there's 14PB of the stuff whizzing through the air each quarter then this should be cheap and easy, right?

Here's how you do it without paying anything extra in 2 easy steps:

1. Use some data.

2. Monitor usage using the convenient Telstra apps on various platforms.

Some things to note:

 - Mobile data usage is measured differently to how you might expect. Users have found inconsistencies with bits received vs. charged when streaming HD video, for example.

 - All Telstra apps state that "Data usage usually current as of about 6 hours ago".

An LTE handset receives data at a rate of 2-40mbps, so in 6 hours, using data at the low end of that speed for 6 hours would take you from 0GB used to 5.4GB used within just the time it would take to display on your 'handy' usage meter. Given the maximum included data with a plan is 3GB, this means everyone could easily go over the included data in a plan without even noticing.

3. So what are your options to pay for the data you use?

Your choice is really Excess Data (3a) or a Data Packs (3b)

3a. Pay 'Excess data usage'

So how much does it cost if you accidentally go over your included plan? Don't worry, it's just $100/GB, or about $250 if you used as much as I described in part 2. 'Bill Shock' is always mentioned in the media with examples of people returning from overseas holidays with thousands of dollars in international data usage, but Telstra's non-international data usage is pretty close ($10/MB vs. $15.36/MB).

Never fear because as Telstra say:

"There is a great range of Data Pack options that start from 250MB up to 8GB of included data per month."

3b. Buy a data pack

So you've been careful and have bought a $5 or more data pack because you knew you'd be going over your included data.

But there are a few more confusing things here:

1. Keep in mind the same concerns with approaching excess data apply to data packs as did in step 2 with your included data. Buying a 3GB data pack on top of your included 1GB? If you use 5GB total it'll cost you another $100 (on top of your $30 3GB).
2. Data packs are applied to the current month on a pro-rata basis. So if you have already gone over your included data purchasing a data pack will not avoid any charges already incurred.
3. A data pack is automatically purchased for the next month in advance (plus any pro-rata for the remaining days in your billing month). If you don't need it again you'll need to cancel it the next month. This can't be done in your account manager of course, but you can use Telstra LiveChat to get it done reasonably painlessly. Just have your account number and DOB ready to go.

So is this all changing with the new ACMA Telco code, released in September last year? Unfortunately no. The new rule is that usage alerts must be "sent to customers when they have used 50%, 85% and 100% of their allotted voice, text and data usage." but the time delay is allowed to be up to 48 hours, not even the 'usually 6 hours' that Telstra offers.

The good news: apparently all Telstra LiveChat employees are allowed to approve a once-off $100 credit on your next bill if you accidentally go over. If you do it again (or went >$100 over) it is best to at least threaten to go to the Telecomms Industry Ombudsman.

I switched from Telstra prepaid to Telstra postpaid last year thinking it would be a bit simpler than recharging every month and that it would stop the monthly prepaid recharge alert spamfest. On prepaid, the process I was following most of the time was:

1. Recharge prepaid cap (includes some data).
2. Occasionally buy a prepaid data pack if I knew it would be required.
3. Use data until it runs out.
4. Recharge again.

I'm not sure how Telstra manages to cut you off so promptly if you are on prepaid, yet can't notify you as promptly that you have started to pay $100/GB. Perhaps you can get a bit of free usage until their systems realise? Doubtful, but possible.

As you can see from what's written above, it's not worth it. If you want Telstra's superior network you'll need to be careful, pay for a large data pack well beyond your expected usage or use prepaid and put up with the annoyances that come with that.

Predictably Irrational: Data blocks

I've been catching the bus recently. Hate the bus... love audiobooks.  Predictably Irrational, by Dan Ariely is one I got through last week.  While doing an Economics degree I was interested in assumption of rational behaviour of individuals often made when discussing various theories.  Predictably Irrational focuses on cases where that blatantly doesn't occur. One aspect is that the $0 price is irrationally special: the difference between charging 10c and 5c is nothing when compared to the difference between 5c and 0c.  When Amazon.com began offering free shipping for orders over $20 they exploited this to great effect (apparently Amazon France didn't implement the 0 cost, charging a small token delivery cost, and didn't get an at all similar increase in sales).

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Nerdy Standups

Those who know Plevs' recent attempts in the world of stand-up comedy already have some experience with nerd-comedy.
 

We are a lucky country, it's been said, and it's true. We've had a pretty peaceful past compared to most countries. But it's funny what people will say. "Yew oughta support the Americans. If it weren't for them we'd all be eating sushi." (shrug) That would in actual fact be awesome. So if the Japanese had rolled into Darwin in 1942, they would have brought us some sushi? What do they say in Turkey these days? "You must support the valiant defenders of Gallipoli! If it weren't for them you'd all be eating Chiko rolls." ~Plevs' raw comedy set 2007.

However, I think this guy defeats even Plevs on all counts. As the self-proclaimed "world's first and only stand-up economist*", Yoram Bauman has tried the world of comedy after many years of study left him the brains, but unfortunately also the body, of Stephen Hawking.

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Exerpts from Freakonomics

I picked up a good read the other day and seeing as there hasn't been much activity this month I thought I'd share some of it with the shake.

'Freakonomics' is written by a NY Times Magazine journalist and an Economist and essentially looks at examples of 'cool' microeconomic case studies. So they take a topic like, 'Why do drug dealers still live with their moms', and use data and eco principles to explain it.

A common amusement to me is the naming of children. 'Parents' who pick a name they like but then give it some supposed pizzazz (by choice or accident) with a bit of misspelling. Think Konna, Destinee, Ashly, Britany and so on. These guys got data allowing them to link a child's name with their mother's years of education. Here's a list of the top 8 'Jasmines' in ascending order of Maternal Education. (Data taken from every child born in California after 1961)

1. Jazmine (11.94 years)
2. Jazmyne (12.08)
3. Jazzmin (12.14)
4. Jazzmine (12.16)
5. Jasmyne (12.18)
6. Jasmina (12.50)
7. Jazmyn (12.77)
8. Jasmine (12.88)

I know it is an obvious and expected conclusion, but it is just good to see it as clearly as that with actual evidence.

If you were curious about the drug dealer case- They were able to get the financial books of a gang and analyse the breakdown of payments throughout the system. The reason that they still live at home is purely financial. Despite risking their lives, (25% of the actual dealers on the street will die due to 'work') standard henchmen (who make up the majority of the group) will earn just $3.30 an hour. If they make it to be the player in their local area then they can make around $100,000 a year (that's tax-free of course...) but such players are hesitant to divide this among the henchmen. As the leader of the gang in question J.T. said so eloquently, "You got all these niggers below you who want your job, you dig? So you know, you try to take care of them, but you know, you also have to show them you the boss. You gotta get yours first, or else you ain't no leader. If you start taking losses, they see you as weak and shit."

So what's the moral to this disjointed book suggestion? Ummm, don't get into drug dealing, get an education. You'll only end up with two girls named Jazmyne and Jazmine, and a massive debt.

If you want to read more, here's a version of the book in PDF form.