Choice
"consumer awareness of purchasing a mobile phone"
Mobile Phones
Prepaid (advantages and disadvantages)
Advantages: Prepaid tends to be the cheapest option for people who don’t make many calls
- A prepaid service gives you tight control over call expenditure.
Disadvantages: - If you want to go to another network, you may have to pay what amounts to an exit fee (ostensibly a fee for removing SIM security locks). Different networks have different policies check before you buy.
- The call credits may expire after a certain time, . Some carriers allow you to carry over unused credits for up to 12 months such as Vodaphone and its resellers
- International roaming isn’t available from all providers.
Cost of internet on phones: Most 3G mobile phones now come with internet usage entailing a data plan, going over the data allowance can lead to the nasty shock of extra charges per megabyte
Always be wary of the terms 'free', 'capped' and any other marketing terms used to sell you the plan. Some phones have Wi-Fi access so you can roam to a personal network or wireless hotspot. This means you don't need to use the internet plan via the network. the location that you live in can differ from other peoples, the broadband connection will either be slow or there will be less connection if you were living/ or in an isolated area and your only opinion would be a satellite, whereas if you were based in a major town you would be able to have a faster broadband access.
Key features of a mobile phone - A camera, text message or sms, internet, calculator, calendar etc.
Expiry of the plan and the cost of breaking a contract: When your plan has expired, you could either move to a different phone company, if you desire. But when breaking a contract you would have to pay a fee, if the contract is broken before it expires, the cost of breaking the contact will depend on which phone company you are with, for example "Minimum termination fees on the $60 plan is $720 plus remaining handset costs"
Lock-out conditions with a pre-paid phone: a lock-out condition is a condition where when your mobile pre-paid phone has been locked out when you purchase it, so to un lock it, you would have to go back to the company that you have bought your pre-paid phone from, you have to ask them to unlock it so that you would be able to put a sim card into the phone, and access it.
Global Roaming costs: Make and receive a call:$1.00 / min in Russia Send SMS: $0.50 / SMS• Receive SMS: Free MMS to AU number: Standard national MMS rate for your plan + $0.50 / MB and the cost of each overseas country depends on where you are located and also which country you are calling to.