Kogan today announced the return of its Kogan Mobile brand, with plans to push the no contract market further than before.
Just over 2 years since the service shut down in dramatic fashion, the online retailer is ready to take another stab at mobile, this time with new partner Vodafone.
There are 2 plan options to choose from: 3XL for $29.95 per month and 5XL for 36.95. Impressively, the numbers in the title refer to the amount of data included in the plans, making both plans the cheapest 3GB and 5GB plans respectively. Both options also include unlimited calls, SMS and MMS.
90 day and 365 day payment options are available for both plans, with a small discount for the service up for grabs when you choose one of the longer payment periods.
The new Kogan Mobile comes out a new partnership with Vodafone, and Kogan’s customers will make use of the Vodafone 3G network until ‘early 2016’ when 4G services will be switched on. Vodafone will be responsible for all services and tech support.
To get the services into as many hands as possible, Kogan will bundle a new SIM card will every unlocked mobile handset sold through Kogan.com.
How do the plans compare?
Simply put, the new Kogan plan are the most generous at point the $30 and $40 price points, besting the competition either with more included data, or a cheaper price for the same data inclusion.
For example, amaysim’s Unlimited 2GB plan costs $29.90 per month. For the same price Kogan customers get the same unlimited calls and SMS, plus 3GB data. Similarly, TPG’s $39.90 plan include 5GB data; the same inclusion in Kogan’s plan costs $35.90 per month.
The major difference between the Kogan Mobile plans and the examples listed above is the network behind them. TPG and amaysim both use the Optus 4G network, with data download speeds up to 100Mbps. The Vodafone 3G network delivers a still-great 42Mbps speed, but it is certainly inferior.
Kogan has confirmed that its mobile customers will be upgraded to the Vodafone 4G network early next year, but wouldn’t rule out a price change to coincide with the update.
Water under the bridge?
The news of a new Kogan Mobile is certainly encouraging, and the new prices are sure to shake up the already competitive no contract, BYO phone market. But will Kogan Mobile’s previous shutdown have a negative effect on the way the new service is taken up.
The shutdown of Kogan Mobile in August 2013 was an event that left an impact. Below its exit, Kogan Mobile had attracted 280,000 subscribers and was one of the most popular MVNO options at the time. After its deal with Telstra fell through, its huge customer base was left looking for a new provider with a month’s notice.
“This time we’ve taken slowly and done it right,” said Kogan executive director, David Shafer. “when people do their research they will see just how competitive our offer is.”
“I think the customers we had from last time were not as unset as you might envisage. They were given special treatment entering different providers…and they were refunded all of their money. It is our previous customers who have been asking us to re-enter [the mobile market] because they saw how we shook up the market.”
“This is a bigger and better Kogan Mobile, and we’re here to stay this time.” said Shafer.
Joseph Hanlon
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