Next G data limit increase could ease iPhone headaches

Effective today, customers with $10 mobile data packs will have access to 150MB of data, up from the previous limit of 20MB.

Customers with $29 data packs now will have access to 300MB of data, up from the previous limit of 80MB.

The data limit increase comes hot on the heels of last month’s iPhone launch, which has lead users to question and compare data rates provided by the competing telcos.

The rapid uptake of the iPhone and similar 3G devices recently has prompted warnings from the ACCC of the risks of usage caps and excess charges that come with data usage.

According to a Telstra spokesperson, the new download limits could save customers from data usage ‘headaches’.

The increase is said to be a result of ‘network enhancements’ enabled by 3G Direct Tunnel Technology and the spectrum made available by the closure of Telstra’s CDMA network.

“Telstra has made a number of advances in our mobile technology to ensure our network can support high data traffic both now and into the future so our customers don’t experience some of the headaches those of our competitors have been reporting,” the spokesperson told iTnews.

The new data limits are a permanent fixture that the Telstra spokesperson expects to extend to ‘the foreseeable future’.

The increased capacity is expected to have no impact on the reliability, customer experience or service quality of Telstra’s Next G network.

Existing Telstra customers will be notified of the changes via text message.

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