Three says Hong Kong iPhone plans to start at $24 per month
Hutchison Telecom, which operates the "3"- branded mobile network in Hong Kong, announced Monday that monthly service plans for Apple's iPhone 3G will start at just $24, significantly less than the cheapest plan offered stateside by AT&T.
Subscribers who sign up for a 24-month contract can purchase an 8GB iPhone 3G for about $377 ($2938 HKD) or a 16GB model for around $479 ($3738 HKD) when choosing a $24 ($188 HKD) per month service plan that includes 500 basic minutes, 500 heart-to-heart minutes, 25 multimedia content messages, 15 text content messages, 500 MB of data usage and unlimited Intra SMS messages.
A $34 per month plan subsidizes the 8GB iPhone to $233 ($1738 HKD) and the 16GB model to $326 ($2538 HKD) and includes 800 basic minutes, 900 heart-to-heart minutes, 40 multimedia content messages, 25 text content messages, 500 MB of data usage and unlimited Intra SMS messages.
Stepping up to a $42 per month plan reduces the cost of the 8GB iPhone to $128 ($938 HKD) and the 16GB model to $223 ($1738 HKD) and bundles 1500 basic minutes, 1200 heart-to-heart minutes, 50 multimedia content messages, 35 text content messages, 500 MB of data usage and unlimited Intra SMS messages.
Subscribers who opt for 3's top-tier plan at $64 per month get an 8GB iPhone for free, or a 16GB for less than $20 ($138 HKD). The plan includes 2200 basic minutes, 1500 heart-to-heart minutes, 150 multimedia content messages, 50 text content messages, unlimited data usage and unlimited Intra SMS messages.
Readers can compare these plans to those recently announced by Rogers of Canada, TeliaSonera of Sweden, and Netcom of Norway.
iPhone 3G service plans offered by "3" in Hong Kong.
Subscribers who sign up for a 24-month contract can purchase an 8GB iPhone 3G for about $377 ($2938 HKD) or a 16GB model for around $479 ($3738 HKD) when choosing a $24 ($188 HKD) per month service plan that includes 500 basic minutes, 500 heart-to-heart minutes, 25 multimedia content messages, 15 text content messages, 500 MB of data usage and unlimited Intra SMS messages.
A $34 per month plan subsidizes the 8GB iPhone to $233 ($1738 HKD) and the 16GB model to $326 ($2538 HKD) and includes 800 basic minutes, 900 heart-to-heart minutes, 40 multimedia content messages, 25 text content messages, 500 MB of data usage and unlimited Intra SMS messages.
Stepping up to a $42 per month plan reduces the cost of the 8GB iPhone to $128 ($938 HKD) and the 16GB model to $223 ($1738 HKD) and bundles 1500 basic minutes, 1200 heart-to-heart minutes, 50 multimedia content messages, 35 text content messages, 500 MB of data usage and unlimited Intra SMS messages.
Subscribers who opt for 3's top-tier plan at $64 per month get an 8GB iPhone for free, or a 16GB for less than $20 ($138 HKD). The plan includes 2200 basic minutes, 1500 heart-to-heart minutes, 150 multimedia content messages, 50 text content messages, unlimited data usage and unlimited Intra SMS messages.
Readers can compare these plans to those recently announced by Rogers of Canada, TeliaSonera of Sweden, and Netcom of Norway.
iPhone 3G service plans offered by "3" in Hong Kong.
Comments
At least with AT&T, they have a 5GB soft-cap that would require epic web-surfing to use up.
the benefits of living in big, dense asian cities :-)
500MB of data is worse than Rogers. Why do carriers ignore that the iPhone is a phone THAT BROWSES THE WEB. Sigh.
At least with AT&T, they have a 5GB soft-cap that would require epic web-surfing to use up.
Yeah but the $64/month plan gets you both a free iPhone and unlimited data. That's far better than AT&T, let alone Rogers.
500MB of data is worse than Rogers. Why do carriers ignore that the iPhone is a phone THAT BROWSES THE WEB. Sigh.
The cheapest iPhone 3G plan on Rogers Wireless is $75 USD (300MB/150 minutes), after the system access fee and sales taxes are added in. 3's iPhone 3G plan is $24 USD (500MB/500 minutes), period. There is no sales tax in Hong Kong.
So explain to me, how a plan that gives 200 MB more access with 350 more minutes for $50 less a month is worse?
At the highest tier, $64 USD, you get unlimited data access at a cost even cheaper than AT&T's iPhone plans. I'm assuming a $30-40 plan + $30 data access + sales taxes.
At least 3 is giving customers the option of choosing a capped plan or an unlimited one. And at a better rate than what a U.S. AT&T customer would pay, too.
Rogers, on the other hand, gives us no options, data access rates that are among the highest in the world, and no unlimited plans to speak of.
Do people just not text message unless you're on the same network (I'm assuming that's what Intra SMS means)?
The cheapest iPhone 3G plan on Rogers Wireless is $75 USD (300MB/150 minutes), after the system access fee and sales taxes are added in. 3's iPhone 3G plan is $24 USD (500MB/500 minutes), period. There is no sales tax in Hong Kong.
So explain to me, how a plan that gives 200 MB more access with 350 more minutes for $50 less a month is worse?
At the highest tier, $64 USD, you get unlimited data access at a cost even cheaper than AT&T's iPhone plans. I'm assuming a $30-40 plan + $30 data access + sales taxes.
At least 3 is giving customers the option of choosing a capped plan or an unlimited one. And at a better rate than what a U.S. AT&T customer would pay, too.
Rogers, on the other hand, gives us no options, data access rates that are among the highest in the world, and no unlimited plans to speak of.
So the parent poster flunked basic math, nothing new here.
I wonder what's up with the lack of text messages. I mean even on the unlimited plan they are virtually non-existant. I think I've sent/received 50 text messages this morning alone!
Do people just not text message unless you're on the same network (I'm assuming that's what Intra SMS means)?
People here don't send too many SMS because typing in Chinese is a pain in the butt.
Fact is that HK has such high population density that the whole 3G data thing isn't important. They have WiFi EVERYWHERE - if you're signed up for internet in your home then you generally have WiFi access anywhere and everywhere in the city.
the benefits of living in big, dense asian cities :-)
No, there isn't Wifi everywhere. There's the main telco's wifi at some places, if you've paid for it, but it's not secure and it's not cheap. If you've signed up for PCCW (the old Hong Kong Telecom) you can get wireless, but you also get possibly the world's worst support and you will not be able to cancel your service.
There's a government Wifi system if you're in Government premises.
It is Heart to Heart Minutes, Not Heart to Hear. Funny this typo keep repeating itself.
And this so called Heart to Heart min are basically minutes for when you are calling the same network.
I've got an unlockd V1 iPhone, and I'm a Three customer. I want an unlimited data plan without paying for a 3G iPhone.
500MB of data is worse than Rogers. Why do carriers ignore that the iPhone is a phone THAT BROWSES THE WEB. Sigh.
At least with AT&T, they have a 5GB soft-cap that would require epic web-surfing to use up.
But at $64/mth, you get unlimited data...and NO TAX on top.
Talk about affordable! At $24/mth...you get all these!
But at $64/mth, you get unlimited data...and NO TAX on top.
Talk about affordable! At $24/mth...you get all these!
Free 8GB iPhone (~$200 value)
2200 minutes (5x the minutes AT&T $70/mo plan)
50txt (low but can be upgraded)
unlimited intra-network TXT
unlimited data
$64/mo
Excellent deal after you add some extra txt messages!
People are going to be surprised when they get their bills!
People here don't send too many SMS because typing in Chinese is a pain in the butt.
Ah - good point - hadn't really thought about that. So what do people do instead? Is the culture just to call them or are they far more engrained into sending e-mail than we are?
Ah - good point - hadn't really thought about that. So what do people do instead? Is the culture just to call them or are they far more engrained into sending e-mail than we are?
well... this situation is only suitable for iphone thou... becuz i spend whole 15mins to type a 30words chinese sms on iphone but thousand n thousand words of n95(yea...i know...my typing is too slow
O, By the way...we dont have any tax yet in HK.
Interesting - The phone plan mentions media content, presumably MMS messages. Either they haven't updated their phone plans to account for the fact that the iPhone lacks this feature, or they just leaked a feature not yet announced. Hoping for the latter, but I'm tired of hoping for features for the iPhone that never come.
To clarify:
3 offers content of their own such as news, weather, traffic, music, sport related news, etc., and they could be video (news report, music video, sports highlight, etc...) or text messages (traffic condition, lottery numbers, etc...). that's what the media contents are, not mms / sms msg.
One thing I couldn't help wondering though is how much they are going to charge for sms msg that are sent to networks outside of 3. So I have unlimited Intra sms, what about my friends who are not using 3? Btw, sms is very common in HK esp for teens here.
No, there isn't Wifi everywhere. There's the main telco's wifi at some places, if you've paid for it, but it's not secure and it's not cheap. If you've signed up for PCCW (the old Hong Kong Telecom) you can get wireless, but you also get possibly the world's worst support and you will not be able to cancel your service.
There's a government Wifi system if you're in Government premises.
depends on what you mean by cheap - compared to the US? I can't find my last bill for internet service, but BBWiFi is everywhere and fast/good - Can you tell me anywhere in the US where you get "good" support? I can cancel my service after the service time is over. Besides - what kid of "support" do you need? I've never needed anything.
Anyway - I can't imagine that I'll ever need a data plan for my phone since it's got WiFi - HK is pretty hooked up - but I will admit... it's not as good as Korea or Japan