Kogan pushes into 4G mobile broadband

Access to the National Broadband Network may well be on the horizon for Australian eTailer Kogan, but it seems logging on via 4G will arrive first.

Logging on to the web isn’t particularly difficult these days if you own a smartphone, and since the majority of us do, you know just how simple it is to get emails, social networking, work, and download cat videos from any place provided you have battery and a phone plan, prepaid or post.

But if you have a tablet with a SIM slot, or even one of those rare computers with one or a wireless modem, chances are you can go without the phone plan and need only data.

There are certainly options available from the major telcos in Australia, handling data on Telstra, on Optus, on Vodafone and on Virgin, and now there’s one more telco getting in on the 4G mobile broadband action.

This week, Australian eTailer Kogan is adding a couple of plans aimed at folks looking for a way to log on without necessarily forking out an arm or a leg for the access they need.

“Customers have been telling us they love the price, simplicity, and service they get with Kogan Mobile, and they want it for their broadband access,” said David Shafer, Executive Director for Kogan Mobile.

The service will compete with already available mobile broadband services, and like Kogan’s mobile network, relies on the Vodafone 4G network, offering 8GB monthly for $29.90 per month or $329.90 for the year, while also offering a larger amount of data at 30GB per month for $49.90 or $549.90 for the entire year.

And based on that, it seems Kogan is going after folks not happy with the price of 4G mobile broadband at other providers, with Telstra’s pricing closer to $45 to $55 monthly for 10GB, Optus offering 25GB for $50 monthly, Vodafone providing 14GB for $45 each month, and Virgin charging $40 per month for 15GB.

Closer to Kogan is Amaysim, offering either $35 per month for 6GB of data or $65 monthly for 50GB, with Kogan’s offering basically nestling in between.

“Flexibility is key,” said Shafer, adding “many Australians want to use broadband across multiple devices, with no lock-in contracts, for a great price.

“We’ve managed to provide all that with Kogan Mobile Broadband. Best of all, with such low prices, many Aussies can now avoid the annoyance of things like ADSL without needing to pay more,” he said.

It does need to be noted that Kogan’s prices do not include the wireless modem or device with a SIM slot, so you’ll want one of these before you consider Kogan’s mobile broadband solution, but if you have an iPad with a SIM slot or something similar and have been trying to find a way to get on the web when the WiFi isn’t in range, Kogan’s offering could be a solution.

At the very least will kick-start mobile broadband price wars, which in the end should benefit consumers.