Telstra Xmas prepaid motherload

Telstra knows Santa isn't made of money, so in preparation for Christmas the Next G network will be inundated with new prepaid phones and modems, including three budget smartphones and a Wi-Fi hotspot modem.

At a festive launch event in Sydney today, vendor partners Nokia, LG and Samsung joined Telstra in launching the new range. The Nokia C5 and C6 are included, both smartphones offering Next G HSDPA, with the C6 sliding up to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard and is the most expensive in the range at AU$299. Samsung also has two handsets offered, a talk-and-text clamshell known as the S5510T and the Android-powered Galaxy 5, which will be available with a prepaid SIM for AU$199.

LG hopes to continue its previous success with QWERTY sliders, such as the WebSlider and Xenon, by launching the LG Craze exclusively on the Next G network. The Craze sports semi-touch input and a joystick for single-handed navigation, plus a 3-megapixel camera and a 3.5mm headphone socket for AU$149 prepaid.

Telstra is also banking on mobile broadband to be a hit in Christmas stockings this year. Catching up where its competitors have already seen success, Telstra will offer a Wi-Fi hotspot modem for the first time. Able to simultaneously connect five devices, the Pre-Paid Mobile Wi-Fi modem costs AU$149 outright and comes with 5GB of data to use in the first 90 days of activation. Single PC users can choose the Telstra Elite USB modem for AU$129. This modem gives access to the network at a theoretical maximum of 21Mbps (though expect between 4-6Mbps in typical use).

Joining in on the festivities, the Telstra T-Hub will tempt the ire of dissatisfied customers in a brand new colour. From November the T-Hub comes in white, with two white handsets for AU$299.