Your commute just got better: Optus offers unmetered mobile Netflix and Presto
Optus is upping the ante in the telco wars with the offer of Netflix, Presto and EPL streaming -- free and unmetered -- on top-tier plans.
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Unlimited calls and texts are about as important on your phone these days as the ability to program your own polyphonic ringtones (oh Salt-N-Pepa ringtone, we hardly knew ye).
But we're also moving into a world where data allowances matter less and content streaming on your mobile without using that data matters more.
With that in mind, Optus has just fired another salvo against its competitors, offering post-paid customers unmetered Netflix and Presto video streaming.
All Optus My Plan Plus plans will now offer unmetered Netflix and Presto streaming, with the $100 and $120 plans getting it for free (customers on the $40, $65 and $85 plans will need to pay an extra $10 a month for the privilege).
Optus' high-value plans also get unmetered EPL ($85, $100 and $120), while the $40 and $65 plans can pay an extra $15 per month to go unmetered. (All these prices are obviously in Australian Dollars).
The breakdown of all the Optus My Plan Plus inclusions (click to enlarge).
The move towards unmetered video streaming, even if it's only free on the top plans, is a long way from Vodafone's prediction in January this year that Aussies wouldn't see unmetered video any time soon.
But it's an obvious move for Optus, which has been playing in the content streaming space for some time now.
Optus launched unmetered cricket on mobile last October, followed by unmetered Optus Music (including Spotify, Pandora and Google Play Music) in April this year. It also made headlines (and put some noses out of joint) when it won the rights to the English Premier League to create its own dedicated EPL channel, app and streaming site.
All this after offering unmetered Netflix to home broadband customers -- a move that left Netflix CEO Reed Hastings defending the video streaming company's stance on Net Neutrality.
There's no doubt that content streaming will be the next frontier on mobile. Optus has its EPL and Netflix and Telstra has its Apple Music, and as summer sports heat up we can surely expect more streaming apps to come online.
Looks like there's never been a better time to be an Australian with a mobile plan.