Apple iPhone 3G plan rate lowered by Softbank Mobile
Japan’s Softbank Mobile stays that have had a fairly decent quarter, however if you compare with the likes of DoCoMo, it tends to look a little weak. Softbank, the exclusive carrier in Japan for the Apple iPhone 3G, in answer to much outcry of “Too expensive” has decided to lower the price of monthly data charges to each iPhone 3G user.
Softbank’s “Too expensive” previous charge was Â¥5,985, roughly about $55.00 per month for their unlimited data; now Softbank has lowered that charge to Â¥1,695 , roughly $16.00 per month.
Quite a big drop to cover 20,175 packets of data, “after which the user will pay per packet until 71,250 packets, at which time the previous Â¥5,985 charge is reached and further data use is not charged.”
Other news is that Softbank is to start allowing stores to take reservations for the Apple iPhone 3G handset, previously Softbank had not allowed this.
Image via here
Source — PC World via Engadget
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One thought on “Apple iPhone 3G plan rate lowered by Softbank Mobile”
At the launch of the iPhone Softbank was eager to point out that the pricing plan will not be the factor for its iPhone customers but rather the functions of the iPhone will drive people to buy at Softbank.
Softbank has been always the carrier of choice when searching for low monthly fees. This image has been working fine in the past, but with ever stronger competition between the top 3, docomo and au are offering similar low monthly fees since 1 Aug.
The iPhone itself is rather a second mobile phone, a trend or in object to show. Apple itself has a strong appeal with its ipods series, but still has to prove itself in the mobile phone technology. As a second phone the iPhone is to expensive to attract a large number. Also there is an alternative to the iPhone, it the ipod touch.
To get more customers Softbank needed to do something and a flexible data charge plan might do the trick. This data charge plan was already in use for all the other smartphones Softbank has, it now add the iPhone 3G to it.