One of Australia’s energy suppliers is also joining the mobile game, with plans for everyone yet with discounts for customers of its electricity and gas.
You can get your phone and internet bundled together, so why not other things? That might well be the question being asked by some of the utility providers, as one of Australia’s gas and energy suppliers looks to push into telecommunications, opening needs at home to needs out and about, as well.
This week, AGL is entering the mobile phone plan game, launching mobile services on top a few NBN plans the company launched last year, with a representative for AGL telling Pickr that the company was going from being an energy retailer to one providing Australians with more services deemed “essential”.
“We’re evolving from an energy retailer to Australia’s essential services provider of choice, transforming how Australians connect the essential services that power their lives. By offering our customers simplicity and ease, we are taking away the hassle of calling several providers and becoming the one provider who can offer it all – home energy, internet and now, mobile services,” an AGL spokesperson told Pickr.
Those mobile services will use the Optus network much like other mobile virtual network operators can, offering month-to-month plans with no lock-in contracts, and a small discount if you’re an AGL customer already.
If you’re not, you’ll find AGL Mobile offers 5GB for $20 per month, 20GB for $35 per month, and 50GB for $45 per month, with current AGL customers knocking $5 off each plan to bring it to $15, $30, and $40 monthly respectively. Each plan offers unlimited talk and text much like other mobile operators in Australia, though mobile service is limited to 3G and 4G, as AGL Mobile’s use of Optus hasn’t yet been expanded to 5G, something Optus is gradually delivering to smaller telcos.
“We want to transform how Australians connect to the essential services that power their lives,” said Christine Corbett, Chief Customer Officer at AGL.
“We’re offering customers simplicity and ease by taking away the hassle of calling several providers and becoming the one provider who can offer it all,” she said. “By bundling services, we are delivering value, convenience and flexibility for customers, while also helping to make homes and businesses smarter and more efficient.”
In Australia, mobile plans can be fiercely competitive, so there is already a reasonable amount to compare against. However one area that isn’t widely competitive is the field of carbon neutral mobile plans, whereby the companies that run the plans do so with renewable energy.
Australia presently has Felix, one of Vodafone and TPG’s offerings, but outside of that, there aren’t many options for the eco-conscious customer. However, it’s something AGL Mobile aims to be, noting to Pickr that it’s part of the plan by the end of this financial year.
“As you may have seen, AGL launched certified carbon neutral offerings on gas and electricity products in 2020, an offer which will also be expanded to AGL’s telecommunication products by the end of FY21. Certified Carbon Neutral is part of AGL’s Climate Statement commitments which also targets net-zero emissions by 2050,” a spokesperson told Pickr.
It means that right now at launch, AGL Mobile might not be carbon neutral, but it is coming, and while there’s plenty of choice in the mobile plan world, it appears one more is focused on energy usage in a way the others may not necessarily be tuned in on.
