Broadband Internet

There are several types of broadband internet available in Western Australia. The most common is ADSL which is available in speeds up to 24Mbit/s over a standard phone line. ADSL is available in most areas, though suburbs experiencing rapid development often have waiting periods as service providers upgrade their equipment to cope with the local population increase.

A recent development in available ADSL plans is a new type of connection called "naked ADSL".  Essentially your phone line and ADSL plan are bundled together without a physical phone line provided by a 3rd party. Naked ADSL plans utilise Voice over IP technology to provide a home phone, which generally leads to cheaper phone calls when bundled with an ADSL plan.

A popular alternative to ADSL is wireless broadband. Wireless broadband utilises 3G (also known as nextG) mobile phone technology to provide internet access whereever the is mobile phone reception. The speed of this technology does vary significantly depending on reception  quality and 3G availability. 3G reception is not fully available within WA, and thus wireless broadband defaults back to older GSM networks if 3G is unavailable, which is slower for internet access.

Finally some areas have cable broadband available , though it is only an option where cable-based paytv is available. Cable  broadband offers much higher uploading speeds, though downloading speed is similar to ADSL technology. Generally only newer suburbs and areas close to Perth CDB have access to cable broadband, so check with internet service providers as to what is available to you.

Internet Service Providers

 For a comprehensive list of WA ISPs check out whirlpool.net.au

Mobile Phones

Australian mobile phone networks support GSM and 3G capable phones, so the majority of phones purchased overseas will operate in Australia. Phones that are locked to a specific provider will not operate on a different provider without first being unlocked. If your mobile phone is not locked to a provider you can purchase either a pre-paid SIM card or sign up for a mobile plan.

If you are unsure, or do not wish to keep your phone, most providers will offer contract terms on their mobile phone plans that include a free or discounted mobile phone. Pre-paid phones that are pre-connected to a phone provider are also a cheap and popular method of obtaining a mobile phone, and recharge cards are available at most shopping centers and supermarkets.

There are many different mobile phone providers that offer services in Western Australia. Though the 4 main mobile phone companies operating in Perth and surrounding areas can be found below.

Telstra - http://www.telstra.com.au

Optus - http://www.optus.com.au

Vodafone - http://vodafone.com.au

3 Mobile - http://www.three.com.au

Disclaimer

All information provided is intended as a guide only, we take no responsibility for the accuracy or omission of any information provided on this site. All links provided by Lee Relocation Services are included as a source of additional information for site visitors. We can take no responsibility for the validity of the content found on these sites, we provide them to you in good faith that the information will be used as a guide.