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HTC Desire Comes to Telstra in Australia

Kevin Krause posted on Apr 20th 2010 by Kevin Krause
tw:itter

The HTC Desire is quite the globe-trotting handset, making its way today to Telstra in Australia. Those on the HTC Desire mailing list received a notification today announcing the release. It had been known it would be coming in April, but no date had been known up until the handset graced the Telstra site, ready for sale.

htcdesiretelstra

The Desire will be available to Telstra subscribers free with a 2-year contract at $85 per month and can be ordered on the Telstra website.

[Thanks to Scott for the heads up!]


              
Kevin Krause
About The Author
Kevin Krause is a Contributing Editor for Phandroid.com and has posted 5866 articles. Connect with him on G+.

  • swehes

    That is a pretty sweet deal. :) How many of us guys here in the USA is paying $85 a month for two years and get the phone for free?

  • Covert

    ummmm thats NOT sweet, i pay 69 a month…

    69 x 24 months = 1,656 and that is unlimited everything with sprint… idk what this plan is but it can’t be BETTER than that

    85 x 24 months = 2040

    2040 – 1656 = 384$

    i’d rather pay 199 plus sprints plans and pocket the near 200 extra

  • http://na Namethatswitty

    Im from Australia and Telstra have probably the best coverage, but are too pricey.

    I got the HTC magic on a $29 a month plan which doesnt have data but does include $150 worth of calls etc etc (With 3).

    If only a better telco had picked up this phone it would have hit a larger audience as most of the under 30′s don’t like Telstra.

  • Frank

    Does Telstra use the same bands for 3G as AT&T? If I end up deciding to spend $520+ on a Nexus One I might as well spend $600-some on this if/when it hits Ebay…

  • George Anderson

    @Frank….my thoughts too. I believe Telstra uses at least 1 of atts 3g bands…here’s hoping

  • George Anderson

    @Frank…and a little google later…
    “Telstra uses the 850MHz band for Next G” – pulled from the Telstra site.
    At&t uses 850/1900, meaning it has one of at&t’s bands. Good enough for government work, no? haha.

  • Simon

    Yes, Telstra uses the UMTS 850Mhz band like AT&T.

    It’s available today online or Melbourne, Sydney or Perth outlets and includes only 150MB data per month :(

  • rkanky

    F_cking telstra.
    And if you need more then 150mb?
    $5 – 5MB
    $10 – 150MB
    $30 – 300MB
    $60 – 1GB

    Check those pricing points, 30 for 300mb. Switching to Optus third part….. now

  • Fudz

    The telstra plans leave a lot to be desired + they load the phones with crappy software that bogs down otherwise very fast phones

  • dvdivx

    And the one place that is dragging their feet – good old At&t

  • ME

    @10

    What else is new?
    AT&T, Apple Through & Through.

  • http://www.geekextreme.com Travis

    So, I’m assuming this isn’t the Desire that passed the FCC w/AT&T bands earlier (http://is.gd/bC1C8 – BGR)?

  • captain-cynic

    @Covert,

    you need to convert between US dollars and Australian dollars. It’s currently about 0.92 USD to 1 AUD. So realistically you’re paying A$75 using a quick and dirty 69×1.1 calculation.

    $10 diff, not much to write home about. Also Telstra uses a 7.2 Mbit HSPA network which is quite a bit faster then Sprint (uses Verizons CDMA network if I’m not mistaken) in the US. How much data do you get on that plan, the “no data” plan with the desire is A$60 (US$55).

    Hellstra is also Australia’s most expensive network. On the plus side, because all Australian carriers use a common 2100 MHz network, the Desire will work on all carriers. But if you’ve signed a service contract with Telstra you’re obliged to pay it under contract law.

  • Makena

    I got the phone for free on a $62.46(AUD)/month plan, 150minutes, 75 texts, 150MB of data, with $35 above and beyond those to spend on whatever. (Specifically for those down under, $55 ultimate plan with MRO)

    Minimal Telstra software/branding, can create a whole new scene with zero Telstra apps.

    Most of the apps supplied from Telstra are just links to websites, so take up no room.

    Loving the phone though.

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