Optus is now offering its Optus Thuraya SatSleeve at Optus retail stores on a 24-month payment plan or for outright purchase.Previously only available online or through an external dealer network for outright purchase, the SatSleeve will now be stocked in selected stores across Queensland, New South Wales and the Northern Territory, with Optus stating that more stores will follow in coming months.
“With the SatSleeve, Optus customers no longer need to rely on being within close proximity to a mobile base station for coverage,” Steve Long, Optus director of local markets, commented. “As long as they have a SatSleeve and a direct line of sight to the sky, they can make calls, send SMS or check their emails across Australia.”
Long stated that “for fly-in, fly-out workers in mining or gas exploration locations, to grey nomads and tourists traversing our expansive country, the SatSleeve provides coverage to even the most isolated parts of Australia”.
“By rolling out the Optus SatSleeve to our retail stores and providing a pay-over-time option, we are hoping to make mobile connectivity in remote locations easier and more accessible than ever before,” he commented.
The SatSleeve works with compatible Android and iOS smartphones, creating a Wi-Fi signal to connect with the smartphone, and is controlled via the SatSleeve Hotspot app.
The SatSleeve can be bought outright for $888, with customers able to get a month-to-month satellite access plan for $15 per month, and to pause the plan when they don’t need it (minimum cost $903).
Customers can also pay off the SatSleeve over 24 months when connecting to a new My Plan Plus mobile plan (minimum cost $1,863 over 24 months, including a $40 mobile plan, the SatSleeve and one month satellite access).
Additional call, SMS and data usage charges will apply when using the satellite network, while customers are able to divert their mobile number to their SatSleeve at no additional cost on the My Plan Plus and My Plan Business mobile plans.
