GlobalGig goes for the bill shock jugular

Overseas trips can be a burden for families, businesspeople — anyone, really — thanks to our ongoing requirement of data, and how much telcos like to charge for the privilege, but Aussie start-up GlobalGig hopes to improve things substantially.

The solution to the bill shock woes many of us suffer with regards to data comes in the form of taking the SIM out before you go overseas and switching to one you can find locally that has been setup to take advantage of better data prices globally.

In Australia, GlobalGig is one such company working in that area, and this week, it has made it possible to grab a gigabyte of data when travelling to the US, UK, Ireland, and even Australia for nine bucks.

“This is the plan that changes everything,” said GlobalGig’s James Boardman.

“In truth it’s the way that mobile broadband should be and should always have been. Globalgig’s new Home & Abroad plan is a real game changer for customers as it offers them simple, low cost mobile broadband that they can use at home in Australia or on their travels with confidence and without the fear factor of using mobile broadband overseas.”

The service does need you to change to a different SIM, but these will cost two bucks and can be found in either the mini- or microSIMs needed for most phones and tablets, with the nanoSIM used by the iPad Air and iPad Mini also available, too.

Data is the only thing you can use a GlobalGig SIM for, that said, but if used in conjunction with applications such as Viber, Skype, and WhatsApp replacing voice and text respectively, it’s possible to head overseas without impacting your mobile bill as negatively as you might have had before.

Beyond the $9 home plan, the company will also have 3GB available for $19, and 5GB for $29, with the download caps switching over monthly, and only when you want to pay for them, since the entire service is prepaid.

Extra downloads beyond the limit are charged at 10 cents per megabyte, and if you go to other countries where the cap isn’t valid, you’ll be paying between 10 and 20 cents per megabyte.

Currently, Asian countries outside of Hong Kong appear to be missing from the GlobalGig network, which in this country relies on the use of the Optus network, but when asked about this, Mr. Boardman told GadgetGuy that it should be coming later this year, along with some possible 4G connectivity.

Otherwise, GlobalGig’s plan is available now, with the SIMs available for purchase from GlobalGig’s website, as well as Dick Smith and Big W.