Price plans for new iPhone revealed by Optus

Optus has become the first carrier to reveal pricing plans for the upcoming iPhone 3G S, but without the expected price cut for the existing model. Owners of the previous iPhone had to pay an additional $14.95 a month for the 1.5GB of internet data.

Identical to the iPhone 3G, reviewers have indicated that the iPhone 3G S is faster, has more memory and longer battery life and includes a few new features such as video recording and a better camera for still images.

Taking the monthly charge to well over $100, an additional fees between $4.99 to $44.99 for mobile internet packs will need to be paid for most iPhone users looking to get the most out of the phone's web-browsing capabilities.

Buying a mobile internet pack is more of a necessity on the cheaper plans, as the $19, $49, $59 and $79-a-month plans only offer 100MB, 250MB, 700MB and 1GB of web browsing respectively. Those on cheaper plans will also have to pay an additional monthly charge for the phone itself.

Optus has yet to announce price cuts for the original iPhone 3G, the 8GB model that will continue to be sold as an entry-level model. The existing 16GB iPhone 3G model will be replaced by the new 16GB iPhone 3G S, while the 32GB iPhone 3G S will be added on top of this as reported in the Sydney Morning Herald.