However, one prominent Australian mobile phone network that has thus far been left out of the mix is 3. Although a popular Australian network by any standard, 3 has for some reason has not been able to offer the iPhone to their customers as part of their plans.

Customers loyal to 3 but desperate to get their hands on the iPhone only have one option: buy an iPhone outright and subscribe to one of 3’s various BYO phone deals.

At the time of writing, 3 offered a 3iSIM card on a 24-month plan on various cap prices. The caps include calls and SMS as well as data allowances, with the minimum cap offering 1GB of data – quite a large amount compared to Vodafone’s 200MB offering and Optus’ 250MB that isn’t much better.

The cap values include:

$49 cap: $350 calls, 1GB data, $240 or 300 minutes for calling other 3 mobiles
$69 cap: $650 calls, 2GB data, $350 or 500 minutes for calling other 3 mobiles
$99 cap: $1000 calls, 2GB data, $1750 or 2500 minutes for calling other 3 mobiles
$129 cap: $1200 calls, 2GB data, $1750 or 2500 minutes for calling other 3 mobiles
$149 cap: $1600 calls, 2GB data, $1750 or 2500 minutes for calling other 3 mobiles
$199 cap: $2000 calls, 2GB data, $2000 or 3000 minutes for calling other 3 mobiles

If you want an iPhone, you will most likely have to go for a 24-month contract. The Australian service providers offering the iPhone (Vodafone, Optus, Virgin and Telstra) are all challenged to respond to the iPhone by offering data as an included part of their plans.

The result? Data is included in all their plans. The question is, how much will you use?

Ask yourself the following questions:

What are you getting an iPhone for?
Is it the cool iPod feature? The choice of applications you can download and access on the go? Is it mobile internet? Figuring out the answer to these questions will help you determine how much data you need. If you get an iPhone without the right amount of data allowance for your needs, you’ll be in trouble. The excess usage fees are hefty and all the networks charge for them. They will turn the iPhone’s fun into pain.

If you decide that you want the iPhone for email and other applications (Facebook, Twitter, maps, email, etc.). Remember that email and maps too use data on the 3G Network so if you plan to use these features a lot, you will need a generous data plan. A plan offering 50 – 300 MB probably won’t cut it if you’re a heavy user, so closer to 500 MB per month will give you the best iPhone experience.

Where are you going to use your iPhone?
Coverage is extremely important. After all, if you buy a little computer that comes alive when you access the mobile internet, there is no point in rendering it useless by using it in an area with no 3G data coverage.

Inside the big Australian cities, you should have little issue with coverage, other than the usual black spots. Outside the city, there is no doubt that Telstra have the widest coverage with their Next G network. Regional towns have varying degrees of coverage, depending on the area. For example, Byron Bay has solid Optus 3G coverage. We suggest checking the coverage maps – better still, physically checking the area itself with a 3G device – before investing in an iPhone plan.