Optus launches usage-checking app

Optus has launched a new My Optus app that aims to give customers a better view of their mobile call, SMS and data usage.

(Credit: Optus)

The new "My Optus" app is available through the iTunes store and Android marketplace for iPhone, Samsung Galaxy S and S II post-paid customers and will come preloaded on prepaid handsets such as the Samsung Gio, Huawei X1, the Nokia E71 and the Nokia E63.

It will let post-paid customers contact Optus, check usage, pay bills and turn on global roaming, while prepaid customers will be able to check their balance and usage, talk to Optus, manage "My Time" numbers and turn on global roaming.

Optus clarified that if customers want to check data usage within the last 48 hours, it is best to close and re-open the app.

Telstra is currently developing its own app that will let mobile customers check usage and pay bills, and Vodafone has already unveiled its similarly named "My Vodafone Australia" app that lets post-paid customers view their usage.

The push for better account management tools for customers comes as part of the revised Telecommunications Consumer Protection (TCP) code lodged with the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) last month.

The code outlines that operators must provide usage data within 48 hours. According to the Communications Alliance, it was almost impossible to have near-real-time account management tools because, apart from major operators like Telstra, Optus or Vodafone, which own their infrastructure, it is near impossible for a telco to have real-time billing data.

The ACMA has yet to confirm whether it will accept the industry's new code, and has warned that it may impose stronger regulation on the telecommunications industry if it fails to meet the authority's expectations.