Optus Announces Service Pause Option
Optus has announced its latest offering: no service.
In a surprising – and refreshing, really – evolution of the telco company’s business, Optus has answered the calls of its customers and made it possible for users to ‘switch off’ their service and take time out from being connected.
The telco has said the functionality available in its My Optus app will allow “our customers the freedom to ensure they enjoy the time that matters most”.
Optus customers will be able to pick which of their devices they’d like to be temporarily cut off from connection, and they can set a timed period of disconnection.
“Optus is pioneering digital and customer innovation through a ‘one click’ solution that works across mobile and home wi-fi connections; across Optus connected services and all devices connected via wi-fi on Optus NBN plans with the latest Optus supplied modems, on the same account and household,” said Clive Dickens, Optus vice president of TV, content and product.
“We’ve listened to our customers who’ve asked us to develop a product that gave them a right to disconnect.”
Not to be confused with pausing your service for the purpose of saving money if you’re away or being able to pro rata your bill for when you’re not using the service for an extended period, the feature is simply there for people who want to better manage their time. In other words, bar themselves or their family from endless scrolling.
“This simple solution helps you pause connectivity distractions to enjoy the time that matters most to you, without installing multiple apps, across different devices,” Optus says.
The telco said it would be rolling out the feature progressively to customers.
On Wednesday, Optus claimed it reached a new 5G speed record with 10Gbps aggregated through a live 5G site.
Competitor Telstra was quick to correct the claim, with a spokesperson saying, “Congratulations to Optus but, unfortunately, it’s not a new record,” having already outraced this speed the weekend prior.