Hot on the back of Apple’s announcement of the new Watch Series 3, the first Aussie telco to support its integrated eSIM has come out swinging. Telstra’s new One Number service will let you hook up your phone and wearable to the same phone number and mobile data plan.
There’s no pricing announced for One Number just yet, nor any official confirmation of when it’ll be available. The timing of the announcement, though, strongly suggests that it’ll launch alongside the Apple Watch Series 3 on September 22. It’ll initially be available to post-paid consumer customers, though Telstra says it’ll roll out to small business, enterprise and prepaid users in the future too.
From Telstra:
“Telstra is pleased to announce that Australians will soon be able to make and receive phone calls and check and send text messages from their compatible wearable device without needing their smartphone with them, with the launch today by of embedded SIM card technology. The new technology – called Telstra One Number – connects wearable devices directly to Telstra’s mobile network and extends the owner’s smartphone mobile number to the wearable.”
A Telstra spokesperson told Gizmodo that the service is already available, and that customers will be able to use it with its first supported wearable — probably the Watch Series 3 — this month.
“The Telstra One Number technology is live now and customers will be able to benefit from it when we launch our first eSIM supported wearable before the end of this month.”
[referenced url=”https://gizmodo.com.au/2017/09/australia-gets-the-4g-apple-watch-very-soon/” thumb=”https://gizmodo.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/IMG_0319-410×231.png” title=”Apple Watch Series 3: Australian Price & Release Date” excerpt=”Apple just introduced a new Watch — the Series 3 — and its crowning feature is built-in 4G connectivity, so you can use it away from your phone. And good news. we’re getting it in Australia, on our major telco networks.”]
[referenced url=”https://gizmodo.com.au/2017/09/the-new-apple-watch-is-basically-also-a-smartphone/” thumb=”https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/t_ku-large/espmwot8hy0tgbxsxhbv.jpg” title=”The New Apple Watch Is Basically Also A Smartphone” excerpt=”All images. Screenshot
It might look the same, but the latest smartwatch from Apple sounds like it will be a lot more powerful. Today, at an event held in the brand new Steve Jobs Theatre on the soon-to-open Apple Campus, Jeff Williams, Chief Operating Officer at Apple, showed off the Apple Watch Series 3, which features a new processor that should make it faster and more power-efficient, as well as, more crucially, cellular connectivity.”]