Looking to find some great value for money on a phone plan, but still want the great coverage of the Telstra mobile network? Several mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) operate on the Telstra network across Australia, and plans from these telcos are often cheaper – or with more data for your money – than what you would expect from Telstra itself.
So, are you keen to find out what kind of value you can get from a Telstra network MVNO? Take a look at this selection of standout prepaid and postpaid phone plans from telcos on the Telstra network.
Numobile Small Postpaid Plan
Numobile is a postpaid plan provider with Telstra 3G and 4G network coverage, offering a simple selection of three month-to-month plans. Its cheapest, the Small plan, is $15 per month, and includes 3GB of data. You’ll also get unlimited standard national calls and SMS, plus a data bank of up to 300GB of data.
The following table shows Numobile’s Small postpaid plan, from Canstar Blue’s database. Use our phone plan comparison tool to see a wide range of plans from other providers. This is a product from a referral partner.
Boost Mobile $20 Prepaid Plan
One of the best-known MVNOs using the Telstra network, Boost Mobile has been operating in Australia for 20 years. The $20 Prepaid plan is the cheapest Boost plan on the 28-day expiry period and includes unlimited standard national calls and SMS along with 5GB of data, some international call inclusions, and the data-free streaming of Apple Music (you’ll still need an Apple Music subscription). Boost is also the only MVNO to use the full Telstra 3G and 4G mobile networks (other telcos use parts of the networks, and might not have 100% Telstra coverage).
The below table shows Boost Mobile’s $20 Prepaid plan, from Canstar Blue’s database. Use our comparison tool to see a wide range of plans from other providers. This is a product from a referral partner.
Belong Regular 20GB SIM-Only Postpaid Plan
Belong is a postpaid plan provider using parts of Telstra’s 3G and 4G networks, and is also operated by Telstra. There are just two plans to choose from, the cheapest of which is the $25 plan with 20GB of data. You’ll also get unlimited standard national calls and SMS, plus there is unlimited data banking available.
The below table shows Belong’s Regular 20GB SIM Only postpaid plan, from Canstar Blue’s database. Use our comparison tool to see a wide range of plans from other providers. This is a product from a referral partner.
Woolworths Mobile $35 Postpaid Plan
Woolworths Mobile is one of the few telcos around to offer choices for customers with prepaid, postpaid and phone-on-a-plan options, and you’ll have access to the 3G and 4G Telstra networks. The $35 month-to-month postpaid plan includes 42GB of data, unlimited standard national calls and SMS, and up to 500GB of data banking, plus unlimited standard international talk and text to 22 selected countries.
The following table shows Woolworths Mobile’s $35 postpaid plan, from Canstar Blue’s database. Use our comparison tool to see a wide range of plans from other providers. This is a product from a referral partner.
TeleChoice TC 40 Postpaid Plan
TeleChoice has one of the widest range of postpaid plans around with month-to-month, 12-month, 24-month and ‘pre-pay’ postpaid plans on offer. The TC 40 plan is a month-to-month postpaid plan for $40 per month with 42GB of data included, plus unlimited standard national calls and texts and Telstra’s 3G and 4G mobile network coverage.
The following table shows TeleChoice’s TC 40 month-to-month postpaid plan, from Canstar Blue’s database. Use our comparison tool to see a wide range of plans from other providers. This is a product from a referral partner.
Telstra Medium Postpaid Plan
While Telstra is not as cheap as some of the above mentioned providers, there are of course benefits of choosing a Telstra phone plan that you can’t get from the MVNOs operating on the network. While Boost Mobile does have access to the full 3G and 4G Telstra networks, MVNOs currently don’t have access to the growing Telstra 5G network – this is reserved for Telstra plans only. So if you want Telstra 5G network access, your options are quite limited. You will need to sign up to the Medium, Large or Extra Large postpaid plans as the Small plan does not include 5G network access.
The Medium plan is month-to-month and includes access to 5G network coverage, plus a generous 80GB of high-speed data. Telstra doesn’t charge for excess data, so if you go over your 80GB allowance, you’ll be able to continue using your phone’s data but at the capped speed of 1.5Mbps. You’ll also have access to data-free streaming of Apple Music and data-free sports streaming including the AFL and NRL.
The below table shows Telstra’s Medium postpaid plan, from Canstar Blue’s database. Use our comparison tool to see a wide range of plans from other providers. This is a product from a referral partner.
Is Telstra the best mobile network?
Telstra does undoubtedly have the widest-reaching mobile network, with its 4GX network coverage reaching 99.2% of the Australian population and covering 2.5 million square kilometres. However, the Optus network isn’t far behind with its 3G and 4G networks reaching 98.5% of the population. As for 5G, Telstra was the first network to switch 5G on and does have the widest 5G network coverage. So, if you are looking for access to 5G, a Telstra plan might be at the top of your list.
While there are MVNOs that use the Telstra mobile networks, as we’ve already covered in this guide, most providers (with the exception of Boost) will only have access to parts of these networks. Before you sign up to any telco, you should always check the mobile coverage map on that telco’s website to ensure that the areas you frequent — your home and surrounding area, along with where you work — have network coverage. For those living in the cities or more populated areas, you’ll most likely have access to the widest coverage, and therefore the freedom to switch to a cheaper MVNO. But for those living in more regional and remote areas, checking what coverage is available to you is essential before signing up to a phone plan, especially plans with the smaller providers.
All in all, Telstra does cover more of the population than any network and its 5G network has progressed further than those of Optus and Vodafone. However, if you don’t rely solely on Telstra for your network coverage, it’s still worth comparing phone plans from a wider range of providers. Many of the MVNOs that operate on the Optus network offer some competitive prices, especially if you’re after a cheap phone plan. Keep in mind what your budget is and preferred data inclusions, and compare a wide range of plans that fit this criteria to find the best phone plan to suit your needs.
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