Mobile broadband is a great option to access the internet on the go, especially if you travel a lot for work or holidays. It can also be a great way to supplement your home internet if you have a large household with high internet usage needs — or even just as a backup if something goes wrong with your home internet.
Optus is one of several telcos offering mobile broadband plans and devices to help you stay online. In this guide, we’ll take a look at Optus mobile broadband and the plans, devices and speeds you can expect.
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Optus mobile broadband plans
If you’re looking at an Optus mobile broadband plan, you’ll have plenty of options to choose from. Optus offers one month-to-month mobile broadband plan, either as a SIM-only mobile data plan or bundled with a mobile broadband modem. The modems are available on a 12, 24 or 36-month payment plan, or you can buy it outright.
The month-to-month mobile broadband plan includes 5G network access, along with data sharing with eligible plans. You’ll also have no excess data charges, which means you can keep using your data but at 1.5Mbps capped speeds.
Optus Mobile Broadband Data SIM plans
The following table shows a selection of Optus mobile broadband plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of monthly cost, from the lowest to highest and then by data allowance, largest to smallest.
| Brand | Features | Max Data/billing period | Advertised Cost^^/billing period | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Choice Plus Data Plan
min. cost $20 month to month |
20GB | $20 | Link to provider unavailable |
 |
^^View important information | |||
Optus mobile broadband prepaid plans
If you prefer prepaid, there are a range of Optus mobile broadband prepaid plans and devices to choose from. You can either choose a SIM-only prepaid mobile data plan or you can bundle your plan with a prepaid mobile broadband device, such as a USB dongle or portable modem.
The Optus mobile broadband devices available as prepaid, will need to be paid for upfront and these devices are different to the ones that Optus offers on its month-to-month mobile broadband plan.
While there are two prepaid mobile broadband plans available over a 30-day or 365-day expiry period, once you choose to recharge your plan, there are several additional recharge expiry periods on offer.
The Optus mobile broadband prepaid plans currently only include 4G network access and up to 200GB of data rollover. However, once you use up your data, you’ll need to either recharge your plan, or wait until your plan resets.
Compare bobile broadband plans
Want to know how Optus mobile broadband stacks up? The below table compares a range of mobile broadband plans from a range of providers.
Telstra Mobile Broadband Plans
The following table shows a selection of published Telstra mobile broadband plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of cost, from the lowest to highest and then by data allowance, largest to smallest. This is a selection of products with links to referral partners.
| Brand | Features | Max Data**/billing period | Advertised Cost^^/billing period | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Small
min. cost $25 over one month |
30GB | $25 | |
|
Medium
min. cost $58 over one month |
75GB | $58 | |
|
Large
min. cost $90 over one month |
400GB | $90 | |
| View all NBN plans listed on Canstar Blue |
**^^View important information | |||
Vodafone Mobile Broadband Plans
The following table shows a selection of published Vodafone mobile broadband plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of cost, from the lowest to highest and then by data allowance, largest to smallest. This is a selection of products with links to referral partners.
| Brand | Features | Max Data**/billing period | Advertised Cost^^/billing period | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Small Data SIM Only Plan
min. cost $20 over first month |
30GB | $20 | Link to provider unavailable |
|
Large Data SIM Only Plan
min. cost $40 over first month |
70GB | $40 | Link to provider unavailable |
| View all NBN plans listed on Canstar Blue |
**^^View important information | |||
Amaysim Mobile Broadband Plans
The following table shows a selection of published Amaysim mobile broadband plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of cost, from the lowest to highest and then by data allowance, largest to smallest. This is a selection of products with links to referral partners.
| Brand | Features | Max Data**/billing period | Advertised Cost^^/billing period | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Sim Only 7GB
min. cost $15 over 28 day billing period |
7GB | $15 | |
|
Sim Only 50GB
min. cost $40 over 28 day billing period |
50GB | $40 | |
|
Sim Only 90GB
min. cost $60 over 28 day billing period |
90GB | $60 | |
| View all NBN plans listed on Canstar Blue |
**^^View important information | |||
Southern Phone Mobile Broadband Plans
The following table shows a selection of published Southern Phone mobile broadband plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of cost, from the lowest to highest and then by data allowance, largest to smallest. This is a selection of products with links to referral partners.
| Brand | Features | Max Data**/billing period | Advertised Cost^^/billing period | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
min. cost $180 over 12 month plan period |
7GB | $15 | Go to Site |
|
min. cost $300 over 12 month plan period |
15GB | $25 | Go to Site |
|
min. cost $480 over 12 month plan period |
50GB | $40 | Go to Site |
|
min. cost $780 over 12 month plan period |
100GB | $65 | Go to Site |
| View all NBN plans listed on Canstar Blue |
**^^View important information | |||
Tangerine Mobile Broadband Plans
The following table shows a selection of published Tangerine mobile broadband plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of cost, from the lowest to highest and then by data allowance, largest to smallest. This is a selection of products with links to referral partners.
| Brand | Features | Max Data**/billing period | Advertised Cost^^/billing period | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
min. cost $34.90 over first month |
100GB | $34.90 | Go to Site |
|
min. cost $49.90 over first month |
200GB | $49.90 | Go to Site |
|
min. cost $64.90 over first month |
400GB | $64.90 | Go to Site |
| View all NBN plans listed on Canstar Blue |
**^^View important information | |||
The following table shows selected published Belong mobile broadband plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of cost, from the lowest to highest and then by data allowance, largest to smallest.
| Brand | Features | Max Data**/billing period | Advertised Cost^^/billing period | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
min. cost $15 over one month billing period |
20GB | $15 | Go to Site |
|
min. cost $35 over one month billing period |
100GB | $35 | Go to Site |
|
min. cost $70 over one month billing period |
400GB | $70 | Go to Site |
| View all NBN plans listed on Canstar Blue |
**^^View important information | |||
Optus mobile broadband devices
Optus offers a range of devices to bundle with your Optus mobile broadband plans — whether you’re after month-to-month or prepaid.
If you’re looking to bundle with the month-to-month plan, you can choose between the Netgear Nighthawk M6 or the ZTE MU5001 5G portable modems. Both devices are 5G ready and can be paid off over 12, 24 or 36 months, or purchased outright.
As for prepaid devices, you can choose between the Optus USB Modem, the Optus WiFi Modem Lite (with 15GB of data included) or the Optus Portable Modem (with 50GB of data included). These devices will need to be purchased outright.
Keep in mind that a USB dongle is typically designed to be plugged into a computer for internet connection, while modems will usually allow you to connect devices to the modem’s WiFi network. Consider how you’ll be using your mobile broadband plan to decide which dongle or modem is best for your needs.
Of course, if you decide to go SIM-only, you can bring your own dongle or modem, or simply insert the SIM card into a tablet, such as an iPad.
Optus mobile broadband speed
Mobile broadband speeds can vary based on a range of factors such as whether you’re on a 4G or 5G network and your location. Typically, you should be able to reach download speeds of between 20Mbps and 100Mbps on a 4G connection, but faster download speeds of up to 1Gbps are now possible if you live in an area with 5G network coverage and have a compatible plan and device.
Is Optus mobile broadband right for me?
Mobile broadband is a great option if you’re out and about and need a reliable internet connection, or as an alternative to the NBN or supplementary internet connection if your home internet is under a lot of stress.
For example, if your family is watching something on Netflix and you’re trying to connect to a video call for work, you may notice some bandwidth issues, so maybe couple be worth having mobile broadband as a back up when your home internet is struggling.
However, if you’re considering Optus mobile broadband, its portability is its greatest selling point, making it an ideal internet option for taking on holidays or when travelling for work.
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