Author Topic: Australian mobile plan guide!  (Read 76176 times)

alsoknownasDean

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Australian mobile plan guide!
« on: September 16, 2014, 04:56:14 AM »
June 2020 NOTE: This is now abandoned and is very out of date. Check finder.com.au or WhistleOut for more up to date and comprehensive comparisons of mobile service. Buy what you need and what works for you, and don't spend stupid amounts on high end phones.

Righto, in the spirit of I.P. Daley's communications superguide, I figured it's right time to make an Australian version (of sorts), indicating some of the many mobile options available down under. :)

Available networks

There are three carriers who operate in Australia. These are Telstra, Optus and Vodafone. Telstra tends to have the largest coverage footprint, but their prices tend to be higher than the others.

Choosing which network is most suitable for you depends partly on your device (which 3G/4G bands it supports, and if it is currently locked to any carrier), and what works best in your area. As YMMV, I'll be providing a list of MVNO options for all three carriers. I'm not providing recommendations for any carriers, just pointing out what's available. I'm not to be held responsible if anything happens :)

An exhaustive list of all available MVNOs is at the following link: http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=939554&p=10

Telstra

Telstra is the biggest retail carrier in Australia, and has the largest network (covering 99.3% of the population). The coverage map for Telstra is below.

http://www.telstra.com.au/mobile-phones/coverage-networks/our-coverage/

For those wishing to bring a phone to a Telstra MVNO, here's the network frequencies Telstra use:

2G: No longer in use. Closed on 1 December 2016.
3G: 850MHz (with 2100MHz in busier areas)
4G (LTE): The main two frequencies in use are 1800MHz (band 3) and 700MHz (band 28, APT700), and they have recently started building out 2600MHz (band 7) and 900MHz (band 8) for IoT devices, but Telstra also have some spectrum in the 2100MHz band currently used by 3G that could be refarmed to 4G.

A number of MVNOs resell the Telstra network, however, the network coverage available to resellers is different to that of Telstra itself (with one exception). A coverage map for Telstra Wholesale (which covers closer to 98% of the population) is below:

https://www.mobilemaps.net.au/4G/

Some MVNOs that resell Telstra are the following:

Carrier: Aldi Mobile
Network: Telstra Wholesale 4G
Prepaid or Postpaid: Prepaid
PAYG available: Yes, 12c/min, 12c/SMS, 5c/MB, 365 day credit expiry
Unlimited call/SMS plans available: Yes, from $15, per 30 days.
International roaming available: Yes, not all countries. No roaming packs available.
Aldi however is not present in all states, so customers in TAS and NT may need to look elsewhere. The long expiry and Telstra network makes them a good choice for lighter users.

Carrier: Telechoice
Network: Telstra Wholesale 4G
Prepaid or Postpaid: Postpaid
PAYG available: No.
International roaming available: Yes, not all countries. No roaming packs available.
Unlimited calls/SMS plans available: Yes, from $30 and up ($29 on 12/24 month contracts), calendar month.
Additional data available on unlimited plans if you sign up for 12/24 months. Handsets also available.

Carrier: Lycamobile
Network: Telstra Wholesale 4G
PAYG available: Yes, 12c/min (landlines) & 19c/min (mobiles), 15c SMS, 7c/MB data, unknown expiry
Unlimited calls/SMS plans available: Yes, from $10, 28 day expiry.
Data packs available: Yes

Carrier: CMobile
Network: Telstra Wholesale 4G (Blue Plans only)
PAYG Plan available: None on Blue plans
Unlimited calls/SMS plans available: Yes, from $24.90, calendar month postpaid.
Data packs available: Unsure
This carrier offers plans on both Telstra (Blue) and Vodafone (Red) networks.

Carrier:Woolworths Mobile
Network: Telstra Wholesale 4G
PAYG Plan available: No
Unlimited calls/SMS plans available: Yes, $20 recharge, 30 day expiry
Data packs available: Yes

Carrier: Boost
Network: Telstra 4G (coverage is similar to Telstra retail, but IIRC speeds are capped at 100mbps)
PAYG Plan available: No
Unlimited calls/SMS plans available Yes, from $10 recharge, from 7 day expiry.
Data packs available: No

Other MVNOs include Belong and Southern Phone. Telstra have their own prepaid or SIM-only postpaid offerings as well. These are generally competitive with inclusions, and naturally use the full Telstra network. One example is Telstra's Prepaid Extra.

Optus

Optus has the second largest network in Australia (with 98.5% population coverage, including 95.9% 4G coverage), their coverage maps are located below:

http://www.optus.com.au/network/mobile/coverage?SID=con:postmob:netcov:othr:tnav::cover

For those wishing to bring a phone to an Optus MVNO, here's the network frequencies used:

2G: Closed nationwide as of August 2017.
3G: In cities, 900MHz and 2100MHz, in the rural areas, 900MHz only.
4G (LTE): Numerous frequencies are used, including 1800MHz (band 3), 700MHz (band 28 APT700), 2300MHz TDD-LTE (band 40, metropolitan areas only), 2600MHz (band 7, regional areas only) and 2100MHz (band 1, some cities only)

Optus has been active in the MVNO market for a long time, and many MVNOs resell the Optus network, including 4G access.

Some Optus MVNOs include the following:

Carrier: amaysim
Network: Optus 4G
PAYG plan available: Yes, 15c/min, 15c/SMS, 15.4c/MB, 365 day credit expiry
Unlimited calls/SMS plans available: Yes, from $10, 28 day expiry
Data packs available: Yes

Carrier: Coles Mobile
Network: Optus 4G
PAYG plan available: No.
Unlimited calls/SMS plans available: Yes, from $20, 35 day expiry
Data packs available: No

Carrier: Jeenee
Network: Optus 4G, 3G for higher quota plans
PAYG plan available: No
Unlimited calls/SMS plans available: Yes, from $9.90, calendar month.
Data packs available: Yes

Carrier: Spintel
Network: Optus 4G, 3G for higher quota plans
PAYG plan available: No
Unlimited calls/SMS plans available: Yes, from $23.95, calendar month
Data packs available: No
Spintel offer an option where data can either be switched off upon reaching the quota and extra data purchased for $12/GB, or data is automatically credited at $10/GB.

Carrier: iiNet or Internode
Network: Optus 4G
PAYG plan available: No
Unlimited calls/SMS plans available: Yes, from $29.95, calendar month
Data packs available: No.

Carrier: OVO
Network: Optus 4G
PAYG plan available: No
Unlimited calls/SMS plans available: Yes, from $24.95, per 30 days
Data packs available: No.
OVO have a few interesting new plans, including some with included streaming of niche sports and a number of lower end plans targetted at kids (although check the CIS in case calls in excess of the cap are charged). Their $9.95 plan with 1GB of data, '$200' of calls and unlimited SMS has to be the cheapest unlimited SMS plan around.

Optus themselves also have some quite interesting offers. There's a number of SIM-only postpaid plans and a range of prepaid offers. They now offer data-free music streaming on their My Prepaid Ultimate offer.

Other Optus MVNOs include Virgin, Vaya, Yomojo, Southern Phone and Moose Mobile.

Vodafone

Vodafone has a slightly smaller network than the others (with 96% population coverage). Their coverage maps are below.

http://www.vodafone.com.au/aboutvodafone/network/checker?lid=v:footer:support:coverage-checker

For those wishing to bring a phone to a Vodafone MVNO, here's the network frequencies used:

2G: 900MHz (possibly 1800MHz as well, but unlikely nowadays). This will be closed by 31 March 2018.
3G: In cities, 900MHz and 2100MHz, in the rural areas, 900MHz only. Vodafone used to use 850MHz for 3G, but that's been allocated to 4G.
4G (LTE): Vodafone's network runs on the 1800MHz band (band 3) and 850MHz (band 5). I believe that there is a 2100MHz network in areas as well.

Some MVNOs using the Vodafone network are the following:

Carrier: Lebara
Network: Vodafone 4G
PAYG plan available: Yes, 15c/min (+29c flagfall), 15c SMS, 2c/MB data, 365 day expiry
Unlimited calls/SMS plans available: Yes, from $14.90, 30 day expiry
Data packs available: Yes.
Lebara have an emphasis on cheap international calls, and often have good international calling rates.

Carrier: CMobile
Network: Vodafone 4G (Red Plans only)
PAYG Plan available: Yes, Red plans only
Unlimited calls/SMS plans available: Yes, from $16.90, calendar month
Data packs available: Yes
This carrier offers plans on both Telstra (Blue) and Vodafone (Red) networks. Prices above are for the Red plans.

Carrier: Think Mobile
Network: Vodafone 4G (Swift or Ultimate Plans only)
PAYG Plan available: No
Unlimited calls/SMS plans available: Ultimate plan, from $25, calendar month
Data packs available: Yes
This carrier offers plans on both Telstra (Classic) and Vodafone (Swift) networks. These plans are for the Vodafone offering.

Carrier: TPG
Network: Vodafone 4G
PAYG Plan available: No, but their $1 50MB plan is effectively a PAYG plan.
Unlimited calls/SMS plans available: Yes, from $19.99, calendar month
Data packs available: No

Carrier: Kogan Mobile
Network: Vodafone 4G
PAYG Plan available: No
Unlimited Calls/SMS plans available: Yes, from $16.90, 30 day expiry. Discounts available for purchasing 90/365 day plans.
One big advantage of Kogan's plans is the ability to buy 90 or 365 days in advance at a discounted rate (and these packs are often discounted further). Roaming is not available.

Vodafone themselves have their SIM-only plans and their prepaid offers. In the postpaid space, all of their plans include unlimited calls/SMS, and the higher plans include international calls as well. They have prepaid Combo caps that are similar to the plans in value (a bit more data but a slightly shorter expiry), and the PAYG Plus option is worthwhile for light users. Note that their prepaid services lack auto-recharge.

Things to watch out for

Roaming: A number of carriers do not offer international roaming.

Prepaid expiry periods. Many major carriers (and MVNOs) are shifting their prepaid offers from a 30 day expiry to a 28 day expiry. Over the course of the year that means there's 13 billing periods. I'd suggest to do the maths and work out if it still works out for you :)

Please note that this list is not exhaustive, there's plenty of carriers out there :)

Q&As

This one's a work in process, where plans are suggested for different usage scenarios:

Q: I have a feature phone that is rarely used, and I only make calls and send text messages on it. What is the best choice for me?

A: This depends on which network your phone supports, and what works best in your area. As a result, I'll provide advice for each of the three networks.

Telstra: If the reduced coverage of the Telstra resellers suits you, then the Aldi PAYG plan looks like the best bet. 12c/min calls and 12c SMS (and 5c/MB data, but that won't matter in your case). Alternatively, if you require Telstra retail coverage, then your choice is the Telstra Long Life option, but the call rates are expensive. Apparently charging up on the Long Life offer and then switching to Simplicity lets you combine the Long Life expiry with the Simplicity call rates, but YMMV.

Optus: The Amaysim PAYG option is slightly more expensive than the Aldi option above. Credit lasts for 365 days. Alternatively Optus offer a long expiry plan with between 186-365 day expiry, but the call rates are slightly higher than Amaysim. Maybe also Truphone as suggested by I.P. Daley :)

Vodafone: Vodafone's PAYG Plus option is worth considering as it has a 365 day credit expiry (with recharges from $10). CMobile's Red PAYG plan has cheaper calls, and the Lebara Standard Plan may suit if you make a lot of international calls. TPG's PAYG plan is also worth considering, especially as it includes a small amount of data.

Q: I use my phone reasonably regularly, regularly calling and texting people, and I have a smartphone and use a small amount of data. I'm after something a bit cheaper.

A: As per the first scenario, this depends on your device and what network has best coverage in your area. I'll provide three scenarios, using the moderate scenario with a smartphone of a few hundred minutes of voice and text messages, and 1.5-3GB of data per month (sorry Daley). According to this, the average Aussie now uses 2GB of data per month (as of 2015), so this level sounds appropriate. The typical price of most of these plans at this usage level is in the $20-30 per month range.

https://www.whistleout.com.au/MobilePhones/Guides/Mobile-broadband-usage-guide

Telstra: For those who are happy on the Wholesale network, Aldi might be worth considering. Their 'L' plan costs $25 and includes unlimited calls and text messages, and 3GB of data, or Woolworths' prepaid plan (4GB). For those who need the full network, check out Boost's $30 UNLTD+ prepaid or Telstra's Prepaid Extra (although both have 28 day expiry periods).

Optus: Options abound at the $30 (and less) price point. Amaysim have their unlimited plan which includes unlimited calls/unlimited SMS/2.5GB for $20 (28 day expiry), or 5GB ($30). There's also the Jeenee Unlimited and Pennywise plans. The iiNet/Internode $19.99 or $29.99 plans might also be worth considering, or Vaya's plans. Let's not forget Optus themselves who for $30 (28 day expiry) offer unlimited calls/unlimited SMS/3GB of data, or a SIM-only plan which has unlimited calls/SMS and 1.5GB for $35. Coles Mobile have a $20 unlimited calls/SMS plan with 3GB of data with a 35 day expiry.

Of those plans I'd probably suggest either Amaysim's unlimited offers, Coles Mobile, or Optus themselves.

Vodafone: Have a look at either TPG's 4GB plan or Kogan Mobile's Medium offer. Vodafone's $30 Prepaid Combo recharge unlimited Australian calls, unlimited text and 3GB of data for $30 with a 28 day expiry). Even Vodafone's unusual MyMix prepaid recharges are worth looking into.

Q: I've got a smartphone, and it's my only phone. I make a lot of calls, send lots of messages, and use a fair bit of data. What's the best 'all you can eat' phone plan with lots of data? (at least 5GB)

A: Many carriers on all three network offer plans with unlimited calls and SMS messages now. These include:

Telstra: For the Telstra network, Boost's UNLTD plan is a good option for $40 for 5GB (with an additional 1GB of data each weekend). Aldi has a similar plan for $35 with 6GB data, but the reduced coverage of the wholesale network. For unlimited calls through Telstra, Telstra's BYO plans start at $70. Also check Telstra's Prepaid Freedom Plus.

Optus: Optus have the My Prepaid Ultimate (or SIM-only plans) that offer varying data quotas at various pricepoints. Alternatives are the Amaysim UNLIMITED plans ($40 and up), Jeenee's plans (take note that their highest data plans are 3G only) or Vaya ($36 for 10GB), Yomojo or SpinTel's plans.

Vodafone: The choices would be either TPG (their $39.99 plan), Kogan, Lebara's monthly plans, or the Vodafone plans/prepaid Combo.
« Last Edit: June 03, 2020, 02:08:56 AM by alsoknownasDean »

alsoknownasDean

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Re: Australian mobile plan guide!
« Reply #1 on: September 16, 2014, 05:00:53 AM »
Why did I make this? Well, I'm actually about to finish my contract, and have been looking at switching to one of these instead of paying over $100 a month to Telstra :)

I figured I may as well share some of my research with you all.

I should probably later go into KB vs MB session rounding, 3G and 4G frequencies, and explain why caps are generally a bad idea :)
« Last Edit: September 16, 2014, 05:21:48 AM by alsoknownasDean »

Primm

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Re: Australian mobile plan guide!
« Reply #2 on: September 16, 2014, 05:04:09 AM »
Awesome work, thanks for that!

deborah

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Re: Australian mobile plan guide!
« Reply #3 on: September 16, 2014, 06:31:05 AM »
Thanks very much AlsoKnownAsDean. Although my experience is somewhat out of date (I am retired), I worked in comms for many years, and in my experience, each provider is as bad as the next. One year we were offered superb deals by Telstra, the next year by Optus... As each contract became settled in, we noticed excruciating service and response to problems. It didn't matter which carrier. It didn't matter where I was employed.

As someone who travels, I have, since retirement, become more committed to Telstra, simply because of their coverage.

I recently had an experience where my phone had no bars, but suddenly (in the middle of the night) the phone rang! Eventually I was able to successfully have an SMS conversation (the phone dropped out each second or so).

Astatine

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Re: Australian mobile plan guide!
« Reply #4 on: September 16, 2014, 06:44:19 AM »
For me, reliable phone coverage is super important to me. I have a medical condition where being able to phone my husband or the hospital etc at any time matters. So I'm with Telstra until such time the other carriers have good coverage and enough capacity to always be able to make a phone call. I've known a lot of people who had dreadful experiences with Vodafone so they're still on my wouldn't use them even if it was free.

Primm

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Re: Australian mobile plan guide!
« Reply #5 on: September 16, 2014, 07:00:42 AM »
Me too Astatine, but the medical condition is my husband's, not mine. However the only provider I even look at is Telstra and companies who use their network. Currently with Telechoice.

alsoknownasDean

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Re: Australian mobile plan guide!
« Reply #6 on: September 16, 2014, 07:45:31 AM »
Yeah, fair enough, plenty of good reasons for sticking with them.

I've been with Telstra about five years, and I started a new job a couple of months ago. Unfortunately the Telstra signal at my new workplace is extremely poor, despite being close to the Melbourne CBD. Likewise, their 3G network is borderline unusable in peak hour near the city (even though I have a 4G phone, it sometimes drops to 3G, like when emerging from the city loop on the train), I can't even send an iMessage at times. Shame, their customer service has been top-notch.

Since Optus signal at my house is poor, I'm mainly looking at Vodafone or Vodafone resellers. I've got a Vodafone SIM that was in my iPad that seems to work well enough. I figure with prepaid or month-to-month plans, if it's awful, I can easily switch back :)

I probably only make about 200-300min of calls a month (many of which could be shifted to VoIP), but it's the 1.5-2GB of data that's the issue (public transport commute and Spotify don't help there). Spintel would be perfect for me if I wanted the Optus network, but I'm torn between Lebara/Think for $30-33 or springing the little bit extra for the Vodafone $50 Red plan for 4G, visual voicemail, and a little more data headroom (especially since Vodafone do kilobyte sessions as opposed to megabyte sessions).

I've had the same number for 12 years, and changed carriers four times in that period, on all three networks.

Daley

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Re: Australian mobile plan guide!
« Reply #7 on: September 16, 2014, 08:20:54 AM »
Excellent work, Dean! Before you'll know it, a couple years will pass and you'll suddenly realize the amount of mobile communications knowledge in your brain is crowding out useful bits like your mother's name, and what your home address is.... kinda like me. *cough*

The only MVNO I might add to your guide would be Truphone, partly due to the rates (9¢ AUD/min/text outbound & MB data billed by KB, free incoming minutes and texts, no minimum monthly charge and balance rollover), partly due to the roaming and multinational rate destinations (same rates in and calling to Australia, Hong Kong, the UK, the US, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, or Poland), and partly due to the ability to have up to three international phone numbers attached to the same SIM card.

I do not know which network(s) they specifically contract with down in Oz, but if they're set up similarly to the United States (which uses T-Mobile and AT&T), they probably have roaming deals with multiple carriers including the largest local GSM network down there as well. I'll put it this way, I'd be surprised if they didn't use Telstra. I'm a bit concerned about their corporate culture, but as far as longer term business viability is concerned, they look solid and stable enough given the communications call records niche they're scratching in the financial sector and some of the business clients they publicly claim.

givemesunshine

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Re: Australian mobile plan guide!
« Reply #8 on: September 16, 2014, 04:12:15 PM »
There is a very good resource that summarises the available plans on a well known Australian forum (same name as a well known washing machine manufacturer). It has a list of almost all the available plans and carriers - it is quite comprehensive. Once my contract finishes I am looking at the Amaysim Unlimited sim-only which is $44.90 per month for unlimited calls, sms and 5GB data.

Could go cheaper but I need 4GB data (I also get my phone reimbursed from work so I'm not worried by the cost too much).

Cheers.

alsoknownasDean

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Re: Australian mobile plan guide!
« Reply #9 on: September 18, 2014, 08:37:01 AM »
The only MVNO I might add to your guide would be Truphone, partly due to the rates (9¢ AUD/min/text outbound & MB data billed by KB, free incoming minutes and texts, no minimum monthly charge and balance rollover), partly due to the roaming and multinational rate destinations (same rates in and calling to Australia, Hong Kong, the UK, the US, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, or Poland), and partly due to the ability to have up to three international phone numbers attached to the same SIM card.

I do not know which network(s) they specifically contract with down in Oz, but if they're set up similarly to the United States (which uses T-Mobile and AT&T), they probably have roaming deals with multiple carriers including the largest local GSM network down there as well. I'll put it this way, I'd be surprised if they didn't use Telstra. I'm a bit concerned about their corporate culture, but as far as longer term business viability is concerned, they look solid and stable enough given the communications call records niche they're scratching in the financial sector and some of the business clients they publicly claim.

Ah nice, thanks for that. I did a bit of searching around and they use the Optus network. :)

I actually just decided to order a SIM from SpinTel. I'll see how it goes. Optus signal here isn't brilliant (although I haven't tried their 4G network), but the plan is so much cheaper than what I'm paying now it's crazy! If I don't like it, nothing stopping me porting out to another carrier. My iPhone is unlocked and should have no trouble working on any of the networks (although it won't work on Optus' 4G Plus or their new 700MHz network).

I'll go from paying $107 a month to $22 a month. That's a pretty decent saving. :)
« Last Edit: September 18, 2014, 08:44:11 AM by alsoknownasDean »

alsoknownasDean

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Australian mobile plan guide!
« Reply #10 on: October 06, 2014, 06:39:18 AM »
Switched to SpinTel, and so far so good. I've actually recently moved, and signal in my new apartment is OK (average of 1-3 bars signal, usually 3G but sometimes 4G). For $22 a month I'm quite happy :)

cakie

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Re: Australian mobile plan guide!
« Reply #11 on: October 06, 2014, 08:17:10 AM »
I am with Amaysim at the moment (unlimited), which has been great because of the high data allowance - I've been using it for my internet too :)

I am going to swap to Exetel (http://www.exetel.com.au/mobilephone/plans) next year though, once we get ADSL set up with them. They use Optus 4G (not 3G-only like amaysim) and the $20/mth plan will be plenty for me, since I won't need a big data allowance anymore!

kaetana

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Re: Australian mobile plan guide!
« Reply #12 on: December 09, 2014, 04:08:23 PM »
I was with Amaysim on their $45/month unlimited plan with 5GB data, but decided that I could stand to go a little lower. I also moved to Spintel, and am liking them so far except for the fact that if you use up your data allowance, they don't shut off the service to you and will let you go over it. Anything over the allowance is charged as an extra 1GB ($10). I would have preferred that they not allow me to access the internet, but it's solved easily enough by using the standard Android settings to disable mobile internet after a certain threshold.

Great guide, AKADean. Thanks!

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« Reply #13 on: December 17, 2014, 02:38:55 AM »
great thread

i am with Live Connected (owned by Vaya), for $20pm for 1.5Gb and 650 pretend dollars of calls. 

alsoknownasDean

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Re: Australian mobile plan guide!
« Reply #14 on: January 30, 2015, 01:12:29 AM »
It's been updated slightly, with a new carrier included in the list.

I may need to go searching for some new ones to include. :)

For Americans looking to bring their phone to Australia and use it, it depends on who you're with in the States. If it's AT&T or an AT&T reseller, you're probably fine with a Telstra reseller (although you may not get LTE). If it's T-Mobile, it depends on the device, but you might be struggling with the older devices that don't support as many networks. If it's Verizon or Sprint, unless you can use overseas GSM networks with your device (I think the iPhone 4S could) no go, we haven't had CDMA networks here for years.
« Last Edit: January 30, 2015, 01:25:28 AM by alsoknownasDean »

Gockie

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Re: Australian mobile plan guide!
« Reply #15 on: January 30, 2015, 03:18:04 AM »
Vaya uses the Optus network. $18 a month gives you lots of calls and 1.5GB of data a month.
It's a bargain....

pancakes

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Re: Australian mobile plan guide!
« Reply #16 on: January 30, 2015, 04:04:39 AM »
I've been with Telstra for a few years now and do think that their prepaid offers can be very good if you spend a bit of time working them out, especially if you "need" the telstra network.

They discontinued my plan for new customers which is a shame because it was good. For $30/month

I get $220 fake telstra $$ for calls/texts/mms and 400MB data which has a 30 day expiry (the calls are a more than I need but the data is pretty average). The best part is $30 in roll over credit that can be used to purchase data, $20 = 700MB, $49 = 3GB which has a separate 30 day expiry. I buy $20 worth every second month and roll the other $10 over. Then when I travel within Aus or otherwise find myself without an internet connection I can use the roll over credit to buy 3GB and tether my computer.

I know with a bit of work others get better value by letting credit pile up and switching periodically to the long-life offer.

alsoknownasDean

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Re: Australian mobile plan guide!
« Reply #17 on: February 13, 2015, 03:02:58 AM »
Vaya uses the Optus network. $18 a month gives you lots of calls and 1.5GB of data a month.
It's a bargain....

Is it?

http://support.vaya.net.au/support/articles/4000044161-mobile-security-deposit

http://support.vaya.net.au/support/discussions/topics/4000310366

http://www.productreview.com.au/p/vaya.html

http://www.acma.gov.au/Industry/Telco/Carriers-and-service-providers/Obligations/acma-warns-live-connected-about-breaches-of-billing-and-credit-rules

http://support.liveconnected.com.au/support/discussions/topics/25684

(Live Connected now being owned by Vaya)

I might end up going through the list and do some pruning. :)

I've been with Telstra for a few years now and do think that their prepaid offers can be very good if you spend a bit of time working them out, especially if you "need" the telstra network.

They discontinued my plan for new customers which is a shame because it was good. For $30/month

I get $220 fake telstra $$ for calls/texts/mms and 400MB data which has a 30 day expiry (the calls are a more than I need but the data is pretty average). The best part is $30 in roll over credit that can be used to purchase data, $20 = 700MB, $49 = 3GB which has a separate 30 day expiry. I buy $20 worth every second month and roll the other $10 over. Then when I travel within Aus or otherwise find myself without an internet connection I can use the roll over credit to buy 3GB and tether my computer.

I know with a bit of work others get better value by letting credit pile up and switching periodically to the long-life offer.

Yeah, there's some interesting Telstra prepaid hacks if you want to go down that path. One I've heard of is people charging on long life and changing to the Simplicity so they get the Simplicity rates with the long life expiry, not sure if that's true though.
« Last Edit: February 13, 2015, 03:21:18 AM by alsoknownasDean »

happy

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Re: Australian mobile plan guide!
« Reply #18 on: February 13, 2015, 04:11:56 AM »
I've been with Telstra for a few years now and do think that their prepaid offers can be very good if you spend a bit of time working them out, especially if you "need" the telstra network.

They discontinued my plan for new customers which is a shame because it was good. For $30/month

I get $220 fake telstra $$ for calls/texts/mms and 400MB data which has a 30 day expiry (the calls are a more than I need but the data is pretty average). The best part is $30 in roll over credit that can be used to purchase data, $20 = 700MB, $49 = 3GB which has a separate 30 day expiry. I buy $20 worth every second month and roll the other $10 over. Then when I travel within Aus or otherwise find myself without an internet connection I can use the roll over credit to buy 3GB and tether my computer.

I know with a bit of work others get better value by letting credit pile up and switching periodically to the long-life offer.

I use Telstra prepaid, for coverage reasons. Simplicity $30, using the night talk and text option, works well for me. Currently carrying around $230 of credit, which I use if I have to make calls in the day. Mostly though I find I can make long calls after 6pm.
I wondered about switching to a long life plan to use up the credit…might try it.
The only pitfall I found is that they advertise it as per months, but its actually 28 days….lost a batch of credit at one point, since I recharged on the same calendar day a month later.
Telstra service is poor though. I tried Vodafone and Optus, no better.
I have a dumb phone, so no data to worry about.

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Re: Australian mobile plan guide!
« Reply #19 on: February 14, 2015, 04:42:25 PM »
Hi Dean,
Vaya are pretty good value wise but yes, it was a surprise to be told about the $20 security bond, and have that taken within about 10 days of being told, also I'm not a fan of the per mb billing of data. They are probably not the quickest to contact if you need to talk to them on the phone (I have been on hold for 10mins + on occasions when needing to speak with them). 

I have to say though, Exetel takes the cake when it comes to poor phone service. Once again, prices are relatively good but It's closer to 30minutes on hold for a enquiry for my internet service and when I need to get a line checked out, they say that the technician will come between 7am-1pm or 1pm-5pm. Not good as a full time employee cause you potentially have to take more than half a day off waiting for the tech to come. Then they call updating they will be there in 15- 20mins. Not good enough, I work and live about 1 hour from where I need the Internet setup (it's for a rental property). I ask for them to give me at least an hour's notice and they wouldn't do that.

Still, the cost isn't bad with either of these companies. Just make sure that you aren't hit with a dishonour fee from Vaya (I did once because my wallet was lost/stolen and had to cancel all my cards) - it was $10.
And with Exetel. I ended up having to wait for the technicians twice as somehow it didn't work after the first visit. So many extra stresses. Anyway, I would like it if the technician would say they would come in a 1-2 hour window you agree to, so you minimise the time you need to take off work, but it doesn't work that way. Sigh.
Cheers.
« Last Edit: February 14, 2015, 04:46:27 PM by Gockie »

alsoknownasDean

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Re: Australian mobile plan guide!
« Reply #20 on: February 25, 2015, 07:35:39 AM »
Yeah, I'm sure Vaya works OK.

I'm actually thinking of doing a revamp and including the SIM-only plans of the big three (especially Optus and Vodafone), now that some of their plans are competitive with the MVNOs.

An example is the $45 Optus unlimited calls/SMS and 3GB data plan. Most of the unlimited calls/SMS plans with a similar amount of data via the MVNOs are actually similar in pricing to Optus themselves.

alsoknownasDean

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Re: Australian mobile plan guide!
« Reply #21 on: March 24, 2015, 05:55:51 AM »
I've made a couple of small changes (the new Amaysim and Boost plans, along with a change to the Jeenee excess data rate). I've also added iiNet and Internode (especially useful to anyone who is also a fixed broadband subscriber with them).
« Last Edit: March 24, 2015, 06:00:13 AM by alsoknownasDean »

okonomiyaki

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Re: Australian mobile plan guide!
« Reply #22 on: March 24, 2015, 09:08:35 PM »
No Virgin Mobile?

alsoknownasDean

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Re: Australian mobile plan guide!
« Reply #23 on: March 25, 2015, 03:59:10 AM »
No Virgin Mobile?

They're worth looking into, but the plans didn't look that much better value than the others. The prepaid Simple plan looks pretty good for light users though.

steveo

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Re: Australian mobile plan guide!
« Reply #24 on: March 25, 2015, 05:32:47 AM »
TPG costs $17/month for a lot of calls ( I think about $600 ) and data (no idea but I don't use it that much). I think that beats all other options.

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Re: Australian mobile plan guide!
« Reply #25 on: April 16, 2015, 06:48:07 PM »
Good job with this, Dean! :)

I'm currently with Boost, and they've recently bumped up the data on their $40 plan. It's now 3GB. Additionally, they are now offering extra data on Sundays on both their $20 and $40 plans so that you get an extra 500MB ($20) or 1GB ($40) every Sunday. With a potential 7-8GB on the $40 per month, I think this makes it more appealing for those looking to consolidate their home and mobile internet.

alsoknownasDean

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Re: Australian mobile plan guide!
« Reply #26 on: April 24, 2015, 08:12:59 PM »
TPG costs $17/month for a lot of calls ( I think about $600 ) and data (no idea but I don't use it that much). I think that beats all other options.

That's pretty decent, but sadly, no longer available. TPG's current crop of plans aren't really better value than anything else out there (especially as they're 3G only).

Good job with this, Dean! :)

I'm currently with Boost, and they've recently bumped up the data on their $40 plan. It's now 3GB. Additionally, they are now offering extra data on Sundays on both their $20 and $40 plans so that you get an extra 500MB ($20) or 1GB ($40) every Sunday. With a potential 7-8GB on the $40 per month, I think this makes it more appealing for those looking to consolidate their home and mobile internet.

Thanks :)

It seems the mobile data plans have increased rapidly in quota as of late, even through the big carriers. Some of the higher end plans have up to 10GB of data a month. It wasn't that long ago when 4GB was about as high as it went.

That's a pretty good deal (although Vodafone prepaid beats that currently with unlimited data on weekends until August). It's true that plans like that (or some of the higher end plans or the Optus $2 prepaid) could suffice as home internet as well for some people. I considered the same thing, but my data usage was still too high. Hence I'm giving iiNet money for ADSL.

I've updated some of the plan offerings a bit to reflect new plans available. I've also mentioned the Telstra prepaid hacking that can be quite useful for some people.

Bornfreelivefree

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Re: Australian mobile plan guide!
« Reply #27 on: April 29, 2015, 03:30:58 AM »
Dean,

The aldi section could use an update.

They offer $20, $30, $35 and a $45 cap. Have found their coverage to be excellent.

The $45 cap provides 43200 minutes, 50000 text and 4 gb of internet. I pretty good plan with good coverage (only NSW but never had an issue when working in remote QLD either).

alsoknownasDean

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Re: Australian mobile plan guide!
« Reply #28 on: April 30, 2015, 06:15:56 AM »
Dean,

The aldi section could use an update.

They offer $20, $30, $35 and a $45 cap. Have found their coverage to be excellent.

The $45 cap provides 43200 minutes, 50000 text and 4 gb of internet. I pretty good plan with good coverage (only NSW but never had an issue when working in remote QLD either).

I already mentioned the value packs, but maybe I'll elaborate on them further.

Thanks :)

I've now added a new section to the guide, where possible plans for different usage scenarios are outlined. I've covered the 'occasional use feature phone' scenario already. Work in progress :)
« Last Edit: April 30, 2015, 06:41:35 AM by alsoknownasDean »

alsoknownasDean

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Re: Australian mobile plan guide!
« Reply #29 on: May 15, 2015, 06:35:38 AM »
I'm planning on revamping this guide down the track. As there's other sources of MVNOs for each carrier *cough*Whirlpool*cough*, I might be better off linking to it for more carrier info.

I may however still keep the 'best carrier for a particular scenario' option open.

By the way, even when considering the MVNOs, it's worth keeping an eye on what the big carriers offer, especially given the massive data allowance increases as of late. My parents are now on Optus plans with unlimited calls/SMS and 500MB of data for $30 each (if you buy online now you'll get 1GB). I've recently applied to port to Vodafone as I managed to get an excellent deal with them.

I'd actually say the bigger gains in the mobile space are made by avoiding the shiny new top-end smartphone every two years. I'm keeping my 2.5 year old iPhone 5, and have no intention of getting the 6 (for $1000+).

When the time comes to buy a new phone, I'll be looking in the cheap prepaid/outright market, as there's some excellent phones available for $200 or so nowadays. Maybe I'll make a new guide called 'Curing your high-end smartphone habit'. :)

Daley

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Re: Australian mobile plan guide!
« Reply #30 on: May 15, 2015, 06:51:14 AM »
I'm planning on revamping this guide down the track. As there's other sources of MVNOs for each carrier *cough*Whirlpool*cough*, I might be better off linking to it for more carrier info.

I may however still keep the 'best carrier for a particular scenario' option open.

Aah, Whirlpool. Technically, I could say similar about the guide and HoFo. The key is to bring something special to the table. You don't need to list everything, just choose the best options for each carrier that have the best prices and best customer support for paygo and plan bundles. :)

alsoknownasDean

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Re: Australian mobile plan guide!
« Reply #31 on: May 17, 2015, 08:39:58 AM »
I'm planning on revamping this guide down the track. As there's other sources of MVNOs for each carrier *cough*Whirlpool*cough*, I might be better off linking to it for more carrier info.

I may however still keep the 'best carrier for a particular scenario' option open.

Aah, Whirlpool. Technically, I could say similar about the guide and HoFo. The key is to bring something special to the table. You don't need to list everything, just choose the best options for each carrier that have the best prices and best customer support for paygo and plan bundles. :)

I'll give it a shot, but I can't really comment on the customer support with all of them as I haven't experienced it with many of the carriers.

The thing I've noticed lately is that the offerings with the big carriers here are often not much more expensive than is available from many MVNOs. I guess it gets to the point where whether one considers saving $5-10 by going with the MVNO as optimising their expenses.

Daley

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Re: Australian mobile plan guide!
« Reply #32 on: May 17, 2015, 09:18:10 AM »
I'll give it a shot, but I can't really comment on the customer support with all of them as I haven't experienced it with many of the carriers.

The thing I've noticed lately is that the offerings with the big carriers here are often not much more expensive than is available from many MVNOs. I guess it gets to the point where whether one considers saving $5-10 by going with the MVNO as optimising their expenses.

A little trick on vetting customer service, you don't always need to be a customer to talk with their phone reps and get a feel for overall organizational competence. Playing "stupid" as a potential customer and asking questions while knowing what the answers are in advance across a few random calls can illuminate. ;)

It's certainly encouraging that the Australian market's a bit healthier than the American one, from the sound and look of things - price-wise, that is. Still, never underestimate the value of $10/month saved... and don't negate the further savings available with a minimalistic usage approach on the PAYGO end like I advocate.
« Last Edit: May 17, 2015, 09:19:56 AM by I.P. Daley »

alsoknownasDean

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Re: Australian mobile plan guide!
« Reply #33 on: June 11, 2015, 05:40:59 AM »
I'll give it a shot, but I can't really comment on the customer support with all of them as I haven't experienced it with many of the carriers.

The thing I've noticed lately is that the offerings with the big carriers here are often not much more expensive than is available from many MVNOs. I guess it gets to the point where whether one considers saving $5-10 by going with the MVNO as optimising their expenses.

A little trick on vetting customer service, you don't always need to be a customer to talk with their phone reps and get a feel for overall organizational competence. Playing "stupid" as a potential customer and asking questions while knowing what the answers are in advance across a few random calls can illuminate. ;)

It's certainly encouraging that the Australian market's a bit healthier than the American one, from the sound and look of things - price-wise, that is. Still, never underestimate the value of $10/month saved... and don't negate the further savings available with a minimalistic usage approach on the PAYGO end like I advocate.

It's probably worthwhile, but I have to admit I'm a bit lazy to go calling carriers I have no intention of joining.

Amaysim are currently running an offer where the first month on any of their plans is $19.90 a month (even the top-end $54.90 7GB plan).

The big carriers are starting to sharpen up their offers too (especially on the SIM-only postpaid end). Optus currently have a plan for $30 a month with unlimited calls/SMS and 1GB data if you buy online (and 8GB data for $50 a month). Vodafone have extra data deals as well (especially in the higher end plans). Telstra have also recently released new plans.

Most of the new plans seem to be targetted at the smartphone crowd. Seems like there's not much reduction in PAYG pricing anywhere (it seems carriers are trying to upsell to unlimited plans).

Gotta love a price war though. I'm getting more calls/SMS/data included for $35 a month now than I was on my old plan paying (gulp) $107 a month just last year.

deborah

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Re: Australian mobile plan guide!
« Reply #34 on: June 11, 2015, 07:26:59 AM »
From the Telstra map, it looks like 4g is pretty useless in outback Australia, and I am better off with 3G (for instance, I will be going across the Nullabor in a few weeks, which seems only to be 3G). Is this right or am I reading the map wrong? Does that mean that any wholesale Telstra deal will give me the coverage I want?

alsoknownasDean

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Re: Australian mobile plan guide!
« Reply #35 on: June 11, 2015, 08:04:22 AM »
From the Telstra map, it looks like 4g is pretty useless in outback Australia, and I am better off with 3G (for instance, I will be going across the Nullabor in a few weeks, which seems only to be 3G). Is this right or am I reading the map wrong? Does that mean that any wholesale Telstra deal will give me the coverage I want?

That's correct, the 4G network isn't in most of the more remote areas yet. That'll probably change in the next year or two, but for now, those areas are 3G only.

The wholesale 3G network (used by all Telstra resellers except for Boost) has a much smaller coverage footprint than Telstra itself. You may notice on the site of some of the Telstra resellers is that they mention that they use 'part of the Telstra 3G network'. The Telstra wholesale coverage map is as below:

https://www.mobilemaps.net.au/3G/

Looking at that map (compared to Telstra retail's map), I'd suggest that the best carrier for going across the Nullarbor would be Telstra itself (or Boost). :)

Hope that helps :)

deborah

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Re: Australian mobile plan guide!
« Reply #36 on: June 11, 2015, 10:08:13 AM »
Thanks very much for that Dean! I can see that it is probably worth Telstra or Boost for the types of trips I do, although I probably need to look into some other communications device since I go on at least one tour a year, and every time I seem to go through 2wd areas with no mobile coverage. A couple of years ago I broke down 80km from Wanaaring on the White Cliffs - Wanaaring road which still has minimal coverage. Even though it is marked on the Telstra map (and on many others) the road has minimal traffic, so people have been stranded there for days before anyone passed them.

alsoknownasDean

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Re: Australian mobile plan guide!
« Reply #37 on: July 03, 2015, 08:54:03 AM »
Thanks very much for that Dean! I can see that it is probably worth Telstra or Boost for the types of trips I do, although I probably need to look into some other communications device since I go on at least one tour a year, and every time I seem to go through 2wd areas with no mobile coverage. A couple of years ago I broke down 80km from Wanaaring on the White Cliffs - Wanaaring road which still has minimal coverage. Even though it is marked on the Telstra map (and on many others) the road has minimal traffic, so people have been stranded there for days before anyone passed them.

Yikes, that sounds like a (very expensive) satellite phone might be the go for those sorts of trips. I believe one can be rented if said trips are irregular.

I've made a couple of minor tweaks to the page. The big three are really giving the smaller carriers a squeeze on pricing at the moment, especially at the higher-end usage levels.

dungoofed

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Re: Australian mobile plan guide!
« Reply #38 on: July 19, 2015, 07:25:20 AM »
Oh snap, I wish I had have seen this thread a couple of months ago!

For what it's worth I got Ulefone Be Touch 2 phones for about $200 from an aspirational Chinese manufacturer, and hooked myself up with Amaysim prepaid. The phone only supports one of the two Australian 4G frequencies but fortunately it's the one that is most common and the only one available in my current area.

stripey

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Re: Australian mobile plan guide!
« Reply #39 on: July 20, 2015, 04:20:07 AM »
Thanks very much for that Dean! I can see that it is probably worth Telstra or Boost for the types of trips I do, although I probably need to look into some other communications device since I go on at least one tour a year, and every time I seem to go through 2wd areas with no mobile coverage. A couple of years ago I broke down 80km from Wanaaring on the White Cliffs - Wanaaring road which still has minimal coverage. Even though it is marked on the Telstra map (and on many others) the road has minimal traffic, so people have been stranded there for days before anyone passed them.

Yikes, that sounds like a (very expensive) satellite phone might be the go for those sorts of trips. I believe one can be rented if said trips are irregular.

I've made a couple of minor tweaks to the page. The big three are really giving the smaller carriers a squeeze on pricing at the moment, especially at the higher-end usage levels.

Renting can be quite expensive though. And it's not the sort of thing an EPIRB is meant to be used for. The compromise may be having a second pre-paid Telstra SIM (depending on what the minimum spend is!) dedicated to such trips... it's what I used to do

deborah

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Re: Australian mobile plan guide!
« Reply #40 on: July 20, 2015, 04:23:31 AM »
Thanks very much for that Dean! I can see that it is probably worth Telstra or Boost for the types of trips I do, although I probably need to look into some other communications device since I go on at least one tour a year, and every time I seem to go through 2wd areas with no mobile coverage. A couple of years ago I broke down 80km from Wanaaring on the White Cliffs - Wanaaring road which still has minimal coverage. Even though it is marked on the Telstra map (and on many others) the road has minimal traffic, so people have been stranded there for days before anyone passed them.

Yikes, that sounds like a (very expensive) satellite phone might be the go for those sorts of trips. I believe one can be rented if said trips are irregular.

I've made a couple of minor tweaks to the page. The big three are really giving the smaller carriers a squeeze on pricing at the moment, especially at the higher-end usage levels.

Renting can be quite expensive though. And it's not the sort of thing an EPIRB is meant to be used for. The compromise may be having a second pre-paid Telstra SIM (depending on what the minimum spend is!) dedicated to such trips... it's what I used to do
An EPIRB is definitely not the way to go for this - and even Telstra doesn't cover most of these areas.

settlement

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Re: Australian mobile plan guide!
« Reply #41 on: July 27, 2015, 07:08:29 PM »
OP, how did you, or anyone else, get on with spintel?? They seem the best value. Also wondering what coverage would be like in Richmond

alsoknownasDean

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Re: Australian mobile plan guide!
« Reply #42 on: July 28, 2015, 10:16:50 AM »
OP, how did you, or anyone else, get on with spintel?? They seem the best value. Also wondering what coverage would be like in Richmond

SpinTel were OK, their plans are pretty good because of the bumping.

There' were a few quirks with the service (payments are only via direct debit, if you get bumped up a tier you've got to manually reset it before the end of the month to avoid the higher tier applying for the next month, phone support isn't 24:7, there's no mobile app to track usage, etc), but if you're happy to work around the quirks, the phone service works fine.

I ended up changing to Vodafone a couple of months ago. I managed to get a pretty good deal (I managed to get their $50 SIM-only plan for $35 a month) and my phone works well on their network. I guess I just liked the idea of being with a big three telco with retail stores (easy to change a SIM over if need be) and fewer of the above quirks.

The coverage should be the same as with Optus, so you could give it a try with a $2 Optus prepaid SIM to see what the coverage is like in your area. I must admit I don't go to Richmond all that much :)

alsoknownasDean

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Re: Australian mobile plan guide!
« Reply #43 on: September 01, 2015, 06:34:36 AM »
Updated to reflect recent plan changes, especially on the Optus/Vodafone end.

Phone service is so cheap nowadays.

alsoknownasDean

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Re: Australian mobile plan guide!
« Reply #44 on: September 19, 2015, 07:07:45 PM »
So $30 a month gets you unlimited calls/SMS and at least 1GB a month with the major carriers (currently 1.5GB with Vodafone and 1GB with Optus on SIM-only plans). 2GB with Amaysim, and 2.5GB with Lebara.

$50 gets you 8-10GB of data (and even 5GB on the big T, but not unlimited calls).

I'm actually considering giving my ADSL the flick and using just mobile data. 4G's probably faster too :)

alsoknownasDean

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Re: Australian mobile plan guide!
« Reply #45 on: September 19, 2015, 08:14:35 PM »
An update on Boost - they are going 4G from the end of September.

Not important out here in the boondocks, but may impress some of you city folk who want to rip through your data allowance that much faster!

Good pickup, it makes Boost pretty compelling for folks who need to stick with the big T. I guess they had to with the recent updates to the Telstra prepaid offerings.

It'll probably make it out your way within the next year or two, although Optus has been rapidly expanding their 4G network, and arguably they have more 4G coverage than Telstra now.

dungoofed

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Re: Australian mobile plan guide!
« Reply #46 on: September 19, 2015, 08:27:13 PM »
So $30 a month gets you unlimited calls/SMS and at least 1GB a month with the major carriers (currently 1.5GB with Vodafone and 1GB with Optus on SIM-only plans). 2GB with Amaysim, and 2.5GB with Lebara.

$50 gets you 8-10GB of data (and even 5GB on the big T, but not unlimited calls).

Thanks for the updates. For what it's worth, Amaysim have had deals recently whereby you can get 5GB/unlimited on prepaid for $20/month. They've run the deal three times in the last five months that I'm aware of, and you can buy the vouchers in advance and stack them for up to 11 months. Hard to say whether this kind of promotion is going to be a regular thing (OzBargain is your friend) but it's a great deal if you have your own handset.

Quote
I'm actually considering giving my ADSL the flick and using just mobile data. 4G's probably faster too :)

I'm shocked at how expensive ADSL is in this country. Most expensive FTTB/H I saw in Japan was $50/month unlimited.

alsoknownasDean

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Re: Australian mobile plan guide!
« Reply #47 on: September 19, 2015, 08:42:59 PM »
So $30 a month gets you unlimited calls/SMS and at least 1GB a month with the major carriers (currently 1.5GB with Vodafone and 1GB with Optus on SIM-only plans). 2GB with Amaysim, and 2.5GB with Lebara.

$50 gets you 8-10GB of data (and even 5GB on the big T, but not unlimited calls).

Thanks for the updates. For what it's worth, Amaysim have had deals recently whereby you can get 5GB/unlimited on prepaid for $20/month. They've run the deal three times in the last five months that I'm aware of, and you can buy the vouchers in advance and stack them for up to 11 months. Hard to say whether this kind of promotion is going to be a regular thing (OzBargain is your friend) but it's a great deal if you have your own handset.

Quote
I'm actually considering giving my ADSL the flick and using just mobile data. 4G's probably faster too :)

I'm shocked at how expensive ADSL is in this country. Most expensive FTTB/H I saw in Japan was $50/month unlimited.

Nice on the Amaysim front, although I thought the offer was only for new services :)

Haha, blame ULL for that mess. Dodo offer unlimited ADSL for $29.90, but of course you need a phone line on top of that. Naked ADSL is often no cheaper than ADSL and a phone line. In fact, when I was looking, it cost the same for a 100GB ADSL bundle as it did for 100GB of Naked ADSL with iiNet.

Speaking of Dodo, their lower-end mobile plan with $500 of calls and 1GB of data is pretty cheap at $17.90. They have a cheap PAYG service too.

No wonder mobile broadband is so popular in this country :)

Astatine

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Re: Australian mobile plan guide!
« Reply #48 on: September 21, 2015, 04:22:26 PM »
After my last move about 5 years ago, I did some research on reliability of different ISPs. Dodo seemed to have one of the worst reputations for reliability and customer service. I wouldn't jump ship to them without doing serious due diligence (eg Whirlpool forums). Ditto Vodafone but maybe they've got their shit together now? I have suffered through many a friend and colleague complain about Vodafone's coverage and customer service to have developed a bit of a twitch whenever that name is mentioned... Price isn't everything.

alsoknownasDean

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Re: Australian mobile plan guide!
« Reply #49 on: October 01, 2015, 11:23:26 PM »
After my last move about 5 years ago, I did some research on reliability of different ISPs. Dodo seemed to have one of the worst reputations for reliability and customer service. I wouldn't jump ship to them without doing serious due diligence (eg Whirlpool forums). Ditto Vodafone but maybe they've got their shit together now? I have suffered through many a friend and colleague complain about Vodafone's coverage and customer service to have developed a bit of a twitch whenever that name is mentioned... Price isn't everything.

I used Dodo back in the dialup days, and it worked OK. Never tried ADSL with them.

Vodafone worked fine for me when I used them on my old iPhone recently. I do live in a capital city though, YMMV in the regional areas. :)

I'll have to update the guide to reflect that TPG is changing to be a Vodafone MVNO. Presumably the subsidiaries (iiNet, etc), will move over as well in due time.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!