Telstra has great coverage, but when you choose Telstra you pay a premium. Fortunately,
you can get Telstra coverage and still seriously cut down on your monthly
spend. In some cases, you might be able to halve your bill and not give up any of the service you use everyday.
What you might not know is that there are a number of smaller providers re-selling services on the Telstra network. We know these are
Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) and the term applies to any mobile service provider which doesn’t own network infrastructure — namely any company other than Telstra, Optus and Vodafone.
Choosing a Telstra network MVNO is a great idea. You’ll need to bring-your-own phone, but you should notice the savings right away.
The downside is that Telstra only re-sells its 3G network (known as the Next G network, if you remember that). This network can achieve speeds up to 42Mbps, but typically delivers about 5Mbps. While this is slower than the 4G network, only high-use web junkies will really notice the difference. The Next G network is still great for all smartphone tasks, like web browsing and video / music streaming.
There are a number of Telstra network service providers, including big names like Woolworth’s Connect and Aldi Mobile. Below are links to all the current providers, or read on for our picks for the best plans on offer.
Current Telstra Network Providers
Best low-use plans
If you'd regard yourself as someone who uses their smartphone less frequently, the best low-use plans across Telstra Network providers are all Prepaid plans.
In fact, these plans are great options, even plans offered by Telstra itself. The trade-off is convenience; rather than the account auto-renewing each month, you will need to stay on top of your billing cycle and recharge your account to keep it active.
Best high-use plans
Even smartphone lovers with high data needs are catered for by the smaller providers. This section of the market is also the most likely to save some money. Below are plans with 3GB of data or more.
As you can see, there are several good options to choice from, regardless of what kind of plan you're looking for. However, it is worth pointing out that there are loads more options if you are happy using the Optus Network instead.
Click here to take a look at plans backed by the Optus 4G network.
Smartphone image via Shutterstock