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 4G network, not its next-generation 4GX network. However, this doesn't make too much of a difference in terms of speed. This network can achieve speeds up to 50Mbps, whereas 4GX can deliver speeds over 200Mbps on select smartphone. While 4G is slower than the 4GX network, 50Mbps is still faster than the vast majority of fixed-line internet connections in Australia. It's also worth noting that some Telstra-powered MVNOs still only provide 3G.
There are a number of Telstra network service providers, including big names like Woolworths Mobile 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
Comments