
It's hard to judge when it comes to coverage since so much of it depends on where you live or need to be. Telstra takes the cake for this one since it's the most extensive network available.
There are three mobile networks in Australia, which you're already probably familiar with. But out of Telstra, Optus and Vodafone, which one is the best?
No matter which of the dozens of different mobile carriers you sign up to, your phone is only ever going to connect to one of three networks. The Telstra, Optus and Vodafone networks are the only options you have for mobile network, and all providers rely on one of the three.
The best provider for you will depend entirely on your own personal circumstances such as location, coverage and what sort of plan you're looking for. If you're looking anything specific feature out of your mobile provider, check out the sections below.
Australia's a vast continent, so when telecommunications companies claim their network reaches 99%+ of Australia, they're referring to the percentage of inhabitants rather than landmass. Huge swathes of Australia are "dark" as far as mobile coverage goes, meaning that you won't get a signal no matter what carrier you may be with.
While Optus, Telstra, and Vodafone are working on improving reception in many of these poorly covered areas as part of the federal government's mobile blackspot program, let's take a look at what each carrier's coverage looks like at the moment.
Telstra has the largest network in Australia, servicing 99.5% of Australians right across the country. We've included an overview of Telstra's coverage map below, with 3G areas shown in dark blue, 4G in green and 5G areas in purple. For a closer look, check out the interactive map here.
Image: Telstra
As far as regional coverage goes, Telstra is currently the best performing with Optus close behind. Both have an extensive presence in regional areas as well as their own mobile satellites for people outside of good coverage zones. Their 4GX and 4G Plus services promise to extend coverage even further for regional inhabitants.
Telstra also currently has the most established 5G network, offering some 5G trials to customers with compatible devices in serviced metro areas.
Telstra is also noteworthy in that its Telstra Air service provides functional Wi-Fi to customers right across the country with 1 million hotspots nationally.
Optus covers around 98.5% of the Australian population with 3G and 4G, and has the second largest network of the three. Optus has begun its 5G network rollout, which is available to some customers in the metro areas it covers. It's even started offering 5G home wireless broadband, which is a unique product for Optus as all other competitors are currently using the 4G network.
Image: Optus
The above map shows the 3G and 4G areas that Optus covers around the country. To find out more details on where the Optus network is available, check out its map in full here.
Vodafone's network services 22 million Australians with its 4G network. It was the last of the three to roll out its 5G network around the country. We weren't able to access a full country coverage map from Vodafone, so we've shown the main areas around NSW, VIC, QLD and WA below. You can input your address in its coverage map to see if Vodafone services your area.
Image: Vodafone
While you can't see an overview of Vodafone's network across the country in the images above, it's fairly obvious that Vodafone's reach isn't as extensive as the other two. While it won't matter so much if you live in a metro area, those living in more remote or regional areas may struggle under the Vodafone network.
We'll only consider the cheapest plans for each provider in its postpaid offerings since prepaid options will be discussed in their own section below.
Telstra's postpaid plan offerings range from $50-$100 monthly. You can also pair any of its postpaid plans with a mobile handset if you're after a new phone.
Optus's postpaid plans are priced at a slightly lower price range than Telstra, with plans costing between $39 and $79 a month. With this cheaper price though, you'll also see a reduction in extra inclusions.
Priced very similarly to Optus, Vodafone's postpaid plans start at $40 a month and go all the way up to $70 a month.
When it comes to choosing a data limit, you need to consider your own data needs. Comparing the three big providers, we'll just look at the lowest and highest allowances on offer from each, considering both prepaid and postpaid plans.
Provider | Smallest plan | Largest plan |
---|---|---|
Telstra | 10GB for $1 (7-day expiry) | 150GB for $100 |
Optus | 35GB for $30 (10GB after third recharge) | 120GB for $79 |
Vodafone | 25GB for $30 (when you auto-recharge) | 150GB for $90 |
If you buy a standard SIM only plan from either Vodafone or Telstra, you'll also get what's known as "endless" data. This means you won't get charged excess data fees, but your download speeds will be capped at just 1.5Mbps past your limit.
Prepaid plans let you pay for all your usage upfront. You pay a certain amount at the start of the month, get a particular amount of data, talk and text, and have your usage cut off when you hit that limit. Prepaid options are good for people who like flexibility and want to avoid excess data charges.
Here are the different prepaid plans that each provider currently offers:
If you're looking for a new mobile phone, one of the more convenient ways is to pick one up with a phone plan attached. Determining who has the better value phone plan really depends on what kind of plans you're looking for. We'll go through the various offerings from each provider so you can see them side by side.
Big mobile providers are well known for offering a whole bunch of extra features and benefits to entice new customers. Here's what you can expect from the big three if you sign up to their plans.
Depending what you're after, all three providers are fairly comparable in value. Telstra is the most expensive of the lot but has the most included features on its plans, though Vodafone beats out its 150GB plan by $10 per month. Otherwise, you can pick up a new handset from any of the big three from about $40 per month.
Remember, the best provider for you will depend entirely upon your own circumstances and whether you're looking to get something specific out of the provider. For example, if you live in a rural or regional part of Australia, the best provider for you may be Telstra due to its extensive coverage compared to the other two. The previous judgement is based on the value of plans and features that the provider offers and doesn't take into account personal preferences.