Mobile Phone and Internet Providers in Australia

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All Mobile Broadband

An overview about Optus Australia’s numerous broadband and mobile phone offers and bundles, as well as how to sign up for a new service, cancel existing services, and ways to contact customer support.

An overview of Amaysim mobile phone and broadband provider in Australia. Information about offers available for mobile phone and mobile broadband plans, Amaysim customer service contact information, how to subscribe, how to recharge an Amaysim plan, how to cancel an Amaysim plan, and customer reviews.

An informative guide for Aussie Broadband, telecom provider in Australia. Information about NBN, mobile phone, and Fetch TV bundle offers from Aussie Broadband as well as contact information for Aussie Broadband customer service, how to subscribe, cancel, or move with your service, and reviews of Aussie Broadband.

An overview of Belong, low-cost subsidiary of Telstra, in Australia. Information about mobile and broadband offers, customer service contact information, how to subscribe to a new mobile or broadband plan, how to cancel a service, and reviews of Belong.

Coles Prepaid is the mobile phone branch of Coles Supermarkets in Australia. Information about Coles Prepaid offers, purchasing and activating a Coles SIM card, recharging a plan, contact Coles Prepaid customer service, and customer reviews.

A complete guide to Dodo Broadband and Mobile Services in Australia. Find information about mobile and broadband plans, television bundles, Dodo network coverage, Dodo customer service contact information, how to subscribe to a Dodo service, moving with or cancelling a Dodo plan, and reviews of Dodo

A guide to Exetel, ISP in Australia. Information about broadband offers including NBN and ADSL, mobile phone offers, customer service contact information and hours available, My Exetel online, and reviews of Exetel service

An overview of iiNet Australia’s broadband and mobile phone offers, as well as bundled entertainment services, customer service information, and how to sign-up for, and cancel, plans.

An overview of Internode, telecommunications provider in Australia. Information about mobile, broadband, and fixed-line offers, Fetch TV bundles, contact information, how to subscribe, how to move, and Internode customer reviews.

An overview about iPrimus Australia’s residential broadband, mobile phone, and TV offers, along with customer service information and how to sign-up for plans.

An overview of Lebara, mobile phone plan provider in Australia. Find information about Lebara’s prepaid offers, customer service contact information, how to subscribe or cancel a Lebara service, how to recharge a prepaid SIM, and reviews of Lebara mobile.

An overview of Lycamobile Australia. Information about phone offers and plans, customer service contact information, how to subscribe to the provider, how to cancel a Lycamobile service, and how to recharge your Lycamobile plan

A guide to MATE, Australian-based ISP. Information about mobile, nbn and ADSL offers, how to subscribe to a MATE service, how to contact MATE customer service, and customer reviews.

A guide to Moose Mobile, Australian MVNO. Provides information about SIM-only and data-only mobile offers, how to activate and recharge a Moose Mobile plan, how to cancel a Moose Mobile service, contact information, and customer service reviews

A guide to NBN ISP MyRepublic in Australia. Information about NBN plans, gamer options, MyRepublic customer service contact information, how to sign up to MyRepublic, cancel or move with MyRepublic, and customer reviews

A guide to OVO, MVNO under the Optus Network in Australia. Information about SIM-only offers, like-new mobile phones available to purchase, information about how to sign up, contact OVO customer service, and customer reviews.

Jeenee Mobile, acquired by Amaysim, offered SIM-only mobile phone plans on flexible contracts. Discover more about Jeenee Mobile, Amaysim, and sister brand Vaya

A guide for all things Telstra, mobile and broadband provider in Australia. Includes offers and services available for mobile phones, broadband, entertainment bundles, and landlines, as well as how to sign up for a service, cancel a plan, and contact customer service.

An introductory guide to TPG Australia. Outlines offers for mobile and broadband, including NBN, ADSL, and Fibre-to-the-Building, as well as customer reviews, contact information, how to subscribe to a service, and cancel a current subscription.

A guide to Vodafone Australia, one of the three major telecommunications providers in the country. Here you can find information about Vodafone’s mobile and broadband options, as well as nbn and how to contact Vodafone to subscribe or cancel a service.

A guide to Woolworths Mobile, part of the popular Australian supermarket chain. Information about prepaid and contract mobile phone plans, phones available, instructions about how to sign up or cancel a service, contact information for Woolworths Mobile customer service, and customer reviews.

A guide to Yomojo, family-friendly MVNO in Australia. Information about prepaid phone plans, family bundles, and parental control features, how to contact Yomojo customer service, how to sign up to Yomojo, and Yomojo customer reviews

An overview of SpinTel, Australian telecommunications company. Information about broadband and NBN plans, mobile offers, customer service contact information, how to sign up to a SpinTel service, moving house with SpinTel, and customer reviews.

A complete guide to Skymesh, regional and rural broadband provider in Australia. Information about satellite and fixed wireless broadband offers, how to sign up, how to move with Skymesh, how to cancel a Skymesh service, customer service contact information, and Skymesh reviews.

Information about Tangerine, telecommunications and ISP in Australia. Details about NBN and mobile plans, how to subscribe, how to move or cancel a service, paying a Tangerine bill and Tangerine customer reviews from around the internet.

A guide to Boost Mobile, Australian MVNO and prepaid mobile plan provider. Information about prepaid SIM-cards and refurbished phones, how to sign up and activate a SIM card, information about recharging a plan, contact information, and customer service reviews.

A guide to Circles.Life, one of the newest MVNOs to enter the Australian mobile phone market. Information about their prepaid mobile plans, how to sign up or cancel a service, customer service contact information, and reviews.

A guide to Southern Phone which offers regional and rural broadband and mobile services to Australians. Information about Southern Phone broadband including NBN, satellite broadband, mobile plans and phones, Southern Phone contact information, how to sign up or cancel a service, and customer reviews of Southern Phone.

Discover Kogan Mobile and Kogan Internet, part of Kogan.com services. Learn more about Kogan Mobile prepaid phone plans and prepaid mobile broadband SIM cards as well as Kogan Internet month-to-month NBN plans with unlimited data.

Australian-based Westnet offers broadband and prepaid mobile phone services, including NBN, Sky Mesh™ satellite NBN, VDSL2, and cable broadband. Contact Westnet, subscribe to a plan, and access your Westnet My Account and webmail.

Sumo broadband, the ISP arm of Sumo Energy, offers NBN plans across Australia. Discover Sumo NBN plans, and bundle with Sumo electricity and gas plans to save even more.

ALDImobile, subsidiary of MEDION and supermarket chain Aldi, offers low-cost mobile phone plans in Australia. Information about Aldimobile SIM-only and Data-only plans, how to activate and recharge a mobile service, and how to contact customer service

Comparing mobile phone and broadband providers in Australia might seem overwhelming, with so many choices available. Whether you’re looking for the cheapest mobile phone plan, the best NBN provider, or just want to know what telecom options are available to you, learn more about broadband and mobile phone providers below.

The mobile phone network in Australia

Mobile phone coverage in Australia is tricky. If you live in any of the major cities, you are likely to have great mobile phone coverage. However, for those living in rural and regional Australia, finding adequate mobile phone coverage can be tricky, if not impossible. Before choosing a mobile phone plan, it’s useful to learn the difference between the different types of phone coverage in Australia and what phone coverage will work best for you.

The mobile network operators in Australia: Vodafone, Optus, Telstra

All mobile phone plans run on one of three networks; Vodafone, Optus, or Telstra; no matter which phone company you have your mobile phone plan with. This is because Vodafone, Optus, and Telstra not only provide mobile phone network services, but also operate and manage the phone lines in Australia.

 Telstra: Telstra has the largest mobile phone network in Australia, covering approximately 99.5% of the total Australian population and currently offers the most established 5G network in parts of the country. Regionally, Telstra has the best coverage and their 4GX and 4G Plus coverage hopes to extend rural and regional coverage in the future.

 Optus: Optus comes in second for network coverage, covering 98.5% of the Australian population including in rural and regional areas. Optus is currently also the first home wireless broadband provider to offer 5G wireless broadband where available.

 Vodafone: The newest network provider, and smallest, Vodafone covers 96% of the Australian population with the least amount of rural and regional coverage and slowest 5G broadband rollout.

Mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) in Australia

All other mobile phone providers in Australia are known as Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs). MVNOs lease their wireless mobile phone and data services from one of the big three operators; Vodafone, Optus, or Telstra.

MVNOs purchase network service at wholesale prices, and resell the service to consumers. Because of this, they can often offer cheaper rates than the big-name operators. However, some MVNOs don’t get access to the “full” network and while this shouldn’t be an issue for most Australians living in big cities, can be more of a problem in areas where coverage is spotty or for those interested in 5G.

5G in Australia

5G is in Australia, with the network operators slowly beginning to rollout 5G coverage in major cities. 5G is the next evolution for mobile phones, with major improvements including:

• Faster networks speed over minimum 100Mbps
• Lower latency
• Better simultaneous connection

These speeds and connection mean that 5G is no longer just for mobile phones. 5G can now be used as an NBN alternative with home wireless broadband, or with self-driving vehicles.

Australia’s largest mobile network operators are already starting to roll out 5G in major cities and are including new 5G access with their mobile phone plans. If you’re interested in 5G, you can find 5G rollout maps for each network, with Optus currently offering the most 5G coverage so far.

Discover more about different types of broadband and mobile technology in Australia

Broadband and internet services in Australia

Australia has moved to the NBN, with almost 100% coverage across the country, but what is NBN? How does it compare to older broadband choices? Learn about the NBN and the differences between broadband services below.

ADSL in Australia

ADSL was the traditional broadband service for most of the country, using the existing phone lines to deliver internet to millions of Australians. ADSL, for a time, worked great, offering download speeds of up to 24Mbps. But, as technology improved, our need for faster internet grew. In 2020, NBN rolled out across Australia, making ADSL obsolete.

NBN Australia: What is the NBN?

For the last 10 years, NBNCo has been rolling out the National Broadband Network (NBN) across Australia. Instead of using the wires associated with ADSL, NBN uses cutting-edge fibre technology to connect to regional connection points (called nodes) and then connect that node to consumers’ homes through the existing copper wires.

Instead of the one download speed associated with ADSL, NBN gives customers the choice of download speeds. This means bigger households won’t have to worry about slower speeds when multiple devices are connected, while smaller households don’t need to pay for more than they actually need.

Since the NBN rollout has been completed, broadband providers no longer retail their ADSL broadband plans. For most customers, NBN is a great option for reliable high-speed internet, no matter where in Australia they live. If you still have ADSL, it’s important to switch to a new NBN plan before you lose broadband access.

Rural or regional NBN NBN isn’t just for the main cities. If you live in rural or regional Australia, you might get your NBN service from satellite NBN.

Home wireless broadband: An NBN alternative

Home wireless broadband is an internet alternative that uses the mobile broadband network to connect your home to the internet rather than traditional copper or fibre connections. Using a modem very similar to an NBN modem, you can connect multiple devices including your mobile phone, laptop, computer, and TV to the internet. The only difference is that this internet is from either Vodafone, Optus, or Telstra rather than NBNCo and, unlike NBN, does not require special installation or set up, simply plug it in and go.

Home wireless broadband should not be confused with mobile broadband (also known as data-only mobile phone plans). Rather than receive a standalone SIM card that can be popped into any mobile broadband-enabled device, the SIM card is usually installed directly in the home wireless broadband modem which you just need to plug into a power source.

How to choose the best mobile phone provider in Australia

Choosing the best mobile phone provider in Australia depends on the plan you’re looking for. When considering the best phone plan, you need to consider:

 Cost: While most of us are looking for the cheapest mobile phone plan available that will still meet our needs, it’s important to consider what’s included in your phone plan for the price. If you need lots of mobile data, for example, consider also the cost per MB of data included in the plan whereas if you need lots of international minutes to call family and friends, you might consider a more expensive option if it has international calling.

 Call & text: If you frequently call and text friends, you’ll want to be sure that your phone plan includes unlimited call and text. Different plans might include unlimited standard calls, but require you to pay for mobile calls or national numbers, so check that your plan covers the types of calls you want to make.

 Data allowance: How much data do you need on your phone? If you spend a lot of time on your phone out of the house, or use your phone as a mobile hotspot, you’ll probably want a mobile plan with a big data allowance.

 Data capping: Some mobile phone plans automatically suspend your data usage when you’ve gone over your allowance limit, while others will automatically charge you for each MB of data you’ve consumed once your allowance is used up. If you don’t want to be hit with bill shock, you might be better with a capped data allowance.

 Type of contract: Mobile phone plans come with different types of contracts. While the more traditional choice was a 12-month mobile phone contract, more and more mobile phone providers are instead switching to month-to-month mobile plans with no lock-in contracts. This means you’re free to cancel or switch your plan at any time, without needing to worry about a cancellation fee.

 Prepaid or Postpaid: Prepaid mobile plans mean you pay for your mobile phone service at the start of every month. Postpaid mobile plans mean you pay for the mobile phone service you used the previous month.

 Expiry period: Most mobile phone plans run on a month-to-month expiry, so every 30 days you need to pay for your mobile service. Some plans, instead, run every 28 days, meaning you have to pay for an additional 24 total days with your service. Certain prepaid mobile phone plans might also have a 7 or 10-day expiry, or be a long-expiry plan with 6 or 12 months of service.

Choosing the best NBN provider in Australia

NBN is officially rolled out across Australia, meaning that all the traditional ADSL broadband connections have been phased out of broadband providers’ services. With NBN now universally available, it’s important to understand how to choose the best NBN services in Australia.

 Speed: NBN speed is one of the most important factors when choosing a new broadband plan. NBN service is divided into different speed standards, which correspond to the fastest possible download speeds you can achieve. These are: NBN12, NBN25. NBN50, and NBN100. However, these are not the speeds you will actually achieve. Broadband providers also display their “typical evening speeds” which are the average download speeds during peak busy hours. The cost of your NBN plan is directly related to how fast the download speeds are, with faster plans costing more.

Discover your current broadband speed Take the Internet Speed Test to see how fast your broadband connection currently is, and learn ways to troubleshoot slow internet connections.

 Phone line included: Unlike traditional ADSL, NBN does not require an active phone line. However, if you’re someone who enjoys using the home phone, it might be worth considering an NBN plan with a phone line and voice add-on plan. Likewise, if you don’t want a home phone service, you don’t need to select an NBN plan that has it included.

 Data: Most NBN plans come with unlimited data, particularly plans at faster NBN speeds. If you don’t require a lot of data, and rarely use the internet, you might choose a plan with 100GB or 500GB of data instead.

 Contract length: Most broadband providers give the choice of month-to-month or 12-month contracts. Oftentimes, choosing the month-to-month option will result in a higher upfront cost (either for set up, or an included modem) while these fees are waived if you choose a 12-month contract. However, if you plan to only need your broadband service for a couple of months, these upfront costs might make more sense than paying a cancellation fee later down the line.

 Included modem or BYOM: Some broadband providers allow you to bring your own modem (BYOM) when you sign up for their plan, while other broadband providers include their own (either included in your costs, as a rental, or for an additional upfront fee). If you already have an NBN-ready modem, you might be able to use that, but make sure it’s properly set up for your connection. If you don’t already have a modem, make sure to read the fine print to see if there are any additional fees associated with getting one from your broadband provider.

 Bundles: Bigger internet providers will often let you bundle services with their NBN plans for slightly discounted rates. This might include a home phone add-on, a mobile phone plan, or entertainment services like Fetch TV.