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Three networks sit behind every plan you can buy
Australia has only three mobile networks, Telstra, Optus and Vodafone, but dozens of providers selling plans on them. Almost every cheaper telco is an MVNO: a reseller riding one of those three networks, often with the same coverage for far less money. Once you know which network a provider rides, choosing comes down to price and extras. Use the live filter below to see every provider grouped by the network it actually runs on.
The one thing that explains the whole market: only Telstra, Optus and Vodafone own mobile towers. Everyone else is an MVNO, a reseller that buys capacity wholesale and sells it cheaper under its own brand. A Telstra-network reseller can give you Telstra coverage for a fraction of Telstra's own price, so the smart move is to pick your network first, then shop on price and extras.
How to choose
Pick a provider in three steps
Once you stop comparing brands and start comparing networks, price and extras, the choice gets simple.
1. Coverage
Decide which network reaches where you live, work and travel. Telstra leads in the regions and the bush, Optus and Vodafone are strong in the cities. Your provider inherits the coverage of the network it resells.
2. Price
Match data and inclusions to your monthly budget. MVNOs almost always undercut the network owners for the same coverage, so a reseller is usually better value unless you need a phone on a plan.
3. Extras
Then weigh the perks: rewards points, streaming, cheap international calls, long-expiry prepaid, or bundling with NBN. These tie-breakers are where the smaller telcos earn your business.
The providers
Browse every mobile provider
Each card shows the network the provider runs on. Use the filter to narrow the list to one network.
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More ways to sort out your connectivity
Once you have shortlisted a provider, dig into the plans, the how-to guides and your home internet.
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ExploreCommon questions
A Selectra expert answers your mobile provider questions
Just three: Telstra, Optus and Vodafone. Every other provider you see is a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) that resells access to one of those three. So when you buy from a smaller telco, you are really buying space on a Telstra, Optus or Vodafone tower, usually for a lot less than the network owner charges directly.
A Mobile Virtual Network Operator is a provider that does not own any towers. It buys network capacity wholesale from Telstra, Optus or Vodafone and resells it under its own brand. MVNOs compete on price, plan flexibility and extras rather than coverage, because the coverage comes from the network they ride.
Not necessarily. An MVNO often has the same coverage as the network it resells, although a few wholesale plans are capped at 4G or a smaller slice of the footprint. Always check the network a provider runs on, then confirm coverage for your exact address before you switch, especially outside the major cities.
Telstra has the largest footprint, particularly across regional and remote Australia, followed by Optus, with Vodafone strongest in metro areas. If you live or travel in the bush, a Telstra-network provider is usually the safest bet. In the cities, all three perform well and the cheaper resellers become very attractive.
Work through three things in order: coverage (which network reaches where you live and travel), price (data and inclusions for your monthly budget) and extras (rewards points, streaming, international calls or bundling with NBN). Filter the providers above by network, then open a provider page to compare plans before you sign up.