Signing up to a smaller provider is a great way to save money. Called "Mobile Virtual Network Operators" (MVNOs), these telcos operate over a different company's mobile network. This is one of the ways they can keep costs down, but it can also make it tricky to figure out which provider has good coverage in your area.
If you know you have good coverage with your current telco, you might as well stick to providers on the same network. On the other hand, if your coverage has been lacklustre, you might want to do the opposite.
There are only three networks any mobile provider might use: Vodafone, Optus, or Telstra. Optus and Vodafone MVNOs have identical coverage to other providers on the same network. But most Telstra MVNOs only operate over part of its network – called the Telstra "Wholesale" network. You might argue that qualifies it as a fourth option, but we'll get into that further on.
The main universal catch is whether or not your specific plan is limited to 4G. This is common for the cheapest plan from an MVNO, but usually their more expensive options have 5G.
Vodafone network MVNOs
Vodafone's network covers 99% of the population with 4G and 94.5% with 5G, all within a total footprint of 1.2 million square kilometres. These numbers are almost identical to those from Optus, thanks to a network sharing agreement between the two providers. The only areas where they don't share are in some major cities, but in those instances Vodafone has more than enough coverage to go solo.
All Vodafone MVNOs have full access to Vodafone's network, which includes benefiting from the sharing agreement with Optus. Generally speaking, these telcos often have some of the cheapest plans in our database. But plan pricing changes regularly and the MVNO market is competitive, so this isn't a hard and fast rule.
WhistleOut monitors the plans of nine MVNOs on the Vodafone network. They are:
See cheap plans from Vodafone network providers compared to postpaid plans from the telco itself:
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Pivotel
25GB Mobile Swift Plan
$11.45/mth
Min. cost $11.45
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Moose Mobile
Moose 23 SIM Only
$14.00/mth
Min. cost $14
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Swoop
30GB SIM Only 5G
$14.00/mth
Min. cost $14
|
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Lyca Mobile
Editor's Pick
Unlimited Plan S
$15.00
Per 28 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
|
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iiNet
30GB Small Plan
$15.00
Per 1 Month Renewal
Link not supplied
|
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TPG
Editor's Pick
30GB Small Plan
$15.00
Per 1 Month Renewal
Link not supplied
|
|
Vodafone
$58 Small SIM Only Plan
$45.00/mth
Min. cost $45
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Vodafone
$68 Medium SIM Only Plan
$50.00/mth
Min. cost $50
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Vodafone
$78 Large SIM Only Plan
$55.00/mth
Min. cost $55
|
Telstra network MVNOs
Telstra network coverage spans a huge 2.14 million square kilometres, making it the largest in Australia. As such, it's often popular for people living in rural or remote communities, as well as a good choice for outdoorsy types or for finding an Australian SIM card for tourists who plan on going bush.
Unfortunately, Telstra recently stopped providing statistics about its population coverage, so we can't compare that against the other networks.
At the time of writing, WhistleOut monitors 11 MVNOs that use the Telstra network. These are:
There's also an elephant-sized caveat. Of all the Telstra MVNOs, only one has full access to the Telstra network – Boost Mobile.
All the other Telstra providers operate over the much smaller Telstra "Wholesale" network. This makes comparing Telstra against its MVNOs unique because MVNOs on other networks get the same coverage as their network operator.
Here's a quick look at the difference between the two:
The Wholesale network covers just 1.4 million square kilometres, versus the 2.14 million of the full network. This footprint is still slightly larger than the Optus and Vodafone networks for 4G, but unfortunately doesn't offer useful comparisons with regards to 5G.
See cheap plans from Telstra MVNOs compared to postpaid plans from the telco itself:
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Everyday Mobile
Pre-paid Mobile $25 Recharge
$25.00
Per 30 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
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Superloop
SuperSim Saver 4G Plan
$25.00
Per 30 Day Renewal
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ALDI mobile
$28 Mobile Plan
$28.00
Per 30 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
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Boost Mobile
$28 Prepaid
$28.00
Per 28 Day Renewal
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EZEE Mobile
29GB Mobile SIM Plan
$29.00
Per 30 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
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Tangerine Telecom
30GB 5G Mobile SIM
$30.00/mth
Min. cost $15
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Telstra
$74 Basic Upfront SIM Plan
$74.00/mth
Min. cost $74
Link not supplied
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Telstra
$84 Essential Upfront SIM Plan
$84.00/mth
Min. cost $84
Link not supplied
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Telstra
$99 Premium Upfront SIM Plan
$99.00/mth
Min. cost $99
Link not supplied
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Optus network MVNOs
Optus technically owns and operates the second-largest network, but its coverage is almost identical to Vodafone thanks to a network sharing agreement. The Optus network covers 99.1% of the population with 4G and 94.5% with 5G. Its total footprint is 1.2 million square kilometres.
Similar to Vodafone, plans from Optus MVNOs are often among the cheapest in our database. They also have full access to the Optus network, so there should be no difference in coverage when compared to plans from Optus itself.
At the time of writing, WhistleOut monitors the plans of 11 MVNOs that use the Optus network. These providers are:
Here's a look at cheap plans from providers on the Optus network compared to postpaid plans from the telco itself:
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SpinTel
Editor's Pick
$23 Mobile Plan
$12.00/mth
Min. cost $12
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OnePass mobile
28 Day Plan - 22GB
$12.50
Per 28 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
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Yomojo
Starter 29GB Plan
$24.90
Per 30 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
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Dodo
Small Mobile Plan
$25.00/mth
Min. cost $25
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Coles Mobile
Prepaid $25 for 28 Days
$25.00
Per 28 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
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Aussie Broadband
Saver 5G SIM Plan
$30.00/mth
Min. cost $30
Link not supplied
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Optus
$60 Optus Choice Plus Plan
$39.00/mth
Min. cost $39
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Optus
$69 Optus Promo Plan
$69.00/mth
Min. cost $69
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Optus
$70 Optus Choice Plus Plan
$70.00/mth
Min. cost $70
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Optus
$90 Optus Choice Plus Plan
$90.00/mth
Min. cost $90
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MVNO mobile coverage
When shopping for plans from smaller mobile providers, there are four options when it comes to mobile coverage: the Optus, Vodafone, Telstra, and Telstra Wholesale networks.
While you usually don't get worse coverage from an MVNO, most of them place speed limits on their plans. For 4G, it's usually 100Mbps. For 5G, it's usually 100Mbps, 150Mbps, or 250Mbps, depending on the plan. But all of these speed caps are more than fast enough to do just about anything you'd want on a phone, so don't let it scare you away.
| Network | 4G coverage | 5G coverage | Network Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Telstra network* | N/A | N/A | 2.14 mil square km |
| Telstra Wholesale network | N/A | N/A | 1.4 mil square km |
| Optus network | 99.1% | 94.5% | 1.2 million square km |
| Vodafone network | 99% | 94.5% | 1.2 million square km |
Numbers shown are a percentage of the Australian population.
*Telstra no longer provides population-based coverage figures. Boost Mobile is the only Telstra MVNO with access to the full Telstra network.
The Optus and Vodafone networks are almost identical, thanks to a network sharing agreement. And to keep things simple, all MVNOs on both networks get full access.
Respectively, Optus and Vodafone report 99.1% and 99% population coverage for 4G. And both have 94.5% for 5G coverage. Both networks also report a total footprint of 1.2 million square kilometres – once again, almost identically overlapping.
The only main difference in coverage between the Optus and Vodafone networks is in some major cities, where they don't share network access. But in those places, both telcos have such robust coverage that you still likely won't notice a difference.
Telstra does things a bit differently. Only Telstra and Boost Mobile get access to the full Telstra network, which is by far the biggest in Australia and covers a huge 2.14 million square kilometres. A lot of this extra coverage is in rural, remote, or unpopulated areas, which makes it a crucial factor for a small portion of the population.
In major metro areas, coverage isn't that different to the Optus or Vodafone networks. That said, Telstra recently stopped reporting population coverage figures, so it's tough to directly compare this to the other two.
All the other Telstra MVNOs operate over the Telstra Wholesale network, which has a much smaller coverage footprint of 1.4 million square kilometres. This is still a bit bigger than Optus or Vodafone, but makes it less viable in many regional, remote and rural areas. As for 5G coverage, there are no overview figures for pitting Telstra Wholesale against the other two networks or against the full Telstra network itself.
All three network operators have to follow standard rules when it comes to coverage maps. This lets you directly compare coverage in your area and the places you frequently travel to.
Here's a map where you can check mobile network coverage of the three mobile networks:
Which MVNOs offer 5G mobile plans?
Almost all telcos in Australia have at least some 5G mobile plans. But it's still common for the cheapest one or two options to be limited to 4G, so this is worth keeping an eye out for if 5G matters to you.
Almost all MVNOs also cap their 5G speeds, usually at 100Mbps, 150Mbps, or 250Mbps, depending on the plan. But these speed caps are all fast enough to run most medium-sized households, so it's not worth fretting over. You can check out our guide covering what mobile speed you need if you'd like some more insight into this.
These are some of the cheapest 5G plans from MVNOs in our database:
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SpinTel
Editor's Pick
$23 Mobile Plan
$12.00/mth
Min. cost $12
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OnePass mobile
28 Day Plan - 22GB
$12.50
Per 28 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
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Swoop
30GB SIM Only 5G
$14.00/mth
Min. cost $14
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Lyca Mobile
Editor's Pick
Unlimited Plan S
$15.00
Per 28 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
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OnePass mobile
28 Day Plan - 32GB
$15.00
Per 28 Day Renewal
Link not supplied
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iiNet
30GB Small Plan
$15.00
Per 1 Month Renewal
Link not supplied
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TPG
Editor's Pick
30GB Small Plan
$15.00
Per 1 Month Renewal
Link not supplied
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Moose Mobile
Moose 30 SIM Only
$17.00/mth
Min. cost $17
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Dylan Crismale
Digital Content Editor
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