Optus prepaid plans are getting speed limits in July

Optus will refresh its prepaid plans in July, adding 5G across the board while also implementing speed caps.

The majority of customers on Optus' upcoming Flex Plus prepaid plans will be limited to speeds of 150Mbps. The one exception is customers who take up Optus' $55 recharge. Anyone on this plan will receive faster speeds of 250Mbps.

These plans will be available from July, but customers currently on existing Flex plans will be migrated to a Flex Plus plan from September onward, and also be subject to the speed caps.

The speed cap situation is similar to what we're seeing happen on the Telstra network. Telstra also caps the majority of its prepaid plans to 150Mbps, and has a single uncapped prepaid plan. Telstra network providers typically offer cheaper plans capped at 100Mbps, and faster plans capped at 250Mbps.

Speed is of course touted as one of 5G's key benefits, with the networks theoretically able to hit over 1Gbps. In our testing, we've seen speeds of over 500Mbps on Optus network 5G.

Even with the speed caps, an Optus spokesperson told us that the telco is confident that its customers "will continue to enjoy an exceptional network experience, engaging in their favourite mobile activities such as streaming videos, browsing social media, and downloading files".

"The 150Mbps speed caps on our entry plans surpass the speeds currently available to over 90% of the Australian households through their NBN connections," said the spokesperson.

Customers on Flex Plus prepaid plans will be able to dodge their speed caps for a day with an Unlimited Data Day add-on. For $5, customers will get 24 hours of unlimited data and uncapped speeds.

Optus currently has no plans to add speed caps to its postpaid plans.

There are of course more benefits to 5G than just speed; 5G networks also have better network capacity and less lag. Enhanced capacity can help prevent congestion, and 5G allows for more simultaneous connections than 4G or 3G do. Most of Optus' prepaid plans are currently limited to 4G.

While it's very unlikely that a 150Mbps speed cap will impact the way most of us use our phones, Optus following Telstra's lead in adopting them signals a change in how mobile plans are sold. Spending more on a plan previously bought you more data, now it also buys you more speed. We've seen similar trends play out in countries like Finland where most mobile plans have unlimited data, but you pay for faster network speeds.

Here is Optus' upcoming range of Flex Plus prepaid plans:

As with Optus' postpaid plans, customers on its Flex Plus prepaid plans will be able to roam for $5 per day. They'll be limited to a 1GB data allowance per day, which is a bit of a step down from the 5GB per day offer to postpaid customers.

Optus is using the launch of its Flex Plus plans to simplify its prepaid range. It will be consolidating 11 plans down to just five.

Alex Choros

Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor | X | Instagram | Threads | LinkedIn

Alex Choros is the Managing Editor of WhistleOut Australia and an award-winning journalist. He's been writing about consumer technology for over a decade and is an expert on the Australian telco sector, to the point where he knows far too many phone and internet plans by heart. In addition to leading the WhistleOut editorial team, Alex is responsible for ruining the office Sonos with his troubled taste in music.

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