What can you do with 1.5Mbps download speeds?

Anula Wiwatowska - Offsite Editorial Lead

Last updated 09 March 2022

The big three telcos all offer some variation of unlimited data with mobile plans now, but even ‘unlimited’ data has limitations.

Once you use up your monthly data allowance with Telstra or Optus you’ll still be able to connect to the internet but your connection speed will be slowed to 1.5Mbps. Vodafone does something similar but uses tiered speed caps with the slowest sitting at 2Mbps.

Although 1.5Mbps isn’t exactly fast, telcos claim that you can still get basic connectivity with speeds this slow. But what can you actually do with 1.5Mbps download speeds?

In this guide:

What can you do with 1.5Mbps?
Mobile plans with ‘unlimited’ data
Is 1.5Mbps fast enough for Netflix?
Is 1.5Mbps fast enough for YouTube?
Does social media work with 1.5Mbps speeds?
Does Spotify work with 1.5Mbps speeds?
Is 1.5Mbps slow?
How fast is 1.5Mbps?

What can you do with 1.5Mbps?

Social media
Web browsing
YouTube
Netflix
Stream music
Stream podcasts

Mobile plans with ‘unlimited’ data

Telstra and Optus both offer unlimited data at capped speeds of 1.5Mbps once you run through your monthly data allowance. Vodafone also offers capped speed data once if you use all your monthly data but the capped speeds are faster, and tiered depending on how much you spend per month on your plan. Lite plans come with 2Mbps capped speeds and Super plans with 10Mbps.

None of these providers actually call this data unlimited though. Vodafone calls it Infinite Data, Optus dubbed it Endless Data, and Telstra says its plans have No Excess Data Charges.

Here are the most popular plans available from these providers.

#1	Vodafone	Vodafone 65GB Data No Contract $45/mth Min. cost $45 Deal: Includes $13/mth off plan fees for first 12 months when you stay connected to this plan. Ends 29.10.26. T&Cs apply.	100%	Go to Site
#2	Optus	Optus 100GB Data No Contract $39/mth Min. cost $39 Deal: $39/mth and 100GB/mth for first 12 months, then 60GB/mth and $60/mth or as notified. New services. Ends 12.11.26. Terms apply.	50%	Go to Site
#3	Vodafone	Vodafone 220GB Data No Contract $50/mth Min. cost $50 Deal: Includes $18/mth off plan fees for first 12 months when you stay connected to this plan. Ends 29.10.26. T&Cs apply.	50%	Go to Site
#4	Optus	Optus 360GB Data No Contract $69/mth Min. cost $69 Deal: Get up to $10/mth SubHub credit to use on your favourite subscriptions for 12 months. T&Cs apply.	16%	Go to Site
#5	Telstra	Telstra 180GB Data No Contract $74/mth Min. cost $74 Deal: Get $10 off for first 12 months on new Upfront Essential Mobile Plan. New services only. Ends 05.10.26	16%	Link not supplied
#6	Vodafone	Vodafone 420GB Data No Contract $55/mth Min. cost $55 Deal: Includes $23/mth off plan fees for first 12 months when you stay connected to this plan. Ends 29.10.26. T&Cs apply.	12%	Go to Site

Is 1.5Mbps fast enough for Netflix?

While 1.5Mbps is fast enough to stream your favourite shows on Netflix, be aware that the quality will be low. Netflix can be streamed on speeds as low as 0.5Mbps, but for Standard Definition, you’ll need a connection of at least 3Mbps.

Is 1.5Mbps fast enough for YouTube?

According to Google, 1.5Mbps should be fast enough to stream videos up to 480p on YouTube. Similar to Netflix, YouTube can be streamed in different video resolutions in order to save data, or to adapt to the download speeds you are able to achieve. Streaming capacity starts at speeds as low as 0.7Mbps for 360p, and goes as high as 20Mbps for 4K videos.

Does social media work with 1.5Mbps speeds?

Most social media platforms will be able to load using speeds of 1.5Mbps, but some content may take significantly longer. Videos are quite data intensive so regardless of what platform you’re using you’ll probably find that either your videos load slowly, or drop down significantly in resolution.

While Netflix and YouTube can stream at speeds less than 1.5Mbps, these channels don’t have to compete with other elements on the page in the same way that Instagram or Facebook do. If you’re scrolling through Facebook and happen upon a video, the chances are that there is more content below and above the video loading at the same time.

Pretty much every social media site or app will work with speeds of 1.5Mbps, but the experience may not be seamless. Expect slower load times across the board.

Does Spotify work with 1.5Mbps speeds?

Streaming audio requires very little bandwidth, but once again audio quality plays a part. For low and high quality audio on Spotify you’ll need between 0.38Mbps and 0.51Mbps download speeds, but for lossless audio you’ll require around 2Mbps.

This applies to both podcast and music streaming through the app. You’ll still be able to listen to audio through Spotify but the quality may be a bit lower than you’re used to.

Other music streaming platforms have similar bandwidth requirements. According to Highspeedinternet.com, Amazon Music and Apple Music require speeds of between 0.5Mbps and 7.46Mbps depending on what quality you're listening at, and Tidal may need speeds of up to 18.43Mbps.

Is 1.5Mbps slow?

Compared to most internet connections you’ll experience now, 1.5Mbps is a slow download speed. 4G generally yields speeds of between 20Mbps and 50Mbps, the slowest NBN connection sits at 12Mbps, and even ADSL used to manage speeds of around 6-10Mbps.

How fast is 1.5Mbps?

Not very. 1.5Mbps is equal to 1500Kbps, or about a quarter as fast as an average ADSL connection.

Anula Wiwatowska

Offsite Editorial Lead | Instagram

Anula is the Off-Site Editorial Lead for WhistleOut Australia, and an award winning tech journalist. She has been writing about the Australian telco industry, and consumer technology for over five years, and has been known to tell her Uber driver which phone they should upgrade to next.

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