All Belong mobile plans now have 5G, but there's a catch

Alex Choros - Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor

Last updated 30 September 2022

Cheap 5G option

20GB data
Telstra 5G access
Speeds capped at 100Mbps

$25.00/mth

Min cost $25 for first month

Solid value

40GB data
Telstra 5G access
Speeds capped at 100Mbps

$35.00/mth

Min cost $35 for first month

Big data

100GB data
Telstra 5G access
Speeds capped at 100Mbps

$45.00/mth

Min cost $45 for first month

Telstra's budget brand Belong has added 5G connectivity to all its mobile plans, but there's a catch: speeds are capped to just 100Mbps.

Speed is often touted as one of 5G's key benefits, with the next-generation network capable of achieving speeds over 1Gbps. 100Mbps is just a tenth of that speed, although more than enough more any common mobile task.

5G also has better network capacity and less lag. Enhanced capacity can help prevent congestion, and 5G allows for more simultaneous connections than 4G or 3G do.

In our testing, we got download speeds of 102Mbps, upload speeds of 50.3Mbps, and a ping of 15ms on Belong 5G. Dropping down to 4G resulted in download speeds of 130Mbps, upload speeds of 33.8Mbps, and a slightly lower ping of 16ms.

WhistleOut understands Belong capped the speed on its plans to keep the cost down. And at $25 per month, it has the cheapest 5G plan on the market. Until now, 5G connectivity has been a premium proposition where you'd typically need to spend at least $40 per month, if not more.

Here is Belong's full range of plans:

25GB Mobile Plan

85GB data at download speeds up to 150Mbps
Uses parts of Telstra’s 5G and 4G mobile networks
Deal: Includes 60GB monthly bonus data for first 12 months when you activate your new service by 04.11.26. T&Cs apply.

$34.00/mth

Min. cost $34

Link not supplied

$34.00/mth

Min. cost $34

Link not supplied

5G is available to both new and existing Belong customers on all plans. It naturally uses Telstra's 5G network, which is now available to over to 80% of the population.

As part of these changes, Belong mobile plans are now capped to speeds of 1Mbps if you go over your download allowance. Plans were previously capped to 64kbps, which is essentially dial-up speeds. Customers can still purchase extra full-speed data, however. $10 will get you 5GB.

Belong's mobile broadband plans now have 5G connectivity too, with the same 100Mbps speed cap. The one exception is the top-end $70 per month plan, where you'll get 250Mbps speeds on 5G, and 180Mbps on 4G.

Belong is the first MVNO to introduce 5G across all of its plans. Other Telstra-powered providers such as Woolworths Mobile and MATE have just one high-end 5G plan. Optus-powered providers typically offer cheaper 4G plans and separate more expensive 5G plans. Vodafone-powered providers such as TPG and iiNet are currently offering a 5G free trial on select top-tier plans, but the group has yet to confirm what will happen when the trial is over.

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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