
Hot off Telstra announcing a price rise across almost all of its mobile plans, Telstra-powered provider Boost Mobile has followed suit. Every Boost Mobile 28-day prepaid plan will get a $4 price increase from October 22, which is the same day Telstra prepaid plans will get more expensive.
Unlike Telstra, Boost Mobile isn't increasing the price of its 365-day long-expiry plans. It will however discontinue its $230 12-month plan with 160GB.
Other than prices, no other plan features or inclusions are changing. Data allowances will remain the same on the newer, more expensive plans. Here's the complete breakdown:
| Expiry | Current price | New price | Monthly data |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 days | $12 | $13 | 5GB, unchanged |
| 28 days | $22 | $26 | 7GB, unchanged |
| 28 days | $35 | $39 | 25GB, unchanged |
| 28 days | $45 | $49 | 35GB, unchanged |
| 28 days | $55 | $59 | 45GB, unchanged |
| 28 days | $70 | $74 | 70GB, unchanged |
| 12 months | $230 | Discontinued | 160GB, discontinued |
| 12 months | $300 | $300 | 240GB, unchanged |
| 12 months | $365 | $365 | 365GB, unchanged |
A Boost Mobile spokesperson said that the telco remains committed to being a compelling option for Australian consumers, and will offer "some aggressive bonus data offers to ensure customers continue to get the most bang for their buck".
It's likely that most other Telstra-powered mobile providers will also increase their prices in the coming months. Telstra's budget brand Belong has already confirmed its cheapest plans will get more expensive at the end of July, which is similar timing to when Telstra is increasing the price of its Upfront plans.
We'd expect postpaid Telstra providers to increase pricing in August, and prepaid providers in October.
We saw similar price rises across Telstra MVNOs in the second half of last year. Providers consistently passed the buck onto Telstra, citing increased wholesale prices.
Here's how SIM-only plans on the Telstra network with at least 20GB currently compare:
And here are SIM-only plans with at least 20GB of data on the Optus and Vodafone networks:
Alex Choros