Telstra MVNOs now much faster

Telstra has lifted a speed cap on its wholesale customers, with MVNOs now able to offer speeds up to 42Mbps.

Coming into effect on July 17, the change is a big win for Telstra’s 12 MVNO customers, including Aldi Mobile, Telechoice, and CMobile. Customers should already be seeing the uptick in speed on these services, with real world speeds improving from 1-3Mbps to 20Mbps to more.

Boost Mobile customers will not see a difference, as the Telstra-owned MVNO has been offering the 42Mbps speeds for some time.

Coverage has also improved and the MVNOs are now able to advertise service to 98.5% of the Australian population; the same coverage Telstra advertises to its own customers. The move is a bold one of Telstra’s part, given that its coverage is the telco’s major unique selling point.

The MVNOs still can’t resell 4G network services, but at current speeds, it will be interesting to see whether customers can notice the difference. MVNOs on the Telstra network undercut the network operator by significant margins.

Telstra MVNO price comparison

As you can see above, Telstra is much more expensive that its wholesale customers for very similar services. It is more than twice the price of Telechoice (both plans require a 12-month contract) and it is nearly 30% more expensive than the no-contract C Blue plan from CMobile.

Telstra does offer 4G speeds included in its premium price, plus options to data-share with mobile broadband devices, but it will be interesting to see whether a speed boost improves the popularity of these MVNOs and whether Telstra needs to lower its prices as a result.

Joseph Hanlon

Editorial Director | X | LinkedIn

Joe Hanlon has been immersed in mobile phones, plans and the internet for over a decade, having written for publications like CNET, Techradar, Gizmodo and Lifehacker. He steers the editorial ship and makes sure that we are always serving up the most useful guides and recommendations. If you ever bump into Joe on the street, don't be afraid to ask for a phone recommendation. It's embarrassing how much he enjoys talking about this stuff. He also loves listening to podcasts, so feel free to email Joe with recommendations.

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