Telstra is increasing the price of some of its postpaid mobile plans from July 1, with prices going up by as much as $5 per month. This means Telstra's cheapest mainline postpaid offer will soon cost $70 per month. Notably, customers aren't getting any extra data.
Here's how Telstra's core postpaid plans - known as Upfront plans - are changing:
| Plan | Old Pricing | New Pricing |
|---|---|---|
| Basic (50GB) | $65 per month | $70 per month |
| Essential (180GB) | $75 per month | $80 per month |
| Premium (300GB) | $99 per month | $99 per month |
Telstra does have a cheaper "Starter" postpaid plan that will stay at $50 per month, but this plan only has 5GB. Telstra doesn't advertise this plan, however, and customers need to contact the telco to specifically request the Starter plan. This can be done via phone, the Telstra app, or in store.
Telstra is also increasing the price of its "Bundle" plan from $52 per month to $57 per month. Bundle plans are a cheaper plan that customers who already have an Essential or Premium plan can add to their account for a family member. These aren't available to customers on the Basic plan.
In a blog post, Telstra Group Executive for Consumer Brad Whitcomb said the telco is making the changes to invest more to improve mobile network performance.
"Some customers will start to notice improvements to their speeds and overall experience from later this year," said Whitcomb.
He also specifically pointed to the company's partnership with Starlink operator SpaceX.
"We’re also developing satellite-to-mobile messaging - a new capability that would allow customers with compatible mobile devices to send and receive text messages from almost anywhere in Australia where they don’t have mobile coverage - as long as they are outside and have line of sight to the sky," said Whitcomb. "We are testing this technology now and will make it available as soon as it's ready for eligible customers."
Telstra has yet to clarify whether it will charge customers extra to use satellite-to-mobile messaging. In the United States, T-Mobile charges an extra USD$15 per month for the feature on most plans.
Telstra is not currently increasing the price of its prepaid plans.
Rival Optus increased the price of its postpaid mobile plans for new customers in late April. Existing customers will pay the higher amount from their first bill after June 4.
Here's how Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone's cheapest SIM-only plans compare:
|
#1
|
Optus
$60 Optus Choice Plus Plan
$39.00/mth
Min. cost $39
|
|
#2
|
Vodafone
$58 Small SIM Only Plan
$45.00/mth
Min. cost $45
|
|
#3
|
Telstra
$84 Essential Upfront SIM Plan
$74.00/mth
Min. cost $74
Link not supplied
|
Vodafone is currently discounting its cheapest SIM-only plan to $39 per month, but even at full price of $49 per month, Telstra's cheapest SIM-only option will be $21 per month expensive following its price hike.
Telstra is also increasing its NBN pricing on July 1, but this is due to NBN Co's wholesale pricing changes.
Today's news follows accusations that Telstra has been misleading consumers about the size of its mobile network. Yesterday, Vodafone alleged that Telstra's network claims are based on the use of external antennas, and that customers who don't have this equipment access a much smaller footprint.
Telstra has updated its website to clarify its 99.7% population figure factors in the use of external antennas, but denies it has misled Australians.
These are the most popular NBN 50 plans with WhistleOut users this week:
|
#1
|
Dodo
All Fixed Line nbn®
Editor's Pick
nbn50 Unlimited Plan
$57.99/mth
Min. cost $57.99
|
|
#2
|
amaysim
All Fixed Line nbn®
NBN50
$75/mth
Min. cost $75
|
|
#3
|
Belong
All Fixed Line nbn®
NBN Standard Plus – Unlimited
$55/mth
Min. cost $55
|
|
#4
|
Tangerine Telecom
All Fixed Line nbn®
Value Plus NBN 50/20
$64.90/mth
Min. cost $64.90
|
|
#5
|
Superloop
All Fixed Line nbn®
Extra-value nbn50/20
$69/mth
Min. cost $69
|
|
#6
|
TPG
All Fixed Line nbn®
nbn50 Unlimited Plan
$69.99/mth
Min. cost $69.99
Link not supplied
|
|
#7
|
Kogan Internet
All Fixed Line nbn®
Silver Unlimited
$69.90/mth
Min. cost $69.90
|
|
#8
|
Flip
All Fixed Line nbn®
Unlimited Family nbn50
$68/mth
Min. cost $68
|
|
#9
|
iiNet
All Fixed Line nbn®
nbn50 Liimitless
$69.99/mth
+ $10 Upfront
Min. cost $79.99
Link not supplied
|
|
#10
|
Aussie Broadband
All Fixed Line nbn®
Value nbn - Unlimited
$70/mth
Min. cost $70
Link not supplied
|
Alex Choros
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