CMobile: the Telstra network alternative you haven't heard about yet

Joseph Hanlon - Editorial Director

Last updated 15 August 2013

The news of the week surrounds around small telcos on the Telstra network at risk of losing their service, thanks to the middle-man ISPOne. But if you want access to the Telstra Network without worrying about whether your telco will soon be disconnected, take a look at CMobile.

This tiny telco is offering SIM cards on the Telstra 3G network, with a pricing model very similar to rival MVNO Amaysim. All calls and SMS on CMobile's blue plans cost 15c per minute/message, MMS cost 75c, and all plans come with a bunch of included data, with an excess usage rate of 25c per MB.

These 'Blue Plans' are monthly Post-Paid, so you do pay a set amount at the beginning of the month, and you get the amount of credit in return. So, the $19.90 plan gives you $20 credit, for example, and while this might not sound like much, it equates to 133-minutes of calls, plus you get 500MB data.

Blue plans

Plan	Inclusions	Rates
$14.90	$15 credit 150MB data	15c/min calls 15c SMS 75c MMS 25c/MB excess data
$19.90	$20 credit 500MB data	15c/min calls 15c SMS 75c MMS 25c/MB excess data
$29.90	$30 credit 800MB data	15c/min calls 15c SMS 75c MMS 25c/MB excess data
$39.90	$40 credit 1.5GB data	15c/min calls 15c SMS 75c MMS 25c/MB excess data

Interestingly, CMobile also offers 'Red Plans' with service on the Vodafone network, and, as you might expect, these offer much more bang for your buck. Calls are cheaper, at 10c per minute, and excess data is charged at 5c per MB.

Red Plans

Plan	Inclusions	Rates
$0	$0 credit No included data	12c/min calls 12c SMS 75c MMS 25c/MB excess data
$9.90	$10 credit 100MB data	15c/min calls 15c SMS 75c MMS 25c/MB excess data
$19.90	$20 credit 500MB data	10c/min calls 10c SMS 75c MMS 25c/MB excess data
$29.90	$30 credit 800MB data	10c/min calls 10c SMS 75c MMS 25c/MB excess data
$49.90	Unlimited Calls and messages 2GB data 5c/MB excess data

If you aren't fussed about being on the Telstra network, there are loads more SIM-only telcos to consider, too.

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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