Mobile Phone News
Virgin Mobile Update Phone Plans
Virgin Mobile has announced changes to its post-paid plans as of October 2nd. Although the updates aren't huge, one of the big losses for customers is the restructuring of the popular $29 Big Plan, which until now offered up to $450 of included monthly value. Under the new $29 plan, the $450 in plan value has been significantly decreased to $250, although the data allowance (250MB) will remain unchanged.
iPhone 4S & 5 Camera Test - Part 2
In yesterday's iPhone 4 vs 4S vs 5 camera battle, we had pretty good daylight conditions - and each of the phones performed pretty well. I decided to do some more testing in lower light, in order to push the camera sensors to their limits and uncover some bigger gaps in performance levels. In these tests I only had the iPhone 4S to compare with the 5, but the rules were the same:
iPhone 4 vs 4S vs 5 - The Camera Test
The camera quality in the iPhone jumped a massive amount from the 3GS to the 4. In resolution, exposure control and colour. It jumped up again in quality with the 4S (enough for me to purchase an upgrade solely due to the better camera) but how much better is the camera in the new iPhone 5? While the resolution is the same (3264px by 2448px or 8 Megapixels) the iPhone 5 lens is slightly wider than the iPhone 4S. Apple have also said the iPhone 5 performs better in low light and the HDR option provides more accurate tones.
Vodafone Announce New Mobile Plans
Just in time for the release of the iPhone 5, Vodafone will be making changes to its post-paid voice plans for both personal customers and businesses. The new plans come into effect Friday September 14, and we've updated our site accordingly to reflect what's new.
The iPhone 5 in Detail
The iPhone 5 was finally announced today after months of hype and speculation. Leading up to the event, countless examples of “leaked” images and hardware cropped up with regards to the new iPhone 5. After a lot of talk and rumour it turns out that a lot of them were true.
Better Than ACMA's Bill Shock Fix
You may have heard about the new Australian reforms to the Telecommunications Consumer Protections Code (TCP), which were introduced at the start of September to crack down on the telcos and reduce bill shock. Basically, the new code aims to overhaul phone providers in terms of their advertising, the information they provide customers, their customer service and the steps they take to assist consumers to avoid surprise charges – we’ve put together a comprehensive guide here. While tagged as the ‘cure’ for bill shock, we found that although the new requirements will help customers stay within monthly limits and pick a plan that’s more suited to their individual needs, it’s far from the bill shock remedy the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has been promoting it as.
Telstra 4G LTE for 1 Third of Australia
Telstra’s new 4G LTE network is seeing rapid and popular adoption from the Australian public, with Telstra now announcing more than half a million active accounts since it went live just last year. Now, by way of celebrating, Telstra says that it plans to expand 4G LTE coverage in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth with new 4G sites launching in Bondi and in the North Shore rail tunnel in Sydney. All of this expansion will apparently bring 4G LTE coverage to one third of Australia’s population.
Bill Shock Has Not Been Fixed
We've had a few months to settle in with the latest reforms for the telco industry and mull them over. Here at WhistleOut, we don't believe that the latest ACMA code (beginning next month) will fully stop 'bill shock' for Australian consumers. This new telecommunications industry reform package goes only part of the way to preventing the problem. The new rules will enable prevention, but they are not the cure.
New Rules To Prevent Bill Shock
Australian mobile phone users will find it much easier to compare mobile phone plans following the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) announcement of the Telecommunications Consumer Protection (TCP) code. The TCP code is a result of many months of discussions between the ACMA, the telecommunications industry, and consumer groups, with the goal being the simplification and standardisation of Australian telecommunications offerings. A number of key changes have been agreed upon, including:
New Telstra Mobile Plans
Telstra has revamped its mobile phone plan offerings, replacing the old Freedom Connect plans with a new range called Every Day Connect plans. We've pushed through the plan updates and full details can be found in our comparison table. Telstra has retained its position of charging customers "premium" rates for the ability to take advantage of superior Telstra network coverage.
40GB for $15/mth for first 4mths! Ultd data banking, $200 international calls & no excess data charges!
5G BYO mobile eSIM plan with data rollover. No short term discounts; 130GB data for $40/mth
![[Editor's Picks] Best mobile phone plans for October 2026](https://r3.whistleout.com.au/public/images/articles/2026/01/mobile-phone-plan-Featured.png?w=280&h=280&usm=20&usmrad=0.8&fit=crop "[Editor's Picks] Best mobile phone plans for October 2026")
