Optus mobile review: Plans, 5G speeds and support compared

Optus is Australia’s second-largest telco, sitting right behind Telstra. Born in 1991 from the privatisation of satellite company Aussat, it launched its own network in the 1990s to break up the old Telecom (now Telstra) monopoly before being acquired by tech titan Singtel in 2001.

Today, Optus positions itself as the feature-packed, slightly cheaper alternative to Telstra. Covering 98.5% of the population, it pairs market-leading 5G speeds and generous streaming perks with the convenience of in-store support and payment plans for the latest smartphones and smartwatches. 

When you’ve got the second largest mobile network in Australia, one of the best ways to compete with the largest (Telstra) is with great value plans. Telstra has the larger network, but Optus has plans that are competitively priced with some solid inclusions.

Optus offers both postpaid and prepaid mobile plans. Postpaid customers looking for their smartphone upgrade can get a phone on a plan, but if they've already got a phone they're happy with, they can get a simple, no-contract SIM-only plan. Those who prefer prepaid will find short-term 28-day recharges as well as long-expiry 186 and 365-plans. 

Stacked next to other SIM-only plans on the Optus network, though, and it becomes quickly apparent that Optus isn’t the best telco choice for the best pricing, even if plans that use its network are. For example, Optus MVNOs like Moose Mobile, Spintel or Dodo offer better pricing, even without promotional discounts, and more data. 

Optus offers a mix of prepaid mobile options, including 7-day, 28-day, 186-day, and 365-day plans. Like many prepaid providers, Optus treats a month as 28 days, so factor in 13 recharges when figuring out your first-year costs.

Optus doesn't speed-cap its 28-day prepaid plans, but its 7-day recharge and long-expiry options will be capped at 250Mbps. Optus prepaid plans also only have access to Optus '5G Plus', the standalone 5G network from Optus that offers extended coverage and lower latency during peak congestion.  Here's a look at the standard 28-day Optus prepaid mobile plans:

Those 28-day Optus prepaid plans offer the best value. Not only do they offer unlimited data on weekends (subject to fair use policy) but the 50GB and 75GB options also come with a $5 or $10 eGift card, respectively, for every recharge after your first if you've got AutoRecharge activated. These gifts cards can be used at Amazon, H&M, Google Play and Uber. 

Long-expiry customers don't get the same perks, but they do get bonus data if they keep AutoRecharge switched on, plus included international calls and texts. Here's a quick look at Optus prepaid long-expiry plans:

When it comes to coverage, Optus holds its own as a heavyweight choice for most Australians. Covering 1.2 million square kilometres, the Optus network reaches 99.1% of the Australian population for 4G. While Telstra still holds the crown for raw physical footprint, Optus delivers identical 5G population coverage to Vodafone at 94.5%, with a slight edge in overall 4G reach.

However, total population coverage is only half the story, how that 5G network connects makes a massive difference to your day-to-day speeds. The bulk of Optus 5G currently operates on 5G Standard (Non-Standalone), which delivers fast 5G data speeds while relying on legacy 4G infrastructure in the background. But Optus is actively rolling out Optus 5G Plus (Standalone), a pure, end-to-end 5G network running on a low-band 900MHz spectrum layer. The shift from standard 5G to 5G+ means up to five times better indoor reception, lower latency for gaming and streaming, and far better battery life for your phone.

To see what kind of connection you can get at your address, click the orange button below to see if your area has sufficient Optus coverage.

You have stacks of support options if you need help with your Optus mobile plan. If you’re a fan of human contact, there’s phone support or you can head into an Optus Store. In terms of online assistance, you’ve got plenty of choice. Chat with a representative via responsive Twitter or Facebook, speak with someone in online chat, use self-service online or check out the forum for help from other Optus mobile users. You can also check usage and tweak your plan from within My Optus, which is also available as an iOS or Android app.

The three big telcos tend to cop the most flak online when it comes to user reviews, and this is true of Optus. If you look at either the 3,000+ reviews on Product Review or the 600+ reviews on Trustpilot, you’ll see an overwhelming majority of one-star reviews. According to the amalgamation of these scores and in comparison to the other providers that are part of our internal tracking system, Optus has the lowest average reported customer review scores out of all tracked telcos.

Optus SIM-only, postpaid, and prepaid plans feature strong data value and flexible entertainment extras across all tiers.

• Endless Data + Data Sharing: Optus postpaid plans feature endless data without automatic $10/GB excess fees, alongside data sharing across eligible account plans and the ability to add a data-sharing eSIM to an smartwatch. 
• SubHub streaming perks: SubHub offers a 5% discount when bundling two eligible services and 10% for three or more, currently applicable to Netflix, DAZN, Kayo Sports, Amazon Prime Video, and Spacetalk. Additionally, select Optus plans include monthly SubHub credits to lower your bill further, such as $10 credit on the Mobile Promo Plan or $20 credit on Large Choice Plus and Ultrafast NBN plans. These can be used towards any service available through SubHub. 
• International calling credit: Postpaid SIM plans from $65 per month include unlimited international calls and texts and $5 for 5GB per day international roaming. Prepaid plans offer international calls and text too, starting at 50 international SMS on every plan and between 400 and unlimited international minutes to Zone 1 and Zone 2 countries, depending on your chosen recharge. 
• Prepaid perks: Optus prepaid plans include unlimited data weekends (28-day recharges) and bonus data on other recharges if you enable AutoRecharge.