Telstra vs Optus Mobile: plans, 5G, coverage and value

• Quick verdict
• Telstra vs Optus: How does Optus fare?
• Does Telstra or Optus have cheaper plans?
• Telstra vs Optus: Coverage
• Postpaid SIM-only plans
• Phone plans
• Prepaid plans
• International roaming
• Which has the highest data mobile plan?
• Customer service
• Telstra vs Optus FAQs

With 99.7% of the Australian population covered by Telstra's 4G network and a dedication to delivering coverage in some of the most remote parts of Australia with its Blue Tick initiative, Telstra has always been the best network in terms of coverage, whcih is why so many people in rural areas have been happy to pay the premium. That, and often there's simply no other network that reaches them because the further out you build, the more diminishing the returns.

To be fair, the Optus 4G network still covers 98.5% of the Australian population. That's only a bit over 1% difference, but as a percentage of the whole it's more than 320,000 Aussies.

To get a sense of how the coverage of Telstra compares to that of its biggest rival, use the provider dropdown in the mobile coverage map below to compare the two networks.

While the earliest and messiest days of the 5G network rollout are gone, Telstra's early lead remains intact. A quick glance at the 5G coverage details above shows Telstra has superior 5G coverage in most major cities and many regional areas. Telstra's 5G network now covers over 91% of the Australian population, which is more than 24 million Aussies.

Optus has a decent 5G footprint, too, now covering around 80.5% of the population. Still, that's more than 2.7 million fewer Australians than the Telstra 5G network. If you use the dropdown in the map above to switch between the two providers, you'll see Telstra has a significantly higher density of 5G coverage even in metropolitan areas.

Mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) lease space on the big three networks and re-sell it for cheap. They can do this because they have fewer overheads like retail stores, large staff counts, big marketing budgets, and by generally offering no-frills plans. But while Optus MVNOs get access to the full Optus network (though some limit their plans to 4G), almost all Telstra MVNOs are limited to the Telstra 'Wholesale' network.

Telstra (and Boost Mobile) customers have access to the carrier's entire network footprint, which covers 99.7% of the Australian population with 4G. In contrast, Telstra MVNOs get just 98.8%. This seems a small difference on paper, but it means Telstra Wholesale is closer to Optus and Vodafone for 4G coverage than it is to the Telstra network proper.

The difference is much bigger for 5G. The full Telstra network is way out in front with 91% of the population covered by 5G, but Telstra Wholesale has just 75% coverage. This actually puts it behind the 80.5% of Optus, meaning Optus MVNOs have broader 5G than Telstra's, with the lone exception of Boost Mobile.

For a comparison of how Telstra's MVNOs compare to its own in-house plans, check out the round-up below of popular Telstra MVNO plans from our database.

In contrast, Optus MVNOs have access to the exact same coverage footprint as Optus customers. This is great for consumers as it means they can look for the best deal without having to worry about coverage percentages.

Check out the list below for a round-up of popular Optus network plans that we track in our database.

When it comes to these titanic telcos, working with a limited budget can be tough.

'Cheap' isn't exactly the word you associate with either mobile provider. For the sake of this match-up, let's look at the cheapest SIM-only plans offered by Telstra and Optus, and what they include. It's worth noting that Telstra moved to an upfront payment system for its BYO SIM plans in 2021. Most of the inclusions remain the same, with a few small upgrades, but all Telstra SIM-only plans are now charged at the start of the billing month, rather than the end of your billing period.

The cheapest Optus SIM-only plan currently available will get you 50GB of uncapped Optus 5G data, plus unlimited standard calls and text for $55 per month regular pricing.

The cheapest Telstra SIM plan will get you 50GB of uncapped Telstra 5G data, plus unlimited standard calls and text for $70 per month typical pricing.

On the other end of the scale, the priciest Optus SIM-only plan typically costs $85 per month for 400GB of Optus 5G data.

Telstra's priciest SIM-only plan typically costs $99 each month for 300GB of Telstra 5G data.

Optus follows the trend of offering postpaid SIM-only plans to its customers, but Telstra is the only telco in our database that makes its customers pay upfront for (non-prepaid) SIM-only plans. Regardless, the monthly billing cycle and included features make Optus and Telstra plans comparable.

As is the telco trend, the more you pay for a SIM-only Telstra or Optus plan, the more data you get. For Telstra, that's between 50GB and 300GB. And for Optus, it's between 50GB and 400GB. None of the SIM-only plans from Optus or Telstra have excess data fees; instead, they're capped at 1.5Mbps for the duration of the billing cycle after the max-speed allocation is exhausted. Both mobile providers also support eSIM devices. The cheapest plans from Telstra and Optus still offer generous data caps – possibly far more than most people need – but max-speed data allocations leap to 150GB+ territory thereafter. That's a lot of data.

The cheapest Optus plan doesn't have any international call inclusions, but every other Optus SIM-only plan has international talk and text to 35 selected destinations. While every Telstra SIM-only plan has international talk and text, calls are limited to 30 minutes per month. The pro is those calls are to anywhere in the world. Similarly, unlimited standard international SMS and MMS are included with Telstra SIM-only plans for all destinations.

Other plan extras technically cost more. Telstra offers three months of Telstra Device Security, but you'll have to pay $10 per month thereafter.

Telstra, Optus and Vodafone let you buy a new phone with a payment plan, running for either 12, 24, or 36 months. The longer you contract for, the cheaper your monthly handset repayments will be. You'll end up paying roughly the same for your handset across all options. But longer contracts and lower monthly payments will work for some, whereas others will pay more per month if it means shortening the contract period.

Effectively, the main difference in price is for the SIM part of your plan (calls, text, data, etc.) and not the handset, except for when there's a special deal running. For a breakdown of specific SIM-only plan perks, scroll back up to the previous section. For handset comparison, we've selected the iPhone 16 128GB on a 36-month contract.

With this particular plan and handset combination, Optus offers the lower starting price on a plan with 50GB per month, but a little extra will also get you 50GB per month with Telstra.

When it comes to overall value for other handsets, like the latest iPhone, Optus often pops up in our monthly picks for the best mobile phone plans in Australia.

It's also worth noting that you're only contracted to pay off the handset repayments. The plans themselves are technically month-to-month, so if you cancel there aren't any exorbitant cancellation fees for the plan, you just need to pay off the mobile phone. That's why the total minimum cost for each plan seems so low; you're only obligated to pay for one month of service and the full cost of the handset.

You can get a range of prepaid starter packs, monthly recharges and long-expiry plans from Optus or Telstra. Like with their SIM-only plans, they're not as competitively priced as the respective Telstra and Optus MVNOs, but they're still worth considering.

Optus has a handful of prepaid starter packs that are worth looking into if you're a new customer. You'll get the same inclusions as the corresponding Optus prepaid plan, albeit at a cheaper starting price for your first 28-day credit cycle. Optus starter pack prices kick off at $13 and go up to around $60.

The big difference between Telstra and Optus prepaid plans is the way international calls are handled.

Consumers who opt for a Flex Plus prepaid plan with 28-day expiry with international calls get unlimited calls to 20 countries. If you're keen to call a destination that isn't on that list or go with a prepaid plan that doesn't include international calls, then Optus sells a $5 add-on that gets you up to 300 minutes standard international talk to 50 selected destinations.

Also, Telstra's $5 roaming day pass only works in 7 countries in the Pacific (New Zealand, Fifi, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Western Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu) while Optus's $5 roaming day pass works in over 100 destinations. This means you will most likely need to purchase a $10 zone 2 day pass (80+ destinations) with Telstra while there's a better chance Optus' $5 day-pass will cover you.

Optus prepaid Flex Plus plans start at $13 for a little bit of data for seven days, and its monthly options go up to around $60 for a decent amount of data. The idea here is you can better scale and match the cost of your mobile data to your needs. All Optus 28-day prepaid recharges come with varying international inclusions to Zone 1 (36 destinations) and Zone 2 (43 destinations) locations, depending on how much you pay.

Here's a full breakdown of international inclusions for Optus prepaid plans.

Optus has two long-expiry prepaid plans: one for 186 days and the other for 365 days. Both come with Optus 5G capped at 250Mbps, eSIM support, a 200GB data bank for auto-rechargers (or those who recharge ahead of expiration), plus international calls and texts. Here's a look at the Optus long-expiry prepaid plans.

Depending on which you choose, Telstra prepaid starter packs start at just under $40 for a minimum of 45GB of data and go up to just under $70 for over 100GB. Expect to get bonus data on a few initial recharges – usually the first three. If you don't use it all up, there's 200GB of data rollover across Telstra prepaid plans. Here's a look at the Telstra prepaid starter packs from our database.

For ongoing short-term prepaid plans, Telstra has a few options. The cheapest only lasts seven days for a little bit of data, but there are a handful of choices for Telstra 28-day prepaid plans. All Telstra prepaid plans support eSIM and offer 5G network connectivity, but they're generally capped at 150Mbps or 250Mbps speeds. McAfee-powered Device Security Essentials is offered across all Telstra prepaid plans. The priciest Telstra 28-day prepaid plan has uncapped Telstra 5G speeds. Like Optus, there are also different international call inclusions based on how much the prepaid plan costs for Telstra Zone 1 and Zone destinations – there are no Zone 3 inclusions for Telstra prepaid.

If you want a Telstra long-expiry prepaid plan, there are two main choices: one for six months and a pricier one that covers 12 months. Both Telstra prepaid plans come with international call minutes (outlined above) and Telstra 5G access (capped at 150Mbps). There's also a six-month Telstra Casual Plan, which costs $39 for 390MB of data, with 110 call minutes and 140 SMS/MMS. That Telstra prepaid plan is only recommended for users with a feature phone who want to be contacted more than they want to contact. Here's a look at the main Telstra long-expiry prepaid plans from our database.

Whether you go with Optus or Telstra on a SIM-only plan, you get access to international roaming from $5 per day, though it can cost more depending on where you roam and whether you go over your daily limit. Here's how the Telstra and Optus international roaming add-ons stack up for their postpaid and upfront plans.

Optus international roaming has the better overall value of the two, with comfortably more data. The Optus roaming add-on is available in more destinations than all of the Telstra roaming packs combined.

Neither Telstra nor Optus have excess data charges for their respective SIM-only plans; instead, they use a more manageable endless data solution where your speeds are capped at 1.5Mbps if you exceed your monthly max-speed data allowance. So even if you do go over your data with either provider, you won't get any unnecessary bill shock.

Optus offers up to 400GB per month on its most expensive SIM-only mobile plan. It's a comparatively pricey plan, but it also has unlimited standard international calls and text to 35 selected destinations.

Telstra currently offers 300GB of data on its most expensive SIM-only plan, typically for $99 per month. It costs you a pretty penny but also gets you unlimited standard calls and texts, plus a bagful of bonuses like a few months of Telstra Device Security.

Pricing, data and perks aren't the only considerations when tossing up between mobile providers. You also want to know that any issues you may have will be sorted out quickly and easily, so customer service is an important factor to think about.

Australian telcos don't have the best reputation for customer service and satisfaction, with Telstra and Optus two of the worst offenders. According to user-generated reviews website Product Review, Telstra has a meagre 1.4-star rating after 3,000+ reviews, while Optus has an even lower 1.3-star rating from 5,000+ reviews. It's a similar story on Trustpilot. Telstra has a 1.3-star rating from 2,500+ reviews, while Optus is sitting at 1.2 after 2,000+ reviews.

According to a Choice telco customer survey from 2023, Telstra had 75% overall satisfaction from surveyed customers, while Optus had 71%. For context, amaysim came out on top at 86% overall satisfaction. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has a quarterly report that ranks telcos in terms of how they handle customer complaints. For the Q4 2024 results, the ACMA recorded 32 complaints per 10,000 services for Telstra and 58 for Optus (where lower is better).

Based on those numbers, Telstra comes out on top, but neither provider gets a full tick of approval from us for these customer service scores. But it's worth remembering user reviews aren't always the best way to judge a telco. Most people aren't going to go out of their way to write an online review unless they've had a particularly bad experience. The other data is more substantive, but while Telstra wins across the board, Optus isn't lagging a whole lot behind.