Telstra's coverage is still the most reliable option for many Australians living outside of heavily populated areas, as coverage in remote Australia can be patchy at best. But over the last decade, the gap between Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone's coverage has narrowed significantly.

Now, more than ever, Australians who once struggled to find a signal with smaller, more affordable networks might now find Optus and Vodafone a reliable alternative. If you find that you do need access to the Telstra network, you could easily find yourself a viable budget alternative to the network with the best mobile coverage in one of the many providers that use Telstra's wholesale network.

There are a few steps you can (and should) take before committing to a new network if you're struggling to get coverage or merely looking to switch to a more affordable provider.

Not sure which networks your home or workplace is covered by? Check out the mobile coverage map below to find out whether Telstra, Optus or Vodafone provides the best coverage in your area. If your area is swimming in a sea of purple, you should have no issue getting reception.

The Telstra network covers an estimated 2.14 million square kilometres, which puts it significantly ahead of Optus and Vodafone in terms of physical size. Although Telstra no longer reports the percentage of the Australian population covered by its network, it's safe to say it remains the best option for those who live or work in rural areas.

Of course, that superior coverage comes at a cost, with the cheapest Telstra postpaid plan starting at $74 per month and the cheapest Telstra prepaid plan costing $44 per month.

Fortunately, there are cheaper options for those that need Telstra coverage on a budget.

There are several mobile network virtual operators (MVNOs) who piggyback off Telstra's network to provide mobile services at a cheaper price point:

Of these MVNOs, only Boost Mobile has access to the full Telstra network, however only the most expensive monthly plan offers uncapped download speeds. Boost offers a range of prepaid plans (including long-expiry options) starting from $28 per month with speed caps of 150Mbps to 250Mbps, as you can see below.

All Telstra MVNOs other than Boost are limited to the smaller Telstra Wholesale Network. While the Telstra Wholesale network is still larger in size than Optus' and Vodafone's, it is still considerably smaller than the full Telstra network. Check out the map below to get an idea of the difference between the two.

If that's good enough for you and you're happy with second place when it comes to getting the best mobile coverage in Australia, here's a rundown of the most popular plans on providers who use the Telstra Wholesale network.

Next up, we've got Australia's second-largest mobile provider, Optus.

Optus claims it covers 99.1% of populated Australia. In terms of physical coverage, that translates to about 1.2 million square kilometres, putting it on par with Vodafone after a recent network consolidation effort.

Although it covers slightly less of the Australian population, the Optus network still provides great coverage in metro and major regional centres. Additionally, you get a lot more bang for your buck with an Optus plan than you're likely to get with Telstra.

Although Optus' plans offer solid dollar-for-data value, lower-usage customers can save big by opting for one of the following Optus MVNOs:

Unlike most Telstra MVNOs, Optus-powered MVNOs get the benefit of full Optus network access. The only real difference is that Optus plans offer uncapped 4G and 5G speeds, while most Optus MVNOs come with data caps.

Still, if you're happy to sacrifice slightly faster downloads for a more budget-friendly price, any of the popular Optus-powered plans below should serve you well.

Historically, Vodafone's mobile coverage has fallen far short of Telstra and Optus. However, thanks to a new partnership with the latter, Vodafone's network coverage has improved significantly, putting it almost on par with Optus.

In fact, the new deal doubles the former footprint of Vodafone's mobile network. As a result, the overwhelming majority of Australians can now get a reliable signal on Vodafone in many places that they once couldn't.

Furthermore, Vodafone remains the cheapest entry point into the big three telcos, with postpaid plans from $58 per month and prepaid plans from $40 per month.

Once again, there's still more money to be saved by opting for a Vodafone MVNO, which relies on the same network but with cheaper prices. Vodafone MVNOs include:

As is the case with most Telstra and Optus MVNOs, plans from Vodafone MVNOs tend to have speed caps ranging between 100Mbps to 250Mbps, while Vodafone proper offers uncapped data speeds.

If you're happy to cop those slightly slower speeds if it means a smaller monthly bill, consider one of these popular Vodafone-powered plans.