Telstra has vastly simplified its mobile business, with all existing plans replaced by four contract-free options. That’s right: all 12- and 24-month contract plans are set to be axed, along with smartphone leases. Here’s how much the new plans cost, the inclusions you get and what happens to your existing plan.
In a major shakeup of its business model, Telstra is moving exclusively to month-to-month plans with just five options available to consumers. Here they are:
Telstra’s new mobile plans:
Small: 15GB data for $50 a month
[clear]
Medium: 60GB data for $60 a month
[clear]
Large: 100GB data for $80 a month
[clear]
Extra Large: 150GB data for $100 a month
Click on our interactive table for a full list of inclusions:
As you can see, the new lineup is a lot simpler with data maxing out at 150GB. (Previously, Telstra has offered a range of unlimited data plans.) While the base plans are fewer in number, customers now have the option to add extra features for a monthly fee which translates to many possible combinations.
All plans come with unlimited standard national calls and texts as well as Telstra’s ‘Peace of Mind’ data. (This grants you unlimited data beyond the monthly cap, albeit at reduced speeds of 1.5Mbps.) You need to pay extra for international calls and roaming, however.
How to get Telstra’s new plans
Telstra has overhauled its website to make signing up to the new plans easier: customers simply select the amount of data they want (which can be changed once per month), choose between SIM-only or a phone model and then tick off any extras they want.
If you’re bundling a phone with a plan, you can elect to pay it off over 24 or 36 months. (If you decide to leave Telstra, you will need to pay off the outstanding amount, but there are no longer any cancellation fees.)
What about 5G?
The above pricing is for Telstra’s 4G network. However, people in supported areas will be given free access to 5G until June 30 2020. The Small and Medium plans will then revert to 4G unless you pay $15 extra per month. (Large and Extra Large plans will continue to get free access.)
At least that’s the plan right now – we wouldn’t be surprised if Telstra changes its tune and makes 5G free on all plans indefinitely as the network grows.
Needless to say, you’ll need a compatible device to get 5G speeds – options currently available in Australia include the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G, Oppo Reno 5G and LG V50 ThinQ 5G.
[referenced url=”https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2019/06/this-is-australias-fastest-5g-smartphone/” thumb=”https://www.lifehacker.com.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2019/05/Sammy-5G-410×231.gif” title=”Australian 5G Phone Showdown: Which Model Is Fastest?” excerpt=”Telstra and Optus are in the throes of rolling out heir respective 5G networks and a number of smartphone makers are already pushing their new handsets, hoping to grab the first early adopters. At a string of events at Telstra’s flagship store in Sydney, three handsets were put to the test to find Australia’s fastest 5G handset. Here’s what happened.”]
What happens to my current Telstra plan?
For the time being, Telstra’s legacy plans will continue to be supported. However, we expect customers will eventually be migrated to the nearest equivalent plan as the telco moves to consolidate its business. If you’re on one of Telstra’s big data plans, this will probably mean paying a bit less, but also losing a few of the extras you currently enjoy (unless you pay extra).
Should I grab one of Telstra’s old plans instead?
At the time of writing, it was still possible to purchase a handful of pre-existing Telstra plans on a contract. Depending on your circumstances, this might work out to be a better deal. For example, you can currently get Telstra’s 90GB 12-month plan for $69. That’s a significantly better deal than the ones listed above – it also comes with 2GB of roaming data and unlimited international talk/text to 15 countries at no extra cost.
[Via Telstra]
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.