What makes a good cell phone provider? When looking for the best mobile phone to use, there are a number of aspects to consider. In this Optus vs Telstra review, I’ve compared the two on these aspects to see which will be more worth having.
Optus and Telstra are the two leading carrier networks in the country. So, you can respect several similarities and compelling differences as each tries to draw you to their service.
Verdict: 6 Best Benefits of Using Telstra Mobile Phone
- Telstra has the widest network coverage
- Telstra has 5G access in relatively more areas
- Telstra has more consistent, faster data speeds
- Telstra has phone deals with free accessories
- Telstra has free entertainment packs for new users
- Telstra has a free international talk on all phone plans
Optus vs Telstra: A Summary of the Phone Providers
Before jumping to the detailed review, below is a quick summary of how Optus and Telstra compare:
| Feature | Optus Mobile | Telstra Mobile |
| Type of Service | Postpaid & Prepaid | Postpaid & Prepaid |
| Carrier Network | Optus | Telstra |
| eSIM support | YES | YES |
| Free 5G Access | YES | YES |
| Fastest 5G Speeds | 600+Mbps | 1100+Mbps |
| Lowest Phone Plan | $12 (Valid 7 days) | $12 (Valid 7 days) |
| Unlimited Minutes | YES | YES |
| Unlimited data | YES | YES |
| Phone Plans Deals | YES | YES |
| Free international calls | YES (Unlimited) | YES (30 minutes of calls) |
| Free international Texting | YES (Unlimited) | YES (Unlimited) |
| Free Phone Deals | NO (Partial discounts) | NO (Partial discounts) |
| Free Accessory Deals | YES | YES |
| Extra Perks | Discount on Optus Sport and other entertainment subscriptions | Free Spotify Premium, Binge, and McAfee device security |
| Type of Support | Online & In-store | Online & In-store |
Optus vs Telstra: Comparing Features & Perks of the Phone Providers
In this section, we’re now going to break down Optus and Telstra on the various crucial phone service features. We’ll start with the most important of all:
Best of Coverage
Network coverage is one of the reasons we’ve had people switch from Optus to Telstra Mobilerecently. Telstra holds the title of the best mobile network coverage in Australia, with 4G LTE in at least 99.5% of the population.
The Telstra Mobile phone coverage even extends to many remote/ rural areas. Thus, your phone will still have a bar or all full where Optus is dead.
I’m not saying Optus doesn’t work in all rural areas. The Optus Mobile network covers 98.5% of the country, which includes various remote locations.
Recommendation: when you compare Telstra and Optus coverage maps, it’s tricky to tell which has coverage where. However, they both have eSIM activation, which you can use to test the service before committing.
Best of 5G Usage
High data speeds are essential if you’re online a lot. 5G is supposed to have faster data speeds than the older 3G and 4G LTE networks.
Not surprisingly, Telstra also takes the point of the 5G network on both coverage and data speeds. The coverage includes most major Urban areas and various small towns.
As for the Telstra 5G data speeds, the fastest I’ve seen is around 1100Mbps with an iPhone. But for most populations, the average speeds are around 300 – 400Mbps.
It’s worth noting Telstra has won the Ookla speed test awards of 2021 and 2022. Optus has ranked second on the two awards, and the data speeds on the ground are good.
I mean, I’ve seen Optus data speeds peak at up to 500Mbps several months ago- some people even claimed 700+Mbps. Most areas, though, now get an average of 100 – 200Mbps.
Tip: It seems like Optus 5G is getting a little crowded or something. Many people have been complaining on community forums about the carrier’s 5G data speeds being waaay slower than even the average amount.
Best of phone deals
Unfortunately, none of the Telcos we have offer free phone deals like we see with our friends in the US. Optus and Telstra have tried, though, as sometimes you can get discounts of up to $700 or more on select phones.
The pair actually has a limited-time deal, whereby you can get a Free Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 today. But the freebie requires purchasing one of the featured Samsung phones, including Galaxy S23 series, Z Fold5, or Z Flip5.
In most of the other Telstra Mobile phone deals, you “get $10/ month off for the first 6 months” of your service. Then, other deals give you discounts of $100, $150, $200, $350, and $400+.
Meanwhile, you do get a little bit more on the current Optus phone deals. The best deal is the Samsung Galaxy A14 5G at $1/ month over 36 months, saving you over $340. But you can save up to $400 on the Google Pixel 8 Pro or $500 for Samsung Galaxy S23 FE.
Best of phone plans
When we compare Telstra vs Optus phone plans, the latter is the clear winner at the price point. It has the cheapest postpaid plan at $49/ month, which is $13 cheaper than the lowest subscription of its competitor. See below.
Chart 2 Optus Choice Plus (Postpaid) Phone Plan Structure
| Small Optus Plan | Medium Optus Plan | Large Optus Plan | Extra Large Optus Plan | |
| Regular Pricing | $49/ mo. | $59/ mo. | $69/ mo. | $89/ mo. |
| Price per GB | $1.63 | $0.59 | $0.31 | $0.25 |
| Free 5G Access | YES | YES | YES | YES |
| Talk Minutes | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Text Messages | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Browsing Data | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Premium Data | 30GB (then 1.5Mbps) | 100GB (then 1.5Mbps) | 220GB (then 1.5Mbps) | 360GB (then 1.5Mbps) |
| International Talk | NO | YES | YES | YES |
| International Texting | NO | YES | YES | YES |
| International Roaming | N/A ($5/ Day) | N/A ($5/ Day) | N/A ($5/ Day) | N/A ($5/ Day) |
| Special Offers | SubHub (10% offer) | SubHub (10% offer) | SubHub (10% offer) | SubHub (10% offer) |
Chart 2.1 Optus (Prepaid) Phone Plan Structure
| 5GB Optus Flex Plus | 40GB Optus Flex Plus | 60GB Optus Flex Plus | 80GB Optus Flex Plus | |
| Regular Pricing | $12/ week | $35/ mo. | $45/ mo. | $55/ mo. |
| Price per GB | $2.4 (then $4) | $0.88 (then $1.75) | $0.75 (then $1.5) | $0.69 (then $1.38) |
| Free 5G Access | YES | YES | YES | YES |
| Talk Minutes | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Text Messages | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Promotional Mobile Data | 5GB | 40GB | 60GB | 80GB |
| Standard Mobile Data | 3GB | 20GB | 30GB | 40GB |
| Data Speed Cap | 150Mbps | 150Mbps | 150Mbps | 250Mbps |
| International Talk | NO | YES | YES | YES |
| International Texting | NO | NO | NO | NO |
| International Roaming | N/A ($5/ Day) | N/A ($5/ Day) | N/A ($5/ Day) | N/A ($5/ Day) |
| Special Offers | NO | NO | NO | NO |
Chart 3 Telstra (Postpaid) Phone Plan Structure
| Basic Telstra | Essential Telstra | Premium Telstra | |
| Regular Pricing | $62/ mo. | $72/ mo. | $95/ mo. |
| Price per GB | $1.24 | $0.4 | $0.32 |
| Free 5G Access | YES | YES | YES |
| Talk Minutes | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Text Messages | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Browsing Data | Unlimited (at 250Mbps) | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Premium Mobile Data | 50GB (then 1.5Mbps) | 180GB (then 1.5Mbps) | 300GB (then 1.5Mbps) |
| International Talk | YES | YES | YES |
| International Texting | YES | YES | YES |
| International Roaming | N/A ($5 – 10/ Day) | N/A ($5 – 10/ Day) | N/A ($5 – 10/ Day) |
| Limited-Time Offers | Free Device security, Spotify Premium, BINGE | Free Device security, Spotify Premium, BINGE | Free Device security, Spotify Premium, BINGE |
Chart 3.1 Telstra (Prepaid) Phone Plan Structure
| 3GB Telstra Prepaid | 35GB Telstra Prepaid | 50GB Telstra Prepaid | 110GB Telstra Prepaid | |
| Regular Pricing | $12/ week | $35/ month | $45/ month | $160 for 6 months |
| Price per GB | $4 | $1 (then $2.33) | $0.9 (then $1.8) | $1.45 (then $2.29) |
| Free 5G Access | YES | YES | YES | YES |
| Talk Minutes | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Text Messages | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Promotional Mobile Data | NO | 35GB | 50GB | 110GB |
| Standard Mobile Data | 3GB | 15GB | 25GB | 70GB |
| Data Speed Cap | 150Mbps | 150Mbps | 150Mbps | 150Mbps |
| International Talk | NO | YES | YES | YES |
| International Texting | YES | YES | YES | YES |
| International Roaming | N/A ($10/ 3 Days) | N/A ($10/ 3 Days) | N/A ($10/ 3 Days) | N/A ($10/ 3 Days) |
| Limited-Time Free Offers | NO | NO | NO | NO |
As you can see here, the Optus phone plans are cheaper than Telstra by a few dollars. Even when we break down the price per GB of data, Optus still emerges as the winner.
The prepaid phone plans are cheaper than postpaid service for both Telstra and Optus. In both cases, you can enjoy up to double dates at the regular price for a limited time. Then again, Optus has more options to choose from (up to six tiers, including 120GB and 260GB Optus Flex Plus).
As for the Telstra phone plans, the prepaid category currently has only five options. The $55 plan (with 35GB standard data) and $65 subscription (with 70GB standard data) are not on the menu.
Best of Throttling & Deprioritization
How often are you online? When we compare phone plans from our two subjects, you should be able to browse as much as you want.
However, the carriers do throttle your data (reduce data speeds based on usage) after reaching the premium cap. The speed after reaching the cap in both cases is unlimited 1.5Mbps (maximum). But you can experience half these speeds or lower as the unlimited (1.5Mbps) data is deprioritized.
In case you’re wondering, deprioritized data is where your data speed drops lower than other traffic during network congestion.
Another thing, all the prepaid phone plans on Optus and Telstra have a hard stop. That means you’ll no longer have data service after reaching your allowance unless you have remaining rollover data or recharges again.
Best of International Service
If you have friends abroad, Optus phone plans for postpaid (except the “Small” tier) have unlimited international talking and texting to 35 countries. The prepaid plans have international calling as an add-on service from $5 for 300 minutes to talk to 50 select countries.
Also, Optus charges international roaming for postpaid customers for $5/ day, which includes 5GB of data, plus unlimited talk and text. Prepaid customers can purchase an international roaming pack for as low as $5/ day, with 1GB of data, plus 100 talk minutes and text. (Other options are available).
As for the Telstra phone plans, all the postpaid customers get free international talk (of 30 minutes) and unlimited texting. The prepaid customers on either plan get 100 texts and up to 500 minutes to call any country.
For international roaming, Telstra offers it as an add-on for both postpaid and prepaid customers. In postpaid, you can get either the $5 plan (New Zealand only) or $10 bundle (for 70+ destinations). Either plan gives you 1GB of data, plus unlimited talk and text.
Meanwhile, Telstra prepaid customers can get an international roaming pack of 400MB data, plus 15 talk minutes and text for $10/ 3 days. There’s also a $15/ week pack (with 2GB data, plus 25 minutes and text) and another with 4GB data, plus 50 minutes and text for a $25/ 14 day.
Final Thoughts:
While there are still others, these are the most crucial aspects to consider when choosing any cell phone provider.
As you can see in the review, Optus and Telstra are in a tense tug of dominance. The best choice for you between the two is all about what you’re after with your phone.
If the goal is to cut down on your phone bill, Optus is slightly cheaper on both postpaid and prepaid plans. That means you get to enjoy more browsing data if you’re online a lot.
Speaking of online, Optus has a partial monthly discount on Optus Sport, alongside Netflix, Amazon Prime, BINGE, etc. All you have to do is combine any of these eligible entertainment services on SubHub.
Of course, Telstra does have entertainment perks as well, albeit for new customers and for a limited time. For instance, the free Spotify Premium is for only four months and BINGE is just two months.
That said, Telstra Mobile is still my first recommendation if looking for a network usable in more parts of the country. The data speeds are also consistently impressive in many parts.
