Mobile Broadband

Looking for a mobile broadband service? Here’s what you should know.

Mobile broadband provides you with the freedom and convenience to connect to the internet wherever you are. This mobile broadband review details the pros and cons of mobile broadband and then tests the 5 major mobile broadband providers in Australia.

 

What is mobile broadband?

Mobile broadband is an internet connection that is delivered via the mobile phone towers across Australia. It allows users to connect to the internet wherever they can receive a mobile signal.

The broadband service is delivered through a small device called a mobile dongle or mobile stick that plugs into the USB port on your computer. The starter mobile broadband packages include a USB dongle when you sign up.

 

What are the benefits of mobile broadband?

  • You can use the internet wherever you are, on the beach in Byron Bay or a cafe in St Kilda
  • You can access the internet from home via mobile broadband, without having to pay for a landline connection
  • You can swap your USB dongle or mobile stick between different computers
  • For light internet users, you can get rid of your fixed line broadband and be 100% mobile
  • For renters, mobile broadband is a cheap and flexible way to get online, without long term contracts that are tied to a residential address

 

Hot tips:

    A word of warning, the maps may indicate that there is coverage in your area, but Money Owl readers have been telling us that outside of metro Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, the only real choice is Telstra.

  • Work out the download limit you require – The light to medium user is fine with a 1GB per month download limit. If you frequently watch streaming TV or download movies or songs off the internet, than you will require more. Use the table below if you are a heavy internet user, to determine the best mobile download limit for you
  • Decide what you top priority is – A combination of mobile coverage, cost, download speeds and customer service are priorities for our readers when considering mobile broadband. In our tests Telstra have the best download speeds, mobile coverage and customer service (surprisingly to us). While Vodafone is the most competitive on price
  • Decide how often will you use mobile broadband - For irregular users a pre-paid service can have you enjoying 1 GB of mobile broadband from $12.50 per month (with a 1 year re-charge). If you intend to use a 3G mobile broadband service as you primary way to connect to the internet, then a monthly contract is likely to be the best option
  • Bundling – If you require 3 or more communication services, like a home phone, broadband and/or a mobile phone. Then you can benefit from bundling deals available from Optus and Telstra

 

Watch out for:

  • Restrictive download limits - Some plans with a low monthly charge have restrictive download limits, and high penalties if you exceed your monthly download limit
  • Expiry of download limits – If you are on a pay as you go contract, check if your download limit expires after 30, 60 or 365 days
  • Connection issues – Outside of metropolitan Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane you may encounter issues with connection speeds and reliability. If you live in rural Australia or frequently visit non metropolitan regions, we highly recommend you consider Telstra’s Next G network
  • Poor download speeds – In our tests, we were able to download at a maximum speed of 2GB in the Sydney CBD. This speed is suitable for surfing the net, but not for high bandwidth tasks like streaming live TV or downloading movies. In rural areas the speeds are significantly slower
  • Using your mobile broadband overseas – Avoid this if at all possible. It is very easy to rack up charges in the hundreds of dollars using your mobile broadband overseas, so best to leave it at home

 

Anything else to know?

  • Use your iPhone, Android or other suitable smart phone as a tethered mobile broadband device. You will receive the same broadband coverage (as it uses the same mobile towers) and this saves you the costs of buying another device, and carrying it around
  • As part of the National Broadband Network (NBN) rollout, a 4G service is being developed. This is promising speeds of up to 100Mbs, which is suitable for streaming TV, or downloading a full movie in minutes

 

Money Owl’s top picks

 

Vodafone

Despite some well publicised issues with service and reliability. For the cost conscious in the major metro regions it is hard to go past the competitive packages offered by Vodafone. Initial packages with USB dongle start at $49 and a 12 month 12GB recharge is available for $150, or just $12.50 per month.

Click here to go to Vodafone for more information or to browse mobile broadband packages

 

Telstra

If your first priority is service, download speeds, reliability, you live outside of the major metropolitan regions or you frequently travel outside these areas, then Telstra is the Money Owl's top pick. The pricing for Telstra 3G mobile broadband packages has recently improved, and is now competitive with the other providers. In addition to this Telstra customers get the best customer service in the group and and the best mobile network in the country for both reach and speeds. It is hard to go past Telstra and they are the Money Owl top pick for mobile broadband.

Click here to go to Telstra for more information or to browse mobile broadband packages

 

Other providers

Other providers of mobile broadband packages in Australia are: