I need excellent coverage and decent phone support. Should I stick with Telstra, or are cheaper options OK these days?

ItsMeAgro on 12/10/2015 - 12:42

I moved to Telstra 7 years ago or so because:

A) Coverage was absolutely rubbish on every other carrier. (especially data coverage on the train from Blacktown to the city - you'd very frequently lose internet, usually super slow when connected).

B) Support was utterly woeful on every other carrier (bills, plans etc would be screwed up from time to time, through no fault of ours, and there were long hours fighting with incompetent call centre drones with sometimes very poor manners, who often hung up on you after a 20 minute wait and were often powerless to help you anyway).

I still need good coverage (especially for fast data) and decent service. I'm wondering if the situation in Australia has improved to the point where I can now get those for less than $50 per month for a minimal talk/text/1.5GB-data plan.

While I'm a stingey ozbargainer at heart, I can afford to pay for Telstra if I'm forced to. Being unable to work on the train would cost me more than whatever I'd save.

Have any other carriers stepped up to deliver adequate coverage and service in the last few years?

Mobile

Comments

  • rompastompa on 12/10/2015 - 12:46
    +2

    It all depends on how close you are to the towers. If Optus and Vodafone towers are too far away, then you can use a Telstra reseller like Boost.

    Telstra generally have more towers, but it really depends on where you are. Have a look at the coverage maps to see if they're within your expected journey.

    Telstra coverage map
    Optus coverage map
    Vodafone coverage map

    Usually the edge of the coverage means it'll be poor service. Check with the providers if they'll have a money back guarantee if the coverage does not suite your expectations.

    In regards to the support for different carriers, have a read of Whirlpool to see issues.

  • spackbace on 12/10/2015 - 12:51
    +6

    Boost mobile, while prepaid, uses Telstra's 3G & 4G. For $40 recharge you get unlimited talk and text, and 3GB data

  • Randxyz123 on 12/10/2015 - 13:32
    +3

    No. Optus is still Rubbish and I think even Vodafone is better than optus.

    I'd stick with Telstra.

  • boredrandom on 12/10/2015 - 14:17

    I'm on Telechoice (Telstra reseller) and I haven't had a problem with them so far (though that also means I can't tell you how their customer service is).
    Better coverage than Live Connected (Optus reseller), which I was on before.

    • mskeggs on 12/10/2015 - 16:35
      +1

      Telechoice here too, although I note their new plans aren't as good for me.
      I use an Optus 3g usb stick in my laptop between Blacktown and the city and it is still unacceptable in terms of brown outs, especially west of Parramatta.
      I played around with an Optus 4g sim and it was considerably better, but I only tested it one afternoon.
      If I were you I would buy a few cheap prepaid SIMs of ozb over the next few weeks and try it out yourself. At the very least, Boost, Telechoice and Aldi all use Telstra so should give adequate coverage. I think you could easily save $10-$25 a month, so it is worth checking out.

    • bonezAU on 12/10/2015 - 16:37
      +2

      Telechoice's customer service is rubbish. There you go, just preparing you for when the day comes that you do have to deal with them.

      • boredrandom on 12/10/2015 - 23:43
        +1

        Haha thanks for that ! I hope that day never comes then ! Not getting my hopes up over it but at least I'm enjoying the benefits of good reception for a fairly good price at the moment :)

  • [Deactivated] on 12/10/2015 - 14:26

    I can't really comment on reception near blacktown, but I can comment on Optus from Lidcombe to the city, and blacktown line is exactly the same line but a few stations after, I assume you'd know this.
    Basically I haven't really experienced dropouts on the train on this route, but my phone is compatible with Optus network completely (3G 900/2100 and 4G 700/1800/2300), so network compatibility is probably something to consider as well.

  • daver on 12/10/2015 - 17:29

    As aggressive as optus has 'supposedly' been lately. I am going to say freedom plus - at the $30 - $40 prepaid level. 'got it made. No need to look further.

  • mobius on 12/10/2015 - 18:12
    +1

    I pay $15/m TPG 1.5GB optus, it sucks.

    • [Deactivated] on 12/10/2015 - 18:40

      3G only plan? On optus you really need 4G…but you're only paying $15

  • sa5ha on 12/10/2015 - 18:47
    +1

    Why not grab a cheap prepaid sim card and give the other networks a shot around where you live to determine what works best?

    If they're good, port your main number over. If not, nothing more than a few dollars lost.

  • try2bhelpful on 12/10/2015 - 19:38
    +1

    If you have a phone already have a look at some of the Telstra plan options, including the pre paid options.

  • driver33b on 15/10/2015 - 19:49
    +1

    As clse945111 said…network compatibility is important… All phone calls are still on the 3G network not 4G yet…so maybe congestion is the problem. Optus 4G and 4GS work off new frequencies that have only been in use in the last 10 mths or so. LG LEON has all the latest frequencies required for Optus/Amaysim. I saw them advertised somewhere last week at $95 or so…usually $150…camera is crap but great to use as a WiFi Hotspot…I constantly have 3-4 bars of 4g on the Central Coast. I've just tested my connection with #4Gmark. (WIFI)
    Download 2.17Mbps
    Upload 1.63Mbps
    10-15-2015 07:47PM
    android.4gmark.net

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