Our team of mobile plan experts have compared 158 5G mobile plans from 36 mobile providers in Australia. We've curated 5 top picks based on price, network and expert analysis. Not all 5G mobile plans are created equal, so be sure to compare your options. Look at data limits, speeds, and coverage to find the plan that best fits your needs.
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158 5G mobile plans analysed
180+ hours of research
Mobile network: Vodafone 4G/5G network
Total cost over first 12 months: $255
To choose our best pick in this category, we looked at 5G mobile plans in our database from Finder partners with a monthly cost of $30 or under. We ranked our shortlist based on a value score that looks at overall cost and cost per gigabyte over 12 months, network coverage, and features like international calls and data rollover.
Mobile network: Optus 4G/5G network
Total cost over first 12 months: $346.5
To choose our best pick in this category, we looked at 5G mobile plans in our database from Finder partners with a monthly cost of $40 or under. We ranked our shortlist based on a value score that looks at overall cost and cost per gigabyte over 12 months, network coverage, and features like international calls and data rollover.
Mobile network: Wholesale Telstra 4G/5G network
Total cost over first 12 months: $540
To choose our best pick in this category, we looked at 5G mobile plans in our database from Finder partners with a monthly cost of $50 or under. We ranked our shortlist based on a value score that looks at overall cost and cost per gigabyte over 12 months, network coverage, and features like international calls and data rollover.
Mobile network: Vodafone 4G/5G network
Total cost over first 12 months: $420
To choose our best pick in this category, we looked at 5G mobile plans in our database from Finder partners that cost $35 or less per month and boast no excess data charges. This way you won't ever have to deal with bill shock. We ranked our shortlist based on a value score that looks at overall cost and cost per gigabyte over 12 months, network coverage, and features like international calls and data rollover.
Mobile network: Telstra 4G/5G network
Total cost over first 12 months: $300
To choose our best pick in this category, we looked at 365-day long-expiry mobile plans in our database from Finder partners that offer 5G coverage and cost $300 or less. We ranked our shortlist based on a value score that looks at overall cost and cost per gigabyte over 12 months, network coverage, and features like international calls and data rollover.
Telstra has the widest 5G coverage in Australia, reaching 87% of the population, followed by Optus at 80.5%.
Vodafone hasn't reported a specific percentage, but its 5G network is now available in over 3,000 suburbs across major cities in Australia.
All three telcos are still rolling out 5G, so these figures will change over time.
There are 30+ mobile providers in Australia that offer 5G mobile plans, giving you plenty of options to shop around.
We reckon this number will continue to grow as Telstra and Optus shut down their 3G network towards the end of October 2024.
Here's the full list of providers in our database offering 5G mobile plans:
The average cost of month-to-month 5G mobile plans in Finder's database is around $49 a month as of August 2024 (excluding any promotional offers).
However, that's just the average and you can get a much cheaper plan based on your data needs.
For example, the cheapest plan we have in our database base is Southern Phone's $24 a month for 20GB deal. The most expensive is Telstra's $99 plan for 300GB.
As more providers offer 5G on their regular plans, the price gap with 4G plans has narrowed. It's all about comparing options to find the best deal.
"I needed to switch to the Telstra network because of reception dramas, but I didn't want to pay the Telstra price premium. ALDImobile had a much more affordable 5G option and I've had no dramas at all since switching."
5G speeds can theoretically reach 1 gigabit per second - about 20 times faster than 4G.
However, you're more likely to see speeds around 100-400Mbps.
Some providers also cap 5G speeds between 100-250Mbps. Factors like location, your device, and your provider can affect your actual 5G speed.
If you've got a 5G phone and coverage in your area, then yeah, it can be worth it.
It really depends on how you use your phone and what you're up to online.
With 3G more providers adding 5G to their regular plans, the price difference between 4G and 5G has definitely shrunk.
If mobile prices seem to be creeping up, it's because providers have been raising costs over the last couple of years citing inflation and network costs. It's not only because of 5G.
In a survey of 1,110 Australians, 5G was the 3rd most popular feature that respondents were looking for in a mobile plan.
| Response | |
|---|---|
| Network coverage | 85.32% |
| Data rollover | 34.14% |
| 5G | 27.3% |
| Customer support options | 24.32% |
| Wi-Fi calling | 18.02% |
| Brand | 14.14% |
| International calls | 11.17% |
| Data sharing | 10.9% |
| Other | 3.15% |
| eSIM | 2.52% |
| None of the above | 2.34% |
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whick company has best coverage in FNQ
Hi Billi, Telstra offers the widest network coverage followed by Optus and Vodafone. However, sometimes it depends on your address and the proximity to one of their towers. You can sign up for a cheap mobile plan to test out a provider and its coverage https://www.finder.com.au/compare-mobile-plans-under-20. Hope this helps!