Boost mobile and other Telstra MVNO

[GPSGuided]

There are now a number of Telstra mobile service resellers, selling Telstra's 850MHz 3G service at a significant discount eg. Boost, Aldi. I understand that Telstra's 3G 850MHz network has a slightly lesser coverage than its full network, at 98.5% population. What does this mean? Is the service still good for country coverage? Where does it fall short on? Is it a reasonable idea to use this network for bushwalking? Would it still be significantly superior to Optus or Voda's networks?

Anyone know?

[waldeinsamkeit]

Having used a Boost mobile and Genuine telstra in each hand working in lots of remote areas on powerlines all through the hunter valley I can categorically say that there has never been a time when one had reception and the other did not.
The BOOST service is leaps and bounds ahead of anything optus can provide.
Hope that helps.

[icefest]

With the telstra-based MVNOs you run the risk of no future reception increase when they finally turn on the 700mhz 4g network. That will most probably have better reception than the current 850mhz.

[GPSGuided]

Thanks Waldeinsamkeit for your real life report. I am not so concerned about future coverage expansion of Telstra's mobile network but to catch a bit more (or a lot more in country areas) coverage when out there, in areas where Optus goes to zero. In this light and taking advantage of a visit of relatives from the US who need a mobile, I signed up an extra account with Aldi. It's working fine and has credit expiry of 365 days (12c calls and minimum $15/yr). Now they have left and I'm keeping the SIM in a spare traditional phone (long battery life). It'll be a spare for future country and bush trips.

[Eljimberino]

It's my understanding that ALDI use the Telstra network too. Anyone confirm this?


Ride On

[michael_p]

It's my understanding that ALDI use the Telstra network too. Anyone confirm this?


Ride On

States so here: https://www.aldimobile.com.au/#/overlay/coverage-tw.

Cheers,
Michael.

[Hiking Noob]

Yeah I use Aldi and was driving all around NSW using a Telstra phone for work to check signal strength for the School zone flashy light things, my phone was always at least as good as the Telstra phone unless the 10ft antenna was plugged in to the work phone and in some places that still got no signal.