Telstra's announced another round of price hikes for its internet and mobile plans — and just days after network coverage accusations

Tom's Guide

21-05-2025

Just days after being accused by Vodafone of providing misleading cellular network coverage claims to customers, Telstra has announced a new round of price adjustments across its postpaid mobile, mobile broadband and NBN plans.
Price hikes seem to be increasing in frequency at Australia's largest telco, with Telstra's last mobile plan price hike rolling out just 7 months ago, in October 2024.
The newest changes, set to take effect on July 1, will see increases of up to AU$7p/m on some plans, however, Telstra is also lowering the price of its two fastest NBN plans.
Unfortunately, all of Telstra's mobile broadband plans will become more expensive, though the Medium plan will get a larger data allowance. The prices of only three plans will remain unchanged, with the Premium and Starter mobile plans, as well as the entry-level (12Mbps) NBN plan escaping unscathed.
For a complete rundown of Telstra's upcoming price adjustments and how they compare to current pricing, simply check out the tables below.
Postpaid plans:
Current price
Price as of July 1
Mobile bundle (25GB)
AU$52
AU$57
Basic plan (50GB)
AU$65
AU$70
Essential plan (180GB)
AU$75
AU$80
Mobile broadband plans:
Current price
Price as of July 1
Data bundle (10GB)
AU$10
AU$15
Small plan (30GB)
AU$25
AU$30
Medium plan (100GB, up from 75GB)
AU$58
AU$65
NBN plans:
Current price
Price as of July 1
Basic (25Mbps)
AU$89
AU$93
Essential (50Mbps)
AU$105
AU$109
Premium (100Mbps)
AU$110
AU$113
Ultimate (250Mbps)
AU$130
AU$129
Ultrafast (1,000Mbps)
AU$150
AU$139
Given the ongoing cost-of-living crisis in Australia, you could be forgiven for wanting to look elsewhere for a cheap mobile plan or cheap NBN plan.
As expected, Telstra's decision to increase pricing has been met with pushback from the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN), which released a statement saying "the price increases will place an impost on millions of Australians already under financial pressure."
ACCAN CEO Carol Bennett also encouraged Australians to "assess their data needs and compare major telco offerings with smaller providers" and pointing out that these "may offer better value while still using the capacity of a major network.'
So if you're feeling the pinch from Telstra's mobile plan price hikes but still want access to Australia's largest network, you may want to consider some Telstra network mobile plans from alternative providers. For convenience, we currently think these two plans from more-affordable Telstra network providers are particularly good value:
Belong 160GB SIM Only Plan | 160GB data | No lock-in contract | AU$55p/m
Wholly owned by Telstra, Belong is an excellent option for those looking to access Australia's largest network for less. For just AU$55p/m, this plan gets you a massive 160GB of monthly data, which works out to just AU$0.34 per GB. On top of that, you also get 5G network access (capped at 250Mbps).
Total minimum cost is AU$55 (1-month) | Total cost for first year: AU$660
Tangerine | 150GB data | Unlimited calls and texts | No lock-in contract | AU$58p/m
This SIM-only plan from Tangerine offers 150GB of data each month, with a double data bonus on the first three months for new customers. It uses parts of the Telstra 5G, 4G and 3G network and speeds are capped at 250Mbps on 4G and 5G, but for just AU$58p/m, this is a cracking deal.
Total minimum cost: AU$58 | Yearly cost: AU$696
Of course, if an alternative mobile broadband or NBN source is what you're after, you should know that the best-value internet plans are generally much more affordable than Telstra's pricing. You can find our reader's favourites in those categories below.