Small-player phone plans continue to rise due to benefits offered
The rise of the smaller player phone plans is inevitable. As many users around Australia get frustrated with coverage offered by the larger telcos, including Optus, Telstra and Vodafone, they’ve started looking elsewhere.
Plenty of people are happy with the other MVNOS available, which include ALDImobile, Amaysim and Woolworths.
MVNO stands for “mobile virtual network operator” and lease space off the larger telcos, but it’s not as smooth a process as consumers probably think.
Independent telecommunications analyst Paul Budde told The New Daily that the larger telcos aren’t happy to hand over their space.
“The telcos – the big boys like Telstra – are very reluctant to do deals with companies such as Aldi, as they compete with them indirectly,” he told The New Daily.
“These MVNOs, such as ALDI and Amaysim and Boost, are always trying to get a better deal with the telcos, but they are basically prevented from that because it’s so difficult to deal with the telecommunications companies.
“From an industry perspective, ALDI and the other MVNOs are doing a great job trying to break that situation with the carriers and deliver a better price.
“Australia is paying well above average if you look on a global scale for their mobile services. So it’s very important that we have these companies providing a more realistic mobile price.”
However, the problem with these plans is that the user has to have their own phone before being able to take advantage of these deals.
There’s a range of offerings available for $30, but which one you choose greatly depends on your needs. For example, if you’re not that fussed about data but prefer calls to international countries, a phone plan that offers calls and texts overseas is more ideal for you.
However, if you enjoy watching YouTube videos on your iPad, a phone plan with a larger data offering is more your speed.
Being off the grid in regional areas of Australia can make things a bit trickier in terms of phone service, but you’re able to compare coverage on this map.