Unlimited Data Mobile Plans
- Australia has some plans with Unlimited Mobile Data
- Get unlimited everything
- Peace of mind, no 'Bill Shock' ever again
What's good
- Unlimited calls and texts for 4G phones, and now 5G phones
- Some plans with unlimited mobile data now available in Australia
- Total predictability - no more excessive bills for calls
- Often no commitment, so you can change if a better deal comes out
What's bad
- It is often the most expensive type of plan; only get it if you need it
- Plans may have some exceptions and exclusions
Australian Unlimited Phone Plans
There are now some genuinely unlimited phone plans in Australia, i.e., SIMs offering unlimited mobile SMS, voice calls, and, finally, unlimited mobile data in Australia.
In this article we cover:
- Australia now has genuine unlimited phone plans
- Why did it take so long to get a genuinely unlimited plan?
- So, Erm, What Exactly Is an Unlimited plan?
- Why would I want an Unlimited plan?
- Key Terms To Understand When You’re Picking An Australian Unlimited Plan
- But do you need an Unlimited Plan?
Click here if you want more details on the recent release of mobile phone plans with unlimited data.
But let’s start at the beginning. What actually is an ‘Unlimited plan’?
Unlimited plans are the solution to a problem many of us face: running out of data and being charged extra!
Unlimited Plans mean you never have to check your usage or compare around to ensure you’re getting the best offer. If it includes unlimited data, you can watch that film at the airport and not worry about exhausting your mobile data. Having an unlimited plan means you can feel secure that you’re never going to get a larger bill than the one you were expecting.
Key points when considering “Unlimited Plans.”
- Almost all phone plans now include Unlimited Domestic Calls and SMS:
For some time in Australia, mobile phone plans have included free unlimited calls to other Australian mobiles and landlines. - People tend to mean ‘Unlimited Mobile Data’:
When people say ‘Unlimited Plan’ these days, they typically mean a phone plan with unlimited mobile data for use in Australia. - Unlimited Plans are More expensive typically postpaid phone plans:
By definition, unlimited plans include more mobile data than plans. They are naturally among the more expensive plans you will find. - Plans often include ‘throttling’:
Typically, users who buy this sort of plan get an allowance of mobile data, which, once reached, triggers the speed to slow down. - Other ‘Network Services’ can be limited:
(Network services are the phone company facilities you take for granted, like making a call using your phone or downloading an MMS.) Read your plan’s associated Customer Information Statement (CIS) to ensure that ‘everything’ is truly unlimited in your phone plan. There is no standard industry-wide set of terms across the phone companies you could choose. Sometimes MMS, 13 or 18 numbers, roaming, international charges, and so on vary.
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Australia now has genuine unlimited phone plans
The definition of what exactly can be called an Unlimited Plan has changed a fair deal over that time.
From a phone company’s point of view, the problem with unlimited data plans is that some people misuse them and have, historically, taken advantage of the situation. Put an unlimited plan in the market and there will always be one user on the network who downloads terabytes of data making the whole thing too risky and who and ruins it for everyone.
A few people hook their phones up to their laptops and torrent films 24 x 7. As a result, phone companies have implemented speed-caps. Also known as throttling, it’s a technical limit that phone companies put on the speed you can download mobile data from their network.
To most people, the data throttling limits by phone companies don’t negatively impact how most people use their phones.
You probably won’t even notice the speed difference if you’re just browsing the web.
Why did it take so long to get a genuinely unlimited plan?
Competition lowered the price of phone plans just as people’s reliance on mobile internet technology increased. As a result, phone companies needed to push the ceiling higher and offer more and more data at any price point to keep and grow their customer bases.
There have been sociological and technological innovations, too. WhatsApp, for example, came along and replaced SMS to a large degree. Since WhatsApp is simply mobile data in a different form, SMSs became less valuable to people who used to pay a lot for them (when I was a teenager, we used to pay 25 pence per SMS in the UK)!
Behaviour changed, too. People made fewer calls but used more mobile data.
Competition has lowered the price of phone plans (including unlimited plans) over time. Prices have fallen, but the level of inclusions has also risen. In simple terms, you’re getting a lot more for your money.
As competition increased, so did usage. It was the product of these two overlapping trends which caused the steep decline in the monthly price of unlimited phone plans.
Over time, the major problem with a phone plan became, How do I make sure I can use mobile data all the time in a way that doesn’t cost too much?
Why would I want an unlimited plan?
Why do so many Australians choose unlimited phone plans? What motivates people to buy an unlimited plan? What makes this type of plan important?
- They get predictable costs:
The key thing people buy when they choose an unlimited plan is peace of mind. They know that if they buy a SIM plan with unlimited allowances, that’s one less thing they need to worry about. They can’t be charged more than they were expecting. Their phone bill won’t go up that month – or any other month, for that matter. And their phones will connect them to the Internet whenever they are in coverage! - No contract required:
You can get SIM-only unlimited plans on a month-to-month basis, so there is no need to commit to an expensive 12 or 24-month - Budget options are available:
This sort of plan is now very affordable. Shop around the budget deals, and you can get amazing deals from phone companies with unlimited mobile data plans for under $35 per month.
Key terms to understand when you’re picking an Australian unlimited plan
Note there is more information on each of these in the FAQs above on this page.
- Tethering:
Tethering is also known as hot-spotting. Phone companies now offer throttled data, where your download speeds are slowed (typically to 1.5mbps), but you can continue browsing at that slow speed until your billing cycle restarts. Telstra and Vodafone plans have this in place, albeit at different download speeds. Also, Vodafone’s new sub-brand, Felix Mobile, is the closest MVNO to unlimited today – Felix offers a single prepaid plan and includes unlimited data capped at 20mbps. - 13/18 numbers:
Companies often use phone numbers as entrances into their call centres and, through them, their company’s products and services. These are often marketed as ‘freephone’ numbers – but you want to be sure you are not paying anything for them on top of your monthly fee for your unlimited plan. - Domestic MMS:
Widely forgotten about now, having been replaced by WhatsApp and other services that use data. - Data Banking / Rollover:
These valuable new services allow you to keep the mobile data you bought and use later after your recharge or billing cycle expires. Data Banking turns the notion of a time-limited service on its head and lets you keep the data you’ve paid for forever.
What extras could I be charged for outside my unlimited plan?
Unlimited plans offer better value than ever, including products that are versions of increasingly literal Unlimited plan inclusions. You MAY be charged for some of these.
- International:
Some plans do not include Unlimited International Minutes for calls to every country worldwide. - Roaming:
Making calls on your Australian SIM in another country can be expensive. No plan includes roaming, so you’ll always pay extra. - Additional services:
If you add new devices, such as mobile data for your Apple Watch, to your account, you may be charged more.
But do you need an unlimited plan?
A simple question sits among all the noise and excitement about unlimited plans.
Do you need an unlimited plan?
I’ve explained the problem. People are too busy and looking for a quick way out of the complexity of picking a phone plan. Unlimited plans get them off the hook. The only thing is unlimited plans can run pricier than the phone plan they would otherwise buy.
So why don’t they get the cheaper phone plan which gives them just what they need?
Most people don’t know how much data they use, how much they need, or how to figure it out. The truth is, it’s easy! We have an article dedicated to establishing what your need is.
If you do compare, there is every chance you’ll save yourself $10 or more a month.
SUMMING IT UP
The definition of an unlimited plan has changed, but the motivation to invest in one has always been a constant. People have too much to worry about in their lives already. Feeling like a fool when you pick up your mobile phone bill at the end of the month because you used more of a phone plan’s features than you were expecting to (and now have to pay through the nose for it) is a feeling most people have had and which most don’t want to repeat.
As our reliance on mobile phones and the mobile internet has increased, phone companies have begun charging for faster speeds, selling you more services with eSIMs for your Apple watch, etc. The question for the telcos, of course, is, What next? With Felix launching a $35 unlimited plan, one could argue that they have set a limit on what telcos can charge.
