Cmobile Review – Should You Go With Them?

Introducing Cmobile

Cmobile is a relatively new Australian MVNO. The company was established in 2013 by two ex Vodafone employees who have worked in the field for years.

What you need to know:

• Unique plan range : Cmobile has a unique set of plans which offer coverage on both the Telstra and Vodafone networks.
• Telstra and Vodafone plans : Cmobile’s Telstra plans are shown as Cmobile Blue plans on their site. Cmobile’s Vodafone plans are shown as Red plans on the Cmobile site.
• Best for low end plans : Cmobile offer literally the best in market pricing for low end plans.
• Interesting approach to data plans : Cmobile have an interesting range of data led plans for those who are finding that they’re spending more time looking at their screen than holding it to their ear.
• No ‘Cap’ pricing : Cmobile have taken the worthwhile ( if unusual ! ) step of avoiding the silly ‘Cap’ price plans that most of their Australian counterparts favour. That can make it hard to compare with the plans offered by alternatives. We have tried to show the number of included 2 minute calls to give you a sense of the value you will get with Cmobile when comparing.
• Their range is postpaid, SIM Only : Note these are postpaid, not prepaid plans. If you want to know the difference then it’s all explained here.

And, as usual, we always recommend reading the CIS ( the Customer Information Statement which will clearly articulate the costs involved in the plan ) thoroughly, before you buy, so you know what you’re getting into.

CHECK CMOBILE PLANS

Why consider Cmobile ?

People considering MVNOs plans tend to be among the more educated phone plan customer. Simply put, MVNOs are the place to get the best deals. Cmobile recently ( July 2014 ) revised their rates, making the most of what was working for them and working to identify previously unidentified segments in the Australian market. They’ve correctly figured out where they can pick customers off from the other main phone companies in Australia. Specifically, however, we recommend CMobile in the following circumstances.

CHECK CMOBILE BlUE $19.90

Choose Cmobile for voice price plans when you’re in one of these groups of user :

• You live in a rural area. Telstra does not have many partners who resell their network. Cmobile’s Blue plans are available on the Telstra 3G network and are one of the few ways you’re going to get hold of the Telstra network without paying through the nose for it.
• Best pricing on the Telstra 3G network : Cmobile’s ‘Blue’ range of plans provide great pricing on the Telstra 3G network across all call plan types. Their lower end ( $14.90 and $19.90 per month plan ) pricing is particularly affordable. Telstra’s coverage is hard to beat in rural areas and, whatever price plan you choose, a Cmobile price plan gives you access without the premium pricing levels that Telstra usually charge.
• You live in metro ( city ) areas AND have low to average usage requirements. In addition to their Telstra MVNO plans, Cmobile have a suite of plans which access the Vodafone network. Recent independent network reports show that Vodafone have the best in city coverage. Click here to find out more about Vodafone coverage. If you are shopping for a second SIM ( for example, for a phone which will sit in your car unused for a lot of time or a phone which you use for a few calls a week rather than a few calls a day ) and you live in a metro area, then Cmobile is likely to be right for you.
• You use a lot of data and not much voice on your phone.

 

Key features of Cmobile

• Network options : A choice of phone companies : If you sign up with Cmobile, you will get access to either the Telstra or Vodafone 3G networks.
• Australian support which people love. Incredibly in the land of phone companies, we’ve heard Cmobile’s service described by some customers as ‘fantastic’ and ‘genuine.’ Their support team is based in Australia. I’ve actually heard them in action and I can vouch for the fact that they are professional, Australian, competent and, on occasion, funny.
• Unique plan range : Cmobile offer a unique range of plans which include a set of data led plans which will appeal to people who favour the data services and apps on their phone to the voice facility it offers.
• Low level data usage plans. Cmobile’s out of bundle charging rate ( which is also available on their PAYG plan ) is best in market. On their Red plans, one MB of data will cost you 5 cents per MB. Their Blue plans will cost you 25 c per MB. This means that if you want to connect anything on the internet of things to the internet, Cmobile’s plans are likely to be the best way to go.
• All Cmobile’s Red plans offer you unlimited calls to others on the same plan / network. This is hardly an original plan feature but it’s useful if you’re investing in a couple of plans for the family.

 

More detail : Cmobile Blue – Cheaper access to the Telstra network

• Telstra’s 3G network covers more than 99.3% of the Australian population. In terms of square kilometres, that’s around twice the coverage of the next nearest rival. If you live in rural areas and you’re looking for an affordable way to access the Telstra network, Cmobile’s blue suite are the best way to do it.

• Want to spend $20 per month ? As always, you’ll pay a little more to get on Telstra’s network. However, as you’ll see below, for those who are looking to spend around $20 per month on their phone bill, CMobile’s blue plan is the best in market if you live in rural areas.

 

Cmobile’s Blue plans compared to the competition

Cmobile don’t have a Blue ( Telstra network ) PAYG plan. If you’re after one of those ( a PAYG plan with access to the Telstra network ), you’re probably best going for the Telstra Prepaid Simplicity plan or considering the Amaysim As You Go Plan. Telstra will charge you $9.00 per month for a call a day under their simplicity plan. Amaysim or CMobile will charge $7.20 for the same. Your decision here is really a question of coverage.

Want a PAYG plan for city / metro areas ?

Note, see below for our comparisons of the best PAYG plans on the Vodafone and Optus networks.

 

Cmobile’s Blue low usage plans

As we’ve said, you always pay a little more for Telstra’s network. However, Cmobile’s Blue $19.90 plan per month gives extremely reasonable rate access to the Telstra 3G network.

• For $19.90 a month, you’ll get 2.2 calls per day and 500 MB of 3G data on the Telstra network. This is more voice value than Amaysim offer at the price point.

CHECK CMOBILE BLUE $19.90

 

Need a bit more? CMobile’s higher level usage plans

There are better price / value performers for those who live in cities ( see below in this article for details. ) However, if you need more calls / data and you need access to the Telstra network, Cmobile offer substantially better value than Telstra.

• Cmobile Blue’s $39.90 plan will give you a roughly average 5 calls per day and 1.5 GB of data all on the Telstra network for use in Australia.
• Cmobile Blue’s $49.90 plan  offers around 8.3 calls per day and 1.5GB of data per month.

 

More detail : Cmobile Red – Cheaper access to the Vodafone network

• Don’t doubt their network improvements : For those who still doubt the quality of the Vodafone network, we’d refer you to the independent network reviews conducted in 2014 which make it clear that in metro areas at least, Vodafone’s coverage is actually better than either Telstra’s or Optus. Don’t believe us ? – check out our Vodafone coverage review and the infographic which compares the networks head to head.

• The Vodafone network now covers 96% of the Australian population for 3G coverage.

• The reality is that public perception has not kept up with the quality improvements in the Vodafone network. To give you an example of the improvements they’ve implemented, during the ‘free data weekend’ they put in place at the end of June, following a glitch, the Vodafone network supported the download of around 600 Terabytes of information. That’s around 18,000 GB of data every hour, each hour, for the whole weekend.

 

Cmobile’s Red Plans compared to the competition

Breaking Cmobile’s plans down and comparing them against the best from the other networks, both MVNO and tier 1 telcos ( i.e. Optus, Telstra, Vodafone etc. ) it’s clear to see where it makes sense to go with Cmobile.

CHECK CMOBILE RED PLAN

 

PAYG – Pay as you go – for when you hardly use your phone

If you live in metro / city areas, Cmobile’s Red PAYG plan is another winner

• Cmobile’s PAYG rates for very low levels of usage are competitive. For people who make one call a day, with Cmobile, you’d end up spending a measley $7.20 per month on your phone bill. With data charged at 2c per MB ( you wouldn’t want to be using much – even if this is the best rate in market for out of bundle charging. ) [equates to $20 per GB, not bad for PAYG rates, this is best in market, Amaysim at 5c / MB]

• These rates are competitive with the best in market. Amaysim’s pricing structure for PAYG is almost identical to Cmobiles. ( Note – Cmobile have a $20 minimum spend on their plans for the year – Amaysim do not [you need to recharge something on Amaysim though and the credit will expire at some point]. ) However, given recent benchmarking surveys which suggest Vodafone’s network is better than Optus’ in metro areas both for 3G and 4G phones, we recommend CMobile

CHECK CMOBILE RED PLAN

 

If you would prefer the Optus 3G network and you’d like to see Amaysim’s PAYG rates.

CHECK AMAYSIM UNLIMITED

 

5 calls a day and 500 MB a month ? CMobile Red $19.90 is best in market

• The real sweetspot for CMobile is around the $20 per month spend level. If you make 5 or fewer calls per day and use less than 500 MB of data per month, there is simply no better value in market, from any other provider than Cmobile.

• If you’re a low level phone user, if you’re buying a SIM for a second phone, perhaps if you’re slightly older and / or still make use of your land line as well as a mobile, we recommend the Cmobile $19.90 plan.

CHECK CMOBILE RED $19.90

 

For average usage – we recommend Vaya

• If you use between 5 and 10 calls per day, there really is no better alternative in market than Vaya’s $18 per month plan. We’ve written about it extensively in other areas of the site. Here’s the link to the Vaya full review article.

CHECK VAYA $18 Plan

 

For people who talk a lot

If you’re a business user or an all round chatterbox, Cmobile Red’s unlimited plan might be right for you. Remember, here you have a choice of unlimited plans – the pricing is the same, the voice and SMS inclusions are the same and both will provide more data than the average user needs:

• Cmobile Red Unlimited offers unlimited calls and SMS to Australian numbers for $39.90 a month. The plan comes with 2 GB of data.

CHECK CMOBILE RED $39.90

 

Amaysim have an unlimited plan, about which, again, we have written extensively here. Amaysim’s unlimited plan comes with a ridiculously high 5GB of 3G data.

CHECK AMAYSIM UNLIMITED

 

What’s not so great about Cmobile ?

Here’s what you need to be aware of before you sign up with Cmobile.

• Cmobile currently have no online self service app. Users / customers can only check usage on main site or by engaging their support team. Whatphone understands that their usage app is under development at the moment but the absence of one now does not work in their favour.

• No credit rollover : Unlike some prepaid plans, notably prepaid plans from Virgin Mobile, Optus and Telstra, and postpaid plans from Virgin Mobile, included credit does not roll over at the end of the month with Cmobile’s plans.

• No retail presence : Like all MVNOs, Cmobile are only available to you online and through their telephone customer support. Having no retail presence may not affect all customers but if you’re the sort who like the social aspects of buying or to talk through face to face a problem you’re having with a sale rep, and you’re prepared to pay more for the privilege then an MVNO plan, including those offered by Cmobile is probably not right for you.

 

Summing up :

If you want cheaper access to the Telstra network, Cmobile is a no brainer. They are one of the few places where, for less than $40 you’ll get a shot at the Telstra network’s coverage, reliability and speed.

CHECK CMOBILE BLUE PLAN

 

If you’re after a low to average level plan, there is no better value in market than Cmobile’s red suite. The $19.90 plan is a market leader and will comfortably cover most people with a home landline they still use, looking for a SIM for a second phone or who want to make an average number of calls a day but are sick of paying more than $20 for the privilege.

CHECK CMOBILE RED $19.90

 

Whichever network you choose, Cmobile’s service is great. While they’re relatively new and that immaturity is demonstrated in some product features ( such as the absence of a self service / usage app ) if you’re in one of the groups we’ve identified ( very low or low user, rural user, city based.

 

Cmobile FAQs

Last updated on March 10th, 2022