If you’re looking for some of the best prepaid SIM plans for your mobile, then Boost Mobile should be on your list. They offer affordable prepaid plans with both normal and long expiry intervals so there’s a chance whatever you’re looking for will match what Boost have to offer.
But who owns Boost Mobile and are they even available in your area? Are their plans really a good match for you? We’ve put together the facts about Boost to help you decide.
Boost Mobile company overview / about Boost Mobile
You’ll find Boost Mobile in both Australia and the United States, making it an international brand. However, despite the telco’s existence in multiple countries, their ownership is independent in each country.
In the United States, Boost have gone through some ownership changes. More recently, Dish Wireless LLC acquired Boost Mobile in the United States as part of the merger between T-Mobile and Sprint. There, Boost is operated by Dish and uses the T-Mobile network.
But the roots of Boost Mobile are deep in Australia. The company was founded by Peter Adderton here in Australia back in 2000, licensing the brand to Optus. But that relationship ended in 2012, and Telstra was next in line.
Here in Australia, Boost Mobile is owned by Boost Tel PTY Limited and uses the Telstra network to connect Australians with their mobile service offers. The arrangement is quite similar to the partnership in the United States where Dish operates the brand and T-Mobile provides the network.
While this might seem like the typical Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) arrangement, Boost Mobile is actually quite different from the rest. Yes, the service provider depends on the Telstra network to get you connected, but unlike other MVNOs, Boost Mobile customers have access to the full Telstra mobile network – not just Telstra’s wholesale network that is typically used by normal MVNOs.
Telstra’s interests in Boost Mobile play a role in this in-depth access that Boost Mobile enjoys. Telstra is practically a Boost owner here in Australia, just as T-Mobile is a Boost owner in the United States.
But we must point out that, although Boost Mobile are the only other telco besides Telstra themselves to have access to the full Telstra 4G mobile network, we are also yet to see whether or not Boost Mobile will eventually get access to Telstra’s 5G network.
What plans do Boost Mobile offer (prepaid)
The significant advantage Boost hold over the competition is that they have access to the full Telstra network and not just the wholesale network. Telstra have the widest coverage in Australia, and this is especially noticeable in the rural parts of the country.
So if you’re looking for cheap, straightforward, award-winning plans that stretch across the farthest corners of Australia, Boost are certainly a great place to shop for a SIM plan.
Boost Mobile offer prepaid plans with both normal (28 days), and long (12 months) expiry plans. They also offer a 7-day starter pack and 7-day data plan as well.
Boost Mobile market market themselves with very attractive promo offers. Here’s an outline of what you can get with Boost Mobile right now, based on their current promo inclusions:
| 28-day Expiry plans | 12-month Expiry plans | |
| Price range | 5 plans ranging from $20 to $70 | 2 plans from $200 to $300 |
| Data inclusions | 5GB to 82GB data | 100GB to 240GB data |
| Voice and SMS | Unlimited standard national talk and text | Unlimited standard talk and text |
| International inclusions | Unlimited International talk and texts to 20 select countries, except on smallest ($20) plan. 300 International minutes and unlimited texts to 30 select countries, except on smallest plan. | Unlimited International talk and texts to 20 select countries. 1,200 International minutes and 1,200 International texts to 30 select countries. |
Conclusion
The Boost Mobile brand is actually used internationally, as we’ve seen. But the nuts and bolts of the company are centered in Sydney, Australia and managed by Telstra.
Once you wrap your head around this (and the equivalent situation with ‘Belong’, another Telstra owned sub brand), you can see the genius of big company marketing come to life. You think you have a lot of choice on the Telstra network and a number of options from which you can choose. The reality is that you have far fewer choices than you thought – and many of them roll up to the same shareholders.
Probably the key fact to remember is that Boost, while owned by Big T, is the only brand (or sub brand) to license the entire Telstra Network. And they are a bit cheaper, too.