Optus Plan Review
And Comparison

This Optus Mobile Review gives you an independent review of the Optus network and the SIM Only (postpaid) plans they have in market. It overviews Optus coverage (including 4G / LTE and some 5G) and provides information on the unique features of what they offer. Finally, we’ve included some ‘Top Tips’, designed to make purchasing and using your phone / SIM Only SIM as safe as possible.

With 10.5

Last updated on April 8th, 2021 million customers and just over 22.3%

Last updated on April 8th, 2021 market share Optus is a big player in the Australian market. They are spending big on their 4G network right now and offer 98.5% of the Australian population

Last updated on April 8th, 2021 4G population coverage of the population. This makes them a safe bet as your chosen mobile network provider.

Optus has been famous in Australia for the last 20 years for offering much needed competition against Telstra, the original Australian monopoly telco. Optus began as a satellite communications entity back in 1981 and has since grown to be an $8 bn business employing 9,000 people in Australia. Following years of challenge in the Australian Telco market, Optus recently refocused it’s strategy on it’s core mobile and fixed products, brand and customer service.

In 2016, they refocused again, adding content to their offering – streamed music for everyone and EPL ( English Premier League ) games for those who are prepared to pay. It seems these content / entertainment inclusions on top of the core phone plans they used to offer are going to be an increasingly large part of how Optus sell SIMs in Australia.

Optus is also rolling out 5G, and expects to have 1,200 5G sites live by March 2020. For now, though, mobile 5G is available in select areas and Optus have some offers in that area as well.

• EPL articles:
  The EPL is a huge part of Optus’ SIM Only plan offering. You’ll have to pay more to get it. This article provides the details of Optus’ huge decision and tells you how the details of the pricing will work. We have a quick summary below on this page.
• Streamed audio:
  Internet radio uses more data than you might think. We explain in this article what streamed audio is, which phone companies other than Optus offer it and how it can benefit you. We have a quick summary below, on this page.
• Comparing Optus and Telstra’s content offering:
  Optus isn’t alone in providing entertainment / content in their plans. In this article, we compare Telstra and Optus’ plan inclusions.
• Optus prepaid / Optus recharge articles:
  This article relates to SIM Only plans (Postpaid) If you want to see Optus’ prepaid plans or Optus recharge then we have dedicated pages.

Optus have one of the best Product Management teams in the business. They study overseas developments and best practice (big company talk for copying good ideas they see in other markets). They add a small amount of local ingenuity. Optus launch some good Products. They have noticed the trend to SIM Only plans and have nailed their range. Their suite of plans is simple, it’s 4G, it’s well articulated and it has far more competitive rates than you’d think, even from the challenger in Australia.

The key to understanding what’s changed in Optus’ portfolio is this diagram. Until a year ago, most of the phone companies had about the same plans in marker, including Optus. Now, Optus has led a series of announcements about the extra value they will be offering their customers in addition to the core voice and data inclusions they’re used to.

At the bottom of the pile are the MVNOs or smaller phone companies . They offer the core of what a phone company needs to. Voice, SMS and data inclusions in a SIM / plan. That, to us is the core of this discussion. Optus have great value adds. The question is, do you need them ? We will return to this theme throughout this article.

Although people love to hate their telcos, Optus has some of the best customer service in Australia. They’ve been out spent on network and marketing for years by Telstra and the result is that people have an inaccurate view of the quality of the Optus network. In metro areas, independent research say that Optus’ network is on a par with Telstra.

One measure of the quality of Optus customer service is the number of complaints received by the TIO. Each year, the TIO release a report which details the number of complaints that have been put in place about each telco. The TIO is the body people complain to when they’ve tried everything else.

Last year, there were 6.7 per 10,000 in October ’15

Last updated on April 8th, 2021. A year later, the TIO received 31,629 Ombudsman complaints in September ’19

Last updated on April 8th, 2021

In the same periods, Telstra 5.5 per 10,000 in October ’15

Last updated on April 8th, 2021. And 12 months after that 66,402 Ombudsman complaints in September ’19

Last updated on April 8th, 2021

Vodafone 4.1 per 10,000 in October ’15

Last updated on April 8th, 2021. And a year later 6,784 Ombudsman complaints in September ’19

Last updated on April 8th, 2021

• Optus spends approximately $1.9 bn each year at the moment on network improvements.
• Telstra are spending $2bn to $3bn each year.
• Vodafone is spending $1 billion on improving their wireless network, focusing mostly on metro area improvements.

Optus and Vodafone have been considering how to use their money smarter, however. They have been considering the network investment statistics above. They’ve realized what we all have. They’re behind Telstra in both real and perceived Network Coverage. They also know that it’ll cost a lot to catch up. As a result, Vodafone and Optus have recently announced a network sharing agreement. In some areas, where Optus has good coverage but Vodafone doesn’t (or the other way around ) they will share wireless network coverage and improve their performance relative to Telstra. They’re also lobbying the government to share Telstra’s network out in the bush.

Coverage is such a key part of people’s purchasing decisions that we have a separate, detailed article on the subject.

Optus and Telstra are some of the first networks anywhere in the world to roll out 4G (sometimes known as LTE) network speeds. If you’ve bought a high end mobile phone under contract since the end of 2012, it’s probably 4G / LTE enabled.

Optus were slower with their initial rolling out of 4G services than Telstra. However, Optus now cover 97.2% of the population with their 4G Network, and 98.5% when you add 3G. Their mobile services were used by 10.2 million people as of October last year.

Optus now have mobile 5G available in select areas. They expect a roll out to 1,200 sites by March next year (2020). For now though, if you have access to a 5G handset, you can access Optus’ 5G Network if its available in your (limited) area, and get double data for a year if you are repaying a 5G device.

Telstra, too, have mobile 5G available in select areas, and have had it for a few months now. Their 5G offer allows you to connect to their 5G Network free of charge for a year, at which point you’ll be charged an additional $15 per month.

Top Tip:
Finally, most people have a wireless router for their fixed internet connection these days. It only takes a minute to fish out that long wireless router password and attach your mobile to it. Then, when you get home, your mobile will ‘find’ the wireless broadband network and attach itself to it. This can significantly reduce the amount of data you use on the Optus wireless network and reduce the risk of expensive, excessive data.

Month to month plans and Build-Your-Own plans

Optus postpaid plans are now month-to-month, no lock-in contract plans. They offer only four of these plans now (Small, Medium, Large, and Extra Large), which simplifies their previous complex lineup. These recent changes are in response to Telstra’s revamp a few months ago, which also changed postpaid plans to month-to-month no lock-in contract plans and simplified their offerings. Optus is also introducing build-your-own plans, which allows customers select what they want to add to their customized plan.

International and Roaming inclusions

On their Medium, Large, and Extra Large plans, Optus now offer Unlimited International Talk and Text to 35 countries. They also offer 2GB and 4GB roaming data in their Large and Extra Large plans, respectively, and Unlimited International roaming Talk and Text in Zone 1 countries, which includes pretty much most countries except those in Africa and South America. For the Small and Medium plans, you pay Optus’ standard roaming rates. Optus also offer some roaming options. You’ll be charged every time you’re overseas with roaming enabled and when the phone connects.

Free Premium Content access

Optus offer free access to Apple Music for 6 months on their Medium plan and 12 months on their Large and Extra Large plans. Those three plans also offer access to Optus Sport, which means live access to the Premier League.

Optus One tariff plan

The Optus One plan is a new, premium plan. It comes with 500GB of data for $120, along with 10GB for roaming, and exclusive access to Optus Sport. Optus One customers also get premium, one-on-one personal care — a 24/7 one-on-one access to a dedicated Optus One Expert, along with a dedicated phone number to call and text that expert whenever they run into any issues. Optus One is also a month-to-month, no lock in contract plan with unlimited national talk and text, as well as unlimited International talk and text to 35 countries. Optus One also allows flexible payments for handsets, from outright payments to a 12, 24, and 36 months repayment plan. It is also 5G ready, and you can get double 5G mobile data for a year while repaying an eligible 5G mobile handset.

Flexible device repayment plans

Optus plans now allow you to bring your own phone. However, you can purchase a phone from Optus and pay for it in installments. They offer 12, 24, and 36-month interest free repayment plans, and even offer double 5G mobile data for a year if you’re repaying an eligible 5G handset.

Streamed Audio

Sign up to any Optus plan and you will be offered free audio streaming from a number of internet radio services. You’ve probably heard the names before: Spotify, Pandors, Google Play Music and IHeartRadio. To be clear, Optus will offer you free data to stream (at up to 512 kbps) content from these providers over the air to your phone. You will have to have (or sign up to) the service yourself.

We have more on this significant plan structure change including comparisons with Telstra and Optus here.

Data Auto Addition:

Optus were the first to launch this plan feature and it’s dead set genius. If you reach the data limit of your plan, you’ll automatically get another 1GB of data added for a $10 charge. Vodafone and Telstra have, subsequent to Optus’ launch, implemented an almost identical scheme.

Remember, the alternative to this is that you (used to) get charged an out of bundle fee – and that can be extremely expensive. It was this charging mechanism that led to the bill shock that plagued telco for years.

You’ve got to manage Optu’s scheme well. If they add another 1GB of data and you only needed 1.5GB that month well, you’ve paid for and wasted half a GB. To most, however, the risk of a huge bill is more off-putting than the addition of a reasonable charge for the extra half GB, whether or not you use it all.

Data Sharing ( e.g. Between a Tablet + a Phone ):

Like Telstra, Optus will sell you this service and allow you to share data between your phone and other devices. In principal, it’s useful. Strategically, as people add more and more internet connected products to their accounts, it’s obviously worth having. This feature will become more important over time.

Good Self Service App:

Optus’ Self Service App is very good indeed. This is their second iteration. The first was panned in the App stores. Bad reviews meant it was destroyed and Optus began again from the ground up. The new version looks great and works extremely well. Self Service apps like this are a critical component of the phone plan you buy these days. They help you use your data and manage your data charging far more effectively.

Network guarantee:

Optus have always had a network guarantee. They just didn’t always market it very well. However, you are covered by the most basic elements of Australia’s consumer law if you take a SIM Only plan out with Optus (and any other phone company for that matter) If you get your SIM home, stick it in your phone and you don’t get reasonable service where you live and work then you have every right to take it back to Optus and get your money back. That’s what they market as their 30 day guarantee.

Unlimited voice and SMS:

Competition in Australia is all about data inclusions these days. Both Optus and Vodafone have included free national calls and SMS in all of their price plans. Entry level pricing does start at a hefty $39 for Optus though (we believe you can do much better than pay that much on our ‘cheap phone plans’ page) but you can build your own plan if you want.

Data rollover:

We have mixed feelings about data rollover. In principal, we think it’s a crock but in terms of practical application, we agree you’re no worse off for having it. It can be hard to determine the amount of data you need.  If your response to that is the same as many other people’s (to buy more data than you need) then a data rollover feature is worth having.

Online offers

Like most phone companies, Optus has flim flamed (changed their mind a number of times) on the question of online offers. Phone companies want you to feel like you’re dealing with one brand, whether you go in to a retail store or buy online. They also want to stimulate lower cost sales by encouraging customers to buy their phone through digital stores. The result is that sometimes they offer better pricing online and sometimes they don’t. It depends on which ‘faction’ in internally is winning the argument at the time. For now, Optus regularly offers better online deals than you’ll find in retail. With next day SIM delivery, that means buying online is clearly the best thing to do.

What’s not so good

It’s actually pretty hard to fault Optus. Their plans are sophisticated and clearly offer extra value on top of the core services you would expect from a telco. They have thought about the whole customer journey, encouraging a great digital experience both to purchase and self servicing that will keep you online. They have a 30 day satisfaction guarantee. They’ve put paid to big data bills.

The only problem they have is their pricing and plan inclusions. Put simply, you can get more for your money elsewhere. There are a number of smaller phone companies which resell the Optus network and which offer either different content which might appeal ( see OVO Mobile’s plans ) or vanilla SIM / prepaid plans which don’t include all the extras but, as a result, are a good deal cheaper.

You can’t have missed it. Optus announced their successful bid for the Australian broadcasting rights to the UK A-league English premier League in late 2015. It threw the industry in to turmoil.

Subscribers to Optus’ SIM Only plans can now add the EPL, or access the EPL on Optus Sport for free on their Medium, Large, Extra Large, and Optus One plans. Note that, as of this year, Optus is now the exclusive broadcaster of live EPL games.