ALDImobile, the mobile telco run by budget supermarket ALDI, has flicked the switch on 5G on selected mobile plans … but as with most things, there is a catch.
ALDImobile uses the Telstra network and, as part of the 5G switch-on, it will gain access to Telstra’s 5G footprint which will offer coverage to around 75% of the Australian population. The catch is that only the higher end plan will have access to 5G (for the time being), and that means you need to be on the $55 mobile plan. Fortunately, the plan offers unlimited calls and texts along with 60GB of data and a 30 day expiry, making it a fairly reasonable ask.
Naturally, to take advantage of 5G connectivity, you will also need to bring your own 5G enabled smartphone device with ALDImobile.
The news of 5G being enabled for ALDImobile comes from a report earlier this year in which Telstra stated it would allow MNVO partners like ALDImobile, Woolworths Mobile and Boost access to its 5G network this year. Boost has already switched on 5G access (albeit as a ‘trial’ until September sometime), as has Woolworths Mobile, and ALDImobile is now following suit.
The new offering won’t be popular with all ALDImobile users, though – the $55 plan isn’t affordable for everyone, but the good news is that the existing 4G network has wide coverage and super fast speeds anyway, so if you can’t afford to have 5G just yet, it probably doesn’t really matter.
That being said, if youŕe an ALDImobile customer and have a 5G enabled device and been waiting for a 5G enabled plans, then this could be a considerable offer.
Alas, I’m only on the $45 plan, I have 1/2 a TB of rollover data build up I just noticed !
FYI Boost’s 5G trial has been extended to the 28th of November 2022, according to their updated blog post. The same applies to Telstra Prepaid.
Cheers