Ausdroid’s Mobile Broadband round up for April 2018

Data inclusions are constantly on the rise, which is great news for your phone plan. It’s also great news if you’re after a data-only SIM to use in a tablet or a portable Wi-Fi hotspot.

At the lower end of the price spectrum, you can now get a 5GB data-only for a surprisingly reasonable $15 per month, while the high-end now has plans with over 100GB. With allowances that large, we’re getting to the point where mobile broadband is becoming a viable NBN alternative.

Whether you want a small or large plan, we’ve taken a look at some of the best mobile broadband deals around right now.

At least 5GB of data
If you just want a SIM card to throw in a tablet, a cheap data-only SIM is perfect. A decent plan now starts at around $15 per month with 5GB of data, which makes them perfect for a quick data boost. In most cases, you can one of the below plans without signing a contract.

At least 50GB of data
If you’re after a heftier amount of data, we’re now seeing data-only SIM plans with 50GB and up for starting at $50 per month. While 50GB might not quite replace your internet connection if you’re a heavy downloader, they could make a good stop gap if you’re moving house or going on holidays and won’t have reliable Wi-Fi access.

Many of these plans are available as prepaid or month-to- month, but you will need to bring your own 4G modem. If you don’t have one, you can always throw the data-only SIM in an old phone and tether to it instead.

Fixed line internet replacement
Want to replace your home internet connection with a mobile powered solution? Data-only plans with 80GB or becoming increasingly common. If you’re in a Vodafone coverage area, you’re able currently able to get 90GB for $60 per month.

When it comes to supersized options, it’s important to make the distinction between 4G data-only SIMs and fixed home wireless broadband plans. 4G data-only SIMs give you full 4G data speeds, which can easily reach 50Mbps or higher. Fixed home wireless plans powered by Optus are limited to a maximum speed of 12Mbps. Optus, Vividwireless, Spintel, and Exetel fixed home wireless plans are subject to this restriction.

While Telstra’s plan in the below is billed as “home wireless”, data speeds are uncapped.

Data Sharing
Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone all offer data sharing for phone services, which means you can pool your data from your all plans (on the same bill) into one big total. This pool can then be used across all your devices.

If you’re a postpaid Telstra customer and already have a hefty plan, you can add on a “data-sharing SIM” to your account for an extra $5 per month. This doesn’t add any data, but gives you access to your monthly data allowance on a second device.