Vodafone has called for the ACCC to investigate Telstra for "misleading customers" over the extent of its mobile network coverage, which it says has resulted in an unfair market advantage.
In a rare public spat between major telcos, Vodafone alleges Telstra has engaged in misleading or deceptive conduct for more than 15 years, by overstating the reach of its mobile network by as much as 40 per cent.
Telstra's advertised claim that it has a "mobile network coverage area of 3 million square kilometres covering 99.7 per cent of the Australian population" had, until May this year, failed to state that the figure was based on consumers using an external antenna and booster.
Antennas and other special equipment to boost coverage can cost thousands of dollars and are not generally owned by people outside of remote locations.
In comparison, Telstra's mobile coverage without using an external antenna is significantly less, around 1.9 million square kilometres, according to analysis of figures the telco has provided to the ACCC.
Whenarewethere said
11:40 AM May 19, 2025
VW-Gate come to my mind! Figures look great on the surface, but customers are suffering in one form or another.
I have switched to Vodafone but that was due to technical issues that my Sony phone only worked on the Optus & Vodafone network, but not on Telstra. I believe it was a Sony issue. I went with Vodafone as at the time they had $219 12 months prepaid.
P.S. I have noticed I get a better signal with Vodafone at home, & this is "centre" of Sydney stuff!
msg said
11:52 AM May 19, 2025
My sister has a landline with a huge antenna out in the middle of the bush that was provided at no charge by Telstra.
Magnarc said
12:49 PM May 19, 2025
Large corporations have form when it comes to deceiving the consumer. So no surprise from me.
Brodie Allen said
01:43 PM Jun 1, 2025
As a good example of the difference between Telstra and Optus coverage, I can
tell you that my Wife's Optus network is poor most places we travel - my Telstra
account is I reckon 75% more reliable AT LEAST. The more remote the better
the comparison with signal strength and even availability at all.
So often a stronger signal, or usable signal where the Optus is non-compus . . .
Forget Vodaphone anywhere other than the suburbs.
As to cost - I consistently get pricing from Optus and inevitably they have to
admit that they cannot that they cannot match the pricing of Tls.
I have (in the family) 6 mobile devices and in the shared data arrangement
I have 1080GB at cost direct debit $296.
And they supplied and installed free in my house an external antenna and CelFi
no charge.
Seems ok to me.
B
Magnarc said
08:28 AM Jun 2, 2025
We have unlimited Gs for $93 month with Telstra. They suggested this plan when we paying $120. Our distance travelling is restricted now, but I don't recall too many problems with them in the past.
We were on wireless for a month or so, but we canned it and went back on NBN. Weak signal and too many dropouts which they seemed unable to fix. That"s in a Melbourne suburb!!!!!
Cupie said
12:44 PM Jun 2, 2025
I think that this sudden outrage by Vodaphone is really a marketing ploy to draw attention to their doubling of network coverage. A rubbish city centric network doubled is still a rubbish city network.
Of course, we all know that if you want remote/bush coverage, forget Vodafone.
Optus is often OK as a good supplement to the only real choice, Telstra Retail network, either direct from Telstra or from Boost.
Even though we don't travel much these days, our choice was Boost Long Expiry on my Apple iPhone 16 and Woolworths reward on my wife's Apple iPhone 15 ProMax. To round out our communications package, we have a non-NBM internet provided by Occom using Building Fibre Networks fibre To The Premises and RedTrain satellite to a Point Of Interconnect.
Edit ... No 'Landline'/or VOIP equivalent
-- Edited by Cupie on Monday 2nd of June 2025 12:45:16 PM
Mein said
09:06 PM Jun 2, 2025
Vodafone more than doubled its network coverage in Australia by entering into a regional network sharing agreement with Optus.
This deal allows Vodafone to access Optus's regional mobile network sites, increasing its coverage from approximately 400,000 to 1,000,000 square kilometers.
Vodafone now reaches 98.4% of the Australian population (Optus is 98.5%).
Vodafone also gained access to Optus's mobile spectrum, leading to improved service quality and speeds for its customers.
2oldducks said
12:39 AM Jun 4, 2025
Absolutely!!! I purchased a Telstra pre-paid sim thinking I would have reasonable coverage for our lap around Oz. Come in spinner! Btw Gayndah and Katherine we barley had service until 10km out of towns. Katherine to Kununurra and onto Derby was not much between. So annoyed that Telstra's coverage is mediocre. Only made this choice as last year when we travelled to Birdsville with Woolworth's service, we were 13 days without service. Come on Australia, I cannot believe service in rural and outback areas continues to be so poor, it's unjust for locals
cjt55 said
10:03 AM Jun 7, 2025
I bought Starlink Mini. Changed mine and my wife's phone to Vodaphone at a special rate of $39 per month with 100 GB. Will increase to $49 after 12 months. I got rid of NBN ages ago and have now got rid of my Netgear 5G Nighthawk subscription. (Nighthawk is for sale if anyone is interested ... PM me). Starlink Mini runs off of 240 volt or 12 volt (need an updated at least 100w cigarette lighter to cover the 5 metre cord. Anything longer than that you need to run via Anderson plug with converter (about $100 or thereabouts). So When I am travelling I change the Starlink mini to ROAM ($195 per month) then when home change to RESIDENTIAL ($135 per month. Both unlimited internet and Wifi calling. So .... Anywhere, anytime I have Internet and can make and receive calls and messages. Works a treat and has not missed a beat. Starlink IS the future and Telstra is already talking to them. Why the Government is spending $6 Billion on the NBN to "finish it off" is a waste of money as it is now obsolete.
-- Edited by cjt55 on Saturday 7th of June 2025 10:05:31 AM
Peter_n_Margaret said
10:55 AM Jun 7, 2025
cjt55 wrote:
Starlink IS the future and Telstra is already talking to them. Why the Government is spending $6 Billion on the NBN to "finish it off" is a waste of money as it is now obsolete.
It is not smart to have all the eggs in the same basket. Musk could turn Starlink off at any moment. NBN is under our control and is a much more robust system.
Telstra is contracted by the Government to provide the Universal Mobile Service Obligation.
Oops .. I think that I should have done a little research before making my previous post criticising Vodafone's network. Sorry.
It seems that Optus has utilised spare mobile network capacity to make a 'sale' to Vodafone. A strange decision as it removes Vodafone's main restriction from becoming a real player. Optus may need cash to fund its move into the next technology or The Singapore Govt is preparing to exit Optus. A great & astounding win by Vodafone.
Maybe the move by the big boys T & O into the low orbit satellite technology a la Starlink, is a factor. Big $s involved.
I agree that it is dangerous to become too reliant on a (brilliant) nut case like Musk.
Our society is dangerously exposed to technology controlled by increasingly aggressive & unstable Govts like China and USA. (think kill switches in solar arrays; services networks like power water etc etc controlled by 'internet' access; god knows what secret stuff is installed in the current generation of cars. Who knows what the yanks will secretly install in military hardware that they sell us at ridiculous prices .. and may deliver someday? )
Vodafone alleges rival Telstra misled customers on mobile coverage:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05-19/vodafone-tpg-claims-telstra-coverage-less-than-advertised/105300124
Vodafone has called for the ACCC to investigate Telstra for "misleading customers" over the extent of its mobile network coverage, which it says has resulted in an unfair market advantage.
In a rare public spat between major telcos, Vodafone alleges Telstra has engaged in misleading or deceptive conduct for more than 15 years, by overstating the reach of its mobile network by as much as 40 per cent.
Telstra's advertised claim that it has a "mobile network coverage area of 3 million square kilometres covering 99.7 per cent of the Australian population" had, until May this year, failed to state that the figure was based on consumers using an external antenna and booster.
Antennas and other special equipment to boost coverage can cost thousands of dollars and are not generally owned by people outside of remote locations.
In comparison, Telstra's mobile coverage without using an external antenna is significantly less, around 1.9 million square kilometres, according to analysis of figures the telco has provided to the ACCC.
VW-Gate come to my mind! Figures look great on the surface, but customers are suffering in one form or another.
I have switched to Vodafone but that was due to technical issues that my Sony phone only worked on the Optus & Vodafone network, but not on Telstra. I believe it was a Sony issue. I went with Vodafone as at the time they had $219 12 months prepaid.
P.S. I have noticed I get a better signal with Vodafone at home, & this is "centre" of Sydney stuff!
My sister has a landline with a huge antenna out in the middle of the bush that was provided at no charge by Telstra.
Large corporations have form when it comes to deceiving the consumer. So no surprise from me.
tell you that my Wife's Optus network is poor most places we travel - my Telstra
account is I reckon 75% more reliable AT LEAST. The more remote the better
the comparison with signal strength and even availability at all.
So often a stronger signal, or usable signal where the Optus is non-compus . . .
Forget Vodaphone anywhere other than the suburbs.
As to cost - I consistently get pricing from Optus and inevitably they have to
admit that they cannot that they cannot match the pricing of Tls.
I have (in the family) 6 mobile devices and in the shared data arrangement
I have 1080GB at cost direct debit $296.
And they supplied and installed free in my house an external antenna and CelFi
no charge.
Seems ok to me.
B
We have unlimited Gs for $93 month with Telstra. They suggested this plan when we paying $120. Our distance travelling is restricted now, but I don't recall too many problems with them in the past.
We were on wireless for a month or so, but we canned it and went back on NBN. Weak signal and too many dropouts which they seemed unable to fix. That"s in a Melbourne suburb!!!!!
I think that this sudden outrage by Vodaphone is really a marketing ploy to draw attention to their doubling of network coverage. A rubbish city centric network doubled is still a rubbish city network.
Of course, we all know that if you want remote/bush coverage, forget Vodafone.
Optus is often OK as a good supplement to the only real choice, Telstra Retail network, either direct from Telstra or from Boost.
Even though we don't travel much these days, our choice was Boost Long Expiry on my Apple iPhone 16 and Woolworths reward on my wife's Apple iPhone 15 ProMax. To round out our communications package, we have a non-NBM internet provided by Occom using Building Fibre Networks fibre To The Premises and RedTrain satellite to a Point Of Interconnect.
Edit ... No 'Landline'/or VOIP equivalent
-- Edited by Cupie on Monday 2nd of June 2025 12:45:16 PM
Vodafone more than doubled its network coverage in Australia by entering into a regional network sharing agreement with Optus.
This deal allows Vodafone to access Optus's regional mobile network sites, increasing its coverage from approximately 400,000 to 1,000,000 square kilometers.
Vodafone now reaches 98.4% of the Australian population (Optus is 98.5%).
Vodafone also gained access to Optus's mobile spectrum, leading to improved service quality and speeds for its customers.
I bought Starlink Mini. Changed mine and my wife's phone to Vodaphone at a special rate of $39 per month with 100 GB. Will increase to $49 after 12 months. I got rid of NBN ages ago and have now got rid of my Netgear 5G Nighthawk subscription. (Nighthawk is for sale if anyone is interested ... PM me). Starlink Mini runs off of 240 volt or 12 volt (need an updated at least 100w cigarette lighter to cover the 5 metre cord. Anything longer than that you need to run via Anderson plug with converter (about $100 or thereabouts). So When I am travelling I change the Starlink mini to ROAM ($195 per month) then when home change to RESIDENTIAL ($135 per month. Both unlimited internet and Wifi calling. So .... Anywhere, anytime I have Internet and can make and receive calls and messages. Works a treat and has not missed a beat. Starlink IS the future and Telstra is already talking to them. Why the Government is spending $6 Billion on the NBN to "finish it off" is a waste of money as it is now obsolete.
-- Edited by cjt55 on Saturday 7th of June 2025 10:05:31 AM
It is not smart to have all the eggs in the same basket. Musk could turn Starlink off at any moment. NBN is under our control and is a much more robust system.
Telstra is contracted by the Government to provide the Universal Mobile Service Obligation.
Telstra launches Australia's first direct-to-satellite text messaging service - ABC News
Cheers,
Peter
Oops .. I think that I should have done a little research before making my previous post criticising Vodafone's network. Sorry.
It seems that Optus has utilised spare mobile network capacity to make a 'sale' to Vodafone. A strange decision as it removes Vodafone's main restriction from becoming a real player. Optus may need cash to fund its move into the next technology or The Singapore Govt is preparing to exit Optus. A great & astounding win by Vodafone.
Maybe the move by the big boys T & O into the low orbit satellite technology a la Starlink, is a factor. Big $s involved.
I agree that it is dangerous to become too reliant on a (brilliant) nut case like Musk.
Our society is dangerously exposed to technology controlled by increasingly aggressive & unstable Govts like China and USA. (think kill switches in solar arrays; services networks like power water etc etc controlled by 'internet' access; god knows what secret stuff is installed in the current generation of cars. Who knows what the yanks will secretly install in military hardware that they sell us at ridiculous prices .. and may deliver someday? )