Which mobile providers use the Telstra network?

Brands on the Telstra network, September 2026

We checked each brand's own coverage page or Critical Information Summary (CIS) rather than relying on lists elsewhere, because resellers change networks and close more often than those lists are updated. The second column is the brand's own description of what it uses.

The full Telstra network and Telstra Wholesale

Telstra sells access to its network to other brands through Telstra Wholesale. Telstra Wholesale says plainly that its mobile network "uses part of Telstra's mobile network". It says the wholesale network has predicted coverage in all major cities, most outer-metro areas and larger regional centres, and many smaller towns and transport corridors, and that it covers more than 1.4 million km² of Australia's landmass, which it says is larger than either Optus or Vodafone.

Telstra's own network is bigger again. Telstra says it covers 75% more of Australia than either Optus or Vodafone, and its FY26 results (August 2026) describe a footprint 900,000 km² larger than any other operator's. The gap between the two Telstra footprints is mostly land outside the towns: highways, farming districts and remote areas.

You will still see older figures quoted, such as wholesale coverage of 98.8% of the population. Those predate the ACMA's coverage-map standard, which since 30 June 2026 has required every operator to publish maps using the same four categories (good, moderate, basic and no coverage). Telstra's current wholesale pages give an area figure and no population percentage, so compare maps rather than percentages.

Does any reseller get the full Telstra network?

Of the brands we checked, only Boost Mobile says it uses the full network: its coverage page says it is on the full Telstra Prepaid Mobile Network. Belong says it uses "parts of Telstra's 4G and 5G mobile network", without using the word wholesale. Every other reseller we checked names the Telstra Wholesale Mobile Network.

Telstra's own prepaid service is worth a note too. Its prepaid CIS (for offers from 5 May 2026) gives access to the Telstra Mobile Network excluding 5G Standalone sites, so even Telstra's prepaid customers do not get every part of the network its postpaid customers can.

5G on the Telstra network

Telstra says you need three things for 5G: a compatible device, an eligible plan and to be in a 5G coverage area. Its 5G Standalone network also needs a compatible SIM. Telstra's FY25 annual report put its 5G population coverage at around 95%.

Resellers have been able to sell 5G on the wholesale network since 2022; Telstra announced in May 2022 that wholesale 5G would be available from July that year. Not every reseller plan includes it, though. ALDI Mobile says 5G is available only in selected areas and with selected plans, Pennytel includes it on its larger plans, and TeleChoice has at least one prepaid plan that is 4G only. Boost says all its prepaid plans include Telstra's 5G Non-Standalone network. Check the plan, not just the brand.

Speed caps on Telstra resellers

Reseller plans are commonly speed capped. Telstra Wholesale publishes the speed tiers resellers can buy, with 5G tiers of 10–100 Mbps, 10–150 Mbps and 10–250 Mbps. ALDI Mobile, for example, says its 4G plans are capped at 100 Mbps and its 5G plans at 150 Mbps, with one 5G plan capped at 250 Mbps.

A cap is a ceiling, not a promise. Actual speed depends on your location, your phone, how busy the tower is and your distance from it. For browsing, messaging, maps and video streaming on a phone, a 100 Mbps cap is rarely the limiting factor. It matters more if you use your phone as a hotspot for a laptop or download large files.

Is a Telstra reseller as good as Telstra?

For most people in cities, the coverage will be the same, because the wholesale network covers the cities and larger regional centres. The honest answer depends on where you go. If you live, work or regularly drive outside those areas, look up each place on both maps: Telstra's own map and the reseller's (Telstra Wholesale's map covers the wholesale footprint). The ACMA requires the three operators to give their reseller partners standardised maps to show customers.

Other differences are about the plan rather than the towers: speed caps, whether 5G is included, customer service, international roaming options, and extras. Telstra, for example, includes its satellite messaging service on its Upfront Mobile Plans, which works with compatible phones outside mobile coverage but cannot be used to call or text 000. Compare those features the same way you would between any two brands.

Brands that have left the Telstra network

Lists of Telstra resellers go out of date quickly. Lycamobile moved its customers from the Telstra network to Vodafone between 24 May and the end of June 2024. Superloop now uses the Telstra Wholesale network for new mobile services after previously selling on Optus, and says some older Superloop services remain on Optus. numobile's site says it is not offering products to new customers. If a list you are reading still has Lycamobile on Telstra, it predates mid-2024.

How to check which network a brand uses

Look for the network wording on the brand's coverage page or in its Critical Information Summary. The phrase "Telstra Wholesale Mobile Network" is used consistently by brands on the wholesale footprint; "the full Telstra network" or similar is how a brand signals the full network. If a brand only says it uses "the Telstra network", ask which one before you buy. Our network map lists every brand we have checked across all three networks.