The best mobile broadband plans for data on the go

For those with patchy WiFi at home or who are constantly working on their iPad or tablet throughout the day on the go, you might want to consider getting mobile broadband. Let’s take a look at our round-up of the best mobile broadband plans, but first, we’ll explain how it all works.

If you’re looking for the best dollar-for-data deal, there’s no going past Belong's 400GB mobile broadband plan. It has one of the largest mobile broadband plans out, and charges a surprisingly affordable $70 per month.

That works out to be roughly 17 cents per gigabyte. 

This plan is subject to speed caps, however. You're limited to speeds of 180Mbps on 4G, and 250Mbps on 5G. If you go over your data allowance, you'll be capped to 1Mbps, but won't pay extra fees. 

You'll also need to bring your own portable hotspot, dongle, or tablet. Belong doesn't sell any devices to go with its mobile broadband plans. 

Here's how Belong's plan compares to other cheap options with at least 50GB:

Optus is offering 20GB of data for $20 per month on its Optus Choice Plus Data mobile broadband plan. That shakes out at exactly $1 per GB, making it a no-nonsense month-to-month plan for Optus 5G connectivity on the go. Optus also offers data sharing on its mobile broadband plans which allows you to share your 20GB with other phone or data SIMs attached to the same account. 

If you go over, speeds are capped at 1.5Mbps, which means no excess data charges. This Optus plan can you get discounted access to Optus Sport + OS Fitness. You'll pay $6.99 per month instead of the full $24.99 per month. 

Here are more popular SIM-only Optus mobile broadband plans:

Telstra’s Upfront Data Plan Large provides a massive 400GB for $85 monthly fee. Like Optus, Telstra caps speeds for its non-prepaid mobile broadband plans at 1.5Mbps if you go over. Still, that 400GB monthly cap works out to a very respectable 92GB of data per week.

Another plus is you’ll get access to Telstra’s expanding 5G network as well as data-free Apple Music.

You can also share your data with up to 10 eligible Upfront services on the same account, which is great if you're already a Telstra customer. 

Telstra also has $15 Extra Small, $25 Small and $55 Medium mobile broadband plans (in addition to a few prepaid options), so if you find you aren’t finishing your data balance at the end of the month, you can always consider switching to a lower data plan.

If you don’t already have a modem, you can purchase one through Telstra.

These start at $99 for a 4G-ready dongle, or at $399.88 if you want 5G connectivity. Any Telstra mobile broadband modem can be paid off over 12, 24 or 36 months.

Telstra also has more affordable 4G prepaid dongle and hotspot options. 

Here are more popular SIM-only Upfront Telstra mobile broadband plans:

Vodafone has a knack for throwing in bonus data with its SIM Only mobile plans, and its mobile broadband plans are also part of this trend. You’ll find the best value from the Vodafone 100GB SIM Only Modem Plan, which costs $60 a month for 150GB of data (including a regularly extended 50GB of bonus data).

Unlike Optus and Telstra, Vodafone charges $10 per extra gigabyte if you go over your monthly allowance.

Here are more popular Vodafone SIM-only mobile broadband plans:

Assuming Vodafone continues its bonus-data trend, the best cheap mobile data plan in terms of dollar-to-data value is the Vodafone 10GB Red Mobile Plan. For $20 a month, you get 10GB of base data and 20GB of bonus data, which works out to 6.9GB of data per week. 

Here are more cheap mobile broadband plans under $30 per month:

amaysim’s 90GB Data Plan offers the most data and best value for a prepaid plan and comes in at $60 per month, even though it’s a 28-day plan, which means you’ll have to recharge one extra time if you keep it for a year. You’ll also have to BYO your own modem or SIM card-compatible laptop or tablet, but you won’t have to worry about excess data charges.

If 90GB is too much for your usage, amaysim also offers 7GB for $15 or 50GB for $40. 

amaysim is powered by the Optus 4G network. 

Here are more cheap prepaid mobile broadband plans:

Mobile broadband works in the same way that internet on your mobile phone operates. You need to be in range of a mobile tower on the network your telco uses to offer mobile broadband, which will be either Telstra, Optus or Vodafone. Like a mobile phone, the strength of the mobile broadband signal will determine overall download and upload speeds.

Most plans are offered on the respective 4G mobile networks of Australia, which means downloads can theoretically reach as fast as 100Mbps and up to 50Mbps upload. In reality, speeds are likely to be noticeably slower, as a number of factors come into play, including reception strength and the level of congestion on the mobile tower your internet connection is using.

Now with the theory out of the way, there are heaps of plans to pick from; so, which is right for your needs?

Essentially, before picking a mobile broadband plan, you’ll need to ask yourself the following questions:

If you're on the fence about mobile broadband, here are some of the main pros and cons. 

We'd recommend mobile broadband for on-the-go usage or a dedicated SIM in a tablet or laptop, rather than replacing a home internet connection. 

Telstra and Belong's 400GB mobile broadband plans could be enough for a primary internet connection for some users, however. 

If you still haven't found the right plan, here's a daily updating list of the cheap SIM-only mobile broadband plans.