5G coverage maps in Australia

With the 5G network rollout making decent progress in Australia, Telstra, Optus and Vodafone are all in tight competition to provide the most expansive next-gen network in the country. As it stands, Telstra has the largest 5G network, while Vodafone is still catching up, but what might surprise you is that Optus actually has the fastest 5G download speeds of the bunch; an honour usually reserved for Telstra. In fact, each of the three network providers have their own strengths and weaknesses in the world of 5G.

Still, performance only matters if you can actually get 5G coverage in your area. Keep reading for more information on Australian 5G coverage maps.

To find out which Australian telco offers the best 5G coverage in your area, check out the map below. Simple zero in on your address, and use the dropdown toggle to compare 5G coverage maps in your area.

Alternativel, head over to our mobile plan search engine and enter your address in the Coverage Check field to see which 5G networks are available in your area. 

It probably comes at no surprise that Telstra is leading the 5G race in Australia. At last estimate, Telstra 5G had made its way to 80% of Australians and the network grows by the day. The map below lets you know whether Telstra 5G is available in your area. 

Telstra offers 5G access on all of its Upfront SIM plans and prepaid mobile plans (though speed caps apply to select plans). 

If you want a cheaper way to access the most expansive 5G network in Australia, these Telstra MVNOs will hook you up: 

• Spintel
• Boost Mobile
• Belong
• Woolworths Mobile
• Mate
• Tangerine
• Numobile
• Exetel
• More Telecom
• Superloop

Check the coverage map below to see if you can get Telstra 5G in your area. 

Telstra has opened up 5G access to a number of MVNOs— smaller providers that use parts of the Telstra network.

The Telstra network reaches 99.5% of Australians, while the Telstra Wholesale network covers slightly fewer Australians at roughly 98.8% of the population. 

Boost Mobile is the only other provider with access to the full Telstra network but Telstra MVNOs still have access to more coverage than Optus and Vodafone. 

Still, Telstra 5G only reaches part of the telco's total network (roughly 80% at last check.) 

If you’re more interested in a prepaid plan, there are a few providers who will connect you to Telstra 5G even if you recharge every month instead of a monthly bill.

If the NBN isn't giving you the service you need, you might be eligible for 5G home broadband at home. Telstra won't give you unlimited data, but it will give you 1TB for $85 per month. You can try Telstra 5G Home for one month for $1 and you won't pay a thing extra if you want to cancel. If you do decide to stay, Telstra will give you 12 months of  the sports streaming service Kayo's Basic plan, plus 2 months of Foxtel's streaming service Binge.  

Telstra may have the most expansive 5G network in Australia, the second-largest mobile network provider, Optus, provides a competitive 5G experience too. According to OpenSignal's ongoing 5G experience report, Optus 5G has provided the fastest 5G download speeds out of all three providers across consecutive reports. It's also shares joint win with Telstra for the best 5G video experience. While the Optus 5G network is still growing, at the time of writing, Optus explicitly states that its 5G coverage isn't currently available in Northern Territory. 

Optus has also opened up its 5G network to select MVNOs, you don't necessarily need to sign up to Optus to access the telco's 5G network. Here are the Optus MVNOs that offer 5G:

• Amaysim (Prepaid)
• Aussie Broadband (Postpaid)
• SpinTel (Postpaid)
• Southern Phone (Postpaid)

Use the map below to find out whether you can get Optus 5G coverage in your area. 

5G plans from Optus itself start at $49 per month on the Optus Choice Plus plan. That comes with unlimited calls and text and 30GB of monthly data. If you want to try Optus 5G for a little less, Southern Phone offers 20GB per month on its $30 Small 5G SIM Plan. Here's a short list of popular postpaid plans on the Optus 5G network.

If you'd rather recharge your credit than pay a bill, Amaysim will be your best option for Optus 5G on a prepaid plan. Optus does offer 5G access on its "Flex" prepaid plans but not on its better-value Epic Data and Epic Value plans. Here's a quick look at popular Amaysim plans with 5G access.

The Optus 5G network has the biggest selection for 5G home broadband plans. Optus, Yomojo and Spintel offer 5G home plans; starting at $63 per month with Spintel's offer. Here's a small selection of 5G home broadband plans that use the Optus network.

Vodafone may be the smallest 5G network in Australia but it's growing every day and still manages to offer impressive service. In OpenSignal's most recent mobile experience report, Vodafone took out two wins in the 5G category: 5G Game Experience and 5G Voice App Experience. The former measures gaming activity on the 5G network and analyses how much latency (or lag) was experienced, as well as the impact of packet loss and jitter. The Voice App category, on the other hand, scores the performance of over-the-top voice apps such as Skype and Facebook Messenger. So even though Vodafone's 5G network has to make some ground to catch up on coverage, the current state of the network performs admirably. 

Vodafone itself currently offers 5G postpaid and prepaid mobile, as well as 5G home broadband. There are fewer Vodafone MVNOs, compared to Telstra and Optus, but Lebara can give you a 5G prepaid SIM with decent international inclusions. 

Here's a list of Vodafone MVNOs offering 5G products: 

• Lebara (prepaid mobile)
• iiNet (5G home broadband)
• TPG (5G home broadband)
• Internode (5G home broadband)

For postpaid mobile plans on Vodafone 5G, your only option is the network provider itself. Vodafone won't charge you anything extra for 5G access and the three plans on offer are priced generously. Here's what's available:

Vodafone and MVNO Lebara both sell prepaid plans on the Vodafone 5G network. Lebara's Extra Large Prepaid plan is a popular option, netting you 80GB at $44.90 per 30-day renewal. It also comes with unlimited standard national calls and text, 300 international minutes to Zone 1 countries, 50 international minutes to Zone 2 countries and the ability to bank up to 200GB of unused data. 

5G Home Broadband is where Vodafone MVNOs pick up the slack. Vodafone, TPG, Internode and iiNet all offer some version of 5G home broadband. The plans look all look very similar side-by-side; unlimited downloads with a 50Mbps speed cap; the only thing that changes significantly between the providers is monthly cost. iiNet, Internode and TPG all come in cheaper at $59.99 per month, whereas Vodafone charges $65 per month (though you can also save an extra $5 per month on Vodafone if you already have a mobile plan.)

Take a look at the table below for a quick round-up of Vodafone-powered 5G plans:

Telstra, Optus and Vodafone are all rolling out their own 5G networks across Australia but that doesn’t mean you have to sign up with one of the big three for 5G access. Aussie Broadband, Belong, Boost and Mate are just a few of the MVNOs already offering 5G plans. The table below displays the most popular 5G mobile plans currently available in Australia through each network.