Boost Mobile
Boost runs on the full Telstra prepaid network, not the reduced wholesale footprint that other Telstra-based budget brands ride. In a capital city that distinction is worth almost nothing. Outside one it is the entire reason to pay Boost's prices, because the wholesale footprint thins out first in exactly the fringe areas where you notice coverage at all.
- Full Telstra retail coverage, the only prepaid brand that gets it
- Data rollover if you recharge before your current pack expires
- Unlimited international calls to 20 countries on every plan from $39 up, plus 300 minutes and 300 texts to 30 more
- Prepaid, so no bill shock and no contract
- The $74 plan is uncapped, no speed limit at all
- Dearer than every other Telstra-network budget brand for the same data
- Bonus data on your first recharge makes the plans look better than they are ongoing
- Speed capped at 150Mbps on the two mid tiers
- Prepaid only, no postpaid billing
- No official APN settings published anywhere on boost.com.au
Boost Mobile sells one thing no other prepaid brand in Australia sells: the full Telstra retail network. Not a slice of it, not the wholesale version other budget brands rent. The same towers and the same reach into regional Australia, on prepaid recharges that start well below what Telstra charges directly.
That's a genuinely strong pitch. It's also the reason Boost costs more than every other Telstra-based budget brand, which is the comparison that actually decides whether it's right for you.
Current plans
Five 28-day recharges, confirmed on 21 August 2026 from Boost's own prepaid plans page:
Recharge | Ongoing data | First renewal | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|
$28 | 8GB | 8GB | not stated |
$39 | 30GB | 60GB | capped at 150Mbps |
$49 | 45GB | 75GB | capped at 150Mbps |
$59 | 55GB | 105GB | capped at 250Mbps |
$74 | 100GB | 150GB | uncapped |
The "first renewal" column is the part to read carefully. New activations get inflated data for the first recharge, then the allowance drops to the ongoing figure and stays there. The $39 plan is a 30GB plan that looks like a 60GB plan for one month. Budget on the left column.
Every plan from $39 up includes unlimited standard national calls and texts, unlimited international calls to 20 countries, 300 minutes and 300 texts to 30 more, data rollover and 5G access. The $28 plan is the exception: no international inclusions at all. Boost also sells shorter 7-day recharges and longer-life SIMs that we haven't independently confirmed current pricing for, so this table covers the 28-day range only.
Compare these against every other current plan, including the other Telstra-network options, in the full comparison table.
Full network versus wholesale
This is the whole argument for Boost, so it's worth being precise about it.
Most budget brands on Telstra buy wholesale access, which covers a large share of the population but is a narrower footprint than a Telstra retail SIM gets. Boost is on the retail network. In Melbourne or Brisbane the difference is close to academic, and a cheaper Optus or Vodafone reseller will serve you just as well for less. On a property outside a regional town, on the Hume at night, three hours from a capital, that difference is the reason people pay for Boost.
So the honest question is never "Boost or Telstra", where Boost wins on price without breaking a sweat. It's "Boost or the other Telstra brands", and there it's a real contest: ALDImobile, TeleChoice and Belong all undercut it. The Telstra network hub lays out who sits where.
APN settings
Boost doesn't publish APN settings, and we're not going to guess them for you.
We checked every section of boost.com.au/help directly in August 2026 and confirmed there's no APN article anywhere on the official site. Boost's stated position is that handsets configure themselves when the SIM goes in, which is true for most phones sold in the last few years. If yours doesn't connect, call Boost. The values floating around aggregator sites aren't sourced from Boost, and wrong APN settings leave you with no mobile data rather than slow mobile data. Our Boost APN page carries what we have on record and says plainly that it isn't verified.
The honest verdict
Boost earns a solid 4 out of 5, and the rating is almost entirely about coverage. It does exactly what it advertises, with no contract and no bill shock, and it's the cheapest legitimate route onto Telstra's full retail network.
The buying rule is simple. If regional reach is the reason you're shopping, Boost is the answer and the premium is the price of the answer. If you live and commute inside a capital city, you are paying for coverage you will never use, and a cheaper brand on any of the three networks will do the same job. Check Telstra's own coverage map against your postcode before you decide, because coverage is the entire case for this one.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Boost Mobile use the Telstra network?
- Yes, the full Telstra prepaid network. That is the difference between Boost and the other Telstra-based budget brands, which run on the narrower Telstra Wholesale footprint.
- Why does my data drop after the first month?
- Boost gives new activations extra data on the first recharge, then the allowance settles to the ongoing figure. The $39 plan, for instance, is 60GB on the first renewal and 30GB every renewal after. Judge a plan on the ongoing number.
- Is Boost cheaper than Telstra?
- For comparable data, yes, by a real margin. It is usually dearer than other Telstra-network brands like ALDImobile, TeleChoice or Belong, which is the trade for the wider footprint.
- What are Boost Mobile's APN settings?
- Boost doesn't publish them. We checked every section of boost.com.au/help directly in August 2026 and found no APN article anywhere on the official site. Boost's position is that handsets configure themselves. If yours doesn't, call Boost support rather than trusting values from a third-party site.