That’s awesome. Because I was going to buy an extender for emergencies.
But now I think I will just buy the starlink mini to put on top of the car when going out bush. (Yes I know the texting will work without the starlink mini dish.)
This technology will continue to mature and will initially support sending and receiving text messages, and in the longer term, voice and low speed data to smartphones across Australia when outdoors with a clear line of site to the sky.
With Telstra involved, it wont be cheap. But it will service areas that the other majority foreign owned Telcos wont.
Telstra isn’t that badly priced IMHO. Can get an 50gb of 5g (then slowed to 1.5mb) - both hotspotable along with unlimited txts and local phone calls and 30 minutes of international calls and unlimited international texts.
All for just $65aud in a country as sparsely populated as Australia. (Yes I had 5g data in a few remote mining towns while Optus the closest contender had nothing.)
If you want more data you can spend an extra $10 and get 180gb
If you are really tight though you could go through JBHIFI/ Good Guys which partnered with Telstra. (THEY ARE NOT AN MVNO RATHER THEY ARE SIMPLY REMARKETING THE TELSTRA PLANS) and get a $900 gift card to spend on whatever in the store. - You are locked in for 24 months but you only have to pay the residual amount of the gift card to break the contract… this brings you down to an average of around $40 a month for 300gb
So expensive. My plan is $25 a month 
You get what you pay for really. With anything other than Telstra I simply find there is often no coverage outside of cities.
If you need the telstra network Boost mobile is the only MVNO with the full telstra network as they are a subsidiary of Telstra (the others using Telstra only get the wholesale network). $26 a month (although monthly with them means 28 days)
Aldi and Tangerine are on the Telstra network too
Yes but only on the “wholesale network”. Not the “full network.”
It’s a massive difference when leaving the city…
Ohhh I didn’t know there was a difference!
I’m cheap and am on Felix
They piggy back off the Vodafone network…
I know but I’m connect to wifi 80%+ of the time I use my phone. At home and at work, and I don’t live or work in the country so I’d rather save some $$$
Might as well to make up for the ridiculous housing costs…
Cost of living crisis = $25 phone bills are unaffordable
(Or is it the $1,500 iPhone everyone on minimum wage has? #crisis)
I also lie. It’s currently $12.50 a month for the first 3 months
Interesting
Did you read this before posting? What are the parts that you found interesting? Just curious…
That the article shows how Australians themselves would not agree with the OP’s title.
I could go to the slums of LA and get them to speak about how the U.S. economy is in the toilet. Or I could go to the Hollywood hills and be told how they are on fire!
literally!
Australians are generally more widely travelled than Americans…
Unfounded pessimism is rampant in Australia. It’s maddening.
Is inflation a bit of a problem? Sure. Is it a crisis? Not at all.
Australians with this attitude tend to be entitled which makes for great media.
My mum has $0 saved, $0 invested, earns $50,000 a year at 55 and just bought a $600 dishwasher she doesn’t need yet complains about the cost of living. She also orders Coles online instead of driving around the corner to Aldi. - most people complaining about cost of living also have their iPhone 16 in one hand and bubble tea in the other.
Annnd apologies for the rant but I’m soooooo sick of hearing ’cost of living crisis’ after being back in Au for 2 years and it’s just a load of waffle.
Should mention “$200ntd bubble milk tea in the other”
