mobile phone coverage

No contest, definately Telstra Next G.

It depends on whether you need frequent contact or will be going into remote areas where you may have a medical emergency or breakdown. For this, a satellite phone on the Iridium network is really the only way to go. Otherwise Telstra Next G is the only coverage suitable. This will give you coverage in and around most towns and up to 20 or 30 kms around if the terrain is fairly flat, in some Aboriginal communities and large mine sites, and along much of the major highways in the coastal fringes. Better coverage around these areas can be obtained with an external antenna. Any other networks or Telstra GSM is only any good in major towns and cities.

Check out the Telstra coverage maps for Next G and drill in to see more detail of the areas you want to go. The rest is satellite cover only.

Telstra coverage map

Motherhen

I agree,on our recent trip we took our Optus mobiles, USELESS, we purchased a Telstra Next G on the second day of the trip, far better coverage.

Cheers

Also add a decent external antenna for your Telstra Next G, you'll nearly double your range.

without a doubt telstra

Telstra NextG... look for the blue tick.

I have Virgin, and never again.

Absolutely hopeless, then all of a sudden at Windjana Gorge, & 5 km into the Bungle Bunugle, she fired up.

That mob are only interested in city and town coverage.

Next time Telstra
or better still, a duel sim card phone, so I can have the choice of 2 carriers.

Cheers Bucky

I would love to have telstra mobiles but we are locked in with Optus until december. We have telstra internet for our upcoming trip thankfully.

We will be mainly sticking to the coast of Australia, we arent travelling anywhere too remote until our kids are a bit older. Does anyone know what the coverage with Optus is like around the coast or should I try and get out of our contract with Optus early?

At this moment I am sitting in the Troopy at Loyalty Beach on the top of Cape York connected to the internet via a Telstra NextG modem probably at Bamaga. And that's pretty remote!

The mobile phone showed only one bar connectivity until connected to my external antenna which gave 5 bars. Telsta NextG is the only way in country areas but it also depends on the phone and maybe an external antenna.

But don't expect connectivity in the middle of the Simpson Desert!
For that I also have a satellite phone.