Mobile phone coverage.

[V8Ian]

ALL my cars and my Caravan have GPS trackers with a $15 Aldi sim, the sim lasts 12 months. Cheap insurance.
the tracker has a relay output so you can imobilise the car with an SMS message.
I recently swapped out the 3G trackers for 4G trackers, Any time I want to know where any of my cars is just a sms message and it comes back with lat long or a google map location. The trackers are about $100 each, cheap insurance. And easily concealed - hardwired.

cheaper insurance too.
Fine, providing the tracker can see a phone tower. There are many reasons why the tracker can't handshake a tower, out of range, lack of coverage with Aldi, shielded in a metal structure, either intentionally or by chance.
Trackers are not a primary deterrent, but definitely increase the chances of recovery.

[TonyC]

Fine, providing the tracker can see a phone tower. There are many reasons why the tracker can't handshake a tower, out of range, lack of coverage with Aldi, shielded in a metal structure, either intentionally or by chance.
Trackers are not a primary deterrent, but definitely increase the chances of recovery.

Aldi use the Telstra network, I have never seen my phone without coverage were a Telstra phone has coverage.

Tony

[V8Ian]

Aldi use parts of the Telstra network, I have never seen my phone without coverage were a Telstra phone has coverage.

Tony
Precisely how much is unknown, but assuming good coverage in the wider vicinity of Aldi stores.

[TonyC]

Precisely how much is unknown, but assuming good coverage in the wider vicinity of Aldi stores.

You are correct, parts of the Telstra network, given my experience with coverage I had assumed it was probably to do with data speed.

Am I correct in thinking Aldi don't operate stores in QLD?

Is your experience of Aldi coverage in QLD different to mine in Victorian and NSW regional and remote alpine areas?

Tony

[V8Ian]

We have Aldi in Queensland, but there are two Aldis. The two Aldi brothers own different parts of Aldi. One brother happily retails alcohol and tobacco, the other refuses to. Queensland has supermarkets operated by the latter. The brothers have amicably divided the world up, in order that they do not compete with each other. I believe the marketing, logistics and buying power is common.
I have found Optus to offer the best geographical coverage in Australia.

[TonyC]

OK, so you made me go on a search 😁

According to Whistleout

Telstra vs. Boost vs. Belong vs. ALDI Mobile coverage and others | WhistleOut (https://www.whistleout.com.au/MobilePhones/Guides/Telstra-network-coverage-vs-ALDI-Woolworths-Belong-Boost)

Aldi and others operate on the Telstra wholesale network which covers 98.8% of the population vs Telstra that covers 99.6%.

I haven't found which 0.8% of the population miss out on Aldi and the other virtual carriers

Boost mobile apparently use the full Telstra network

It's worse on 5G but I havent caught up to 5G yet.

Tony

[TonyC]

We have Aldi in Queensland, but there are two Aldis. The two Aldi brothers own different parts of Aldi. One brother happily retails alcohol and tobacco, the other refuses to. Queensland has supermarkets operated by the latter. The brothers have amicably divided the world up, in order that they do not compete with each other. I believe the marketing, logistics and buying power is common.
I have found Optus to offer the best geographical coverage in Australia.

Re the Optus comment, certainly not the case in my area, or according to this map
Mobile Coverage (https://www.mobilecoverage.com.au/)

But you have driven more of the Hwys and byways of the country than most of us.

Apologies to WhatlsClocks for the thread hijack, but it is the way on AULRO😇

Tony

[V8Ian]

The following posts have been cut from another thread, as they are off topic, but it would be interesting to know which providers work where. Please add your recent experiences.

Population based figures make coverage appear almost universal, great if you never venture far from cities and large towns. But what about the vast number of outback areas that attract Land Rover owners and even owners of lesser marques, who strive to follow us? [wink11]
Check the coverage between Marla, Oodnadatta, Marree, Noccundra and Cunnamulla. Optus has coverage in all of them and every settlement in between.

[goingbush]

Fine, providing the tracker can see a phone tower. There are many reasons why the tracker can't handshake a tower, out of range, lack of coverage with Aldi, shielded in a metal structure, either intentionally or by chance.
Trackers are not a primary deterrent, but definitely increase the chances of recovery.

Aldi uses Telstra , for SMS anywhere there is a Telstra 4G signal, it will work.

I dont know of any tracker that will work without being able to communicate somehow, either by wifi , sat or phone. These ones I use will work inside a closed metal shed. They also have movement sensors and geofencing, so any unauthorised movement will be detected.

Hey, its not perfect but better than nothing.

You could also conceal an old phone with a charge cable wired in and use 'wheres my phone' or similar ap.

[p38arover]

Aldi use the Telstra network, I have never seen my phone without coverage were a Telstra phone has coverage.

Tony
I’ve seen my Aldi service being unavailable many time when outside major regional areas, e.g., driving north out of Canberra to Yass. If you compare the Telstra service map with the Aldi one, you’ll see many differences.

[prelude]

How about apple airtags? They get picked up by other iDevices and then when one of those strays into range of the internet reports it's last known position. Surely any thieves will want to at some point have use of their acquired goods or sell them on or whatever and they will want to use their phones at some point... I mean, you do not want to look at what coverage your asset gets, you want to look at the coverage your potential thief gets and this way, you are pretty much (drumroll please) covered! :P

Cheers,
-P

[Slunnie]

OK, so you made me go on a search 😁

According to Whistleout

Telstra vs. Boost vs. Belong vs. ALDI Mobile coverage and others | WhistleOut (https://www.whistleout.com.au/MobilePhones/Guides/Telstra-network-coverage-vs-ALDI-Woolworths-Belong-Boost)

Aldi and others operate on the Telstra wholesale network which covers 98.8% of the population vs Telstra that covers 99.6%.

I haven't found which 0.8% of the population miss out on Aldi and the other virtual carriers

Boost mobile apparently use the full Telstra network

It's worse on 5G but I havent caught up to 5G yet.

Tony

I was under the impression Boost was the only reselling company that had access to the full Telstra network.

[V8Ian]

I was under the impression Boost was the only reselling company that had access to the full Telstra network.
Me too.

[JDNSW]

I have marginal Telstra coverage here, although there are some parts of the property have good coverage. But there is no coverage for 90% of the road between here and town*. Similarly, I and my family make multiple trips between here and Yass, and there are many parts of this route where Telstra connectivity is missing.

None of my visitors here using any other carrier have had any connection, anywhere on the property.

Note that all the carrier's coverage maps show predicted coverage, not actual, measured, coverage, and this is known to be inaccurate.

* About 10km out of town, on my way in, there is a well worn patch of road shoulder, just before the level crossing before Brocklehurst, about half a kilometre past the crest where coverage starts, and inbound drivers get a series of alerts about missed calls. It is commonplace to see cars pulled up there with the driver on the phone!

[Tins]

I live maybe 30 Ks from the Melbourne CBD, reasonably high up. I can see the city lights through the trees. Reception here is awful to non existent. I have often checked with visitors. One may have some bars with one carrier while another will have none with another. Five minutes later the situation can reverse. Or, neither will have any at all. So, it makes no difference, I cannot rely on mobile service here. It makes those two factor authorisation text messages a PITA. Currently I am using ALDI 5G because it's cheap and just as good as anything else here.
When I was on the road I found that only the main carriers were good enough, the on-sellers didn't have the coverage. But, that was some years ago now and things will have changed. All the providers should have coverage on the major corridors. Of course, the short range of the individual transmitters, and the limited antennae of the various phones, will cause dropouts.
The upcoming SMS over satellite services are interesting. Seems though that nobody can agree on that either. Apparently  is using LEO sats, while Goggle has gone with the other. Sigh.

[3toes]

Think the coverage maps are drawn by sales people not the techie. Can drive into Harrogate which according to the maps has total and good coverage and have no signal at all in quite a few places. Other you might get 3G if you are lucky. There is very limited coverage around here once you leave the town or village

Being a small country size wise you would think that by now all would have coverage but no. Of course there is a commercial decision by the service providers and cost analysis that says a large part of the country has no or limited coverage as not enough users to justify the spend

[oka374]

We've just been away wandering through northern NSW and QLD up until about level with Bundaberg but inland between the New England in NSW and Monto in the north over a couple of months
Mostly bush camping with the occasional stay in showgrounds or a park to do the washing and resupply.
Two Telstra 5g mobiles, one Boost 5g and one Vodaphone 5g. Vodaphone was a waste once we left the main highway or towns and often went with no service for weeks.
The other three quite often had one bar but even in large towns we noticed that general signal levels were low and once you left towns or main roads there was often no signal or only enough to send text messages. I suspect that with the demise of 3g the reach of the higher frequencies in 4 and 5g don't go as far. We also noticed that while we still had signal of an evening that it was useless probably due to congestion.
The Starlink worked well even in virtually full rainforest ;-)) with two small motorhomes streaming TV nearly every night and quite often phone calls were better through it than the phone network.

[cjc_td5]

How about apple airtags? They get picked up by other iDevices and then when one of those strays into range of the internet reports it's last known position. Surely any thieves will want to at some point have use of their acquired goods or sell them on or whatever and they will want to use their phones at some point... I mean, you do not want to look at what coverage your asset gets, you want to look at the coverage your potential thief gets and this way, you are pretty much (drumroll please) covered! [emoji14]

Cheers,
-PThe biggest issue with using airtags as trackers is that the thief's phone will get a notification that an airtag is following it, so they know to go find it on the vehicle or torch it. The notification thing was in response to ex husbands conceiling an airtag on their exs' car, then stalking them.

[prelude]

Ah yes, completely defeats the purpose of airtags. Way to go :(

Also, Starlink working in the rain forest? Would you have a pic or description of the situation since I tried it in something like 50% foliage and I got time-outs every few minutes. Sure they were short enough for your average streaming service to have enough buffer to survive but I reckon a phone call would be interrupted or at least have a "hole" in there somewhere :)

On topic, it seems that if I get a local sim Telstra is the way to go...

-P

[V8Ian]

Ah yes, completely defeats the purpose of airtags. Way to go :(

Also, Starlink working in the rain forest? Would you have a pic or description of the situation since I tried it in something like 50% foliage and I got time-outs every few minutes. Sure they were short enough for your average streaming service to have enough buffer to survive but I reckon a phone call would be interrupted or at least have a "hole" in there somewhere :)

On topic, it seems that if I get a local sim Telstra is the way to go...

-P
As reluctant as I am to recommend Optus, in your situation, that would be a better bet.
Use Optus, not an Optus reseller, they have physical shop fronts.

[Tins]

On topic, it seems that if I get a local sim Telstra is the way to go...

-P

Coverage is good from the Big Tee. Just make sure to read the fine print, particularly re their billing practices.

BTW, if you look at a sat image of Aus, you'll see just how much of it isn't rainforest.....

[prelude]

BTW, if you look at a sat image of Aus, you'll see just how much of it isn't rainforest.....

[bigrolf] touche mate!

I was just wondering about the performance in general in those conditions though just to get a feel for it.


As reluctant as I am to recommend Optus, in your situation, that would be a better bet.
Use Optus, not an Optus reseller, they have physical shop fronts.

I will definitely look into it, thanks for the pro-tip :) I have done no local research yet but I did note this site a while ago: Australia eSIM, from $7.00 AUD | World’s first eSIM store * Airalo (https://www.airalo.com/australia-esim) which would be very handy to use just about anywhere in the world and not troubles with finicky physical sim-cards. I have no clue though what will and will not work since I have no experience with them yet.

-P

[oka374]

After a lifetime as a full Telstra customer I've changed our mobiles to Boost as we still have full telstra coverage but at about a third the cost.
Also dumped the Telstra mobile modem and its data plan as the Starlink is replacing it, so the savings generated go some way to offsetting the Starlink cost.
As far as the nearly total tree cover affecting the Starlink performance it does and is noticeable on a phone call but data buffering seems to virtually remove any problems otherwise. If you can find a car sized hole in the tree cover in the right direction then it will work, something is better than nothing expecially if trying to arrange assistance.
I recently camped in a similar situation and I have a gen 2 Starlink and a bloke nearby had a Starlink Mini. He eventually gave up and packed it away while ours worked ok but with reduced speed and the occasional dropout on phone calls.
The problem with a mini and gen 3 is that while they are supposed to be able to look "sideways" it doesn't seem its as good as the dish being able to move itself to obtain the best signal. As the best direction can be anywhere from SE to SW it's a bit of a fiddle to get it looking the right direction manually. I know they all work in a flat position but lots of obstructions like trees do affect them.

[Tins]

I did note this site a while ago: Australia eSIM, from $7.00 AUD | World’s first eSIM store * Airalo (https://www.airalo.com/australia-esim) which would be very handy to use just about anywhere in the world and not troubles with finicky physical sim-cards. I have no clue though what will and will not work since I have no experience with them yet.

-P

Couple of folk on here have suggested Airalo in the past. I have the app but have had no reason yet t try it. Certainly cheap enough to use it in a pinch. I think most of the reseller mobs ( I use ALDI ) aren't doing eSim yet, although Aus spec phones are certainly capable of using them. I wish they would, as I have a use for two numbers, but Aus spec iPhones are not dual sim capable ( China and SE Asias spec ones are, US I believe are eSim only). What about yours? It's something to consider, as I think you will be stuck with the main carriers if you need eSim, but it's been a while since I looked.

[Tins]

Probably relevant to this thread:


https://youtu.be/CVQ90kHFUEw'si=vFImThkli-UkDAQz

[prelude]

My phone is esim capable, I have already used it a few times so that is ok. It's quite a nice solution too! I work as freelancer in IT and whenever I get a new gig these days they give me an esim and off we go.

It has been suggested that the esim solution (that is the provider that sells them) is not the cheapest solution, ie. buying a local card is often times less expensive but it many countries a lot of a hassle. You would need a local to buy it for you etc etc. so we'll just have to see. In any case, as long as the carrier behind the provider has the proper coverage we should be good?

Regarding starlink, I had the same kind of experience but at the time of me testing it in the woods I tried it tied down facing up, simulating fixing the dish to the roof. I am still in dubio as to what to do but perhaps I should digress in the starlink thread :)

-P

[prelude]

As was mentioned in the starlink thread: wifi calling. I started looking around and perhaps it is good to add to this thread a list of providers that allow / have provisions for wifi-calling:

Wireless carrier support and features for iPhone in Asia-Pacific - Apple Support (https://support.apple.com/en-us/109510)

Sure, this is apple but I guess it's the same for an android device since the providers need to support so as long as your device does you are set.

In any case, it seems that the provider from the esim link is not on there :(

-P

[Tins]

My phone is esim capable, I have already used it a few times so that is ok. It's quite a nice solution too! I work as freelancer in IT and whenever I get a new gig these days they give me an esim and off we go.

It has been suggested that the esim solution (that is the provider that sells them) is not the cheapest solution, ie. buying a local card is often times less expensive but it many countries a lot of a hassle. You would need a local to buy it for you etc etc. so we'll just have to see. In any case, as long as the carrier behind the provider has the proper coverage we should be good?



-P

You can just get a sim pack from, say, ALDI. You would need to provide details to activate, but I've never had to prove citizenship IIRC. No burners here though.

You might find more info here (https://www.whistleout.com.au/MobilePhones/Guides/Best-phone-plans-for-travellers-in-Australia), if you haven't already.

[Slunnie]

Couple of folk on here have suggested Airalo in the past. I have the app but have had no reason yet t try it. Certainly cheap enough to use it in a pinch. I think most of the reseller mobs ( I use ALDI ) aren't doing eSim yet, although Aus spec phones are certainly capable of using them. I wish they would, as I have a use for two numbers, but Aus spec iPhones are not dual sim capable ( China and SE Asias spec ones are, US I believe are eSim only). What about yours? It's something to consider, as I think you will be stuck with the main carriers if you need eSim, but it's been a while since I looked.

I use Airalo when travelling OS, it's a bit of a fiddle to setup and return, but a better and cheaper solution than roaming. On Airalo you still retain your original phone number. It can also access phone networks in countries where roaming wont work - for example Morocco, Iceland etc. That said, I don't think it would be a cheaper option to use in Australia.

I've got an Iphone13 which is eSim compatible. I think dual sim features will be obsolute very shortly with eSim functions.

[Tins]

I've got an Iphone13 which is eSim compatible. I think dual sim features will be obsolute very shortly with eSim functions.

Same here. Pretty sure all US iPhones are eSim only now. That's almost certain to follow here.  has a fair amount of clout with carriers. I imagine the big Android manufacturers, looking at you Samsung, do as well. Dual sim is pretty much the norm in China though.

[Slunnie]

Same here. Pretty sure all US iPhones are eSim only now. That's almost certain to follow here.  has a fair amount of clout with carriers. I imagine the big Android manufacturers, looking at you Samsung, do as well. Dual sim is pretty much the norm in China though.

My dad has the dual sim on an android phone bought from China. Makes me laugh because everything Google is blocked on it. :lol2:

[Tins]

Makes me laugh because everything Google is blocked on it. :lol2:
Where can I get one???

[V8Ian]

Where can I get one???China.

[Tins]

Got an email from my carrier today. I knew it was happening, and when ( 28/10/2024 ). Was surprised that they told me a phone they have listed for me, an old iPhone 5 that Jan had, would lose service as well. It's 4G capable, but not VoLTE apparently. I think this change is going to impact more things than a lot of us were aware of.

I'm glad none of my cars feel the need to connect to the cloud. For many, many reasons, lack of software updates being the least of them.

[4bee]

I’ve seen my Aldi service being unavailable many time when outside major regional areas, e.g., driving north out of Canberra to Yass. If you compare the Telstra service map with the Aldi one, you’ll see many differences.



I'll just toss this in for interest on this subject. Do-Do use Optus Has been fine for our/my use.

OPTUS is a part of SINGTEL

[4bee]

Got an email from my carrier today. I knew it was happening, and when ( 28/10/2024 ). Was surprised that they told me a phone they have listed for me, an old iPhone 5 that Jan had, would lose service as well. It's 4G capable, but not VoLTE apparently. I think this change is going to impact more things than a lot of us were aware of.

I'm glad none of my cars feel the need to connect to the cloud. For many, many reasons, lack of software updates being the least of them.


Aw I dunno John, it'd be easy to service but getting there & back with tools etc may present problems.[biggrin]

[3toes]

They are in the process of decommissioning the 3G network here. Has not been too much a problem for most mobile phone users as a 3G phone is going to be 10 years old and. It’s will have been long replaced. Where it is proving to be a problem is all the commercial products that still use 3G and will need to be replaced

[350RRC]

Got an email from my carrier today. I knew it was happening, and when ( 28/10/2024 ). Was surprised that they told me a phone they have listed for me, an old iPhone 5 that Jan had, would lose service as well. It's 4G capable, but not VoLTE apparently. I think this change is going to impact more things than a lot of us were aware of.

I'm glad none of my cars feel the need to connect to the cloud. For many, many reasons, lack of software updates being the least of them.

Just get an iPhone SE John. I baulked twice then did it. I don't need 5 cameras in a phone, they can get a free upgrade to iOS 17, handle all the different networks, etc, no brainer. They're still available and still the size as a 5.

DL

[Tins]

Just get an iPhone SE John. I baulked twice then did it. I don't need 5 cameras in a phone, they can get a free upgrade to iOS 17, handle all the different networks, etc, no brainer. They're still available and still the size as a 5.

DL

I keep the 5 for sentimental reasons only. Got a later model for me.

[superquag]

China.

How about the Usual Suspects, 'Doogee'. et al, from BAnggood or Alibaba etc ? Saw a nice one with inbuilt thermal camera... around $350 US

My 2017 Banggood -for- Bali-holiday' android is still working & comforting to carry as a last-ditch spare. Holds it's charge for months. [biggrin] And yes, is Dual Sim. About $100. from fading memory

[superquag]

I keep the 5 for sentimental reasons only. Got a later model for me.

Went from a hand-me-down 4S. to. Wife's Original SE.... then her superseded '7'..... now another hand-me-down iPhoneX
Still prefer the SE for pocket-size and 3.5mm headset jack....
Seven has been the most rugged, and the X. feels enormous... but will be great for reading long(er) stuff. A protective case is gunna be an arm & leg...[bighmmm]
SE had the best case, yet rarely fell out / dropped, the 7 in a 'folder' case proved more adventurous, (One protective glass but no new image-Screen).... this one will need a dedicated belt-box. Battery is $$s. enough, dontwannaknow about a screen replace !

[Tombie]

I use Airalo when travelling OS, it's a bit of a fiddle to setup and return, but a better and cheaper solution than roaming. On Airalo you still retain your original phone number. It can also access phone networks in countries where roaming wont work - for example Morocco, Iceland etc. That said, I don't think it would be a cheaper option to use in Australia.

I've got an Iphone13 which is eSim compatible. I think dual sim features will be obsolute very shortly with eSim functions.

Yes, eSim has made life easier.

I run 2 eSim and a physical Sim. The Physical is my telstra account, the remaining 2 are -Singtel and AIS. As i travel to Singapore and Thailand regularly I just activate each one when i land.