Is Woolworths Mobile as good as Telstra?

[LeroyPatrol]

I went for a drive from Wodonga to Echuca today on the Murray Valley Hwy. My work iPhone SE worked on 4G the entire way it seems. But my trusty Google Nexus 5 picked up 4G only in the towns and when I say in the towns you'd barely left the outer limits and you were on 3G. I'm guessing the iPhone worked all the way because it can do Telstra's new 700mhz 4GX. I was very surprised at the Nexus on 4G.

But you look at the coverage maps and it shows that 4G should go out of towns a ways! An oddly enough the Woolworths coverage seems to show better coverage than Telstra in the 1800mhz range.

But what I was really surprised about was when I did have 4G coverage on the Nexus, I'd make a call and it would instantly flip to 3G. Ah the phone you say. Well I swapped sims between the Nexus and the iPhone SE and it showed the same behaviour!

The only good thing I found with Woolworths Mobile today was when in a 4G area the speed test was approx 55mbps down and 35mbps up for both Woolies and Telstra. But when making a call in the 4G area it flips to 3G and you guessed it....speed test is like 3+ mbps down and 1.2mpbs up.

So it seems Woolies plans bump you to 3G whenever it can.

What's others experience?

Leroy

[peteramjet]

Woolworths uses the Telstra wholesale network, not the full Telstra network. There is definitely a difference between the two, more so in regional areas, with the wholesale network coverage being (essentially) equivalent to that of Optus.

Coverage differences aside, your Nexus may not may not cover the bands required for Telstra 4G, as you mentioned, which would also affect coverage. From memory Telstra are now using band 28. But if it is happening on the iPhone too, well that would negate that idea as it covers band 28.

And with dropping back to 3G, Woolworths may not allow VoLTE, being calls over 4G. So as soon as you make a call the phone will switch back to 3G, with 4G only being used for data.

[LeroyPatrol]

I reckon I had more 4G coverage with Optus. I contacted Woollies last night and asked what parts of Telstra's the 3G and 4G network do you use? He couldn't say or won't. Comparing the 4G coverage maps between the 2 and not including the 700mhz band and Woollies looks like it has better coverage. No comment by the chap.

[gordon_s1942]

Its been my experience here that an area within most towns has excellent 3G/4G on both Optus and Telstra., Vodphone and other carriers are a 'Maybe'.
BUT, go beyond the shadow of the transmission point and its bye bye signal.
Yesterday I had a running conversation with a car mobile friend using that $2 a day Optus plan, speak to me from his Home in Lithgow as he headed towards Bathurst and we had no loss or dropouts for the best part of 25 kms. We only ended the call because I had to attend to another matter.
Country areas are notorious for having a lousy service, ie the old Mudgee Road, now called the Castlereagh Highway, has very minimal mobile reception even on a fully fitted Car phone with an external antenna.
As far as I am concerned, each Carrier is equal to another but they are NOT equal in identical coverage, if they provide any at all.

[LeroyPatrol]

Gordon, I think Aldi are using this Tesltra wholesale network as well.

[peteramjet]

Gordon, I think Aldi are using this Tesltra wholesale network as well.

Indeed they do. All MVNO’s (Aldi, Woolies, Belong, Lyca, etc) that use the Telstra network are on the wholesale network. The sole exception is Boost Mobile, which use the full Telstra network.

So if you need the full Telstra coverage you need to either use Telstra post/prepaid or Boost prepaid.