Help Center

Common Questions About Wireless & Mobile Broadband

How do I check my mobile data usage?

What Is Mobile Broadband?

Mobile Broadband (MBB) is a portable internet service that operates off mobile towers and networks, such as those operated by Optus and Telstra.

Southern Phone provides these services in the form of a SIM card that can be used in compatible USB dongles, routers and personal devices such as a smartphone or tablet.

Southern Phone mobile broadband plans are available on the Optus 4G mobile network, and on the Telstra mobile network in limited circumstances.

Southern Phone does offer a Mobile Broadband Dongle that operates on any compatible network. It is available for an outright purchase price of $99.00.

Speed can and will vary with MBB, at its best you can receive upwards of 20Mbps.

Fluctuations in the speed can be expected, especially around peak periods.

Mobile Broadband Data Usage Guide

MBB has quite a low data allowance when compared to services such as ADSL and NBN, however, quite high in comparison to regular mobile plan inclusions. 

It’s important to note that this amount of data is more than sufficient for web browsing, emails, social media and online banking however no way near enough for downloading or streaming such as Netflix. 

Services such as Netflix and Youtube will vary greatly based on the quality that you are viewing at, as an example, a 10-minute video at 720p will use roughly 230 megabytes of data. 

Information directly from Netflix suggests using their high data usage setting runs through 3 gigabytes per hour when streaming HD videos and 7 gigabytes per hour for ultra HD. 

The medium setting only uses 700 megabytes per hour for a standard definition of 480p. 

Looking at these figures, it’s easy to see how you can chew up all your data in a very short space of time if you use media streaming services. It’s best to learn these apps and programs and use them carefully as they can very easily come back to bite you at bill time!

Can I Get Mobile Broadband?

Our mobile broadband plans require mobile coverage with 4G speeds.

You can check the availability of 4G speeds on the coverage maps on our website, for both Optus and Telstra mobile networks.