Telstra increases price on postpaid and pre-paid mobile plans for millions of customers

Millions of Telstra customers will have to fork out more for their mobile phone plans after the telco announced price increases from May.

Most Postpaid plans will increase by $4 per month while Pre-Paid plan customers will be charged about $5 extra.

Customers on Starter Postpaid plans will now pay $55 while Basic has increased to $74 and Essential to $84.

The price of the Premium Plan will remain unchanged.

Those on lowest data 28-day Pre-Paid plan will now pay $44 while the uncapped plan has increased to $74.

Six-month plans will jump by $20 to $200 while 12-month plans will increase by $45 to $395.

As a result of the price hikes, Pre-Paid plans will have increased data allowances.

The changes will come into effect from May 5.

Telstra group executive Brad Whitcomb said the changes were being made because of Australia’s changing mobile usage habits.

“People are relying on mobile connectivity more than ever — for work, study, entertainment, staying in touch with loved ones, and accessing essential services like banking and health care,” he said.

“To keep pace with this demand, we need to continue investing in the performance, reliability and security of our mobile network.”

Australian Communications Consumer Action Network said the price hikes were a “slap in the face” for customers who are already feeling cost-of-living pressures.

“Shareholders up, Australians down,” it said.

“Telstra has raised mobile plan prices for the second time in 10 months, pushing costs up as much as 17 per cent in a year for some customers.

“As cost of living bites, Telstra mobile customers should not be asked to shoulder price increases that outpace both inflation and community expectations.”