Vodafone launches Australia's first unlimited '5G' mobile plan for AU$85p/m

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While each of Australia's major telcos has toyed with 'unlimited' plans in the past, they were usually still limited in some way – in fact, the ACCC had to warn telcos not to mislead customers with this claim.

Vodafone Australia has now launched a SIM-only plan that is truly unlimited, not long after the telco rolled out its first 5G home internet plan offerings.

The Ultra Plus plan offers the top available speeds no matter how much you've already downloaded, and does so for AU$85 per month. It also features unlimited standard talk and text, as well as unlimited international SMS and calls to Zone 1 countries.

This marks the first unlimited plan to be launched in the market by a provider with 5G capabilities, although admittedly Vodafone's coverage isn't nearly as good as Telstra or Optus.

Best Vodafone mobile plans in Australia

Vodafone Ultra Plus Plan | Unlimited data | AU$85p/m

<p>For those looking for a plan without a data cap – offering the fastest speeds possible regardless of how much you've downloaded – the Ultra Plus plan is for you. For AU$85 p/m, you get unlimited data, unlimited, standard national calls and texts, unlimited standard international SMS, unlimited international calls to Zone 1 countries, and 300 minutes of calls to Zone 2 countries. You <em>also get 3 months of Amazon Music Unlimited (valued at aU$35.97). <p><strong>Total cost over 12 months is AU$1,020

Tethering remains tethered

Although we mentioned that this Vodafone plan is truly unlimited, there is one slight caveat for those looking to use their device to hotspot.

While you can enjoy maximum speeds when tethering another device to the one that houses your Vodafone SIM, you'll only be able to use 30GB of hotspot data before this speed is capped at 2Mbps.

Admittedly, this is better than the 1Mbps or 1.5Mbps of previous speed capping, but as Vodafone states, it won't be fast enough for streaming HD video and "isn't a substitute for a home internet service".

One day, we hope to see an unlimited plan that doesn't actually have any limits, but until then, Vodafone's offered us the closest thing to infinity.

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Harry is an Australian Journalist for TechRadar with an ear to the ground for future tech, and the other in front of a vintage amplifier. He likes stories told in charming ways, and content consumed through massive screens. He also likes to get his hands dirty with the ethics of the tech.