Belong Mobile IS part of Telstra

Cupie · Guru

Belong Mobile IS part of Telstra

wasn_me · Guru

I went into telstra to ask about nbn data only packages. The attendant didn't offer me any telstra prices. He told me to get on line & look at Belong. I ended up ringing Belong. Very helpful & spoke english. Cheers Pete

patrol03 · Senior Member

My concern is that the coverage may not be the same as the parent company. All good in town but could be lacking in country areas.I would be interested in any data users have.

Cupie · Guru

patrol03 wrote:
My concern is that the coverage may not be the same as the parent company. All good in town but could be lacking in country areas.I would be interested in any data users have.

I saw a coverage map on the Belong web site. See link below.

It seems that they use the Telstra 3G & 4G network.

I might have to get a Belong SIM & Plan for SWMBOs current unlocked Vodafone iPhone if we head off to Darwin later in the year. Be nice if I could get a Belong prepaid data on my Telstra dongle.

https://www.belong.com.au/mobile/coverage-map

rockylizard · Guru

Gday...

Comparison coverage -

3G Coverage Belong-Telstra.jpg 4G coverage - Telstra-Belong.jpg

Cheers - John

PeterD · Guru

Cupie wrote:
1.. I recall previous posts where members were debating whether Belong Mobile was part of Telstra.
2.. I extracted this from a Telstra Letter to Shareholders
"Driving value and growth from the core During the half we added 235,000 retail mobile services, including 130,000 postpaid handheld services of which 21,000 were Belong mobile. 118,000 wholesale mobile services were also added in the half. We have now increased our customer base in mobiles for 20 consecutive halves despite intense competitive pressures."
This seems to imply that Belong is indeed part of Telstra.

1.. Not so. The previous discussion was on Boost Mobile. The only thread I can find in a hurry is this one. There are erroneous assumptions made in that thread.

2.. I would not have read that statement as implying that Belong was actually owned by Telstra, particularly as they go on to say "118,000 wholesale mobile services were also added." The only thing that does directly say that Belong is owned by Telstra is this page. From that I do believe that Telstra do own them. You will also see in the "Notes" - "uses the Telstra wholesale network." That to me indicates there is a difference between the full Telstra network and the wholesale network. Alsi and Woolworths also use the "wholesale network"

Back to the link List of Australian mobile virtual network operators you will note that whilst Belong is listed as belonging to Telstra, Boost is not. The conclusions that Dicko came to in his thread are therefore false.

PeterD · Guru

patrol03 wrote:
My concern is that the coverage may not be the same as the parent company. All good in town but could be lacking in country areas.I would be interested in any data users have.

If you go to the Belong link in Cupie's reply to you you will see "Belong operates on part of the Telstra mobile network," If you go to the maps he then posted you will there is a vast difference in coverage in the outback areas. Look particularly across the Great Australian Bite and up the north. Telstra claims to cover over 99% of the population where as Belong only 98.9%. Out the bush where we go a cell may only service a handful of people, how many hundreds of cells does it take to service 0.1% of 25 million people, it's a huge number.

Go with the strength, stick with Telstra.

rockylizard · Guru

Gday...

Praps it could be explained a bit like QANTAS and JetStar.

Owned by QANTAS and flies to most of the same places - but not all of them.

However, the level of service provided by QANTAS is completely different to the service JetStar provide. A "budget" airline they say.

Sort of like the relationship between Telstra and BOOST and Belong and other of Telstra's "wholesale" network operators.

Jest sayin' hmm

Cheers - John

PeterD · Guru

Yes Telstra and Belong are like QANTAS and JetStar. Boost is not part of them. Boost should be lumped with Aldi and Woolies, not Belong and Telstra.

jules47 · The Happy Helper

Hey guys - how about settling down - it is the fact of - when you travel in this country WILL YOU or WILL YOU NOT have reasonable to good telephone service. I have been travelling full time for six years - and previously extensively for twenty years - in Australia - most of the places we could get to, and some we had to miss. Some of those, I have now been to. as well as many, many more.

In all this time, I have not had to go for more than three or four days, before I am able to get good service. In all this I have been a loyal Telstra customer, they have never let me down. My family know that I will ring them, or text them, or even get some internet and talk to them.

Many, many people I meet -( not so many these days though, I think they are listening) - complain about the price of Telstra - because you must contact family daily - just accept it, it's not going to change - like the price of petrol - always goes up more than it comes down.

Accept when good things happen - i.e. - internet and phone reception across the Nullarbor nowadays is pretty good - IF you have Telstra. Sorry, but they are the ones putting the money where their mouth I

It doesn't matter who owns what or who doesn't - the point it is TELSTRA who are putting up new towers etc., the others are just clinging onto their coattails.

landy · Guru

Spot on Jules.

Dickodownunder · Guru

PeterD

While your Wiki link quotes Boost as an independent identity can you please continue research why Telstra is stated on this Boost document as the Merchant

It has already been stated that Aldi Do Not use Telstra paperwork by another member on this forum.

I wonder if Belong Mobile accounts appear on Telstra documents? I would not be surprised if they do.

Boost in this country was an independent identity when it first started..... just maybe circumstances have changed??

Do some searching...

I am happy to be proved wrong and I am quite happy to publicly apologise on the forum but until then I resent your comments directed at myself and other members on the recent topics on mobile phone services.

Just to include all that has been said here is the link to the other thread that was dragged completely off topic.

http://thegreynomads.activeboard.com/t64287142/optus-v-telstra-current-review/?page=2

-- Edited by Dickodownunder on Monday 19th of February 2018 01:04:48 AM

Dickodownunder · Guru

Cupie wrote:
patrol03 wrote:
My concern is that the coverage may not be the same as the parent company. All good in town but could be lacking in country areas.I would be interested in any data users have.
I saw a coverage map on the Belong web site. See link below.
It seems that they use the Telstra 3G & 4G network.

I might have to get a Belong SIM & Plan for SWMBOs current unlocked Vodafone iPhone if we head off to Darwin later in the year. Be nice if I could get a Belong prepaid data on my Telstra dongle.

https://www.belong.com.au/mobile/coverage-map

Hi Cupie

If your Telstra dongle is under contract with Telstra you may find hidden in the paperwork there is a condition that you are not to use another sim in the dongle.

If you own the dongle then this situation may be different.

Dongles are available to purchase and own and these may be used with any suitable sim.

Cupie · Guru

Thanks all for your input.

Just to put my comments in context, I am one of those rusted on Telstra customers but did try out SWMBO's hand me down iPhone with a Dick Smith/Kogan/Vodafone SIM deal. Great value it is too & works well in the city.

I am well aware that if you buy a wholesale product you are less likely to get the fully optioned up full price product. Why would Telstra, for example, sell their top shelf product thru a reseller at a cut price rate?

I have sufficient information for my purposes & don't wish to be drawn into yet another agro discussion so I won't be watching this thread anymore.

My apologies if I got the ISP name in the previous thread wrong.

jules47 · The Happy Helper

landy wrote:
Spot on Jules.

Thanks Landy - smile smile

BAZZA44 · Senior Member

I don't want to hijack this thread but PeterD has brought Boost back into discussion again. I am not sure why he has an agenda against Boost but he is always rubbishing them.

Peter for you.

Boost is Boost, Telstra started an alliance with them about January 2013. ie Boost came under the Telstra umbrella ,ie Boost became part of Telstra. As such they have the SAME coverage as telstra for a phone call. To my knowledge they are the only other provider/ reseller etc to have this coverage. Telstra have done this to try and capture the youth market.

They are not on the wholesale network as Aldi is.

As Dickodownunder has shown you twice that I have seen, a copy of his account from Boost on Telstra letterhead.

My Boost account is on Telstra letterhead

My bank statement shows my monthly account being paid to Telstra not Boost

The screen on my phone says Telstra not Boost

Is this enough for you Peter, just accept the fact you may be wrong, and let people make their own minds up about paying high fees at Telstra, or less at Boost for exactly the SAME phone coverage.

This is separate to speeds that has been mentioned before.

I do not have and do not want a smart phone and play with it all day, there are lot of people like me, who just want to make a phone call now and again and Boost is fine for this, without the expense of direct with Telstra .

Have a great day.

Barry

Dickodownunder · Guru

Hi BAZZA44,

Thought we lost you after the last debarcle. biggrin

Belong apparently is owned by Telstra and operate on what they term as a "Wholesale Partner" . Some other independent telcos are also "Wholesale Partners" Aldi and others come into this category. These others operate on there own right.
Contrary to what PeterD stated above, Boost is a"Retail Partner" of Telstra and as such enjoys the same coverage as Telstra customers except where the telstra service may offer a 4GX service to their subscribers and the Boost subscribers have access only to the Telstra 4G service.

Unlike the Wholesale Partners the Retail Partner has the same coverage as their Telstra counterparts as far as reception is concerned.

It is difficult and it does require some digging to find this information as most information is not current.
Even the Wikipedia link that our PeterD provided above was a couple of years since it had been updated at the time he linked to it.

As with many other companies, the Telcos are updating their services on an ongoing basis and the information that one may have heard sprouted at happy hour or down the pub after work may not apply TODAY.

This information is available on the net to anyone who wants to take some time to do the research.

-- Edited by Dickodownunder on Tuesday 20th of February 2018 09:08:28 AM

rockylizard · Guru

BAZZA44 wrote:
SNIP~~ paying high fees at Telstra, or less at Boost for exactly the SAME phone coverage.~~~SNIP
Have a great day.

Barry

Gday...

Taken from their respective sites - very close ... but not the same it seems ...

BOOST-TELSTRA 3G.jpg

BOOST-TELSTRA 4G.jpg

Overall - it really is just as Jules said earlier ... it's up the individual. It's totally dependent on where your are and where you travel.

It's a free country - except when ya gotta pay for ya communications.

Cheers - John

Dickodownunder · Guru

This says it all Rocky, biggrin biggrin

-- Edited by Dickodownunder on Tuesday 20th of February 2018 09:21:36 AM

-- Edited by Dickodownunder on Tuesday 20th of February 2018 09:26:47 AM

BAZZA44 · Senior Member

Hi Dicko, no still here. Hope this can be read. Not sure how to attach files.

Can do no more.

Barry

Dickodownunder · Guru

Bazza that pic is not clear at all but I am on my phone so the screen is very small.
I will check it out on my iPad later today.

Dickodownunder · Guru

Bazza that screenshot is not very clear on my ipad and it doesn't show the entire map, but I would not worry about it too much as there is lots of detail on the web if any of the doubters wish to actually look for it.
I have noted that Boost list that they have access to 4GX in some areas now that was not listed when I did my research only a couple of months ago.

It is just how it is mate...

-- Edited by Dickodownunder on Tuesday 20th of February 2018 04:04:35 PM

PeterD · Guru

Now I have some time let me decrapify the threads on the subject.

BAZZA44 - I don't want to hijack this thread but PeterD has brought Boost back into discussion again. I am not sure why he has an agenda against Boost but he is always rubbishing them.

Firstly -I have not brought Boost back into discussion. Cupie did not remember the previous threads correctly. I simply pointed out that Belong was not the MVNO mentioned in the previous threads. I then pointed out the different relationships that exist between Belong and Boost with Telstra. Later on Dickodownunder asked a question. I was away from home yesterday and when I returned I saw that there was other things to answer so I have left it until today. I have since decided not to answer the bulk of his reply as it is taking the thread off course, I did not mention most of what he is accusing me of saying on this thread. The only comment I made on coverage in this thread was in relation to Belong , he really has his knickers in a knot and grandstanding on something that was not said.

To answer Geoff's question. The relationship with Telstra, the page List of Australian mobile virtual network operators gives the relationship of all the MVNOs in Australia to their host networks. The way that VMNOs work is explained in the page Mobile virtual network operator. You will note the last sentence of the opening paragraph -

An MVNO may use its own customer service, billing support systems, marketing, and sales personnel, or it could employ the services of a mobile virtual network enabler (MVNE).

To answer your question it looks like Boost uses the second option. To assume that your bill is confirmation of Telstra's ownership is stretching a long bow. I would not have made a firm connection without seeing it in writing on a reasonably reliable web site.

EDIT - To provide further input I have persisted looking and just now found this link - What's the difference between Boost and Telstra? It's last update is a little old but it is still on their website.

Dickodownunder It is difficult and it does require some digging to find this information as most information is not current. Even the Wikipedia link that our PeterD provided above was a couple of years since it had been updated at the time he linked to it.

Which links are you talking about. I posted my message on Feb 18. the link List of Australian mobile virtual network operators is "This page was last edited on 22 January 2018, at 20:55" - the Boost one is the previous day - "This page was last edited on 17 February 2018, at 00:17."

-- Edited by PeterD on Tuesday 20th of February 2018 05:15:25 PM

brickies · Guru

Can anyone tell me if Tasmania is part of Australia

jules47 · The Happy Helper

Hahahaha Brickies - but if you look at Rocky Lizards post above, you will see good old Tassie tucked away down there -when we went over on the ferry, they gave us a "show bag" with maps etc., and a Telstra Sim Card pack.

brickies · Guru

Thanks Jules but I might see if I can find something online to prove you wrong .

Dickodownunder · Guru

PeterD wrote:

Now I have some time let me decrapify the threads on the subject.

BAZZA44 - I don't want to hijack this thread but PeterD has brought Boost back into discussion again. I am not sure why he has an agenda against Boost but he is always rubbishing them.
Firstly -I have not brought Boost back into discussion. Cupie did not remember the previous threads correctly. I simply pointed out that Belong was not the MVNO mentioned in the previous threads. I then pointed out the different relationships that exist between Belong and Boost with Telstra. Later on Dickodownunder asked a question. I was away from home yesterday and when I returned I saw that there was other things to answer so I have left it until today. I have since decided not to answer the bulk of his reply as it is taking the thread off course, I did not mention most of what he is accusing me of saying on this thread. The only comment I made on coverage in this thread was in relation to Belong , he really has his knickers in a knot and grandstanding on something that was not said.
To answer Geoff's question. The relationship with Telstra, the page List of Australian mobile virtual network operators gives the relationship of all the MVNOs in Australia to their host networks. The way that VMNOs work is explained in the page Mobile virtual network operator. You will note the last sentence of the opening paragraph -
An MVNO may use its own customer service, billing support systems, marketing, and sales personnel, or it could employ the services of a mobile virtual network enabler (MVNE).
To answer your question it looks like Boost uses the second option. To assume that your bill is confirmation of Telstra's ownership is stretching a long bow. I would not have made a firm connection without seeing it in writing on a reasonably reliable web site.
EDIT - To provide further input I have persisted looking and just now found this link - What's the difference between Boost and Telstra? It's last update is a little old but it is still on their website.
Dickodownunder It is difficult and it does require some digging to find this information as most information is not current. Even the Wikipedia link that our PeterD provided above was a couple of years since it had been updated at the time he linked to it.
Which links are you talking about. I posted my message on Feb 18. the link List of Australian mobile virtual network operators is "This page was last edited on 22 January 2018, at 20:55" - the Boost one is the previous day - "This page was last edited on 17 February 2018, at 00:17."

-- Edited by PeterD on Tuesday 20th of February 2018 05:15:25 PM

Decrapify PeterD.....really.

Without wanting to infringe on site rules I can say no more than please PeterD, take your blindfold off and actually do the research accurately and without influence from others and then have an opinion.

Well informed information usually comes from people that have been there and done that.

Win, lose or draw this debate PeterD, there are other Telcos existing and offering services which suit many people in this great country in which we live.

Telstra offers the service as the best service in Australia because they were allowed to operate a monopoly....now they are forming partnerships with other telcos to basically cover there actions. If they werent doing this then the the solicitors would probably have a field day.....however.....this is not the issue here.

I wish to add at this time that there was not anyone in the three topics that you have exercised your opinions in that claimed that Telstra Owned Boost or vica verca which is contrary to what you say.

What was said is that Boost is a part of the Telstra network and as has been stated above .........as a partner.

Go back and read all the posts.

If you wish to continue on trying to prove that Telstra does not own Boost or Boost does not own Telstra then beat yourself up mate, and go for it. Apart from a few, most of us really do not care.

At the end it is about saving money and getting a service that is what an individual wants and needs.

if anyone wants to save money on there phone calls and data then they may want to have a look at all the Telcos that have corporate access to the Telstra monopoly. If they do not like Telstra then choose one of the others.

If anyone falls into the cartegory that would like to use all of the Telstra monopoly because they believe that they will recieve a better service then "saddle up" and go for it.

This is only a decision that an individual can decide based on their individual needs.

PeterD...all the members and visitors on here can read your input and the input of others, and the ultimate

"Decrapifying" will be done by those individuals and much to your dissatisfaction....not by you.

-- Edited by Dickodownunder on Tuesday 20th of February 2018 08:44:46 PM

Ge · Senior Member

Is this the end, I hope so.