Mobile broadband is a service that uses the mobile network to provide an internet service to any SIM-enabled device.

A data-only SIM card can be inserted into any device that has a SIM slot, and once the SIM is activated, provides internet access to that device.

Mobile broadband offers a data-only service, so it cannot receive voice, SMS or MMS services. As a data-only service, this means the SIM card data plans will generally cost less.

Features of this mobile broadband service include a monthly data allowance, which can be used in any compatible mobile device.

When you have multiple mobile services connected with Aussie Broadband, you can also access data pooling. This allows you to pool all your monthly data allowances for your mobile broadband services and share among your connected devices.

Data pooling allows all of your “Tier 2” (Regular and Large) plan services on the same account and all of your “Tier 1” (X-Large and XX-Large) plan services on the same account to combine their data. You cannot pool data between Tier 1 and Tier 2 services.

Learn more about how data sharing can benefit businesses

Unfortunately, international roaming and calls are not available on this mobile broadband service.

Aussie Broadband runs mobile and mobile broadband services on the Optus network which reaches 98.5% of the Australian population with its 4G and 5G networks.

Unlike our mobile services, our broadband services are delivered directly to the nbn® network without going through another wholesaler. We've got dedicated connections to all 121 nbn® points of interconnect across Australia, meaning there's no middle man.

If you ever encounter issues with your mobile or mobile broadband service, you can contact our expert Australian-based support team on or lodge a support ticket through your MyAussie® app.

Download the MyAussie® app.

Yes and no.

If you want to transfer a specific amount of data to a specific SIM card or user, this feature is currently not available on a mobile broadband service.

However, you can share internet data among other mobile devices under the same account. This is what's known as data sharing. Data sharing allows you to pool your data among your connected devices and each device pulls from the pool as needed.

Data sharing is available with people on the same Aussie Broadband account. All people sharing data must be Aussie Broadband customers with Aussie Broadband SIM cards.

Find out more about how data sharing works for businesses in our blog: How mobile data sharing will benefit your business.

Mobile broadband provides a 4G coverage footprint of more than 98% of the Australian population.

See above for the mobile broadband network coverage map.

You can track your data usage for mobile broadband or any of your Aussie Broadband services on the MyAussie® app.

In your MyAussie® app, you can see information regarding your data usage, as well as change plans, purchase additional data packs, update billing details, find technical support, and more.

When you hit your plan's data limit, you won't be charged any additional fees, but your download and upload speeds will be capped at 1.5Mbps.

You can purchase a top-up via the MyAussie portal or app to tide you over until your next plan month.

You can recharge your mobile broadband data allowance through the MyAussie® app.

In the MyAussie® app, you can top-up your data with additional data packs, change your plan, track your data usage, and more.

Data packs are available as:

• 1GB
• 10GB
• 20GB

Add-on data packs expire at the end of your plan month.

You can use a mobile broadband SIM card in your phone, however, as this is a data-only plan, the service does not include any voice, SMS or MMS allowance. That means you would only be able to use your phone for data services.

Find out more about our mobile SIM card plans.

Yes, you can use your mobile phone SIM card for mobile broadband. However, as mobile phone SIM cards offer additional voice, SMS, and MMS services, these will be disabled in many mobile broadband devices. As phone SIMs have these additional services, they cost a little more, so you may find that you wouldn't be getting the full capacity of what's possible from using your phone SIM card in this way.

Mobile broadband can connect one device per SIM card.

However, if the device has Wi-Fi networking capabilities, like a portable router, then the device may have the capacity to connect multiple devices at once over Wi-Fi. The number of devices in this case will depend on the device itself, so check the manufacturer's manual to find out more details.

Aussie Broadband's mobile broadband service runs on the Optus mobile network which reaches 98.5% of the Australian population with its 4G networks. Running on this mobile network, mobile broadband allows your device to roam between towers for the most optimal connection and will failover to another tower.

However, as is the case with any mobile network, connectivity tends to fluctuate depending on various factors, including interference, tower proximity, LTE modem capability, bandwidth, weather, number of people on the network at the same time, and more.

Although mobile services cannot guarantee bandwidth, in terms of uptime, it's quite rare for a mobile service to go down entirely. If a tower does go down, your device will automatically roam to the next available tower with little to no downtime at all.

Mobile broadband is as secure as any mobile network can be. Your main concern regarding the cyber security of the connection is in the security settings of the device that you put your SIM card into.

Be sure to check the security settings of all the devices you will be adding your data-only SIM card to.

Mobile broadband and nbn® are two different products. Each supplies an internet connection to a user, however, the nbn® is based on a fixed line (or Fixed Wireless) connection, while mobile broadband uses a mobile network to connect your SIM-enabled device to the internet.

As for which is better will depend on your needs and what you intend to use your mobile broadband connection for.

If you're planning to run your entire business with multiple devices on a mobile broadband connection, you may find that you will struggle to get the speeds you'll need for your operations.

However, if your business only needs a basic connection, say to only run a point of sale system or to power a few low-use portable devices over Wi-Fi, then mobile broadband may be a more cost-effective option.

Mobile broadband may also be a suitable option for businesses with remote sites who may be unable to access fixed line services, businesses that are mobile and do not have a fixed site, or for those looking for a back-up internet connection.

Find out more about our range of nbn® plans.

Mobile broadband is not the same as Wi-Fi as these work using different technologies.

Mobile broadband runs on a mobile network, just like your mobile phone, and gives you direct access to an internet connection.

Whereas Wi-Fi runs on radio wave signals and requires a device to transform those signals into one that connects to the internet.

You can use your mobile broadband data-only SIM card in a device, such as a portable router, and this can activate a portable Wi-Fi connection.

You can use mobile broadband with any device that has a SIM card slot. Some devices may include portable Wi-Fi routers, 4G / 5G hotspots or dongles, point of sale machines, security cameras, lighting and equipment sensors, monitoring devices, and more.

As this is a data-only plan, the device will not be able to access any voice, SMS or MMS services, so using mobile broadband in devices such as smartphones may be limiting.

Mobile broadband has a great many uses and benefits for Australian businesses.

You can use your mobile broadband to power your business's smart devices and Internet of Things devices in ways that can help your business become more efficient, save money, and reach new customer

Mobile broadband can also serve as a handy back-up for emergency connectivity during outages. It's also particularly useful in rural and remote areas where the nbn® has yet to reach.