Australia has three national mobile networks: Telstra, Optus and Vodafone (part of TPG Telecom). All three make excellent 4G proxies, because every one of them uses CG-NAT to share each public IP between many real subscribers. But there are differences worth knowing before you choose.
Quick comparison
| Telstra | Optus | Vodafone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Network size | Largest | Second-largest | Third national network |
| Everyday mobile users behind its IPs | Most | Many | Many |
| Best for | Social media, marketplaces, tickets | Scraping, SEO, a second network | Diversifying, extra accounts |
| Good for multi-account work | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Why the carrier matters at all
Websites and apps judge your traffic partly by who owns the IP address. A mobile carrier's IP tells them you're an ordinary phone user, which is exactly what you want. Within that, two things vary by carrier:
- How much normal traffic comes from its IPs. The bigger the network, the more genuine users share its addresses — and the more "normal" its traffic looks.
- IP diversity. If all of your accounts sit on one carrier, they share the same IP ranges. Spreading accounts across carriers makes them look less connected.
Telstra
Telstra is Australia's biggest mobile network, so a huge share of Australian phone traffic comes from Telstra IP ranges. That makes a Telstra IP about as "normal" as Australian mobile traffic gets.
Choose Telstra for: social media accounts aimed at Australians, marketplaces, ticketing, and anything where you want the most common Australian mobile footprint. Telstra proxies
Optus
Optus is the second-largest network, with millions of customers behind its CG-NAT gateways. Its IPs are just as trusted as Telstra's for most work.
Choose Optus for: a second network alongside Telstra, web scraping of Australian sites, and checking google.com.au results. Optus proxies
Vodafone
Vodafone is Australia's third national network. Its IPs carry everyday consumer traffic and are shared through CG-NAT, so they're trusted by Australian websites and apps.
Choose Vodafone for: diversifying your IPs across a third network, running additional accounts away from your Telstra and Optus IPs, and price-conscious projects. Vodafone proxies
Our recommendation
- One or two important accounts: start with Telstra.
- Several accounts or a team: split them across Telstra and Optus.
- Larger operations: use all three so your accounts don't share IP ranges.
Whichever you choose, keep each account on its own browser profile, keep the same IP during a session, and match the profile's time zone and language to Australia.
Ready to start?
All three carriers are available in Perth, with more cities on the way. Compare plans or ask us which carrier suits your project.