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COVID-19 Latest: Optus and Telstra offer free data to customers as Coronavirus crisis spreads.

Published On: March 17, 2020

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Major Australian telcos Optus and Telstra have announced plans to provide extra data for customers as part of their Coronavirus response.

With untold numbers of Australians either working from home or self-isolating, data usage is expected to increase exponentially in the coming weeks.

From this Thursday, Telstra customers will receive additional data as well as unlimited calls to pensioners until April 30.

“COVID-19 is a global challenge, we are all affected, and we all need to play our part in the response,” Telstra’s CEO Andrew Penn said in a media release.

“The data, which will be provided automatically, will help facilitate videoconferencing; voice over Wi-Fi, and cloud connectivity, all important tools when working from home or in isolation.”

All Telstra customers on a post-paid plan are being offered an extra 25GB of data to use within 30 days, while post-paid customers who recharge $40 or more can get 10GB of additional data to use in Australia within 28-30 days (depending on their plan).

Telstra and Optus are offering free data during the Coronavirus crisis.

Optus has also vowed to support its customers with additional data, as businesses and schools across the country transition to working remotely.

Eligible Postpaid mobile customers will receive a one-off add-on of 20GB of data during April 2020. Eligible Prepaid customers that recharge with $40 or more during April will receive 10GB of extra data. Each offer can be activated through the My Optus App.

Optus CEO designate Kelly Bayer Rosmarin said: “These are unprecedented times, and we want to help Australians who find themselves having to self-isolate or work from home to stay connected.”

“We understand how much it means to customers to stay connected with their colleagues, classmates, family and friends. Access to data is critical, so we are playing our part in helping the community with our additional data offer”.