Australia's biggest telco is once again hiking mobile plan prices, in a move expected to impact almost nine million customers.
For the second time in a year, Telstra, which commands 41 per cent of the retail market, is increasing costs by as much as 17 per cent for some.
The telco giant announced this week that the price of its monthly Basic Postpaid Plan will jump from $70 to $74.
The Essential plan, which offers 180GB of data will rise from $80 to $84, but its most-expensive premium plan (300GB) will remain at $99.
Telstra's cheapest starter plan (5GB) will jump from $50 to $55 for current customers, but won't be available from May 5 - when the price changes come into effect.
Prepaid mobile plans will also jump by $5 a month.
The news comes after Telstra profits surged by 8.1 per cent to $1.2billion in the second half of 2025, as more than 1,000 jobs were cut during the same period.
Telstra's underlying earnings jumped 4.7 per cent to $4.45billion under CEO Vicki Brady, who has overseen the steady rise in plan prices.
Price rises for Telstra customers have occurred again under CEO Vicki Brady's watch
The price rises will affect nearly nine million Telstra customers
Price rises are also being introduced across Telstra's low-cost affiliates, Belong and Boost, which will increase the price of their plans by $4 each or a 13.3 per cent rise.
Telstra's 25GB mobile bundle deal has now risen from $52 to $61 a month, or a 17 per cent increase over the past year.
Mobile plans account for $3billion in revenue for the telco giant, amounting to more than a quarter of its total earnings.
The increases have been slammed by the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) as a 'slap in the face for millions of customers'.
ACCAN chief executive Carol Bennett pointed to Telstra's strong financial position, noting the telco enjoyed record profits only weeks ago.
'Before this announcement, 28 per cent of people reported they were unhappy with the cost of their mobile plan,' she told the Daily Mail.
'As cost-of-living bites, Telstra mobile customers should not be asked to shoulder price increases that outpace both inflation and community expectations.
'We encourage consumers to shop around and look for cost-effective mobile phone plans that don't come with a premium price tag.'
Telstra has argued the price rises were needed to improve the 5G network
Telstra, TPG Telecom and Optus, have previously said customers would pay more for their mobile phone use because of the Albanese Government's plans to charge them $7.3billion to access spectrum used for mobile networks.
The Daily Mail has contacted Telstra for further comment.