Catch.com.au opens budget telco on Optus 4G network

Catch Group, the Australian online retail giant that owns Catch.com.au, has launched its own mobile telco on the Optus 4G network.

The new telco, dubbed Catch Connect, will start by offering a handful of prepaid mobile plans on 30 and 90-day cycles.

Plans start at $15 for 2 GB of data for 30 days, or $39 for 6 GB for 90 days. The biggest plan goes up to $89 for 45 GB for 90 days. All plans come with unlimited calls and texts to standard Australian numbers.

Catch will also sell data-only plans for $30 for 10 GB, or $40 for 30 GB, both on 30-day cycles.

Catch Group chief executive Nati Harpaz said the company would also offer shopping vouchers for Catch.com.au that purchase 90-day plans.

"The varied range of prepaid mobile products offer some of the best deals in the market, all powered by Optus’ superfast and reliable 4G Plus mobile network, which is a major win for consumers,” said Harpaz.

Catch joins a growing list of retail telcos looking to capture market share with budget mobile plans. Companies not traditionally known for telco such as Aldi and Kogan have launched their own mobile brands in recent years. Even Telstra opened its Belong Mobile brand as its "price-sensitive" alternative mobile telco late last year.

Optus managing director of wholesale and satellite Stuart Bird added: “I’m proud to be a part of this strong Catch Connect partnership, which promotes competition and choice in the Australian market. Both Catch Group and Optus are known for using innovation and technology to improve customer experience, and this is clearly reflected in this new mobile service.”

Catch boasts more than 350,000 website visits and 10,000 orders per day on its retail website.