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| Boost Mobile | |
| Company type | Private |
| Industry | Wireless telecommunications |
| Founded | 1 August 2000; 25 years ago (2000-08-01) |
| Founder | Peter Adderton |
| Headquarters | , Australia |
Area served | Australia |
| Website | www |
Boost Tel Pty Ltd, trading asBoost Mobile, is an Australianmobile virtual network operator (MVNO) which offers wireless services on theTelstra network. Founded in 2000, Telstra entered an agreement to acquire the company in December 2024.
Boost Mobile was founded by Peter Adderton inSydney, Australia in 2000.[1]Optus began licensing the Boost Mobile brand that same year.[2]Paul Keating, formerPrime Minister of Australia invested $500,000 for a 29% shareholding.[3][4]
In 2001, a joint venture between Adderton, Craig Cooper, Kirt McMaster andNextel brought the Boost Mobile brand to the United States.[5] In 2003, Nextel acquired full ownership ofBoost Mobile in the United States, becoming the sole owner of its operations and separating the brand from Boost Mobile Australia.[6]
In 2012, Optus ended its business relationship with Boost;[2][7] they subsequently switched resell access to theTelstra network,[7] with Telstra reportedly "looking to chase the youth market".[8]
In January 2013, all existing Boost customers were converted to Optus customers and continued to receive services on the Optus network.[9] In March 2013, Boost began to offer products and services under the Boost Pre-paid Mobile brand as an MVNO hosted on the Telstra Next G network.[10] It is the only Telstra MVNO with access to the full Telstra mobile network across regional/rural Australia.[11]
In May 2022, Boost began rolling out5G service access to all customers with a compatible service and device.[12]
In February 2024, Boost began provisioningeSIMs through their mobile applications.[13] eSIMs were made available for both existing and new Boost Mobile services oniOS andAndroid smartphones that support eSIM functionality.
In December 2024, Telstra announced it had agreed to terms to acquire Boost Mobile.[14]
Boost has consistently marketed itself through sponsorship and promotion of sporting events, and lifestyle-oriented marketing primarily through social media. The company has continued to target its brand and products at younger demographics; "Since Boost Mobile began in August 2000, we’ve been focused on keeping Aussie youth connected."[15]
In 2018, Boost Mobile formed a partnership with the American-basedStadium Super Trucks to grow the series' presence in Australia.[16] The following year, after the series and theConfederation of Australian Motor Sport reached a three-year commercial rights agreement, the series was branded the Boost Mobile Super Trucks for Australian races.[17][18]
In2019, Boost Mobile was thenaming rights sponsor ofGarry Rogers Motorsport in the AustralianSupercars Championship.[19] In2020 and2021, Boost Mobile sponsoredJames Courtney in aTickford RacingFord Mustang. In 2021 it also sponsoredBrodie Kostecki in anErebus MotorsportHolden Commodore ZB.[20]
In2022, Boost Mobile became the naming rights sponsor of both Erebus Motorsport Commodores.[21] That sponsorship lasted only one season.
In June 2010, Boost Mobile launched a viral marketing campaign that purported to identify text messaging disorders in order to bring attention to Boost Mobile's offer of 100 texts for one dollar. Australian television programmeMedia Watch criticized both the campaign itself and certain Australian media outlets that had failed to uncover the underlying marketing campaign, reporting the disorders as straight news.[22]The Age was one of the few publications to recognise that the campaign was a "ruse ... to get the company's name mentioned in the media."[23] As part of the campaign Boost Mobile cited an academic paper co-authored by Dr. Shari Walsh of theQueensland University of Technology. However, Dr. Walsh stated that her paper did not identify any texting disorders and that Boost Mobile was not accurately representing her research.[24]
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