Best mobile phone plan provider
See out how the big three (Testra, Optus and Vodafone) compare for reliability, coverage and value, and check out the latest rates now.
Satisfaction and value
We asked you to rate your satisfaction with your phone plan. So which mobile network earned the most satisfaction?
Best phone plan provider – Optus
Optus recorded the best satisfaction and reliability rating from its customers in our 2017 survey, and the latest plans show you still get a lot of mobile value for your buck.
Compare phone plans
| Brand | Overall | Reliability | Coverage | Value | Plans |
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77% | |
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75% | |
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79% | |
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Why we've partnered with WhistleOut
We've partnered with search engine WhistleOut to help you find and buy the right plan for you. The 'compare plans' links in the above table will take you to their site. While we make money if you go through WhistleOut, this doesn't influence our rankings. 100% of the money we make goes straight back into our nonprofit mission.
Where does CHOICE get these numbers?
Overall satisfaction score
Our mobile satisfaction survey rates providers based on their own customers' feedback on how they're performing for their phone and mobile network plan. Our 2017 survey covered a range of questions such as call clarity, internet speed, customer service and how clear the bill is to understand. The overall satisfaction score is an average of all these questions.
What matters to you
When it comes to selecting a SIM and phone provider, respondents rated these equally as the three most important factors: network reliability (95%), network coverage (95%) and value for money (95%).
Scoring the satisfaction rating
Satisfaction scores are calculated out of 100 by asking respondents to rate their service provider on various attributes and overall satisfaction on a seven-point scale ranging from terrible to excellent. The results are tested for statistical significance to verify scores that are statistically higher or lower than the average.
About the survey
The CHOICE mobile satisfaction survey was conducted in May 2017. Australian residents aged 18 and over who have a mobile phone service (N=1994) completed the survey. CHOICE designed the survey and fieldwork, and Research Now executed the survey. Survey results have been weighted to be nationally representative of the Australian population as per ABS Census 2011.
A provider needed 30 or more respondents to be included in our results. In the table, the average score refers to the category average and includes not just the brands listed but also all other brands which had a sample of N<30 and didn't make it into our table.
Of the 765 people surveyed, a majority (almost 90%) are on a contract. Not surprisingly, Telstra, with its large coverage footprint, had the highest presence among regional and rural respondents (48%). Vodafone (20%) and Virgin Mobile (11%) had a higher presence among metro SIM and mobile customers when compared to those in regional areas.
Telstra's higher number of SIM and handset customers does not necessarily translate into high customer satisfaction.
The survey asked respondents about their mobile connection type (SIM-only or SIM and mobile), their current mobile provider, their satisfaction with their provider, and about any problems they'd faced.