Compare Southern Phone Broadband Plans


Compare Southern Phone Broadband Plans

If you’re looking for broadband, chances are you’ve heard the line “we’re different” many times before. Why? Because the Australian internet service provider market is flush with new companies, all trying to get a hold of new NBN customers.

So, how can you find a company that stands out above the rest? When you look at it historically, there’s no internet provider in the country with a background quite like Southern Phone. Discover everything about Southern Phone plans in this guide, including prices, features, and how they compare with other providers’ plans.

What’s In This Guide?

What Is Southern Phone?

Southern Phone’s legacy dates back to 2002, when a multi-million dollar grant provided the funds needed for a dedicated telecommunications company to start work connecting people in regional Australia. The trials were many – the price of telco services in these areas was a source of concern, and the lack of competition meant some service delivery areas weren’t always up to scratch.

To keep their customers’ interests at heart – their internal constitution – only local Australian councils could become shareholders in the company, meaning that no external pressures could turn their attention from services to profit.

From its humble beginnings, Southern Phone started connecting the country with mobile phones. Today, they provide broadband services nationwide – from Cape York to Zeehan and from Bega to Broome. Over time, it became apparent that there was a gap in the market for these services. 

Southern Phone also dedicates itself to providing a carbon neutral future, which is why their logo is a carbon-neutral leaf icon. By choosing them, you’re choosing a greener option!

Another critical feature in Southern Phone’s arsenal is its wide range of services. While they may have started out providing quality fixed-line telephone services to customers in regional communities, the company now offers a full suite of telco services and a mobile phone plan. These include a phone line, NBN connection, mobile phone sim plan, and even satellite internet – all at rates that make getting connected not just desirable but affordable as well.

What Does Southern Phone Offer?

If you’re in an area that has experienced the NBN rollout, Southern Phone plans have a range of data caps and speed tiers to suit you. Knowing how much data you need, you can save money by picking a suitable cap. Otherwise, you can always choose an unlimited plan. This is a refreshing change from other providers, who tend only to offer a choice of connection speeds.

Speaking of speed, Southern Phone offers a full range of NBN speed tiers. Starting at the NBN25 speed tier and moving up to the much-vaunted NBN1000 tier means you have the choice of getting a connection that suits your needs. No getting stuck on a single-speed because that’s all the company provides! With Southern Phone, you always have options!

It’s this combination of flexible broadband options, a wide range of data caps, decent speeds, low pricing, and great Aussie-based service that makes Southern Phone stand out from the rest. That and the knowledge that the rates you pay for your internet connection are going to good use by helping local councils give back to their communities.

Southern Phone Features

One favorite feature offered by Southern Phone is their promise to give you the best deal – both when you sign up and for as long as you stay with the company. The premise is simple – as new plans, products, and pricing become available, Southern Phone’s customer service representatives compare them to what their customers currently have.

If they find that a plan offers more value, lower prices, or better perks, they will proactively get in touch and offer to move you to the new plan. This is common amongst telcos dealing with ADSL customers moving to the NBN, but Southern Phone offers this service to every customer – regardless of the products involved.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Southern Phone also offers home phone line bundles and mobile bundles with their broadband services. The plans range in cost according to the speed, calls, and data (both broadband and mobile) that you wish to have. This bundling option is an excellent one, as it gives you the opportunity to save on services you already have.

What Are Southern Phone’s Best Features?

  • VoIP plans specifically for businesses
  • 5G mobile plans with compatible devices
  • Home phone services for senior citizens
  • NBN broadband for businesses with high speed

Southern Phone NBN Plans

Southern Phone makes choosing a broadband plan that suits your needs easy. The first step is to find out what services are available in your location. This is easily done over the phone or via Southern Phone’s website. If you have a choice between NBN or Satellite broadband, you can choose between them at this stage. If only one option is available at your chosen address, then the product in question will display.

The NBN service rollout is also slowly replacing ADSL connections nationwide, removing the need for slow copper wire and outdated exchange technology. Where available, Southern Phone offers plans on the NBN that start with the NBN25 speed tier and top out on the NBN250 speed tier. 

For customers wanting the Satellite NBN option, for now, there’s only the Sky Muster Plus option delivering burst speed above 25/5. The data caps range from 25GB to 150GB per month, and no unlimited connections are available. Data for the satellite connection is split between on-peak and off-peak usage to account for the limited number of connections a satellite can support.

With all these plans, you can change your data cap and speed tier once per calendar month as they provide a no lock in contract. This means you can change between caps and speeds depending on your circumstances. If you need more data due to work or over the holidays, just turn it up.

If you aren’t using the internet much for high-volume downloads or streaming (check out the best broadband plans for streaming) and want to cut the min. cost, you can scale back the speed with a call to Southern Phone’s call centre. This gives you a nice amount of control over the services you receive and puts you in charge of your broadband spending.

NBN Basic

On the lowest tier, you have unlimited data configured on the 25/5Mbps speed tier. For other internet plans with data limits, you are not charged extra if you go over a data cap, but instead, have your speed throttled back to 256Kbps. This is a lot faster than what most dial-up connections are capable of but is still a big drop compared to the speeds (test your internet speed here) that even the lowest tier NBN connection can achieve.

If you’re the kind of person who doesn’t put a heavy strain on their internet connection, then the lower caps and speed tiers will be of interest. And for NBN, this will be the Unlimited Standard NBN25 plan with a typical evening speed of 25Mbps. 

NBN Standard

If you live in a household with multiple devices relying on your broadband connection, you’re going to need a faster connection and more data. This is also true if you are dealing with large files, streaming music, or regularly enjoy a binge-watching session on Netflix, Stan, BINGE, Amazon Prime or YouTube. In these cases, NBN connections will serve you better if you select unlimited data and choose the NBN50 speed tier that offers a typical evening speed of 49Mbps. 

NBN Fast

These options are for households that can’t get enough internet. For the NBN connection, this means unlimited data on the NBN100 speed tier, which offers a typical evening speed of 96Mbps.

NBN Superfast

Southern Phone also offers NBN250, which is ideal for big households. If you’re always online, streaming, gaming, downloading, or getting connected with video calls – or operating a small business from home – you need more from an affordable internet plan.

NBN Ultrafast

Can’t get enough of the internet? Getting the fastest speed tier is best if you’re big on online gaming and 4K or 8K streaming. And right now, that’s the only NBN1000 plan that Southern Phone offers.

Broadband, Mobile And Seniors Triple Bundles

If you’re looking for a generous broadband connection that saves you money, then bundling your internet connection with a home phone and mobile plan is an excellent way to do it. Here is where Southern Phone’s expertise shines through, with a range of bundles designed to suit the way you get connected. For instance, their Seniors Triple Bundle offers unlimited NBN configured on 25/5Mbps, a home phone, and a mobile plan in one easy bundle.

Southern Phone Satellite Broadband

Reflecting their commitment to providing Australians with the services they need, Southern Phone offers a broad range of broadband products. From NBN connection to mobile broadband, home wireless, and even satellite internet, Southern Phone has the products and the experience to get you connected easily, no matter where you are in the country. If you’re unsure which connection type is right for you, a quick call to their Moruya-based call center will get you in touch with one of their experienced service representatives who can scan through their internet services and pick a product that meets your needs.

NBN Sky Muster Plus – X Small, Small, Medium, Large

The Sky Muster Plus 25GB plan is enough to help you get online while letting you save some money. It offers the speed and data you need to check emails, browse your favorite websites, indulge in some online shopping, and manage any online bill payments you have. Not to mention enough data and speed to check your social media accounts and maybe even indulge in some online streaming – although the quality of the picture may suffer during the evening slowdown.

The Small plan offers 50GB for higher data, which also offers uncapped data for all online activities. Configured with NBN25, speeds can decrease or get higher than 25Mbps, depending on network capacity. For greater internet use, the Medium plan equipped with 100GB data may be enough, although the Large plan with 150GB data may be best to ensure you have sufficient data.

Is Southern Phone Right For You?

Aside from being a great choice for residents outside of the main city hubs in Australia, Southern Phone is also a wonderful internet service provider for city dwellers looking for flexibility and a great choice regarding broadband subscriptions. From NBN to mobile broadband to satellite, Southern Phone has everything a discerning homeowner could ever need to connect. 

More importantly, if you want to give back to the community, Southern Phone is the perfect pick. Given that it’s a non-profit company, you know that you’re getting the best price for their service — and at the same time, you’re also giving back to the community both locally and regionally.

Another nice perk that helps make the choice easy is the option to bundle your telco products with Southern Phone to save even more money. If you need broadband plus a landline or a mobile phone – or all three together – then Southern Phone will let you bundle these services into one simple monthly bill. Forget getting a bunch of bills each month – why not have them simplified and save money in the process?

Contact Southern Phone’s Customer Support Centre

If you’ve got any questions about Southern Phone’s services, want to know which plan or connection type is right for you, or need to get in touch with a Southern Phone contact call center representative to help with your service or account. Simply call their Australian customer service team Monday to Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on 13 14 64, and they’ll put you in touch with people that can help.

For any issues with your service, to report faults or to find out if there’s a technical issue impacting your service, get in touch with Southern Phone’s tech support team on 13 14 64 during business hours, or use Live Chat any time via the Southern Phone website.

How to ContactNumberCall Centre Hours
Southern Phone call centre13 14 64Monday to Sunday from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm
Live ChatSouthern Phone website24/7

Southern Phone vs Other Providers

Of course, Southern Phone isn’t the only broadband provider in Australia. If you can’t find a plan that suits your budget and personal internet needs, you can always shop around and look for other providers. Here are some alternative plans to Southern Phone form top providers:

NBN Broadband Plans

Plan
Inclusions
Price
Everyday NBN
  • Satisfaction Guarantee: Return modem within 21 days for a full refund
  • Everyday NBN
  • No Lock-in Contract
  • Unlimited Data
  • NBN 50™ Fixed Line
  • Typical evening speed of 47Mbps
  • Optional modem for $99 w/ free delivery
  • $79.80/mth
$79.80/mth
Min Cost - $79.80 over 1 mth

NBN50 Unlimited - Month to Month
  • $15/mth off for 6 mths. Ends 25/06/24
  • NBN50 Unlimited - Month to Month
  • No Lock-in Contract
  • Unlimited Data
  • NBN 50™ Fixed Line
  • Get $20 off Dodo modem
  • Up to $10/mth off when bundled with energy
  • $65/mth
$65/mth
for the first 6 mths, then $80/mth thereafter
Min Cost - $65 for the 6 mths (incl. $79 modem cost)

Optus Plus Everyday nbn®
  • Ultra WiFi 6 modem incl.
  • Optus Plus Everyday nbn®
  • No Lock-in Contract
  • Unlimited Data
  • NBN 50™ Fixed Line
  • $0 Startup Fee
  • 50/18Mbps typical busy period speeds (7pm-11pm)
  • $85/mth
$85/mth
Min Cost - $391 incl. $306 modem cost and $85 (1mth of plan fee) if you stay connected for 1mth only. $0 modem if you stay connected for 36 mths.

Standard Plus
  • Free Wi-Fi 6 modem if you stay connected for 12 mths. T&Cs apply
  • Standard Plus
  • No Lock-in Contract
  • Unlimited Data
  • NBN 50™ Fixed Line
  • Typical evening speed of 50Mbps downstream and 17mbps upstream
  • No set up fees
  • $80/mth
$80/mth
Min Cost - Total Minimum Cost is $200 ($80/mth plan fee + $120 modem cost = $200)

Southern Phone Broadband Review

Could we’ve found the ‘Aussie-est’ provider under the Southern Cross? Southern Phone Broadband is a non-profit company that provides excellent phone and broadband connections to Aussies nationwide. From NBN to ADSL and bundles — along with special deals on satellite broadband — Southern Phone Broadband has you covered. And remember, while it may seem that Southern Phone broadband only focuses on rural Aussies, they’ve also got great deals for city slickers.

Is it possible that we’ve found the ‘Aussie-est’ provider under the Southern Cross? Southern Phone Broadband is a non-profit company set up to provide excellent phone and broadband connections to Aussies all over the country. From NBN to ADSL and bundles — along with special deals on satellite broadband — Southern Phone Broadband literally has you covered. And remember, while it may seem that Southern Phone broadband only focuses on rural Aussies, they’ve also got great deals for city slickers too.

What people are asking about Southern Phone

Who Owns Southern Phone?

Throughout its history, Southern Phone has been a company owned by local councils of many of the communities it operates in. In December 2019, it was purchased by AGL Energy and is now a 100% owned subsidiary of that company.

Which Network Does Southern Phone Use?

Aside from using the NBN for its broadband services, Southern Phone uses the Optus 4G Plus network for all its mobile phone voice and data services.

How Do I Contact Southern Phone?

If you’ve got access to the internet handy, you can pop onto Southern Phone’s web site (or use their free smartphone app) and live chat with one of their support team, or send a detailed message and get a response back via email. If you’d rather speak to a human, you can call them on 13 14 64 from 8am to 8pm, seven days a week.

How Do I Know if Southern Phone Internet is Down?

If you’re having connection issues with your internet, the first thing to do is to power off your modem, wait 30 seconds, turn it back on then wait a minute or two. If you’re still not connected, get in touch with Southern Phone’s tech support people on 13 14 64 (8am to 8pm) and they’ll be able to check your connection from their end, as well as letting you know if there’s a more widespread outage of any kind.

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