With more providers than we’ve ever had before, it can be difficult to find the telco that’s right for you. While more providers means more choice, it also means better deals for everyone – including seniors and pensioners. Even better, the days of ‘one size fits all’ plans are over. Now you can tailor your plan to your internet usage – not the other way around. So whether or not you’re available to access the NBN – more on that later – you’ll be able to find the plan which is right for you, even if you don’t have an internet connection!
The Southern Phone community
It might seem odd at a time of mega telcos which seem to do everything from connecting your television to wash your socks, but there are a few smaller, community-run companies out there – like Southern Phone. Southern Phone was formed in regional Australian communities years ago to help fix the lack of value and choice in phone and internet services outside of Australia’s big cities. Today, they continue to provide valuable service across Australia for anyone who needs a home phone, broadband internet, or mobile phone services – no matter whether you’re in country Australia or if you’re in the big smoke.
That’s good news for anyone who’s keen on some of Southern Phone’s more innovative services – like the choice they offer with mobile plans running on Optus 3G/4G, or their satellite broadband plans for people in truly remote areas of the country.
Can I keep the phone – and my number?
If you’re changing your plan and provider, even if you’re saving money you don’t want to lose access to your phone or phone number. Whether you’ve had the number for two months or 20 years, it’s at best an inconvenience and at worst it can mean you’ll lost contact with long lost friends.
With Southern Phone, you can keep your phone and your phone number. There’ll be more than a few providers who’ll likely contact you offering broadband internet plans, saying that’s the only way to keep your phone connected – but in fact, that’s not the case at all. You just need to find a provider that specialises in looking after people with specific needs, and Southern Phone is one such company.
“Change is overrated” is the slogan that Southern Phone uses for the set of phone plans they appropriately call Next Home Phone. The idea is simple – they know that a lot of people don’t want to be forced to get a broadband internet connection or risk losing their home phone, so they’ve crafted a set of plans that do nothing but the home phone – and do it at a great price!
There are three Next Home Phone plans to choose from: Small at $25/month, Medium at $44/month, and Large at $60/month. With the first two, seniors can enjoy a $5 monthly discount. Meanwhile, the highest-end plan not only delivers unlimited local, national, and mobile calls, it also gives up to
Is there a seniors or pensioners plan?
More than offering senior discounts with the Next Home Phone options, Southern Phone also has the Seniors Mobile option. Every plan has a unique discount for seniors or pensioners, which means you’ll save even more off the cost of the already great deal that you sign up for. These differ as Southern Phone loves a good deal, so be sure to check with them when you’re signing up.
FeaturedSo what is the Seniors Mobile plan? For just $27/month on a 24-month device payment plan, seniors and pensioners can get the Swissvoice C50s, the ideal smartphone to use both inside and outside the home. Because it is specifically designed for the elderly, its key features include extra loud ringtones, 3 photo speed dials, SOS button, and is also hearing aid compatible. When you decide to get this device, you can then choose from Southern Phone’s SIM only plans which start at only $10/month for unlimited calls and texts plus 5GB data and $50 call credit for standard international calls.
Best NBN bundle for seniors
Southern Phone also offers the Seniors NBN bundle, letting seniors and pensioners bundle their broadband plan with a home phone. Doing so can even get them $15/month discount for the first 12 months ($10 discount on NBN and $5 discount on home phone)! The cheapest NBN plan is currently priced at $55/month. The home phone plan, an add-on that normally costs $10/month, will be only $5 per month for the first 12 months when bundled with an NBN plan.
So that brings a total of only $60/month for an unlimited NBN25 plan bundled with a home phone plan with unlimited standard calls to local, national and mobile numbers in Australia.
Last audited 8th of May 2023
Is Southern Phone right for me?
A community-owned phone company set up to serve rural Australia, Southern Phone might be able to offer you competitive deals but they’ve not forgotten their community spirit. Their website is easy to use and their deals are relatively simple.
Their customer service team is friendly – and they’re based in rural Australia, so you know they’ll speak a language you understand. On the whole there might be cheaper plans out there, but for the services you get, they’re pretty hard to beat.
What people are asking about 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.
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.
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.
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.
