All part of the plan: the top MSPs for calls, texts and data

Picking a mobile service provider can be a juggling act, with decisions based on a host of factors including rates, network coverage, phone options, contract conditions, customer service levels and bundling.

Network coverage and cheaper rates are the most common reasons Australians choose their main mobile phone’s service provider, with Telstra topping on coverage and mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) such as ALDI delivering cheaper rates. So why do mobile users choose other providers?

Overall, almost one in four mobile users 14+ (24%) consider the plan’s included calls, texts or data allowance when deciding which provider to choose, the latest telecommunications research from Roy Morgan shows. 15% of mobile users cite call inclusions as a reason, 15% cite bigger data allowance and 14% cite the number of included texts.

Among the top six providers, Amaysim has the highest proportion of customers choosing it for the number of included calls (with 28% of customers citing this as a reason), ahead of Optus (20%) and Virgin (18%). When it comes to texts, Optus leads with 19% of its mobile customers saying ‘yes’ thanks to the number of included SMSs in the plan, ahead of Amaysim (18%) and Vodafone (15%). Amaysim, again, is the clear leader on data, with one in three of its customers (34%) saying the bigger allowance was a reason they chose it, followed by Virgin (27%) and Optus (20%).

Overall, 17% of Amaysim’s mobile customers chose the provider for all three reasons. Customers with Telstra or ALDI (the largest MVNO on the Telstra network) were less likely than average to cite any of these three reasons. Instead, Telstra’s mobile customers overwhelmingly prioritise better network coverage (69%), while ALDI’s are with it because of cheaper rates (70%).