Southern Phone is a Mobile Virtual Network Operator, that has been serving customers since 2002. It is powered by Optus Network and is widely applauded for offering competitive pricing on its cheapest SIM-Only plan.
Although its plans lack extra perks and features like data banking and data-free streaming, there’re still a few good reasons that make Southern Phone worth considering. This operator assures you to be carbon-neutral so you can easily use the same without having to worry about the environment.
Furthermore, Southern Phone offers Australian-based customer service, and thus you don’t have to deal with foreign call centers. Curious to know more? Our experts have conducted in-depth research and compiled genuine Southern Phone Reviews to offer you a better understanding.
Scroll down the page to the end and find everything you should know before making a wise choice.
Pros and Cons
It is mandatory to look at what Southern Phone has to offer and where the Telco sits when it comes to value for money, as this analysis will surely help you make an appropriate choice. Here, we’ve rounded together some pros and cons of signing up for a Southern Phone plan. Check them out here and get a better idea of how this telco stacks up.
Pros
- 5G Sim-only plans
- It offers one of the affordable postpaid plans on the market.
- International call Inclusions are available on the selected plans.
- A small but good selection of mobile phones to buy on a plan.
- Value for money
- Good range of support options
- No Lock-in contracts
Cons
- Not many features and add-ons
- Low customer satisfaction
- A small selection of standard plans
Southern Phone Plans
Southern Phone offers a range of plans to cater to the needs of users from all walks of life. While the selection of Southern Phone Mobile plans is rather small as compared to other telcos, you still get some of the best pocket-friendly deals to meet your calling needs.
It offers six plans in total, and customers can easily pick the one that matches their requirements well. These plans are – Small, Small Plus, Medium and Large. While the Small Plan starts from $5 per month, the Massive Plan goes up to $30/ month.
Scroll down the page to find more information about these plans here, so you can make a wise choice.
| Plan | Value | Data | International Call Credit | |
| Small | $5/ mth | 2GB | None | View Plans » |
| Small Plus | $10/ mth | 10GB | None | View Plans » |
| Medium | $20/ mth | 20GB | $50 | View Plans » |
| Large | $30/ mth | 40GB | $300 | View Plans » |
All these phone plans include unlimited standard national talk and text, so you can stay in touch with your family and friends across the country. So, if you are not inclined towards using much data, you can opt for a lower plan without being restricted in texts and calls.
Except for Small and Small Plus, all other Southern Phone Mobile Plans include call credit for making standard international calls; however, the credit varies from one plan to another.
In addition, a 1GB data boost is available for all plans at $10, if you consume the data allowance. There are no lock-in contracts and the plan renews every month, which means that you can cancel or upgrade the same at any time without giving any reason.
Although Southern Phone offers excellent and budget-friendly plans, it still struggles to compete against familiar names at this price point. Other MVNOs come with better piercing and stack more data, giving stiff competition to this telco.
Also, it is essential to know that you will be charged a port out fee of $8 if you leave Southern Phone. Since most providers don’t charge such fees when you choose to switch, it might be the major drawback of choosing this telco service.
Southern Phone offers a 30-day network guarantee, which means that if you take a SIM-only service and it doesn’t work out, then you can simply leave in in 30 days.
But all and all, Southern Phone plans are fairly decent for the price they cost. Its 2GB Simple Plan is one of the cheapest available, making it an ideal choice for those looking for unlimited talk and text, and doesn’t require much data allowance.
Southern Phone network and coverage
Now that you are aware of the phone plans, it’s time to move on to the next part of the Southern Phone Reviews which is none other than the Network Coverage.
No matter how cheap the plans are, there’s no point to invest in a telco provider that offers weak coverage and slower speeds. This MVNO uses the Optus 3G and 4G mobile network, which makes it a good choice for most Australians.
Optus covers 98.5% of the population, eliminating the chance of call drops and other network issues. Users can enable Voice over LTE technology while using the Southern Phone to make the voice calls crystal clear on the Optus 4G plus network. Overall, you will get the same coverage that is offered by a plan purchased directly from Optus.
However, it is still recommended to use the Coverage Checker of Southern Phone to check whether your area is getting the utmost signals or not. In addition, you could notice a drop-in reception in rural or regional areas, which might be a big disadvantage.
In addition, this MVNO also offers 5G coverage so that users can enjoy high-speed data and an excellent calling experience. But you should remember that 5G calling is restricted to some major locations only. All and all, Southern Phone offer good network coverage with footprints of 5G, 4G, and 3G services. Keep in mind that you need a 5G-ready phone or 5G-ready modem to use 5G services.
International calling from Australia
Do your family and friends stay abroad? Well, in that case, you must invest in the phone plan that incorporates an international calling feature. Speaking of Southern Phone, some of its plans allow users to place international calls.
Out of 6, four Southern phone mobile plans include international credits to ease the customers. You will get between $50 and $500 of INTL credits, which makes it an ideal choice for those who want to catch up with their near and dear ones overseas.
To call the overseas number from your mobile, all you have to do is enter 0011 + country code + phone number. The capped call rates are available for more international destinations and this MVNO offers 10 and 30-minute capped calls to all popular countries.
The default setting is for a 10-minute cap; however, they will arrange the cap of 30-minutes, if needed. Remember that you don’t have a both 10-minute and 30-minute cap at one time. The price per minute varies from one country to another; hence, it is suggested to check the call rate and choose the cap accordingly.
The capped call rates for some of the countries are mentioned here.
| Country | Capped 10-minute calls | Capped 30-minute calls |
| Canada | $1.00 | $2.50 |
| China | $1.00 | $2.50 |
| Croatia | $1.50 | $4.00 |
| France | $0.70 | $2.00 |
| India | $5.00 | $14.00 |
| Indonesia | $3.00 | $8.50 |
| Ireland | $1.50 | $4.40 |
| Italy | $0.70 | $2.00 |
| Netherlands | $0.70 | $2.00 |
| New Zealand | $0.70 | $2.00 |
| South Africa | $03.50 | $10.00 |
In addition to the capped rates, customers must be mindful of VoIP International Rates before using the service. The per-minute VoIP rates for some countries are given here.
| Country | Price per-minute calls to fixed lines | Price per-minute calls to mobile |
| Albania | $0.45 | $0.74 |
| Angola | $2.66 | $0.76 |
| Argentina | $0.12 | $0.48 |
| Barbados | $0.60 | $0.60 |
| Bermuda | $0.29 | $0.29 |
| Brazil | $0.22 | $0.45 |
| Denmark | $0.06 | $0.60 |
If international calling is a key feature for you, you may consider Amaysim, Its plans provide free international call to 28 or 42 countries and regions.
International Data, Voice, SMS roaming service
Those who travel abroad frequently are advised to invest in the telco providers that offer an international roaming facility. Speaking of Southern Phone, this MVNO doesn’t include international roaming on their SIM products.
While they are planning to add this feature shortly, there’s no fixed confirmation on anything associated with it. Hence, it is advised to purchase an international SIM card when you arrive in the country you travel to. Users can easily get a prepaid SIM at the airport when they arrive as it will help them save lots of bucks.
Also, mobile coverage is also not guaranteed when you are overseas and any handset provided by Southern Phone Company isn’t assured to work while you are abroad.
In the nutshell, visiting overseas with Southern phones is a bad idea as they don’t offer an international roaming facility. Get an additional SIM card to stay connected with your near and dear ones while traveling abroad.
Customer service
Yet another most important part of Southern Phone Reviews is their customer support and service. Before you ditch your current plan and switch to this MVNO, make sure to check the customer service reviews and invest accordingly.
Customer support is an integral part of the telco providers and Souther Phone is no different. It’s good to know that this MVNO has a 100% Australian customer support team, based in Moruya, NSW, which means that you don’t have to deal with foreign agents anymore.
Connect with them by dialing 13 14 64 from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm AEST, 7 days a week. You can also send them an email at
escalations@southernphone.net.au. In addition, this MVNO also has a dedicated mobile application for Android users. Customers will also get a reply from the Facebook chat within an hour if they use the social media handle to submit their queries. You can also connect with them through the online chat feature and they will instantly resolve your query in less than no time.
Their customer service is top-notch, and they are always willing to help. So, if you ever have any questions or problems, their team will be readily available to help.
You will be glad to know that Southern Phone was ranked third for the Most Satisfied Customers for SIM-Only Postpaid Plans in 2021, scoring four stars in almost all categories, including customer service.
So, in the nutshell, Southern Phone offers excellent customer support and is known to resolve your queries on time. Connect with them at any point in time and they will be readily available for you.
FAQ
Yes. Southern Phone is an ideal choice for budget-savvy customers looking for affordable plans. It offers excellent coverage to keep you connected to the network. Moreover, this MVNO offers a decent choice of plan options so you can pick the one that suits your needs well.
Southern Phone primarily operates on Optus 3G and 4G networks; however, in certain conditions, it offers mobile service through Telstra, which is the leading network provider in the country. Since it is mainly powered by Optus, it covers the good coverage and data speed, while eliminating the call drop and other network-related troubles.
Yes, absolutely. Southern Phone Plans support 5G services so that users can enjoy blazing-fast upload and download speeds. However, 5G coverage is available only on 5G-ready devices. At present, 5G by Southern Phone is restricted to some specific locations only, so before switching to this MVNO, make sure to check the coverage checker map.
Final Verdict
So, that’s all about the comprehensive review and Southern Phone Mobile Plans. We hope you have enjoyed reading the guide and found it needful. All and all, this MVNO is an ideal choice for all those customers who are searching for competitive pricing and better overall value.
However, this telco also comes with some drawbacks that you should be aware of before making a choice. First of all, it lacks extra features, which might disappoint the users in a long run. Secondly, it doesn’t include an international roaming facility, hence not suitable for those who travel frequently.
So, don’t take any decision in haste and keep all factors into account before making a final choice.