ACCC says smaller NBN providers are more popular than ever (and we're not surprised)

Anula Wiwatowska - Offsite Editorial Lead

Last updated 22 February 2022

Market share for NBN providers outside of the major telcos is up according to the latest ACCC report, meaning that more Australians are opting to give a smaller telco a go.

When it comes to the NBN, there are four big players: Telstra, Optus, TPG, and Vocus. According to data from the latest NBN Wholesale Market Indicators Report, three of these major providers saw a slight decline in market share in the last quarter of 2021. These minor declines equal a 0.9% shift away from these telcos.

At the same time Superloop and Aussie Broadband saw a cumulative increase in market share of 0.7%, with Aussie Broadband rising by 0.5% and Superloop by 0.2%.

Here are some Aussie and Superloop plans for reference:

#1	Superloop	Superloop All Fixed Line nbn® Extra-value nbn50/20 All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Incl. $20/mth off for 6 months! $69/mth for 6 mths, then $89/mth + Bundle & Save $69/mth for first 6 mths, then $89/mth Min. cost $69 Go to Site	$69/mth for first 6 mths, then $89/mth Min. cost $69	Go to Site
#2	Aussie Broadband	Aussie Broadband All Fixed Line nbn® Value nbn - Unlimited All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 47/18 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $25 off for the first 6 months. Promo code SPRING25. $95/mth after promo ends 15.11.26 $70/mth for first 6 months, then $95/mth Min. cost $70 Link not supplied	$70/mth for first 6 months, then $95/mth Min. cost $70	Link not supplied
#3	Superloop	Superloop FTTP, HFC Family Max nbn500/50 FTTP, HFC nbn® 500/45 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Incl. $21/mth off for 6 mths! $74/mth for 6 mths, then $95/mth + Bundle & Save $74/mth for first 6 mths, then $95/mth Min. cost $74 Go to Site	$74/mth for first 6 mths, then $95/mth Min. cost $74	Go to Site
#4	Superloop	Superloop FTTN, FTTB, FTTC Family nbn100/20 FTTN, FTTB, FTTC nbn® 95/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Incl. $21/mth off 6 months! $74/mth for 6 mths, then $95/mth + Bundle & Save $74/mth for first 6 mths, then $95/mth Min. cost $74 Go to Site	$74/mth for first 6 mths, then $95/mth Min. cost $74	Go to Site
#5	Superloop	Superloop FTTP, HFC Megaspeed nbn750/50 FTTP, HFC nbn® 750/45 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Incl. $25/mth off for 6 mths! $74/mth for 6 mths, then $104/mth + Free eero 7 modem when you stay for 24 mths + Bundle & Save $79/mth for first 6 mths, then $104/mth Min. cost $79 Go to Site	$79/mth for first 6 mths, then $104/mth Min. cost $79	Go to Site
#6	Superloop	Superloop FTTP, HFC Creator nbn250/100 FTTP, HFC nbn® 250/85 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Incl. $20/mth off for 6 mths! $82/mth for 6 mths, then $102/mth + Free eero 7 modem when you stay for 24 mths + Bundle & Save $82/mth for first 6 mths, then $102/mth Min. cost $82 Go to Site	$82/mth for first 6 mths, then $102/mth Min. cost $82	Go to Site
#7	Superloop	Superloop All Fixed Line nbn® Power home nbn100/40 All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 95/34 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Incl. $20/mth off for 6 mths! $82/mth for 6 mths, then $102/mth + Free eero 7 modem when you stay for 24 mths + Bundle & Save $82/mth for first 6 mths, then $102/mth Min. cost $82 Go to Site	$82/mth for first 6 mths, then $102/mth Min. cost $82	Go to Site

While these numbers might look small, 0.1% of market share accounts for approximately 9,200 connections, meaning that over 82,000 Australians ditched one of the big telcos over the space of three months.

The ACCC report contains information on which providers are buying wholesale services from NBN Co, so it gives a good indication of how much capacity these providers require in order to operate. It is not a reflection of the actual uptake of customers choosing smaller telcos, but WhistleOut internal data can give us an indication of the providers that are servicing retail customers.

Our data from the quarter supports the ACCC’s findings that Australians are more interested in smaller providers. From October to December 2021, SpinTel, Tangerine, Superloop, Optus and Aussie Broadband were the most popular fixed-line NBN providers across our site. Excluding Vocus wholesaler Tangerine, and Optus, the three smaller telcos accounted for 44% of ‘Go To Site’ clicks throughout this period. In the previous quarter, small providers SpinTel, Superloop, and Aussie Broadband in the top performers accounted for 38% of clicks.

Here are how these compare on NBN 50 plans:

#1	Tangerine Telecom	Tangerine Telecom 50/17 Mbps typical evening speed Unlimited Data $64.90/mth Min. cost $64.90 Deal: Includes $25/mth off for the first 6 mths, $64.90/month for first 6 months, then $89.90/month.	100%	Go to Site
#2	Aussie Broadband	Aussie Broadband 47/18 Mbps typical evening speed Unlimited Data $70/mth Min. cost $70 Deal: Includes $25 off for the first 6 months. Promo code SPRING25. $95/mth after promo ends 15.11.26	52%	Link not supplied
#3	Superloop	Superloop 50/17 Mbps typical evening speed Unlimited Data $69/mth Min. cost $69 Deal: Incl. $20/mth off for 6 months! $69/mth for 6 mths, then $89/mth + Bundle & Save	47%	Go to Site
#4	Optus	Optus 50/17 Mbps typical evening speed Unlimited Data $82/mth Min. cost $82 Deal: $82/mth for a year, then $97/mth or as notified. New services. Incl intro offer + extra $5/mth off. Min cost $388. Ends 6/10.	16%	Link not supplied

ACCC Commissioner Anna Brakey drew attention to customer-focused initiatives from smaller providers such as Australian-only call centers, gamer-optimised plans, and network performance graphs. But at WhistleOut we know that value for money is a big draw card as well.

Smaller NBN providers still operate using the same network and technology as the big players in the internet space, but similar to mobile MVNOs the providers keep overheads down in other ways, passing on savings to customers. Generally, this means that most smaller providers will forgo brick and mortar shop fronts, additional perks, and may give you the option to bring your own modem, all aspects that can save costs on both fronts.

Not only do smaller providers offer lower prices on NBN plans, they also offer more flexibility. Optus, Telstra and Vodafone require customers to use their branded modem with their plans, which need to be paid out if the plan is cancelled within 24-36 months. While Telstra will allow NBN modem returns for free within 30 days of cancelling an Upfront plan, Optus and Vodafone don’t have this option which leaves customers with large modem fees to pay back. This creates larger barriers for customers looking to change providers.

Anula Wiwatowska

Offsite Editorial Lead | Instagram

Anula is the Off-Site Editorial Lead for WhistleOut Australia, and an award winning tech journalist. She has been writing about the Australian telco industry, and consumer technology for over five years, and has been known to tell her Uber driver which phone they should upgrade to next.

Read full bio