2022 WhistleOut Internet Awards

WhistleOut Team

Last updated 01 August 2022

2022 Winners

Internet Provider of the Year - SpinTel
Best Unlimited NBN Provider - Tangerine
Best Fixed Wireless NBN Provider - Tangerine
Best Premium NBN Provider - SpinTel
Best Satellite NBN Provider - SkyMesh
Best Mobile Broadband Provider, High Use - Optus
Best Mobile Broadband Provider, Everyday Use - Telstra
Best Home Wireless Broadband Provider - SpinTel
Best Internet Promotion - Origin Broadband
Sustainable Internet Provider of the Year - Belong

Welcome to the 2022 WhistleOut Awards, where we recognise the service providers and phone companies that presented the best telco plans, products & promotions to Australians over the last year.

In today’s competitive telecoms industry the winning service providers stand out for their consistency in offering consumers great value, with the winning phone companies delivering devices of the best quality and value.

You can find the winners of WhistleOut's Internet Provider categories below, or check out the winners of WhistleOut's Mobile Provider and Phone categories!

Further details about the awards and how they are judged can be found here.

2022 Internet Winners

Internet Provider Of The Year

SpinTel has become a very popular internet provider in recent times, and with good reason. Not only does it offer great plans at low prices, it is also one of the fastest NBN providers in the country. SpinTel reports plan maximums as typical evening speeds for both NBN 50 and NBN 100 plans, which are the most sought speed tiers. However, it's not just NBN plans where SpinTel shines. The company is also now setting the standard for home wireless broadband, an internet category that is quickly growing. Simplicity and value are key tenets of SpinTel's offering, and the company is a deserved winner of the 2022 WhistleOut Internet Provider of the Year award.

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Best Unlimited NBN Provider

Tangerine is a great choice for NBN services. Having been WhistleOut's Internet Provider of the Year in 2021, the business has backed it up this year by taking out the Best Unlimited NBN Provider award for the third straight year thanks to its approach of providing simple and affordable plans.

Runner Up:SpinTel

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Best Premium NBN Provider

Second in this category last year, SpinTel has gone one better in 2022 by winning the Best Premium NBN Provider category. Those people looking for an NBN100 plan with reliable fast evening speeds will be well served by what SpinTel has to offer, without needed to break the bank to get it.

Runner Up:MyRepublic

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Best Fixed Wireless NBN Provider

Just like the Unlimited NBN category Tangerine has won the Best Fixed Wireless NBN award for the third year in a row. When it comes to affordable NBN plans Tangerine has to be in your consideration set. The company consistently delivers some of the best options on the market and if it weren't for SpinTel, Tangerine would have taken home the Internet Provider of the Year accolade once again.

Runner Up:Mate

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Best Satellite NBN Provider

SkyMesh has become one of the first providers to win a WhistleOut award category four years in a row, having taken out the Best Satellite NBN Provider gong yet again. SkyMesh is committed to connecting regional Australia to quality internet services and has always been a strong provider of satellite internet plans. Winning this award once more truly underscores that point.

Runner Up:Activ8me

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Best Mobile Broadband Provider, High Use

Just like SkyMesh, Optus is the other provider to set a four in a row record by winning the 2022 Best Mobile Broadband Provider, High Use award. The big data packages offered by Optus has made it an easy recommendation over the last four years.

Runner Up:Telstra

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Best Mobile Broadband Provider, Everyday Use

Telstra is the winner of this year's Best Mobile Broadband Provider, Everyday Use award. Australia's biggest telco provider has offered a number of great mobile broadband plans for all data appetites and is certainly worth considering for anyone looking for the convenience that mobile broadband offers.

Runner Up:Optus

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Best Home Wireless Broadband Provider

SpinTel has been one of the most competitive and consistent home wireless broadband providers for some time now, having either won or placed as runner up in this category for the last four years. If you're looking for an NBN alternative, home wireless broadband is a great option and SpinTel should be at the top of your list to check out.

Runner Up:Moose Mobile

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Best Internet Promotion

Origin Broadband was amongst the first Australian companies to offer both energy and broadband services. The provider offers unlimited data and no lock-in contracts, and isn't shy of putting out a great incentive from time to time. Origin Broadband won this year's Best Internet Promotion award for offering the first two months internet free on any speed plan, whether an existing Origin energy customer or not.

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Sustainable Internet Provider of the Year

The issue of sustainability cannot be ignored and Belong is one internet provider that has taken it upon itself to lead in this area. Belong is a carbon neutral business that has taken many positive steps towards sustainability including reduction of packaging, recycling e-waste and partnering with those that share their environmental goals. Not only that, Belong insists that the customer doesn't pay for it to be carbon neutral. Special mention should also be given to Telstra for the efforts Australia's largest telco is making to become a more sustainable business.

Runner Up:Telstra

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About the Awards

About the Awards The WhistleOut Awards recognise the telco businesses that have consistently provided Australians with the best plans over the last year. The awards also highlight the best promotions and phone products released during that period.

WhistleOut’s mission is to help Australians find better phones and internet, and make better telco decisions. We know it can be a complicated and confusing industry with so many providers, plans and products that it’s easy to get lost and difficult to know who to trust.

That’s where the WhistleOut Awards come in. They aim to cover the different types of phone and internet use cases that apply to most Australians, and show which providers have most consistently offered the best plans over 12 months (July-June). The awards also acknowledge the best phones that have been brought onto the market over the year, and provide a great starting point for anyone looking to make a smart telco change.

Judging Criteria

The WhistleOut Awards are aimed at finding the best providers for different phone and internet needs on a national level.

We have reviewed the biggest cross section of providers possible, including the top 10 service providers in each category, many smaller providers, and the full range of phone manufacturers available in Australia. The top ten service providers typically cover 80% or more of Australia’s phone and internet plans.

The WhistleOut Award categories for phone and internet plans are judged by awarding 3, 2 and 1 points to the providers of the three best plans in each category on a monthly basis, (July 2021 - June 2022). The award winners are the providers with the highest number of points at the end of the 12 month period. In case of a tie, winners are chosen based on the number of 1st positions, then 2nd positions, then 3rd positions they achieved in that category over the course of the year. A provider can receive points for multiple plans in a category if their plans best match the award criteria.

The exceptions to this judging process are the Best Promotion and Sustainable Provider awards for Mobile and Internet. The Best Promotion awards are given to the single best promotion over the twelve month period as judged by WhistleOut’s in-house panel of experts. The Sustainable Provider awards are entered by written submission and assessed by WhistleOut's in-house panel.

The WhistleOut phone awards are judged by our team of editorial experts who have reviewed the majority of new phones brought out over the last 12 months. Key judging considerations include price, performance, battery, screen, camera, design and the overall user experience.