The cost-of-living crisis creates opportunities for Mobile Virtual Network Operators
Australia’s Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) are increasing their share of Australia’s mobile phone market during a sustained cost-of-living crunch and Australians are consistently recommending them to others.
The MVNOs, like Aldi Mobile, Aussie Broadband, Dodo and Tangerine, among others, have increased their share of mobile phone Services in Operation (SIOs) from 17% in the 6 months to March 2021 to 19% in the 6 months to March 2025 – an increase of 2% points since 2021.
These market shares equate to 4.3 million SIOs in the 6 months to March 2025 now using a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO), up around 700,000 compared to four years ago.
Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) are resellers of network bandwidth from one of the major players such as Telstra, Optus and TPG Telecom. Although the majors still have their network used by the MVNOs, they are disadvantaged by the rise of MVNOs because they lose direct contact with the customer and therefore lose the ability to build relationships and cross-sell.
The factors driving the rising share of the mobile phone market held by Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) are closely related to the cost-of-living crisis experienced over the last few years. Consumers making the choice to switch to a MVNO are more likely to cite ‘price’ and ‘network’ related reasons as top reasons for choosing a particular brand than those sticking with the flagship brands of the big three networks, Telstra, Optus or Vodafone. This shows consumers actively choose to get better value from their service provider through cheaper prices riding on the same network amid ongoing cost-of-living pressures and stretched household budgets.
Mobile Phone Service Provider market shares – Mobile Networks (MNOs) – Optus, Telstra and TPG Telecom vs. Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs): 2021-2025
Base: Australians 14+. Source: Roy Morgan Single Source. October 2020 – March 2021 through to October 2024 – March 2025. Average n=32,740. *MVNO = Mobile Virtual Network Operators such as Aldi Mobile, Exetel, Tangerine, Kogan, Dodo, Aussie Broadband, Coles Mobile, Moose Mobile, Everyday Mobile from Woolworths etc.
Customers of Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) are more likely to advocate for their brand than those with the major Mobile Network Operators (MNOs)
Cheaper prices do not mean poorer customer service. The Net Promoter Scores (NPS®) of Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) are consistently higher than those of the network owner they share a network with. Overall, MVNOs have an average NPS® of 33.1.
Sub-brands of the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) – which are brands fully owned by the MNO such as Belong and Boost (both now owned by Telstra), Amaysim (owned by Optus) and iiNet, Lebara and Felix Mobile (all owned by TPG Telecom) – tend to have better advocacy and higher NPS® than their flagship brands on the network – but still lag behind independent MVNOs within the same network.
Belong – a sub-brand started by Telstra just over a decade ago in 2013 – has the highest NPS® of the leading sub-brands at 38.1, although this is still lower than the Telstra MVNOs (43.4).
Amaysim is the only sub-brand that has better advocacy than the MVNOs it shares the Optus network with a NPS® of 33.6 compared to the Optus MVNOs (25.9). This is a great performance considering Optus is the only flagship brand with a negative NPS®.
These are the latest findings from Roy Morgan’s Single Source (Australia) which is based on a survey of over 65,000 consumers per annum.
Net Promoter Scores (NPS®)* for Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) – Optus, Telstra & Vodafone/TPG, MNO sub-brands and Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs).
Base: Australians 14+ - Main mobile phone. Source: Roy Morgan Single Source. October 2024 – March 2025. n=33,722. *Net Promoter Score and NPS® are registered trademarks of Bain & Company, Inc., Nice Systems, Inc. and Mr. Frederick Reichheld. Based on score of 9 or 10 minus 0 to 6 on an 11-point scale, where zero is not at all likely to recommend as a mobile phone service and ten is extremely likely.
Michele Levine, Chief Executive Officer, Roy Morgan says Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) have taken advantage of the cost-of-living crisis to increase their market share over the last few years with attractive pricing options for customers:
“Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) – which are resellers of network bandwidth from one of the main players such as Telstra, Optus or TPG Telecom – are winning new business and growing their customer base with the best combination of quality and price proving to be a winner for Australians dealing with rising prices and cost-of-living concerns.
“MVNOs have increased their market share of mobile phone Services in Operation (SIOs) from 17% in March 2021 to 19% in March 2025 – an increase of 2% points and equivalent to around 700,000 new mobile services.
“The factors driving this increase are the ultra-competitive pricing offered by MVNOs which can offer lower prices for almost the same coverage levels as the major network brands. The customers choosing to switch to MVNOs are more likely to mention price-related reasons for switching to these brands than those sticking with the ‘big three’ – and this is clearly a key factor for many Australians during the cost-of-living crisis of the last few years.
“Importantly, the MVNOs are providing a level of quality service and competitive pricing that is being recognised by their customers. The Net Promoter Scores (NPS)® of the MVNOs are significantly higher than the Mobile Network Operators – for all three major networks.
“The average NPS® of the MVNOs is an impressive 33.1 and as high as 43.4 for the group of Telstra MVNOs which include Aldi Mobile, Exetel, Tangerine, More Telecom, Everyday Mobile from Woolworths, Superloop and others.
“Two MVNOs worth highlighting which have grown their SIOs significantly in the last few years are Dodo and Aussie Broadband – both resellers operating on the Optus Network. Aussie Broadband is well known for delivering high levels of customer satisfaction and has won Roy Morgan’s Mobile Phone Service Provider of the Year for two consecutive years (2023 & 2024).”
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*Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) are smaller operators which use a larger network to provide their mobile service. These include: Optus: Amaysim, Coles Mobile, Dodo, Southern Phone, AGL, Aussie Broadband, iPrimus, Moose Mobile, SpinTel, Circles.life. Telstra: Aldi Mobile, Belong, Boost, Exetel, Mate, More Telecom, Tangerine, Everyday Mobile from Woolworths, JB Hi-Fi, Superloop. Vodafone/TPG Telecom: Kogan Mobile, iiNet, Lebara, Lycamobile, Felix Mobile.
Sub-Brands are mobile phone service plans marketed by the Mobile Network Operators under a different brand. These include: Optus: Amaysim. Telstra: Belong, Boost. TPG Telecom: TPG, iiNet, Lebara, Felix Mobile and now phased-out brands TransACT, Westnet, Internode.
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About Roy Morgan
Roy Morgan is the largest independent Australian research company, with offices in each state of Australia, as well as in the United States and the United Kingdom. A full service research organisation specialising in omnibus and syndicated data, Roy Morgan has over 70 years’ experience in collecting objective, independent information on consumers.
Margin of Error
The margin of error to be allowed for in any estimate depends mainly on the number of interviews on which it is based. Margin of error gives indications of the likely range within which estimates would be 95% likely to fall, expressed as the number of percentage points above or below the actual estimate. Allowance for design effects (such as stratification and weighting) should be made as appropriate.
| Sample Size | Percentage Estimate |
| 40% – 60% | 25% or 75% | 10% or 90% | 5% or 95% | |
| 1,000 | ±3.0 | ±2.7 | ±1.9 | ±1.3 |
| 5,000 | ±1.4 | ±1.2 | ±0.8 | ±0.6 |
| 7,500 | ±1.1 | ±1.0 | ±0.7 | ±0.5 |
| 10,000 | ±1.0 | ±0.9 | ±0.6 | ±0.4 |
| 20,000 | ±0.7 | ±0.6 | ±0.4 | ±0.3 |
| 50,000 | ±0.4 | ±0.4 | ±0.3 | ±0.2 |
