The Kotaku Awards 2011: Nominate You Favourite Mobile Broadband Provider

27 responses to “The Kotaku Awards 2011: Nominate You Favourite Mobile Broadband Provider”

1. 

   Ape

   November 19, 2011 at 1:16 pm

   Market research can be fun! er…

   Reply
2. 

   Aaron

   November 19, 2011 at 1:31 pm

   I have to say Optus based on the fact they’re the only provider who stretches into my part of the world. Since there’s no ADSL lines where I live, mobile broadband is the only option and cannot even get any signal out here with Telstra.

   Reply
3. 

   Lobo

   November 19, 2011 at 1:59 pm

   Im going for Optus because they’re not Telstra. I’m also with Optus at the moment.

   Reply
4. 

   Tristan Damen

   November 19, 2011 at 1:59 pm

   Mark, stop working and start enjoying Skyrim… I mean your weekend.

   I’m w/ Optus. They’re solid; nothing to write home about though.

   Reply
   1. 

      Hamish

      November 19, 2011 at 4:07 pm

      Totally agree on all the points you made, including salient argument re: skyyrim.

      Reply
5. 

   ed

   November 19, 2011 at 1:59 pm

   I dont think this question will yield anywhere near accurate results being taken from the regular consumer.

   We usually dont really switch around ISPs very often, so not many of use are really qualified to answer the question.

   The ISP I use is good and I am happy with them, but I can’t really judge it against other ISPs as I haven’t had a recent service with them.

   Reply
6. 

   chickenplucka

   November 19, 2011 at 2:06 pm

   I’m with Vodaphone and this year has been pretty good with them, much improved.

   So, I suppose that’s my vote

   Reply
7. 

   Fenixius

   November 19, 2011 at 2:08 pm

   Optus via Virgin power my phone.. but I hate it. It drops out incessantly on one of Perth’s major train lines. I’d prefer Telstra, but I’m locked in 🙁

   Reply
8. 

   [Razor]

   November 19, 2011 at 2:16 pm

   First and foremost, I hate mobile broadband with a passion. Wireless technology just dicks me around. But in the middle of this year we had to move to a suburb where wired internet is not a thing that exists. We called around various ISPs and you know you’re in trouble when Internode can’t give you wired internet. So we went with Optus, the slightly cheaper wireless option.

   Now I fully understand given the area of distribution, it isn’t possible to give 100% quality wireless internet to 100% of the country and that there are going to be some deadspots, but with Optus it soon reached a point where I was not able to connect to the internet at all during peak hours. Since the wireless doohickey would detect between certain channels or something, and everytime it would pick up “GPRS” it wouldn’t be able to do anything, and it would pick up GPRS a lot… I don’t know, it’s been a long time.

   So we eventually switched to Telstra, our pre-move ISP. Telstra’s been pretty good, I guess. I only have internet issues 5-10% roughly. Any issues I get tend to be a “not working, disconnect, connect, keep using it until it stops working and repeat” variety. So they’re pretty good, except…

   The price! For ADSL+ at the time of our moving they were offering $70 for 200GB. With figures like that I would have finally reached the point where I no longer complain about Australia’s internet. But for Telstra’s wireless offers? Well I am a gamer, right? Even if I’m not playing games, I’m using the internet pretty heavily. So one of their largest deals, well:

   It costs eight thousand cents to use this internet for twelve gigabytes.

   $80. For 12GB. This is pretty ridiculous! Through the power of maths that would be about $1333.33 for the previously mentioned 200GB, only wireless. Now maybe I am wrong, maybe wireless internet is really intensive or something, but it just reeks of screwing Australians over. For this reason, Telstra can go jump (over my piles of cash and tears). Bring on the NBN.

   tl;dr Telstra doesn’t get my vote. Or Optus. Wireless internet is a terrible scam and I’m sorry for anyone who gets stuck with it. You have my deepest sympathies.

   (For the record, look up Craigmore, SA on googlemaps. It’s pretty populated, so it’s not like it’s some rural one-house-per-square-kilometer deal.)

   Reply
   1. 

      Boomzzilla

      November 19, 2011 at 2:41 pm

      Craigmore is pretty much the end of the suburban sprawl at the north of adelaide, not only that but it’s next to Elizebeth downs a bona fide ghetto.How many people in that area can even afford broadband connected to their fibro housing tust dump on their dole check?
      Seriously man move out of the sticks and out of the ghetto.

      Reply
      1. 

         [Razor]

         November 19, 2011 at 2:51 pm

         Gods I would love to.
         To be honest my dream house is next door to an interchange.

         Reply
9. 

   masha2932

   November 19, 2011 at 2:47 pm

   Optus. Pretty solid connection where I live.

   Reply
10. 

    effektd

    November 19, 2011 at 3:12 pm

    True 3G from Telstra and I’m looking forward to getting my hands on a 4G dongle!!

    Reply
11. 

    Steven

    November 19, 2011 at 3:15 pm

    3 mobile. shit phone reception outside of the city but their 3g service seems to work flawlessly everywhere

    Reply
    1. 

       Kincuri

       November 19, 2011 at 5:04 pm

       I agree with this. 3 Mobile is one of the cheapest providers as well.

       I use both Vodafone (PocketWifi) and 3 (via iPhone tethering). Whilst I more often than not get away with using just the Vodafone PocketWifi, I have more than once had to resort to my iPhone to get a useable connection via the 3 network when Vodafone fails.

       Reply
    2. 

       Matt

       November 21, 2011 at 10:18 am

       -1 for 3 Mobile. They have the worst service I have ever experienced including Telstra. The coverage is spotty at best in Oakden,SA. Their billing system is atrocious, you can’t tell how much data has been used via the online account only via the bill at the end of the month and they never provide a breakdown of data used on each day.

       I’m now on Telstra and the coverage is much much better. +1 for Telstra

       Reply
12. 

    NegativeZero

    November 19, 2011 at 3:21 pm

    None of them. They will all bend you over a barrel if they get half a chance.

    Reply
    1. 

       Fenixius

       November 19, 2011 at 4:23 pm

       This. This this this this this. Never ever use mobile if you can avoid it!

       Reply
    2. 

       Freeze S. Preston Icequire

       November 19, 2011 at 5:57 pm

       + one million. Until they start charging reasonable prices I can’t justify mobile broadband in any way. Especially since I get 2GB included in my 49 plan, yet 2Gb would cost over 50 without the phone calls and the handset.

       Reply
13. 

    Adwahorne

    November 19, 2011 at 5:39 pm

    internode

    Reply
14. 

    Boomzzilla

    November 19, 2011 at 6:11 pm

    As far as spped is concerned it’s just a lucky dip, as for service internode.

    Reply
15. 

    Sir Sam

    November 19, 2011 at 7:40 pm

    Optus. They are the mid point between Vodafon’s price and Telstra’s coverage and speed

    Reply
16. 

    mention

    November 20, 2011 at 9:00 am

    @ape: Damn, beat me to it. Letsd not forget that woolworths is dick smith now. Looks like they are looking to copy a model?

    Reply
17. 

    Thom

    November 20, 2011 at 9:25 am

    Im with optus, its reliable, but its 3g network is lousy. I dont get signal at central station or macquarie uni or my house. The good news is I get it on the roytes between those places so I can use it on the bus. Fails in parts of the north shore line.

    Reply
18. 

    Edward

    November 20, 2011 at 5:26 pm

    amaysim; cheap, reliable & polite; what more could I need?

    Reply
19. 

    Michael

    November 20, 2011 at 11:39 pm

    None there all pretty bad.

    Reply
20. 

    Kid

    November 20, 2011 at 11:43 pm

    Telstra for sure. Although it’s only the best of the worst really. Australian isps need to up their games and provide some decent wireless that lasts longer than a goddamn week!

    Also why not look to Whirlpool.net.au for isp opinions and info Whirlpools arguably the best place for this. You guys must want your own data though?

    Reply