Southern Phone vs Tangerine - Which is the best NBN internet provider?

Tangerine and Southern Phone both offer NBN, but they cater to slightly different needs. Tangerine is often praised for its reliable connection and efficient tech support, though some customers report billing issues and a lack of loyalty offers. On the other hand, Southern Phone, owned by the Vocus Group, focuses on affordability and regional connectivity, with its cheapest plan being a satellite option.

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NBN plans from $69.90/mth  ·  Partner

Southern Phone and Tangerine are both reputable broadband internet providers in Australia.
Deciding which NBN or wireless internet company to sign up to is not an easy task. To make this process easier we have provided a side by side comparison of Southern Phone and Tangerine internet providers in the table below.

Disclaimer: All the data in the table is based on the opinions of people who have submitted reviews to this site over the last 24 months. We screen the reviews very thoroughly to ensure only accurate reviews get through. Please do your own research.


Criteria Southern Phone Tangerine
About Southern Phone broadband NBN, wireless and adsl internet reviews and plan comparisons Tangerine broadband NBN, wireless and adsl internet reviews and plan comparisons
Partner
Southern Phone Company is owned by AGL and is one of the largest providers of fixed line, mobile and Internet communications services in regional Australia. Tangerine is a fast-growing nbn and SIM-only mobile provider founded in 2013 by brothers Andrew and Richard Branson (no relation to Virgin's Sir Richard). Known for sharp pricing, no lock-in contracts and Australian-based support, it has been part-owned by Commonwealth Bank since 2021 and has won a string of budget-provider awards.
Go to Southern Phone Go to Tangerine
Overall Rating [Not enough reviews] 3.6
Tangerine has an overall rating of 3.6 out of 5 based on 5 reviews.
Tangerine is a good broadband internet provider according to our users.
Recommended [Not enough reviews] 60% of people who have written reviews on this site would recommend Tangerine to their friends as a broadband internet provider.
Reliability [Not enough reviews] 4.2
Tangerine's reliability is rated as very good by our users. Tangerine has an overall rating of 4.2 out of 5 for reliability.
Customer Service [Not enough reviews] 3
Tangerine's customer service is rated as ok by our users. Tangerine has an overall rating of 3 out of 5 for customer service.
Value for Money [Not enough reviews] 3.4
Tangerine is rated as ok for value for money by our users. Tangerine has an overall rating of 3.4 out of 5 for value for money.
Technical Support [Not enough reviews] 3.8
Tangerine's technical support is rated as good by our users. Tangerine has an overall rating of 3.8 out of 5 for technical support.
Australian based technical support [Not enough reviews] No, Tangerine uses a mix of Australian based and overseas call centres for technical support.
Call Centre Location [Not enough reviews] Tangerine uses call centres based in Australia and Philippines.
Services Offered [Not enough reviews] Tangerine offers a range of broadband and internet related services including NBN internet plans.
Cost of 25Mbps NBN Plan with unlimited data Southern Phone - Satellite Small: 25Mbps, unlimited data for $55 per month.
Southern Phone - Basic: 25Mbps, unlimited data for $59 per month.
Tangerine - Value: 25Mbps, unlimited data for $69.9 per month.
Cost of 50Mbps NBN Plan with unlimited data Southern Phone - Satellite Medium: 50Mbps, unlimited data for $70 per month.
Southern Phone - Standard: 50Mbps, unlimited data for $79 per month.
Tangerine - Value Plus: 50Mbps, unlimited data for $84.9 per month.
Cost of wireless broadband plan Southern Phone - Home Wireless (4G): 20Mbps, unlimited data for $60 per month.
Tangerine - 100GB (5G): 100Mbps, unlimited data for $34.9 per month.
Contact Details Southern Phone's phone number is:
13 14 64
and website is:
southernphone.com.au
Tangerine's phone number is:
1800 211 112
and website is:
tangerinetelecom.com.au
Read Reviews Read reviews of Southern Phone. Read reviews of Tangerine.
Go to Southern Phone Go to Tangerine

Southern Phone and Tangerine NBN25 plans (25Mbps download speed)

Southern Phone broadband NBN reviews
Satellite Small
NBN - Sky Muster
25 Mb/s
Unlimited data
$55/mth Go to site
Southern Phone broadband NBN reviews
Basic
NBN - Fixed Line
25 Mb/s
Unlimited data
$59/mth Go to site
Southern Phone broadband NBN reviews
Basic
NBN - Fixed Line
25 Mb/s
Unlimited data
$59/mth
$45 for first 12 months
Go to site
Tangerine broadband NBN reviews
Value
NBN - Fixed Line
25 Mb/s
Unlimited data
$69.9/mth
$44.9 for first 6 months
Go to site

Southern Phone and Tangerine NBN50 plans (50Mbps download speed)

Southern Phone broadband NBN reviews
Satellite Medium
NBN - Sky Muster
50 Mb/s
Unlimited data
$70/mth Go to site
Southern Phone broadband NBN reviews
Standard
NBN - Fixed Line
50 Mb/s
Unlimited data
$79/mth Go to site
Southern Phone broadband NBN reviews
Standard
NBN - Fixed Line
50 Mb/s
Unlimited data
$79/mth
$59 for first 12 months
Go to site
Tangerine broadband NBN reviews
Value Plus
NBN - Fixed Line
50 Mb/s
Unlimited data
$84.9/mth
$59.9 for first 6 months
Go to site

Southern Phone and Tangerine Ultrafast plans (>100Mbps download speed)

Tangerine broadband NBN reviews
Fixed Wireless Value Plus
NBN - Fixed Wireless
100 Mb/s
Unlimited data
$84.9/mth
$59.9 for first 6 months
Go to site
Tangerine broadband NBN reviews
Fixed Wireless Speedy
NBN - Fixed Wireless
200 Mb/s
Unlimited data
$88.9/mth
$63.9 for first 6 months
Go to site
Tangerine broadband NBN reviews
Speedy Max
NBN - Fixed Line
500 Mb/s
Unlimited data
$88.9/mth
$63.9 for first 6 months
Go to site
Southern Phone broadband NBN reviews
Fast X
NBN - Fixed Line
500 Mb/s
Unlimited data
$89/mth Go to site
Southern Phone broadband NBN reviews
Fast X
NBN - Fixed Line
500 Mb/s
Unlimited data
$89/mth Go to site
Southern Phone broadband NBN reviews
Ultrafast
NBN - Fixed Line
860 Mb/s
Unlimited data
$95/mth Go to site
Southern Phone broadband NBN reviews
Satellite Large
NBN - Sky Muster
100 Mb/s
Unlimited data
$95/mth Go to site
Southern Phone broadband NBN reviews
Ultrafast
NBN - Fixed Line
860 Mb/s
Unlimited data
$95/mth
$85 for first 12 months
Go to site
Tangerine broadband NBN reviews
Fixed Wireless SuperSpeedy
NBN - Fixed Wireless
400 Mb/s
Unlimited data
$104.9/mth
$79.9 for first 6 months
Go to site
Tangerine broadband NBN reviews
UltraSpeedy
NBN - Fixed Line
700 Mb/s
Unlimited data
$119.9/mth
$94.9 for first 6 months
Go to site

Summary of Southern Phone and Tangerine comparison

Please note that summary below is based on reviews submitted to this website and represents the views of the people who wrote the reviews.

  • Overall: Southern Phone and Tangerine have pretty similiar ratings overall.
  • Recommended: Southern Phone is more highly recommended than Tangerine.
  • Reliability: Southern Phone and Tangerine have pretty similar ratings for reliability.
  • Customer Service: Southern Phone rates higher for customer service than Tangerine does.
  • Value for Money: Southern Phone rates higher for value for money than Tangerine does.
  • Technical Support: Tangerine rates higher for technical support than Southern Phone does.

How to decide between Southern Phone and Tangerine? - next steps

  • Read reviews of Southern Phone and Tangerine to see what people think of these companies
  • Visit the website of each company and do some of your own research - Southern Phone and Tangerine
  • Decide how fast your connection need to be and how much data you need then use our broadband plan finder to narrow down the list of plans and find the best plan that suits your budget
  • Choose the plan that best suits your needs and budget. Remember, that you can easily change plans but changing broadband internet providers is more difficult so it is really important that you choose a solid internet provider.


Frequently asked questions about Southern Phone vs Tangerine

Is Southern Phone better than Tangerine?

Tangerine has 5 verified reviews on Oz Broadband Reviews and an overall rating of 3.6 out of 5. Southern Phone has fewer than 5 reviews so we don't yet show an aggregate rating. Read the individual reviews above to form your own view.

Which is cheaper for NBN50, Southern Phone or Tangerine?

Southern Phone's cheapest NBN50 plan is the Standard at $59/month intro for 12 months, then $79/month. Tangerine's cheapest NBN50 plan is the Value Plus at $59.90/month intro for 6 months, then $84.90/month. Southern Phone is cheaper on the ongoing price after any intro period ends.

Which has better customer service, Southern Phone or Tangerine?

Southern Phone scores 3.7 out of 5 on customer service vs Tangerine's 3.0, based on verified reviews on Oz Broadband Reviews. If onshore support matters, Southern Phone's call centre is based in Australia and Tangerine's is based in Australia and the Philippines.

What plans do Southern Phone and Tangerine offer?

Southern Phone offers 12 NBN plans and 1 wireless plan. Tangerine offers 7 NBN plans and 3 wireless plans. See the full plan tables above for prices, speeds and data limits.

Where are Southern Phone and Tangerine's call centres?

Southern Phone's customer support is based in Australia. Tangerine's customer support is based in Australia and the Philippines. Call centre location can affect support hours and accent comprehension if onshore support is important to you.

How do I switch from Southern Phone to Tangerine (or Tangerine to Southern Phone)?

Switching NBN providers in Australia is straightforward. The new provider handles the transfer once you sign up and provide your address. There's usually no contract overlap if your current plan is month-to-month, but check for early termination fees on contracted plans. Phone numbers can usually be ported, and the service typically continues uninterrupted on the same NBN line.


What customers say

About Southern Phone

★★★☆☆ (3.3)
“Followup review of Southern Phone”

Cost of NBN has increased. Not happy.

— Verified customer (SA), Jun 2026
★★★½☆ (3.8)
“Nothing special.”

You get what you pay for. Customer service is ok once you get onto somebody. However, the whole online account platform is difficult to navigate. Had a…

— Verified customer (NSW), Aug 2025

About Tangerine

★★★★½ (4.8)
“easy setup, good support. Great value”

nbn was setup quickly when I applied for it. Had a connection problem a few weeks in but tangerine sorted it quickly and efficently. Easy to use portal…

— Verified customer (QLD), May 2026
★★★★☆ (4.3)
“Reliable internet at affordable prices”

Internet that works reliably with few dropouts and consistent enough speeds. Tech support resolved any tech issues easily. Billing issues were harder to…

— Verified customer (QLD), Aug 2025

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