X

Half of Aussies want to switch telcos in 2012

A survey conducted by Macquarie University has found that 46 per cent of all Australians who own a mobile phone are seriously considering switching telcos within the next 12 months.

Joseph Hanlon Special to CNET News
Joe capitalises on a life-long love of blinking lights and upbeat MIDI soundtracks covering the latest developments in smartphones and tablet computers. When not ruining his eyesight staring at small screens, Joe ruins his eyesight playing video games and watching movies.
Joseph Hanlon
(Credit: CBSi)

A survey conducted by Macquarie University has found that 46 per cent of all Australians who own a mobile phone are seriously considering switching telcos within the next 12 months.

A further 16 per cent of respondents had already switched telcos this year, with the group citing poor reception, poor customer service and overspending or under-spending on their plans as the chief reasons for looking to alternative service providers.

With the support of start-up telco amaysim, researchers from the university's Faculty of Business and Economics Department of Marketing and Management collected data from Aussie consumers via an online survey and a series of focus groups in Sydney.

Customers considering a switch of telco told the researchers that there were a number of reasons why they hadn't switched earlier. Being locked into a long-term contract was the most common reason, but one third of respondents had difficulty comparing plans between the various providers and a quarter believed that switching telcos would be expensive and time consuming.

According to the conclusions of this study, approximately two million Australians switched mobile phone telcos this year, saving an accumulative AU$622 million, or AU$26.52 each, per month.