Tangerine, amaysim and OPPO clean up in the 2021 WhistleOut Awards

Every year, our mates at WhistleOut blow off a bit of steam by going through a year’s worth of mobile and internet plan data with a fine-tooth comb to find the providers that offered consistently outstanding value across the year.

No price change or fine-print disclaimer goes by without WhistleOut’s team of experts knowing about it, making them one of the most trusted organisations in the comparison space. They know which providers are best, and they’ve got the data to back it up. That's why we at Reviews.org rely on WhistleOut's data for our own rankings of Australia's best mobile and NBN providers.

The WhistleOut Awards is an annual celebration where the team of editors and experts take a moment to give a nod to the providers that came out on top after 12 months of analysis. It’s basically the Academy Awards of the telecommunications industry - without the drawn-out acceptance speeches.

So without further hesitation, let’s take a look at the providers that cleaned up in this year’s WhistleOut Awards.

Taking out the top spot as 2021’s best mobile provider overall is amaysim, the prepaid pal to university students everywhere. As one of the most highly regarded MVNOs on the market, amaysim has always offered top-dollar value for Australians who want a decent amount of data without spending a fortune. Taking this year’s WhistleOut award is proof that the provider shows consistency in a market flooded by limited-time discounts and deals.

That’s not all, though. In addition to winning Best Mobile Provider overall, amaysim took out three more awards in the same category this year:

• Best Prepaid Provider, Large Plans
• Best Provider, Plans for Kids
• Best Provider, International Calls

For the full rundown of accolades, head over to WhistleOut’s complete list of the 2021 Mobile Plan and Provider winners.

Over the last few years, Tangerine Telecom has become the provider to turn to for top-shelf value on the NBN. Like most providers these days, Tangerine offers limited-time discounts for the first six months as a customer but unlike most providers, Tangerine continues to offer outstanding value once the promotion period ends. It’s why they’re a constant feature in our monthly picks for the best NBN plans in Australia and now they’ve got the WhistleOut award for it to prove their worth.

In addition to taking the gong for Best Internet Provider overall, Tangerine also squeezed out the competition in the following categories:

• Best Unlimited NBN Provider
• Best Fixed Wireless Provider
• Best Premium NBN Provider

Head over to WhistleOut’s page for the 2021 Internet Awards for the complete list of winning providers.

When Huawei disappeared from the Australian mobile market, we were left to wonder which manufacturer would step up to fill its shoes as the affordable Android alternative. OPPO has been training for the role since it first entered the Aussie market back in 2014, but this was the year it truly came into its own with a huge range of reliable smartphones that cater to every budget (seriously, there are so many we had to write a standalone guide to the best OPPO phones available).

While OPPO didn’t nab any smaller categories in the 2021 Mobile Phone Awards (those were mostly reserved for iPhone, Samsung and Google), its Best Phone Manufacturer win solidifies its position as one of the best value smartphone options in Australia.

At the time of writing, the OPPO Find X3 Pro is also our runner-up for Android phones behind the Google Pixel 5 for the best phones you can buy in Australia.

So there you have it. Did your mobile or internet provider nab a WhistleOut award this year? To browse the entire list of mobile, internet and smartphone award-winners, be sure to head over to WhistleOut's results pages for the Mobile Awards and Internet Awards.