Dodo Mobile review: Fast 5G from $15/mth

Despite its extinct namesake, Dodo has proven to be one of Australia's most enduring telcos outside of the big three. When it launched in 2001, Dodo was in the business of selling dial-up internet with an earworm that most Australians who lived through it can recite to this day:

"Dodo, Dodo, internet that flies, at $9.90 per month, connect yourself with Dodo"

Over the years, the ads got even worse, but the services improved and expanded dramatically, with Dodo moving into mobile broadband, home phone, energy and, eventually, mobile phone services. 

Today, Dodo is owned by the Vocus Group (the parent company of iPrimus) and offers a streamlined selection of energy, NBN, and mobile plans that operate on the Optus 4G/5G network.

Dodo Mobile offers three streamlined mobile plans on the Optus 4G/5G network. Its cheapest long-term plan is pretty straightforward, offering 25GB for $25 per month, plus unlimited calls and texts and $100 of international call credit. But the real value is in its Medium and Large plans, which regularly offer large six-month discounts. 

Dodo Mobile plans are postpaid SIM-only plans with no contract or excess usage fees. If you go over your data allowance, you'll simply be speed-capped at 256Kbps. 

As far as Optus MVNOs go, Dodo is one of the best for value. There are cheaper prepaid plans, like Yomojo, but that only runs on the Optus 4G network. Otherwise, your best prepaid alternative on the Optus network could be Optus itself. 

Dodo Mobile is an Optus MVNO. That means it gets full access to the Optus 4G/5G network. These days, Optus and Vodafone are almost on par in terms of coverage. Both offer networks that cover 1.2 million square km in Australia. The Optus 4G network is marginally bigger than the Vodafone 4G network, covering 99.1% of Australia's population. But both 5G networks reach 94.5% of Australians. With that said, average Optus 5G speeds have consistently been faster than those of Telstra and Vodafone, according to Opensignal reports. 

Open the coverage map below to see if you've got sufficient Dodo Mobile 4G and 5G coverage in your area. 

Dodo Mobile is light on perks, but there are a couple features that make it worthwhile. 

• Included international call credit: Every Dodo mobile plan comes with international call credit. Depending on your plan of choice, you'll get $100, $200 or $400 of international call credit. 
• Unlimited data banking: If you're a light to medium data user, your monthly allowance won't reset every month with Dodo. Instead, your unused data is banked. Some providers offer the same inclusion with exceptions (e.g. a limit on how much data you can bank) but Dodo offers unlimited data banking. So if you only use 10GB of your 25GB allowance in a month, you'll have 40GB to use the next month. If you only use 10GB that month, you'll have 55GB to spend the next month, and so on. 
• $10 roaming: Dodo offers $10 per day global roaming with 1GB to use every day. It's not the best value roaming but it's enough to get you out of a pickle and you won't be charged for incoming SMS. 
• Dodo app: It took a while but Dodo now has a full-featured app available for iOS and Android that lets you manage your usage and pay your bill. 

While Dodo Mobile may not pack in a high volume of extra perks, it offers several accessible ways to reach customer support. You can access online self-service via the website, connect with live chat representatives, or reach their phone support team directly on 13 36 36. Subscribers can manage their usage online at my.dodo.com or via the dedicated Dodo App available on iOS and Android.

Customer feedback across review sites remains mixed depending on the platform:

• ProductReview.com.au: Dodo Mobile holds a strong rating of around 4.4 to 4.5 out of 5 stars across thousands of reviews. Feedback is generally positive regarding value for money, reliable network coverage, and transparency.
• Trustpilot: Ratings for "Dodo Services" sit lower at roughly 1.1 out of 5 stars. However, it is worth keeping in mind that Trustpilot aggregates feedback across all Dodo products, including NBN internet, electricity, and gas, rather than mobile plans alone.

If top-tier customer satisfaction scores across all platforms are a priority for you, alternative budget telcos like Felix Mobile, MATE, or Moose Mobile are also worth considering.