New research published by Roy Morgan has put a number on the growing popularity of mobile virtual network operators among Australian consumers.
According to the data, MVNO providers have increased their share of mobile services in operation (SIOs) from 17% in March 2021 to 19% as of March 2025. That roughly equates to an increase of around 700,000 customers and a total of 4.3 million SIOs across all MVNOs.
Roy Morgan framed the cost-of-living crisis as a key driver for this trend, arguing that customers are actively choosing to get better value from their mobile service providers amid stretched household budgets.
You can see how the market has shifted in the table below.
Interestingly, Telstra was the one provider to grow its share of SIOs over the past four years while Optus and TPG-Vodafone declined. That said, it's worth remembering the last four years have seen Telstra acquire Boost Mobile - one of the biggest MVNOs associated with its network - and Optus was subject to a high-profile data breach and a major outage.
A lot can happen in four years and, according to Roy Morgan CEO Michelle Levine, Australia's MVNOs have taken advantage of a growing desire by consumers to take advantage of cheaper prices without compromising on network coverage.
"The customers choosing to switch to MVNOs are more likely to mention price-related reasons for switching to these brands than those sticking with the ‘big three’ – and this is clearly a key factor for many Australians during the cost-of-living crisis of the last few years," she said.
Other findings by Roy Morgan included the detail that customers of MNVOs are more likely to advocate for their brand than those associated with major carriers.
Interestingly, most MVNOs owned by carriers lagged behind independent operators when judged on this metric. However, amaysim was the one exception. Roy Morgan noted that this performance is even more impressive given that Optus was the only carrier to come away with a negative score from customers.
Although MVNOs on the Telstra network generally reported a higher level of customer approval than their counterparts on other networks, Levine also called out Dodo and Aussie Broadband as two providers that have grown their SIO share significantly in recent years.
For a snapshot of how these two providers compare to Telstra MVNOs, check out the widget below for a round-up of the cheapest plans currently on offer.
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