Updated 8 months ago

COVID-19 and how it will affect you

We recognise now more than ever, Southern Phone’s essential role in keeping people connected, especially during these unfamiliar times.

Our priority is the well-being of our people as they perform essential work keeping colleagues, friends and families connected via their internet and mobile services all over Australia.

Southern Phone encourages our customers to follow the guidance of the Australian Health Department.

We are taking a considered approach to supporting our people, customers and the communities we serve.

So, how will this affect you and the service that we can provide?

Let’s start with our service teams:
At Southern Phone, we pride ourselves on having an Aussie based call centre, which means we are still here to service you and your needs. Whether you want to pay a bill, sign up for a new service or troubleshoot an existing one we're still here for you!

What about new services?

Home Phone Orders:
Telstra currently have an embargo period for any new or transferring home phone services. What this means for you is that, if you wanted to transfer your existing home phone to Southern Phone, there will be a delay until after the 6th of April at this stage. (Please note this is subject to change) However, if you were happy to get a new number with us, this can happen in a matter of days.

Mobile SIM Orders:
If you were planning on transferring your Mobile service to Southern Phone, there is expected to be slight delays in the time frames that the porting can take, for example, if you are coming to Southern Phone from an Optus re-seller such as Virgin or Dodo this will take more time than if you were to get a brand new number.

But don’t be alarmed, if you do want to transfer a number from a different provider, we will still process this request for you! You will know when the transfer completes, as your current mobile provider's sim card will cease to work, that's when you know it’s time to insert your brand-new Southern Phone Sim!

New or relocating NBN Orders:
If you are wanting to transfer an existing nbn™ connection to Southern Phone, this can take anywhere from 1 hour, up to 6 weeks (generally the latter.)
However, if you have never been connected to nbn before and would now like to get connected and require an nbn technician to come to your premise, there are some safety measures that they have put in place, for their safety and yours! 
There may be potential delays in scheduling an nbn technician appointment at this time, however we will be in contact with you when your appointment is booked. If you need to reschedule at any time, please contact our call centre or our live chat team.
See below the advice nbn co have provided us:

"It is standard practice when a technician is approaching a customer premises, to call on approach to make sure the customer is in attendance and prepared for the appointment. Field technicians will now ask relevant COVID-19 related questions, including:
1. Is anyone at the premises unwell and do you have any reason to suspect that you or anyone else at the premises has been exposed to someone with or suspected to have COVID-19?
2. Are you or anyone else at the premises in self-isolation due to having contact with someone with a suspected or diagnosed case of COVID-19, isolated due to international travel within the last 14 days, or isolated due to an in-home recovery period?
The relevant questions may be updated from time to time as the situation unfolds.
If the answer to either of the above questions is yes, the field technician is expected to cease work and advise the customer that their appointment will be rescheduled or cancelled if applicable.

The nbn Service Provider will be informed of the matter, and to the extent the premises is in self-isolation may reschedule the appointment after 14 days. If the end user's (customer) response to the relevant questions is evasive or the field technician believes they may not be accurate, they are not required to complete the job and they have been requested to:
• advise the end user (customer) that their appointment will need to be rescheduled;
• contact nbn, to have it actioned appropriately.
If the customer’s answer to the above questions is no, the job will proceed as scheduled."

For Existing Services:

ADSL & nbn:
If you have an existing nbn or ADSL service (excluding Satellite) with Southern Phone, from now until the 30th of September 2020, we will be providing unlimited data 24/7. No metering! This means you can stream Netflix, join a Zoom meeting or complete your studies without worrying about exceeding or being shaped (slowed). If you would like to increase your speed, just contact our sales team or talk to us on live chat!

Skymuster Satellite:
As of the 1st of April 2020, all satellite customers will receive an additional 45GB added to their monthly allowance for on peak periods. That's an additional 45GB for three months at no extra cost.

Skymuster Plus Satellite:
Beginning April 1, more activities will now be included as "Unmetered" usage.
Unmetered activities will include:
Web browsing;
Email;
Operating System updates;
Skype; and
Facetime
The only scenarios of "Metered" will be video streaming (i.e. Netflix) or browsing via a VPN (Virtual Private Network).

Your Account:
If you have been directly affected due to the virus and have been left unable to pay your bill or would like to request an extension, you can contact our trained hardship team on 1800 356 227 
Monday - Thursday: 8am - 6pm
Friday: 8am - 5pm
You can also view our Financial hardship policy here