It can be hard to know which is the best internet provider to choose, it’s confusing and you’ll often find yourself bombarded with information. Often it’s a matter of going for either price or unlimited data.
In a bid to ease the haze, we spoke to Richard Branson – no, not Sir Richard Branson – who started Tangerine Telecoms.
You’re probably well aware of the problems surrounding Australia’s NBN network, some places are still yet to receive access, but as it has become more widely available, more internet service providers (ISPs) have popped up with different NBN plans, including Tangerine.
NBN has different speeds, so depending what you use the internet for, this can be a factor when choosing the right plan.
Tangerine is one of many small Australian ISPs with a focus on customer service who cater their services and products to your needs. They have a longstanding relationship with Vocus, their back hall. In simple terms, this means Vocus provides internet for many ISPs, with Tangerine being one that’s stuck around longer than the others.
If you’re a gamer, Tangerine’s NBN 100 plan is perfect. Not only does it provide the fastest speed, it also offers a static IP address, which means your gamer friends can all connect to the same server with no hassles so you can play away to your heart’s content.
Other aspects that are particularly handy for young people, especially those living in sharehouses and those who don’t stay in one spot too long, is Tangerine’s no lock-in contracts. They offer a 14-day free trial, too, which means if you’re not completely satisfied with the service, you can get a full refund – including the modem.
Tangerine also try to get their customers connected as fast as possible, so you won’t be waiting forever to get online. Branson says many young people are taking up plans with them simply because there are no hidden costs and no fee to change plans.
That means if your household is downloading way too much stuff or you’ve been gaming for ten days straight and you’ve used up all your data, you can upgrade your plan with no extra fees.
Branson also says the company has grown significantly in the last six to twelve months, so you can rest assured that your internet provider’s not going to go bust tomorrow. Another great aspect is their internal policy to answer phone calls in ten seconds, plus you can call them seven days a week – something most providers don’t do.
Best of all, you don’t have to go into a physical store to sign up. It’s all online. All you have to do is jump onto their website. Plus, the average sign up time is only five minutes. And if you’ve got mates in rural areas, Tangerine has an NBN 50 tier so you can keep playing Fortnite with your country mates.
So why Tangerine of all fruits? According to Branson it’s young, fresh and fun. With so many internet providers around, it’s hard to stand out, so bright orange was a good choice of colour. If you hop onto their website you’ll be met by your trusty tangerine guide, fondly named Mr Peely, to help you navigate the website.
We asked Branson if there are any perks to sharing the same name as billionaire Sir Richard Branson. Tangerine’s Branson is also from the UK, so it’s no surprise that people confuse the two.
He says the perks include people never forgetting your name, which is good in business.
“When I was a kid, I got sent demo tapes in the mail from bands hoping to get a record deal,” Branson says. This was back when Virgin Music was getting started. He also says he often ends up with the best table in the restaurant without asking for it.
To sign up to Tangerine Telecom, head to tangerinetelecom.com.au. For a limited time, use the promo code ‘BEAT25’ to get $25 off your first month.
