No doubt many of us are looking forward to getting a new smartphone for Christmas. But before you rush out to purchase the latest device for a loved one or yourself, there are a few things you should consider.

While price is likely to be a key decider, there are other factors to look at. Here are our top tips to keep in mind before purchasing a new smartphone or signing up to a new phone contract during the festive season.

Mobile coverage

The P3 CommsDay Mobile Benchmark 2015 tested the three Australian mobile networks (Telstra, Optus and Vodafone), giving a snapshot of the mobile coverage in larger cities, smaller towns and on highways around Australia. The Benchmark is an independent test that measures the quality of phone calls, and 4G and 3G data downloads.

Read more: Our top tips for buying a smartphone this Christmas

Up until recently, superfast fixed line broadband networks serving residential customers had to operate on a structurally separated basis – which means a strict separation between wholesale and retail arms of the business. Recent amendments to the Telecommunications Act allow networks to functionally separate, which is a less costly way of achieving similar outcomes. The ACCC role is:

• to develop an optional standard functional separation undertaking for networks, as an alternative to networks developing their own;
  
  
• to make determinations exempting small network operators from separating wholesale and retail parts of their business.
  
  

The ACCC’s consultation is about proposed requirements for functional separation, and criteria for granting exemptions.

Read more: ACCC Superfast broadband network class exemption and deemed functional separation undertaking...

Peak telecommunications consumer body ACCAN has endorsed the Government's Bill to create a competitive global roaming market. The legislation will allow the ACCC to investigate, and if necessary, act on wholesale global roaming prices between Australia and New Zealand, with the potential for similar agreements with other countries. This will have a positive impact on Australian consumers, businesses, and telcos.

Read more: End the roaming rip-off

The Telecommunications Consumer Protections (TCP) Code is a bulwark built by industry, consumer representatives and regulators to ensure appropriate consumer safeguards. Brought in two years ago some of its provisions only took effect in September 2014. It was designed to address ballooning consumer dissatisfaction with the telco industry. So the proposed removal of some of its most important components so soon after its introduction comes as a surprise.

Despite some major reservations, ACCAN feels many of the changes are appropriate and will streamline obligations and aid overall compliance. In one instance we even believe the reform process could go further to remove an unused area of the Code.

Read more: TCP Code: Too early to change

The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications sought feedback on whether it should allow the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission the power to permit certain fixed line networks to sell both wholesale and retail services.

Currently networks serving up to 2,000 residential premises can operate as both a wholesaler and retailer. The Department consulted on whether this limit should be extended to networks serving up to 12,000 customers in order to encourage investment and create more infrastructure competition. ACCAN considered that this should not happen until the following safeguards have been established:

Read more: Exemptions for controllers of superfast fixed-line networks from separation requirements

Peak communications consumer group ACCAN says quarterly complaints data released today by the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) shows an overall decrease in complaints, yet excess data charges and connections in NBN areas are a concern.

Read more: Data still a problem for consumers, while NBN connections a cause for concern

ACCAN is now accepting Expressions of Interest to serve on its Independent Grants Panel. The role of the Panel is to assess eligible applications to the ACCAN Independent Grants Scheme and recommend the strongest to the ACCAN Board for funding.

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ACCAN submitted to the ACCC’s review on Division 12 and Internet Activity Record Keeping Rule where there were several proposals regarding the information the ACCC seeks from service providers.

Read more: Division 12 and Internet Activity Record Keeping Rule (RKR) review

Three leading consumer organisations have joined forces, calling on Australians to stop throwing away their monthly mobile phone allowance and help drive greater competition from providers.

Read more: More than 1 in 2 consumers are throwing their mobile allowance in the trash

Complaints to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) about excess data charges have been steadily dropping over the past year. This is most likely due to better value excess data packs (most telcos now charge about $10 for 1GB) and plans with bigger data allowances being offered by the telcos.

While complaints are down, excess data charges can still be a shock on your monthly bill, especially if you are on a tight budget. Extra data packs that automatically kick in are convenient, but most of these data packs expire when your monthly billing period is up. It is important to watch your data usage because you may spend extra money on data that you might not get to use.

Read more: How much will excess mobile data cost you?

The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications released an exposure draft of the Online Safety Bill in late December 2021 for consultation.

ACCAN provided a submission in response, welcoming the Bill’s move to improve Australia's online safety regulatory regime and shift the onus of responsibility for protection from online harm away from consumers back onto online platforms and services.

ACCAN agreed that some form of pre-emptive and preventative action is needed to protect all consumers from online harms, including those who are most vulnerable (e.g. children and seniors).

Read more: Online Safety Bill

ACCAN, Australia's peak communications consumer body, says some consumers are being gouged by telcos for sending an SMS and has asked the ACCC to take action.

Read more: Consumers being gouged for sending an SMS

While you may know about ACCAN's work for residential consumers, you may not know that we also represent small businesses and not-for-profit organisations in so far as they are consumers.

Many small businesses use the same products as residential consumers and also have no ability to negotiate their own contract terms and the same consumer protection.

Read more: Did you know that ACCAN represents small businesses?

ACCAN has made two submissions to the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability (Disability Royal Commission). In these submissions we highlighted the importance of communications accessibility for consumers with disability.

Read more: Disability Royal Commission

ACCAN, Australia's peak body for communications consumers, has written an open letter to Google Australia & New Zealand managing director, Ms Maile Carnegie, calling on Google to follow its own mission statement and make online information 'universally accessible' by making its reCAPTCHA service fully accessible.

Read more: ACCAN asks Google to follow its own mission statement

The ACCAN Annual General Meeting was held in Sydney on Wednesday, 17 September, 2014. At the meeting the following three candidates were elected to the Board:

• Johanna Plante
• Nigel Waters
• Victoria Rubensohn

Read more: Results of ACCAN Board Election

ACCAN made a submission to the Select Committee Inquiry into Australian Government's Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Overall, ACCAN praised the government’s response to the pandemic, NBN Co’s COVID-19 telecommunications assistance packages, and the telecommunications industry providers who quickly developed a range of measures designed to assist recipients to meet their ongoing financial commitments.

Read more: Submission to Senate Select Committee on COVID-19

ACCAN, Australia's peak body for communications consumers, congratulates Telstra on its plan to delete discriminatory online CAPTCHA tests from its websites and encourages other providers and businesses to follow suit.

Read more: Telstra to kill CAPTCHA: ACCAN calls on others to follow

Mobile providers are now offering sharing plans for people to share data among devices and people. Each of the telcos has different approaches and options for sharing across plans. In this article we outline the plans from Telstra, Optus and Vodafone and some things to watch out for.

Before you sign up to any sharing plans we advise you to consider the usage patterns of each individual user. When looking at plans it pays to shop around and find the plan that suits each individual user.

Read more: Is there value in a shared plan?

The Department of Communications and the Arts has drafted an exemption instrument to the new Statutory Infrastructure Provider (SIP) obligations that started on 1 July 2020. The SIP obligations require NBN and any other carriers providing telecommunications services in existing and new developments to provide high speed internet (broadband) and voice services on request.

ACCAN supports the exemption instrument proposed by the Department for the following reasons:

• It allows carriers providing voice and mobile services (for example, Telstra fixed voice services; mobile network operators) to continue to do so without being bound by SIP obligations; this ensures that they are not deterred in providing these services.
• The exemption will support continuity of these important services for consumers and small businesses.
• ACCAN notes that this does not affect Telstra’s ongoing obligation to provide fixed voice services outside NBN’s fixed line footprint under the Universal Service Obligation, and that NBN will in most cases be obliged by SIP obligations.

Download: Consultation on Draft Statutory Infrastructure Provider Exemption Instrument Blurb71.77 KB

Download: Consultation on Draft Statutory Infrastructure Provider Exemption Instrument Blurb151.25 KB

Australians who are deaf or hard of hearing will be able to have phone conversations in near real-time thanks to a new 24/7 communications service switched on today.

Read more: National Relay Service upgrade adds real-time calls for hearing impaired

With Optus and Vodafone losing customers to Telstra and the arrival of the iPhone 6 there is a price war brewing in telco land. As the dust settles on the opening barrage we'll sift through the rubble and see if there are any good deals to be had.

Read more: Waive goodbye to early termination fees?

The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications is developing a trial to assess alternative ways of delivering voice (home phone) services in regional, rural and remote (RRR) areas. ACCAN previously commented on how these trials should be designed, run and evaluated. This round of consultation sought comments on the draft Grant Guidelines, Agreement and Application Form.

ACCAN supports the Alternative Voice Services Trials. Our submission makes a number of recommendations to ensure no consumer is worse off by participating in the trials. We also provided feedback on how to make sure the trials are as useful as possible. ACCAN reiterated the need for trialled services to be assessed not just in terms of value for money, but also in terms of quality.

Read more: Alternative voice service trials grant guidelines feedback

New global roaming research commissioned by ACCAN has revealed the extraordinary price differences that exist both across and within providers.

Read more: Buyer beware: global roaming research reveals ‘confusing array’ of charges