The demise of Telstra mobile wholesaler ISPOne this week is bad news for a large number of people, but the biggest losers are no doubt Kogan Mobile customers themselves.
Kogan Mobile customers will be disconnected within 30 days, and have 180 days to port their mobile number over to another provider.
Fortunately, there are plenty of other mobile networks keen to pick up the slack left by ISPOne's downfall. Here are the five best options for disgruntled Kogan Mobile customers.
1. Aldi Mobile
Despite the fact that Aldi Mobile also had a contract with ISPOne, the discount supermarket chain's mobile network has come through the fire relatively unscathed.
While Kogan Mobile customers are left to look for a new home, Aldi Mobile has managed to survive thanks to an interim agreement between Telstra and Aldi's supplier arm, Medion.
Given the similarities between Kogan and Aldi Mobile's pricing before the ISPOne collapse, this may seem like the best option on the market.
The catch though is that the arrangement is an interim agreement, which means things can (and probably will) change after the interim period is over and Medion has to sit down to renegotiate its position with Telstra.
Of course, so long as you don't mind swapping pre-paid suppliers when the terms and conditions change, this option still offers unlimited talk and text plus 5GB of data for $35 a month.
2. Boost Mobile
Boost Mobile is in a rather unique position in the prepaid market. It uses Telstra's 3G network, but because it's owned by Telstra, it doesn't actually have to go through the process of paying a third party wholesaler to access the network.
This means that there's a certain level of security in using its network without fear of being kicked off when the wholesaler packs its bags. That kind of peace of mind is sure to be of comfort to anyone leaving Kogan Mobile.
It's more expensive than Aldi Mobile, to be sure, but it's far from being poor value. $40 a month offers unlimited talk and text, with up to 3GB of data included as well.
So if security in a network is important, this is probably one of the better options.
3. Amaysim
Both Boost and Aldi Mobile use Telstra's 3G network for connectivity, but if you prefer your connection with a more Optus flavour, Amaysim is a very enticing dish.
Bundling unlimited talk and text, plus 4GB of data for $40 a month, its pricing is pretty much on par with the other offerings here.
Amaysim also offers the freedom to choose between prepaid and postpaid with no lock in contracts, which can make life a little bit easier for anyone who forgets to recharge on a regular basis.
It's a solid service that's both affordable and simple, and well worth your money if you're looking for a similar deal to Kogan Mobile.
4. Woolworths Mobile
If you hog the data on your smartphone without needing too much in the way of phone calls, it might be worth considering the other supermarket chain's mobile network, Woolworths Mobile.
Using the Optus Network, Woolworths Mobile offers a $29 prepaid deal which includes 5GB of data and $500 worth of talk and text, including $250 to any Woolworths or Optus number and $250 to any other number, excluding Pivotel.
The other big advantage of this offering is the 45 day expiry, which gives you a longer time frame to use your paid-for data.
It may not be the best option for heavy talkers, but for data drinkers it's hard to beat for pure, unadulterated value for money.
There's also a $49 option that doubles the talk and text, but keeps the 5GB data limit.
5. Optus
Optus was the first major telco to jump on the announcement of Kogan Mobile's demise, by offering a special Optus three month deal to anyone porting their number over to Optus.
Anyone who signs up to Optus prepaid before the end of September gets double the talk allowance and double data for their first three recharges over $30.
That turns Optus' original offerings - which were comparatively pretty average - into a much more competitive offering, for three months at least.
For $50 a month, new Optus customers will get up to 900 minutes of talk time and 5GB of data for those first three recharges. After that, it will drop back down to 450 minutes and 2.5GB of data.
The other benefit of the Optus plan is that unlike all the others mentioned, Optus is offering 4G connectivity as part of the plan, as well as benefits like Qantas frequent flyer points.
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