Mobile Internet
Landline internetVodafone, the mobile brand of TPG Telecom in Australia
Vodafone is the mobile brand of TPG Telecom, the third-largest telecommunications operator in Australia. Following the 2020 merger between TPG and Vodafone Hutchison Australia, the Vodafone name was retained for the premium mobile and home internet brand, while the underlying network became part of TPG.
Vodafone-branded customers ride on the same mobile network as TPG-branded mobile customers, with around 5 million services across both brands.
- How Vodafone fits into the TPG Telecom group
- Why mobile and 5G Home Internet outages affect the Vodafone outage profile
- The customer-facing tools, app and what to check first when service is down
The Vodafone brand on the TPG mobile network
Vodafone is the premium consumer brand of TPG Telecom, with retail stores in major shopping centres and a strong focus on metro markets. It uses the same network infrastructure as the TPG and iiNet brands.
- Vodafone-branded mobile services across consumer and business.
- Mobile coverage of around 96% of the population on the underlying TPG/Vodafone 4G network.
- 5G coverage of around 85% of the metropolitan population.
- 5G Home Internet service positioned as an alternative to NBN in eligible suburbs.
- Network sharing agreement with Optus for regional 4G/5G coverage.
Why mobile, 5G Home Internet and the TPG network drive Vodafone outages
Most Vodafone outages are network events on the shared TPG infrastructure, with some specific issues affecting only Vodafone-branded customers.
Mobile network faults
Tower failures, transmission backhaul cuts and core network issues on the TPG/Vodafone network affect both Vodafone and TPG mobile customers at the same time.
5G Home Internet
Vodafone customers using 5G Home Internet depend on a nearby 5G tower. A tower fault or power outage at the tower causes home internet to drop, separate from any NBN issue.
Power outages at the address
Home modems and 5G Home Internet routers rely on local electricity. When the power goes out, home internet usually goes with it. Local cell towers can also lose service if they run out of battery backup.
Severe weather
Cyclones, storms, floods and bushfires regularly damage TPG/Vodafone cell towers and backhaul fibre, affecting both Vodafone and TPG brands together.
My Vodafone app, outage status and customer support
Vodafone outage map
Vodafone publishes a Service Status page that shows known mobile and 5G Home Internet outages by postcode. Customers can enter their address to see whether a confirmed event is affecting their service.
My Vodafone app and customer support
The My Vodafone app gives mobile access to billing, plan management, outage notifications and troubleshooting tools. Customers can also reach Vodafone support 24/7 by phone on 1555 from a Vodafone mobile or 1300 650 410, through live chat in the app, or via social media.
When a power outage causes a Vodafone outage
Vodafone mobile, Vodafone 5G Home Internet and Vodafone NBN broadband all depend on electricity. Checking the relevant electricity distributor first often saves a useless support call.
Queensland and New South Wales
QLD is served by Energex (south-east) and Ergon Energy (rest). NSW is served by Ausgrid, Endeavour Energy and Essential Energy.
Victoria, SA, Tasmania, WA
Eastern VIC is served by AusNet Services. SA is served by SA Power Networks and TAS by TasNetworks. On the WA SWIS, Western Power runs the wires and Synergy is the retailer.
Vodafone, TPG, iiNet and the wider mobile market
For a wider view of how Australia's mobile and broadband market is structured, see the Australian internet outage page. Vodafone shares its network with its TPG sister brand TPG and the fixed-line ISP iiNet. Its competitors with their own mobile networks are Telstra and Optus. For fixed-line broadband, all four ISPs resell wholesale access from the NBN.