Amaysim, a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) that runs on the Optus network and has around 500,000 subscribers in Australia, ranked the highest of all the telcos in a customer satisfaction survey of 50,000 Australians, beating the likes of Telstra and Optus itself.

“Awards like this are the best kind of reward for our daily work because they’re decided based on feedback from the people who matter most – our customers,” said amaysim founder and CEO Rolf Hansen

“What makes this award even sweeter is that we’ve won it by simply keeping our heads down and getting on with the business of customer service."

“It seems, based on this news and the fact that we have over half a million customers and not a single long-term contract to lock them in, that people are catching on to the fact that there’s finally a better mobile deal in town.”

Amaysim bills itself as a low cost, flexible carrier where customers can save up to 50% of their phone bill and not deal with lock-in contracts or flag falls.

This award also follows amaysim's recent award for receiving highest overall rating for mobile customer satisfaction in the Telsyte Australian Mobile Services Market Study 2013 – 2017, which ranked the MVNO ahead of all other Australian mobile service providers in areas from pricing through to customer support.

As we reported earlier this month that report also highlighted that 46% of Australians are considering switching their mobile service provider in 2014.

Hansen told iTWire the awards were thanks to amaysim's "ever-expanding online customer service offerings, which help people manage their accounts when and how they want, combining e-commerce with easy-to-use mobile apps and no-nonsense plans where what you see is what you get".

"We never rest and we'll keep trying to improve a little bit here and a little bit there, and if there's one thing that we'll continue to drive it's the online world of amaysim. Last year we launched free same-day delivery to Melbourne and Sydney CBD, and you'll see constant evolution of our ability to serve customers wherever they are," he told iTWire in an interview.

“While price will always be important, Aussies are increasingly confirming our view that if companies don’t have things like customer service and online support sorted out, people will vote with their feet. With handset subsidies on the way out – meaning there’s less attraction for people to sign ridiculous one or two year mobile contracts – the switching movement that gained momentum over the last three years is set to kick into high gear in 2014.”

"In the end, the differentiation of MVNos will not be price, but it'll be user experience. And that's where we're going to invest and work hard."

This latest award is a rare bright spot for MVNOs, which have otherwise had a tough year with Kogan failing spectacularly and Vodafone MVNO Crazy John's pulling out of the market.

Other winners in the Roy Morgan survey included Apple's iPhone for 'handset provider of the year', while Internode took out the prize for 'home Internet service provider of the year.' Bank of the year went to the Victoria Teachers Mutual Bank.