Telcos including TPG ditch email, but do you even need them now?
It might be time to futureproof your email address and avoid a similar scenario.
TPG Telecom is abandoning email services to internet customers who've furiously put up their case to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman.
Users who want to keep their TPG address will need to opt-in to a new email service operated by a business called The Messaging Company by mid-September.
If you transfer after that and before 30 November 2023, you'll need to pay for the service.
This applies to other internet providers that fall under the TPG umbrella including iiNet, Internode and Westnet.
Is it time to switch email to the likes of Google or Microsoft?
In this day and age, there's 2 reasons why you shouldn't sign up to an internet provider just to access their email service.
- You won't be able to easily switch to a different internet plan with another provider to save money. A rule of thumb is to compare internet plans every 6 to 12 months and take advantage of the myriad of sign up deals available.
- It's likely that providers will eventually stop offering email services altogether and you'll be stuck in a similar situation down the road.
"Linking your email to your internet service provider just isn't a good strategy in 2023," Finder's editor-at-large and tech expert Angus Kidman says.
"For most people, one of the obvious free alternatives from Google, Microsoft or Apple will be just fine.
"You can register your own domain and set up your own email, but that's pricier and fiddlier."
If your email address is being thrown out the window such as with TPG, it's better to future proof your new one by going with a free email address from the likes of Gmail or Outlook.
- You can still save a backup of your emails under your internet provider's account to your computer or a data storage device.
- You will not be able to send or receive mail after your email address from your provider is deactivated, but you can use email software such as Outlook or Mac Mail to open the saved files for existing emails.
If you're still not convinced and think you'd prefer signing up with an internet provider for a free email address then let's take a look at your options.
Which internet providers give you a free email address?
For the providers in Finder's database there are very few that supply an email address, and in most cases you only get one.
Exetel is the most generous with email addresses offering 20, while other providers that give you multiple addresses include Spintel with 10 and Aussie Broadband with 5.
Here's a look at your options from some of the popular brands in Australia that still provide email addresses.
Once you've figured out what you want to do with your email address, you can compare internet plans to find which one is right for you.
