In a survey of Australian broadband Internet providers, smaller, entrepreneurial players have raced ahead and left industry giants such as Telstra and Optus behind. The study, which found Internode to be on top of customer satisfaction rankings, had 2,500 respondents to its Canstar poll.

The company was rated five stars for speed, downloads, reliability and billing. Internode led the field with its overall rating. The company was ranked ahead of rivals Westnet, iiNet, and iPrimus, all of which were rated four stars.

Optus and Telstra's Big Pond lagged behind the rankings. For some time now, many small businesses have had a perception of poor service from major telecommunication companies. There have been reports of negative submissions from business customers Telstra and Optus to the ACCC. The watchdog is currently looking into the levels of customer service from the industry's major players.

The Canstar survey found that broadband users commonly encounter problems with speed and reliability. Most of the respondents also expressed dissatisfaction with plans and contract periods. Users also raised concerns over the lack of options in terms of broadband ISPs and Internet speeds due to their area of residence. The issue is not specific to rural areas, respondents in urban areas also lodged the same complaint.

"It is no accident that the companies who came out the top of customers satisfaction list have either entirely or predominantly local call centres with local staff. Clearly they might pay a bit more for their staff here but they get that back in satisfied customers who stay," said Teresa Corbin, acting CEO of the Australian Communications Action Network.

"The key message ACCAN has for ISPs is that we are entering a world in which internet access is a basic necessity for everyday life. It's now a utility, like gas or electricity. So we are moving from a situation where ISPs were a technology supplier to a clued-in segment of society to being a service provider to the entire community, including seniors, people with disabilities and others with low computer-literacy skills."

"It's high time for the big two to learn something from these ISPs or they won't be the big two for much longer."