The communications authority has told telecommunications providers to lift their game over call plans and when dealing with customer complaints.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) makes the demand in the final report of its inquiry into the customer service and complaints-handling practices of domestic phone providers.
ACMA chairman Chris Chapman says the inquiry found many consumers had concerns about dealing with their service provider.
"It (the report) proposes five substantiative changes to make buying and using a mobile phone or internet service much simpler," Mr Chapman said in a statement on Friday.
The proposed changes include clearer data on pricing in advertisements to make it easier for customers to compare competing services and improved pre-sale information about phone plans.
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ACMA also recommends tools for consumers to monitor use and spending on data, calls and SMS.
The report says all phone providers should have a standard complaints handling procedure.
The recommendations address the main problems raised in the inquiry.
These included advertising not explaining how prices were calculated, the use of "cap" to describe the minimum cost of a phone plan and customers arguing they were unable to compare the quality of customer service offered by providers.
The authority has invited the industry to incorporate the recommendations into its Telecommunications Consumer Protection Code by February 2012.
Mr Chapman said improvements were both pressing and necessary.
The industry was "formally on notice" to reflect the proposed changes in the new TCP code, he said.
"If the industry doesn't develop a code that addresses ACMA's concerns, the ACMA will mandate changes through direct regulation."
