Australia’s internet just got a lot faster – is your NBN plan keeping pace?
The NBN has just been overhauled and significant speed upgrades are now available from internet providers. What’s more, the new high speed plans are being offered at about the same cost as lower speed plans, providing a good opportunity to switch.
The new speed tiers are NBN 500, NBN 750 and NBN 2000. These numbers indicate the top speed available from each tier, so lightning-fast NBN 2000 plans have download speeds of up to 2,000Mbps (that’s up to 2Gbps).
Prior to this upgrade, the fastest NBN speed consumers could get was 1,000Mbps, and now that download speed has doubled.
There’s other big improvements too – if you’re an eligible household that’s currently on an NBN 100 plan, you can get a 5x speed boost up to the new NBN 500 tier. If you have an NBN 250 plan, you can be moved up to NBN 750 for about the same price.
Who’s eligible for an upgrade?
To be eligible for the NBN’s upgraded speeds, you need to have a fixed-line connection that’s either fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) or hybrid fibre coaxial (HFC).
If you’re not sure what connection type you have, you can check your address on NBN Co’s website.
If you don’t have the required connection type, you may be eligible for a free fibre upgrade to get the necessary equipment installed at your premises. You can speak to your current internet provider for more information, or visit NBN Co’s website .
Faster speeds doesn’t mean steeper prices
A number of providers are now offering the overhauled speeds, and after examining what’s available, I was surprised to find that the cost of fast internet has not dramatically increased. In plenty of cases, it’s the same price as the slower plans they’re replacing.
For example, Spintel’s NBN 100 plan is $86.95 a month, but you can move over to its new NBN 500 option for the exact same price and get a significant speed boost.
Top NBN 500 plans
Advertiser disclosure
Spintel NBN 500 plan
- $64 a month for your first six months (then $86.95 a month ongoing)
- 500Mbps typical evening speed
- FTTP or HFC connection required
Spintel was a standout winner in this year’s Mozo Experts Choice Awards for Broadband, taking out the title of Australia’s Best Broadband Provider. It’s offering its speedy NBN 500 plan for just $64 a month for your first six months, after which it increases up to $86.95.
Even once the discounted period ends, we like Spintel because it has a low ongoing cost compared to other providers on the market.
Exetel One plan
Exetel takes a different approach to NBN. It offers one plan with typical download speeds of 500Mbps and uploads of 40Mbps during the busy evening hours.
On top of that, Exetel’s plan is $80 a month right off the bat, with no welcome discounts for new customers. While that means you initially pay a little bit extra compared to other discounted plans, the ongoing cost is lower than many competitors.
TPG NBN 500 plan
- $64.99 a month for your first six months (then $94.99 a month ongoing)
- 500Mbps typical evening speed
- FTTP or HFC connection required
TPG has dropped its NBN 500 plan down to $64.99 for your first six months on the plan, before it increases to $94.99.
That ongoing cost is a little higher than other providers we’ve mentioned here, but we’re highlighting TPG because it’s offering to beat any eligible provider’s NBN 500 plan on price over the first 12 months.
Tangerine NBN 500 plan
- $68.90 a month for your first six months (then $88.90 a month ongoing)
- Typical evening speed not yet confirmed
- FTTP or HFC connection required
Tangerine makes our list for having a low welcome discount, and keeping the price low even once the initial offer ends. Prices start at $68.90 a month for your first six months before increasing to $88.90 ongoing.
It’s worth noting that Tangerine says it hasn’t gathered enough data to confirm its typical evening speeds on this plan just yet.
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