If you’re looking for a high speed NBN plan, Aussie Broadband and TPG are both worth considering. While there are differences between the two, they share one thing in common: fast peak hour speeds at a reasonable price. Here’s our dive into this NBN plan comparison.
Who are they?
Aussie Broadband and TPG both sell zippy NBN plans, but they’re a little like apples and oranges. Aussie Broadband is a younger company, primarily focused on selling NBN plans. It was the first provider outside of “the big four” to have connectivity at all 121 NBN Points of Interconnect – meaning it has complete control over its network and capacity – and is now the fifth largest NBN provider.
TPG is Australia’s second largest internet provider, is set to finalise a merger with Vodafone this year, and is the parent company of Internode and iiNet. It’s a veritable online behemoth. The provider cut its teeth selling discount ADSL, and while it’s shifted focus away from bargain basement prices, it still offers solid bang for buck.
NBN Speeds
Both Aussie Broadband and TPG are in the top tier of NBN providers when it comes to evening speeds. Aussie Broadband has a slight edge when it comes to NBN 100 plans, while TPG is faster on the NBN 50 speed tier.
No matter which provider you pick, you should end up with similar evening speeds. TPG doesn’t offer NBN 25 plans, however.
Aussie Broadband is one of the rare telcos that offers plans faster than NBN 100. It currently has an NBN 250 plan available for customers after something faster, and will start selling an NBN 1000 plan from Friday. NBN 100 is currently the fastest plan tier you can get on TPG.
Notably, Aussie Broadband backs up its speed claims with bandwidth graphs. These show how much capacity the telco has purchased on its network versus how much capacity its customers are using.
NBN 50 plans
When it comes to NBN 50 plans, you’ll save $10 per month by picking TPG over Aussie Broadband. However, Aussie Broadband’s plan is free from both contract and setup fees, whereas TPG will make you commit to an 18-month term or pay $129.95 in upfront fees. Your upfront fees will get you a modem, which isn’t included as standard on Aussie Broadband.
NBN 100 plans
When it comes to this NBN plan comparison Aussie Broadband is a hair cheaper than TPG when it comes to NBN 100 plans, pricing its 100 / 20 plan at $89 per month. TPG’s equivalent plan is $0.99 more expensive. As with its NBN 50, you’ve got a choice of signing an 18-month contract or paying $129.95 in upfront fees.
Aussie Broadband also has an NBN 100 / 40 plan available for $99 per month, for those who need faster upload speeds. TPG no longer sells NBN 100 / 40 plans.
Aussie Broadband Support Vs. TPG Support
In terms of support, Aussie Broadband promises local support that’s available for longer hours. If you want to call Aussie, you can do so between 8am and midnight, every single day other than Christmas and Good Friday.
By contrast, TPG’s phone support is open from 8am to midnight on weekdays, and 9am to 9pm on weekends and public holidays. TPG’s live chat is available during the same hours. The best number to reach TPG for support is 13 14 23; while the telco’s live chat links are easy to find, its phone number is somewhat hidden.
TPG doesn’t make any claims about whether its support is local.
Alex Choros is Managing Editor at WhistleOut, Australia’s phone and internet comparison website.