Last month the Federal Government announced big NBN news. By 2023, up to 75% of Australians will be able to get a gigabit NBN plan thanks to upgrades to FTTN, HFC, and FTTC connections.
This is massive, especially for Australians with an FTTN NBN connection, which is widely considered the worst technology type. FTTN premises need to be within 400 metres of the node to even have a shot of achieving NBN 100 speeds. Some even struggle to get 50Mbps.
Why go faster than NBN 100
You might be wondering why you’d need anything faster than NBN 100. But a super high speed plan can still be a great choice for anyone regularly downloading large files like new release games.
It can take over an hour to download a 50GB game on an NBN 100 plan. This would drop to just seven minutes on NBN 1000.
An NBN 250 or NBN 1000 plan would also make sense for larger households with many demanding internet users. And of course, we’ll almost certainly see new technologies that rely on faster internet connections as they become more widely available.
Here’s a look at how download times compare between different speed NBN plans:
What’s the difference in download times?
| Download | NBN 50 | NBN 100 | NBN 250 | NBN 1000 |
| A music album (approx. 100MB) | 16 sec | 8 sec | 3 sec | 1 sec |
| Photoshop (approx. 1GB) | 3 min | 1.5 min | 34 sec | 8 sec |
| A HD movie on iTunes (approx. 5GB) | 14 min | 7 min | 3 min | 42 sec |
| A new release game (approx. 50GB) | 2 hours, 20 min | 1 hour, 10 min | 29 min | 7 min |
Of course, if you’re lucky, you might already be able to get a plan faster than NBN 100. With that in mind, we’re going to take a look at your options.
NBN 1000 plans
Kogan is currently offering the cheapest NBN 1000 plan around, billed at $134.90 per month for your first six months and then $148.90 per month thereafter. At full price, that’s just 10 cents cheaper than Superloop and Aussie Broadband. Kogan reports typical evening speeds of 250Mbps on NBN 1000 plans, which is very much the industry standard right now.
Aussie Broadband, Superloop, and Optus all have almost identical NBN 1000 plans. There are some minor differences, however. Aussie and Optus are offering unlimited data, while Supes caps its plan at 3TB. If you go over this, you’ll be limited to speeds of 100Mbps.
Optus, on the other hand, costs $1 per month more, has a $99 setup fee, and while technically no-contract, has an early exit modem fee. If you leave in your first 36 months, you’ll need to pay $7 for each month remaining in your term.
Telstra has the priciest NBN 1000 plan at $170 per month for your first year, and $180 per month thereafter. However, Big T still reports the standard 250Mbps figure for typical evening speeds.
Telstra NBN plans are contract-free, but you’ll be hit with a modem fee if you leave in your first two years. This is equivalent to $9 per month for each month left in your term.
All FTTP NBN connections and 7% of HFC connections can get an NBN 1000 plan.
NBN 250 plans
If you’re after an NBN 250 plan, MyRepublic is your cheapest option at $109 per month. The telco does however only report typical evening speeds of 150Mbps, which is a lot lower than other providers.
Tangerine is up next thanks to a promotional discount, with a $109.90 per month NBN 250 plan. You’ll pay this price for your first six months, and then $119.90 per month thereafter. Tangerine reports typical evening speeds of 205Mbps. All Tangerine plans are contract-free, so you’re always able to leave after the discount expires.
If you’re after the fastest NBN 250 plan around, Aussie Broadband should be your pick with typical evening speeds of 222Mbps. The plan will set you back $129 per month.
Telstra and Optus have both recently started offering NBN 250 plans, and the pair reporting equal typical evening speeds of 215Mbps. Optus will set you back $130 per month, and Telstra $140 per month. Telstra is however doing a $10 per month discount on all unlimited NBN 100 plans, so you’ll only pay $130 for your first year.
Once again, Telstra and Optus NBN plans are technically contract-free, but if you leave early you’ll be hit with a modem fee. On Telstra, this is equivalent to $9 for each month left in your two-year term, on Optus, it’s $7 for each month left in your three-year term.
All FTTP NBN connections and 70% of HFC connections can get an NBN 250 plan. All HFC connections should be able to get an NBN 250 plan by June next year.
NBN 100 plans
And if you can’t get a plan faster than NBN 100, here’s a look at some of the fastest NBN 100 plans around right now.
Telstra tops the charts with typical evening speeds of 100Mbps, essentially making its NBN 100 plan congestion-free. Telstra is your priciest option, however. You’ll pay $100 per month for your first year, and $110 per month thereafter.
The plan is contract-free, but you’ll need to pay a modem fee if you leave in your first two years. This is equivalent to $9 per month for each month left in your term.
Superloop offers NBN 100 plans with typical evening speeds of 90Mbps, but at a lower price. You’ll pay $79.95 per month for your first month, and $89.95 per month thereafter.
Aussie Broadband isn’t far behind with an NBN 100 plan with typical evening speeds of 89Mbps billed at $99 per month.
If you’re after a cheaper, fast-ish NBN 100 plan without promotional pricing, MATE is a good pick. $79 per month will get you typical evening speeds of 83Mbps.
Alex Choros is Managing Editor at WhistleOut, Australia’s phone and internet comparison website.