Optus has increased the typical evening speeds on its NBN 1000 plan up to 400Mbps, making it one of the faster options on the speed tier. The telco was previously reporting typical evening speeds of 300Mbps on the tier, which were a little more average.
While NBN 1000 speeds have changed, Optus’ NBN 250 plan speeds have remained unchanged.
Here are Optus’ plans faster than NBN 100:
Optus NBN 250 plans start at $99 per month for your first six months and $119 per month thereafter. The plans are contract-free, but you’ll need to pay a modem fee if you leave in your first 36 months. This is equivalent to $7 for each month left in your three-year term.
For an extra $20 per month, you can upgrade to a Family plan which also gets you a Wi-Fi extender. This increases your modem fee to $13 for each month left in your term if you decide to leave in your first three years, however.
If you’re looking at NBN 1000 plans, Optus bills $129 per month for your first six months and $149 per month thereafter. Opting for a Family plan adds a further $20 per month to your bill. These plans attract the same modem fees as Optus’ NBN 250 range.
While NBN 250 and NBN 1000 plans are still limited to FTTP and HFC addresses, essentially everyone with those technology types should be able to get a super high speed plan if they want it. NBN 250 plans are available to all FTTP and HFC addresses, and NBN 1000 plans are available at all FTTP addresses and 95 per cent of HFC addresses.
When compared to the competition, Optus is now in the top three for NBN 1000 speeds.
Aussie Broadband and Origin sit in equal first, with typical evening speeds of 600Mbp. Aussie charges $149 per month, while Origin charges $154 per month. If you’ve already got an energy plan with Origin, you’ll save $10 per month, however.
Superloop trails with typical evening speeds of 500Mbps, but this plan comes with a couple of catches. The first is that it has a hard cap of 500Mbps, so even though you should always be able to expect 500Mbps, you’ll never exceed it. Secondly, it has a 3TB allowance. If you manage to go through that, you’ll be limited to speeds of 100Mbps. This plan will set you back $119.95 per month for your first six months and $139.95 per month thereafter.
Optus is up next with 400Mbps, putting it ahead of MyRepublic’s 350Mbps. MyRepublic does however have one of the most affordable NBN 1000 plans around. You’ll pay $99 per month for your first six months and $109 per month thereafter. That’s even cheaper than a lot of NBN 250 plans.
Most other NBN providers report typical evening speeds between 200 and 250Mbps for NBN 1000 plans.
When it comes to NBN 250 plans, Optus is also in the upper echelon of providers.
Telstra and Aussie Broadband are the only two major providers reporting faster evening speeds than Optus on NBN 250 plans. Telstra reports typical evening speeds of 250Mbps, while Aussie is a hair faster than Optus with 244Mbps.
Both are a bit more expensive, however. Telstra will charge you $110 per month for your first six months, and $140 per month thereafter. Aussie Broadband bills $129 per month. If you leave Telstra within your first two years, you’ll need to send back your modem.
As with Optus, Superloop and Moose Mobile also report typical evenings of 240Mbps on NBN 250 plans. In both cases, pricing is pretty similar. Superloop will charge $99.95 for your first six months, and $119.95 per month thereafter. Moose is a little cheaper, asking for $108.80 for your first six months, and $118.80 per month thereafter.
Alex Choros is Managing Editor at WhistleOut, Australia’s phone and internet comparison website.