The fastest NBN plans in Australia

Whether you’re on the hunt for your first NBN plan, or you’re a current NBN user with the need for speed, you may be wondering just how fast Australia’s broadband network can get. Speed is a huge factor in finding the right NBN plan for your needs, with slow performance being one of the biggest pet peeves that can cause unhappy Aussies to switch internet providers.

Back in 2020, NBN Co introduced several new residential speed tiers designed to offer even faster internet to NBN customers. These new plan speeds – combined with other initiatives, such as wholesale price drops and the decision to upgrade thousands of users to faster connection types – mean that super-fast internet is now available to more Australians than ever, and at lower prices.

If you’re looking for a high-speed NBN plan, read on for Canstar Blue’s guide to the fastest NBN plans in Australia.

In this guide:

• What is the best NBN speed?
• Fast NBN 1000 plans
• Fast NBN 250 plans
• Fast NBN 100 plans
• Fast NBN 50 plans
• Can I get fast broadband without the NBN?

What is the best NBN speed?

The best NBN speed for your home depends on how you and your family use the internet, as well as the size of your household, your location, and your budget. You may be limited to NBN 100 or NBN 50 speeds due to your NBN technology type, or be prioritising monthly pricing over the fastest plan available.

For average families, NBN 100 or NBN 50 will deliver a reliable performance during peak hour periods, even when watching HD Netflix or supporting multiple users at once. But if you’re in a  share-house, enjoy live streaming and gaming, work from home and have heavy data needs, or just have a big family, you may find upgrading to NBN 250 or 1000 to be your best option for fast speeds at all hour of the day.

To give you an idea of the difference in speeds, the below table shows the average download times for various types of files across the NBN 50, 100, 250 NBN 1000 speed tiers, assuming all four tiers are operating at their maximum download speed.

Your real-world results may vary due to a wide variety of factors, but the below figures are a good indication of how fast gigabit-speed NBN is when compared to NBN 50.

Fast NBN 1000 Plans

The fastest NBN speed tier available to residential customers is NBN 1000, also known as gigabit speed NBN. As the name suggests, plans on this tier offer a theoretical maximum evening download speed of 1000Mbps, plus upload speeds of up to 50Mbps.

While you’re unlikely to ever hit the full 1000Mbps speed, you’ll still enjoy ultra-fast speeds round the clock. As these plans are fairly new to market, typical peak-hour speeds are hard to gauge; for example, while Telstra lists a typical evening speed of 700Mbps (7pm to 11pm) for NBN 1000, Superloop  cites a more conservative figure of 250Mbps. It’s likely most customers will experience speeds closer to Telstra’s average, but real-world performances will vary depending on factors such as your provider, location, and connection type.

As fast as these plans are, NBN 1000 is currently only available to customers on certain connection types. If you’re on a Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) or eligible Hybrid Fibre Coaxial (HFC) connection, you’ll be able to sign up for ultra-fast NBN; unfortunately, other fixed NBN technologies (such as Fibre to the Node, Fibre to the Curb, and Fibre to the Building) aren’t capable of supporting gigabit speeds. Even if you do qualify for NBN 1000 or even NBN 250, you may need to invest in an upgraded modem/router that’s better suited to super-fast connections.

You can check with your intended provider or NBN Co to see if your address is eligible for an NBN 1000 plan. If you do qualify, you can find NBN 1000 speeds from providers including Aussie Broadband, Optus, Vodafone, iiNet, Internode, TPG and Kogan Internet. Keep in mind that these plans don’t come cheap; average standard prices for unlimited NBN 1000 plans range from $140 to $180 per month, although introductory discounts may be available if you sign up at the right time.

Fast NBN 250 Plans

If you don’t quite need gigabit-speed internet, but want a fast option for large families or heavy downloading, you may prefer the next step down: NBN 250. This speed tier offers download speeds of up to 250Mbps, and uploads to 25Mbps.

As with NBN 1000, NBN 250 is still only on offer to customers on FTTP or compatible HFC connections. If your address qualifies, expect typical busy hour evening speeds of between 200-50Mbps, depending on your provider: My Republic currently advertises 200Mbps, Superloop cites 215Mbps, Telstra lists 230Mbps, and Aussie Broadband 248Mbps for their respective NBN 250 plans.

In terms of pricing, NBN 250 plans range from around $110 to $140 per month, with prices varying between providers. Some telcos, such as Kogan Internet and Superloop, have been known to offer special limited-time discounts for new customers, so keep an eye out for deals if you decide to give NBN 250 a try.

Fast NBN 100 Plans

If you’re unable to access NBN 250 or NBN 1000, you may still be eligible for NBN 100. Much more widely available than faster speed tiers, NBN 100 offers a maximum download speed of 100Mbps and uploads of either 20Mbps or 40Mbps – some providers offer your choice of the two upload speeds, while others limit you to 40Mbp or 20Mbps only. NBN 100/20 plans are usually less expensive than NBN 100/40 tiers, so picking a slower upload speed can be a good option if you want faster downloads for a lower monthly cost.

Typical evening download speeds on this tier generally fall between 80Mbps – 100Mbps in the peak traffic period of 7pm to 11pm. Again, this will vary due to your provider, location and other factors, so you may want to compare evening speeds across telcos before committing. It’s also important to note that some providers don’t offer NBN 100 to all fixed-line customers: for example, Telstra’s NBN 100 plans are only available to FTTP, HFC, and FTTC connections. You can check eligibility via your provider’s website.

Price-wise, NBN 100 plans are available from under $90 per month, although higher-priced plans may be as expensive as $110 or $120. NBN 100/40 tends to be pricier than NBN 100/20, and many plans on this tier also come bundled with entertainment such as streaming TV. If you’re looking to save on your broadband bill, stick to plans offering NBN-only without the added extras.

Fast NBN 50 Plans

As it stands, NBN 50 is the fastest speed tier that’s guaranteed to be available to all fixed-line NBN customers (this doesn’t include homes on satellite or fixed wireless connections). NBN 50 promises download speeds of up to 50Mbps, and uploads up to 20Mbps, and are a great ‘just right’ choice for families, couples, or users wanting a good congestion-proof plan for every day internet.

The good news is that in addition to being available to the majority of NBN users, NBN 50 plans are also offered by just about every NBN provider on the market. This gives you a wide range of options when it comes to finding the best deals and prices, and you can expect to pay anywhere from $60 to $90 per month for unlimited data (although discounts are frequently available for new customers from many providers).

As for the average speeds you can expect on an NBN 50 plan, most providers list typical evening speeds of between 40 and 50Mbps during the 7pm-11pm busy period. This is fast enough to support multiple streams and downloads, and makes the NBN 50 tier a good all-rounder if you need a reliable speed at a lower price.

Can I get fast broadband without the NBN?

While a high-speed NBN plan is the most widely available option for fast internet across most of Australia, depending on your location and budget you can still access speeds of 100Mbps or faster via NBN alternatives.

If you’re interested in a stable connection for your home, you may be eligible to sign up to a non-NBN fibre plan on a private network such as OptiComm. Some NBN providers, such as TPG and iiNet, also offer their own non-NBN fibre and cable connections, but eligibility depends on whether networks are available at your address.

5G home internet is also becoming a viable option, but is only available in limited areas through a handful of providers. Optus and SpinTel each currently offer 5G home internet, while Telstra has 5G mobile broadband – a more portable broadband type, usually with limited data inclusions. Speeds on these plans are usually in the 200-250Mbps range, but this will vary by provider and location.

Australia’s fastest NBN plans: a summary

• The fastest NBN plans available to Australian homes are on the NBN 1000 speed tier.
• NBN 1000, NBN 250 and some NBN 100 plans are only available to addresses with eligible NBN connection types (FTTP and HFC).
• Most Australians are able to connect to NBN 100 or NBN 50 if faster speeds are unavailable.
• The faster your speed, the more expensive your plan is likely to be.
• NBN 1000 and NBN 250 may require you to upgrade your modem.
• Non-NBN options, such as private fibre networks and 5G internet, may offer a high-speed alternative to NBN.