Review of Skymesh broadband plans
In the world of broadband, the big fish like Telstra and Optus still dominate the ranks, but there is an undercurrent of smaller providers offering great value. Skymesh is one of them, and has surprisingly been around for a few years. Founded in Brisbane in 2005, Skymesh has expanded to provide its customers affordable and effective broadband plans. Find out all you need to know in this Canstar Blue review.
Skymesh has evolved to become one of the premier NBN providers in Australia for rural and regional communities. While Skymesh previously offered fixed-line NBN, including Fibre-to-the-Premises and Fibre-to-the-Node connections, the company has recently scrapped these options in favour of solely providing fixed wireless and satellite.
Fixed wireless NBN Plans
Skymesh offers multiple plan combinations across its Skymuster and fixed wireless NBN services. Below is a general overview of what Skymesh has to offer across fixed wireless NBN plans.
- 100GB: $54.95 per month until 31 May, 2020 ($69.95 per month thereafter)
- 600GB: $64.95 per month until 31 May, 2020 ($79.95 per month thereafter)
- Unlimited: $74.95 per month until 31 May, 2020 ($89.95 per month thereafter)
Skymesh Skymuster Plans
SkyMuster is the latest in NBN Co’s internet arsenal. You get a lot of the benefits of NBN, but it’s available to people even in remote locations that cannot access fibre broadband.
- Plans are available on Basic (NBN 12) and Standard (NBN 25) speed tiers, and on 30-day rolling or 12-month lock-in contracts.
Standard SkyMuster plans are available with the following data allowances:
- 50GB (10GB anytime, 40GB off-peak)
- 160GB (20GB anytime, 140GB off-peak)
- 185GB (45GB anytime, 140GB off-peak)
- 190GB (65GB anytime, 125GB off-peak)
- 200GB (75GB anytime, 125GB off-peak)
- 205GB (80GB anytime, 125GB off-peak)
- 210GB (85GB anytime, 125GB off-peak)
- 230GB (90GB anytime, 140GB off-peak)
SkyMuster Plus plans include selected unmetered content, such as em-mail and basic web browsing, and are solely available on the Standard speed tier. Data allowances are below.
- 100GB: 50GB anytime, 50GB off-peak, $74.95 per month
- 200GB: 100GB anytime, 100GB off-peak, $139.95 per month
- 300GB: 150GB anytime, 150GB off-peak, $199.95 per month
Beyond its bucket load of NBN plans, Skymesh has a range of perks that may sweeten the deal.
- Free standard installation, plus no set-up activation, termination or upgrading fees.
- No contract options. Month to month plans with the ability to cancel with 30 days’ notice.
- Local call centre with personalised support. There will be no waiting in phone queues with Skymesh’s call-back sales and support function.
These are just some of the perks that Skymesh has included to ensure the overall internet experience is satisfactory.
How does Skymesh broadband compare to the competition?
Skymesh’s huge range of NBN plans makes the brand contend with a lot of others. Luckily it seems to compete fairly well, however there are a few providers that are also worth taking a look at for included value.
Skymesh SkyMuster NBN Plans Compared
Those living out in the bush have decidedly less broadband options – but there is still a choice. Skymesh is one of the premier providers in the SkyMuster space, providing pretty competitive plans on the whole. Other providers worth keeping an eye out for include Southern Phone, iiNet and Harbour ISP. Given the popularity of peak/off-peak data limits, it can be hard to decipher what plan is most competitive. With SkyMuster, you may want to take a holistic view, and consider how much downloading you can do after midnight.
Is Skymesh NBN a good move?
Skymesh is certainly one of the providers with the biggest swag of NBN satellite plans on the market. If you’re living in a remote or regional community and don’t have access to fixed-line internet, Skymesh’s SkyMuster plan range is a life-saver.
However, even with its huge collection of plans, Skymesh is decidedly middle-of-the-pack when it comes to all-out value. Although, these may be the tipping points you need to get you to go with Skymesh:
- Convenient and efficient customer service with a local call centre
- No setup fees or lock-in contracts
Nevertheless, it’s worth taking a look at the other providers out there to see how far you can go with your budget.