Telstra axes NBN 100 plans for FTTN/FTTB/FTTC customers

More than half of Australia’s NBN users will now be cut off from Telstra’s fastest broadband plans.

Telstra has announced that it will no longer offer Premium NBN 100 plans to customers on Fibre to the Node (FTTN), Fibre to the Building (FTTB), or Fibre to the Curb (FTTC) connections. And unfortunately for most Aussie households, these three technology types account for well over 50% of all NBN connections – meaning a huge chunk of Australians are now locked out of Telstra’s fastest NBN option.

Instead, customers on FTTN, FTTB, or FTTC connections will be limited to Telstra’s Standard Evening Speed (NBN 25) and Standard Plus Evening Speed (NBN 50) plans, which offer maximum download speeds of up to 25Mbps and 50Mbps respectively.

Telstra: some connections ‘incapable’ of NBN 100

Speaking to ITNews, a Telstra spokesperson stated that NBN 100 will only be offered to customers with Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) and Hybrid Fibre Coaxial (HFC) connections going forward.

“The reason for this is because a number of our customers on FTTN/B/C do not have connections that are capable of achieving 100Mbps.” Telstra said.

“It is often the case that customers that sign up to these plans will be subsequently notified that they cannot achieve top speed and end up downgrading to a lower plan or leaving.”

It’s not unusual for NBN providers to withhold offering Premium speeds to customers until it’s confirmed that a home’s connection can support an NBN 100 plan. However, Telstra’s decision to limit NBN 100 to only FTTP and HFC users still comes as surprise, and indicates a serious under-performance issue with top-tier plans.

Telstra claims to remain committed to delivering a high-quality customer experience, and despite this week’s changes, is insistent that Australians are still benefiting from the NBN rollout. The telco also maintains that the expansion of 5G won’t be a genuine threat to fixed-wireless NBN, despite the potential for 5G speeds that far outstrip 100Mbps.

How this affects you

Not sure which NBN connection type is available in your area? NBN Co’s address checker will advise you which NBN technology is used to supply your home connection.

If you’re currently on a Telstra NBN 100 plan, and your home is one of the affected connection types, there’s good news: you’ll be able to keep your Premium plan if you’re happy with your speeds. But if you’re a FTTN/FTTB/FTTC customer who’s yet to move to NBN 100, you now won’t be able to sign up through Telstra.

You can, however, still move to NBN 100 via a different provider. Major NBN sellers including iiNet, TPG, Aussie Broadband, Optus, and Vodafone all currently give FTTN customers the option of an NBN 100 plan, including flexible month-to-month services that allow users to switch to a different speed tier if required.

Overall, Telstra’s decision isn’t great news for the still-controversial broadband network, particularly as NBN Co recently launched a New Year’s push to make NBN 100 more accessible for providers and customers. With the expected June 2020 completion date fast approaching, there’s still thousands of Australian homes waiting to connect (or simply dissatisfied with their existing NBN service).

Compare NBN Plans

Image: Roman Samborskyi/Shutterstock