NBN Broadband Plans

FTTP and FTTH – Fibre to the Premises/Home

This is the NBN as it was originally planned – a fibre optic cable connection that runs, as the name suggests, right into your home, where it ends in a large white box called a NTD. You simply plug a modem or router into that, and you’re ready to get online. FTTP is the absolute gold standard for modern broadband, and comes with many advantages. It can provide very fast connections – while 250 Mbps is the fastest currently offered in Australia, current FTTP installs can happily do up to 1000 Mbps – what’s called “gigabit”. It can be upgraded easily to be even faster in the future. It supports near-instant connections – a good internet provider can have you up and running within minutes of you applying for a connection. And being completely free of metals, fibre is immune to things that can bring a copper connection to its knees, like flooding out in the street, corrosion and interference.

FTTN – Fibre to the Node

The technology that was initially brought in as a cheaper alternative to FTTP, Fibre to the Node does what it says on the tin – it runs a fast fibre optic cable all the way to your neighbourhood, where it terminates in a big metal box – a distribution node. From there, the existing copper phone wires are used to connect to nearby houses. This is a relatively old technology – cable TV has used a similar concept for decades – but the weak link with FTTN is, not surprisingly, the copper phone wires at your end of the chain. Old and often in poor condition, they can turn FTTN from a reasonably fast broadband option into an unreliable mess. Even if you get lucky with the copper wires in the street and in your home, there’s also distance to consider. The further away from the local node you are, the slower your maximum speed will be. That’s because it uses a technology very similar to our old friend ADSL, just over a shorter distance.

FTTB – Fibre to the Basement/Building

Often used in existing apartment buildings because it’s far easier than trying to run new cable into dozens or hundreds of residences across multiple floors, FTTB is similar to FTTN, in that fibre is run to a “node”. In this case, though, that node is in the building itself, and residents connect to it using the building’s existing phone wires (and sometimes via Ethernet cable). This can actually be an excellent solution – unlike FTTN, everyone is very close to the node and so high speeds are easily achieved. And there aren’t any external copper wires to get damaged by rain or other elements. Some companies, such as TPG, have taken the step of building their own FTTB services outside of the NBN to meet voracious demand from apartment dwellers.

HFC – Hybrid Fibre/Coaxial

There’s nothing new about this one – HFC is the technical name for what you know as the old pay TV cables! Working similarly to Fibre to the Node, HFC uses a street box to distribute a fibre connection to many homes via copper. The difference here is that the copper is a thick, well insulated coaxial cable (very much like your TV antenna lead). That allows for reliably fast speeds in the 50-100 Mbps range, with new technology able to push speeds even higher. HFC has been used for broadband for a long time now, but the NBN version will leverage those new technologies and should deliver solid, reliable broadband – as long as the cables are in good condition. Sadly, in many cases, these 20-year-old cables are not.

FTTdp – Fibre to the Distribution Point

This is the newest technology to be put into play on Australia’s NBN, sometimes referred to as “Fibre to the Curb” (though that’s a US term that’s more equivalent to FTTN here). It’s kind of the ultimate compromise in that it avoids the costs of installing fibre all the way into homes, but eliminates the “node” and takes long copper wire runs out of the picture as well. FTTdp puts connection points along the fibre cable in the street, one for each home. The home then connects to that cable with the existing copper phone line, but thanks to the distance usually being extremely short, high speeds are almost a guarantee (unless there are problems with the home’s phone wiring). Using the latest connection technology over that copper, gigabit speeds are theoretically possible.

Fixed Wireless and Sky Muster Satellite

For those too far out in the wilds of Australia to get access to any of the fibre-based technologies, there are two options. Fixed Wireless is designed to fill areas where rollout of cables wasn’t possible or feasible, such as when there’s distances of many kilometres between properties. An antenna is installed on your building and you connect via proven wireless tech; it’s not blazingly fast but it works well, as long as there aren’t too many people connecting to the same tower at once. For truly remote properties, as well as Australia’s island territories, the NBN has its own satellite ready to handle broadband. Named Sky Muster, it can deliver broadband from space at up to 25 Mbps – not breaking any records, but fast enough to get stuff done.

Unlimited Data

You’ll want to aim for plans with unlimited data – it’s pretty much the industry standard these days, and there’s a lot to say for not needing to worry about going over your monthly limit. There was a time when unlimited data plans were a sign of a potentially slow and congested network, but most providers seem to have that problem solved now.

Peak Evening Speeds

Internet providers now have to disclose, by law, the typical speeds each plan can reach in the busy peak evening hours. This is a handy number to compare when you’re checking out plans, as it’ll give you some idea of whether there’s any chance of the dreaded evening “Netflix slowdown”. The closer this number comes to the plan speed, the better.

No Connection Fees

Unlike the old ADSL days, the NBN doesn’t charge internet providers a fee to connect customers to the network – and so any provider you go with shouldn’t be charging you a “connection fee” either. Thankfully, they’re becoming rare, but there are still providers out there that think there should be a fee just because there’s always been a fee. Don’t pay money for literally nothing!

The Power User – Super Fast Internet

If it’s life in the fast lane that you’re after – whether it be for downloading or uploading huge video files, live streaming games or just having the bandwidth for everyone in the family to stream Netflix in 4K at the same time, you’ll be wanting the speediest NBN plan money can buy. And if you’re lucky enough to be on a connection that can handle it, Aussie Broadband can get you connected at up to 250 Mbps. Meanwhile, at the more widely available 100 Mbit speed, Exetel rules the roost with an industry-leading typical evening speed of 83 Mbps for under 90 bucks, which already includes unlimited data and a WiFi modem if you lock it in for 12 months.

The Family Entertainer – TV With Your NBN

There’s a lot to love about Fetch TV, the hugely popular premium TV service that features the acclaimed Fetch Mighty set top box, which takes care of all your online entertainment needs as well as receiving and recording free to air TV. You can stream Fetch’s premium channels, rent or buy the latest shows and movies, enjoy 30 free movies every month and even stream Netflix, Stan and more, all from the one box. Luckily, Fetch is offered by some ISPs as part of their internet plans. The latest Telstra TV 3 is another excellent option. This entertainment powerhouse can be bundled with Telstra’s broadband plans from only $79/month with a free $125 Telstra TV Box Office credit for up to 20 movie rentals fresh from the cinema.

The TV Drama Fan – NBN Meets Foxtel Now

If you’re one of the millions that enjoys Game of Thrones or The Walking Dead then you’ll know there’s only one place to find them and many more superb AAA dramas – Foxtel. And thanks to the speed of the NBN, you can access them via streaming with full high definition picture quality. Telstra’s Unlimited + Streaming bundle gives you a 50 Mbps NBN connection with unlimited data, a home phone with unlimited local, national and mobile calls, the acclaimed Telstra TV 3 streaming box and the option to add Foxtel Now in to your broadband account to stream to your heart’s content, with channels including Fox Showcase, where HBO’s shows live. They even throw in a $125 Telstra TV Box Office credit, just because! It’s great value at $99/month.

The Retiree – Low Cost, Endless Phone Calls

If all you’re wanting to get done on the internet is check email, read the news and pay the bills, you don’t need to spend a fortune on an expensive plan to get more NBN than you need. Exetel’s cheapest plan sets you up with 100GB of data on NBN50 for a very affordable $49.99/month. Plus, it’s $10 more for unlimited calls to local, national, mobile, and even international numbers (10 countries). Tangerine also offers unlimited data + phone bundles, starting from $64.90/month.