Review was updated on 20th of October 2021
If you were able to pick and choose what you wanted in a provider like building a Frankenstein’s monster, what would you select? How about a provider with the network and reliability of Telstra, but the cost and no-fuss attitude of one of Australia’s newest providers?
It sounds too good to be true, but with Belong Broadband, it isn’t. As a subsidiary of Telstra, Belong is designed to give you much of the advantages of Telstra but at a far cheaper price – i.e. the best of both worlds.
What’s In this Review
Belong Broadband Review
One of the many gripes with Telstra over the years has been the cost and their lack of flexibility. And while Telstra has done a lot to address these concerns in recent years, Belong has gone one step better by listening to the things we all liked – and didn’t like – about Australia’s biggest telco. Although they are a subsidiary, they’ve got plenty of autonomy, which is perfect because this means they have the advantages of being a part of Telstra’s network but make all their own decisions.
So are Belong Broadband truly the best of both worlds – a company with the hunger of a smaller provider backed by Australia’s most comprehensive network? Read on to see what we’ve discovered!
What broadband plans are available?
Belong Broadband has three NBN plans:
- Starter – NBN 25,
- Standard Plus – NBN 50,
- Premium – NBN 100.
All of them differ on the basis of download speed. Belong Starter plan has 30MBPS download speeds, which is a pretty solid speed that will allow two people to perform basic internet activities at the same time.
Standard Plus bumps it up a tad to 40MBPS, which will be good for three to six people in a household to be online at the same time with minimal interruption.
The big daddy is Premium, which is fast enough for multiple 4K streams. Each of their plans defaults to month-to-month – which is perfect for renters and students. There’s also a 12-month contract option (except for the Premium plan), which comes with a free modem with slightly cheaper monthly plan fees.
Does Belong offer ADSL?
Belong no longer offers ADSL. However, the connection of existing ADSL customers won’t be affected.
How does Belong rank compared to other Internet Service Providers?
The competition is what makes the company good or bad. How else would you tell something’s good if you couldn’t compare it? People who never tried a proper T-bone steak can say that a regular fried chicken is the best meal in the world, right? Let’s see how Belong’s plans look compared to other NBN providers.
The overall broadband speed
Belong’s NBN plans – Standard, Standard Plus and Premium – fit into the middle-of-the-group NBN speed tiers. Standard NBN broadband plan catches 25 mb/s typical evening speed, Standard Plus reaches almost 50 mb/s, and Premium comes in at around 95 mb/s. In our opinion for the money you pay it’s decent.
Value for money
We already know that Belong Internet Provider is owned by Telstra, which is the reason why you don’t have to worry about the network coverage. Thus, in essence you get Telstra reliability at Belong internet plans price.
The stability of the connection
But since Belong is part of Telstra there should not be any disconnects or interruptions. Also, should any crash happen, it is Telstra – the biggest Australia Internet Service Provider – working on it right away.
Unlimited Data plans
It is one of the best features of Belong – they have affordable Unlimited Data NBN plans with neat typical evening speeds.
Contract length
Signing a deal with Belong gives you a sort of freedom, as you are not heavily tied to the company. Most of Belong NBN plans are month-to-month, so you can consider yourself free. It is great for people who travel and move a lot.
Additional features and bonuses
We can’t ignore the fact that after you fetch yourself a Belong NBN plan, you are given:
- Free Wi-Fi modem with a 12-month contract,
- No set-up fees,
- Free mobile credit,
- First-ever carbon-neutral broadband brand.
The Belong service and customer support
Belong customer service struggles with issues typical for a small Internet service provider. People expect a cheap NBN plan at Telstra, Optus or Aussie Broadband quality. It doesn’t work like this.
If you compare Belong to other, bigger broadband providers, they fall behind, which is natural. The same happens when you compare Bentley to a mid-tier Hyundai.
Belong Broadband features
All of Belong Broadband’s plans adhere to their core ethos of no fuss, no hassles and no worries. When it comes to great NBN deals, they’ve got plenty on offer for all kinds of internet users. Each and every one of Belong NBN plans comes with unlimited data. Running on the Telstra network, Belong NBN broadband plans also include a mobile credit just to sweeten the deal.
What are Belong Broadband’s Best Features?
How to Contact Belong Broadband
Belong has established one of the most sophisticated and futuristic online contact portals available in Australia, where you can pay your bill, track your orders and overall manage your broadband service. This is a great service which is surprisingly rare among Aussie telcos. It makes managing your broadband that much easier. If you do need to get in touch, you can go to their website to reach their customer support.
Belong will be happy to help you with:
What is Belong Broadband?
Belong is an Australian telco – a small broadband provider . While we keep emphasising the ‘all the good but none of the bad parts of Telstra’ line, we want to emphasise that Belong is not Telstra Lite. They are their own entity. They have a lot in common with many of the newer, smaller providers who have burst onto the scene in recent years offering flexible deals, good quality internet and a no-fuss attitude – all at a good price. The only difference is that they’ve got the backing – and the network – of Telstra.
Belong Broadband Summary
Belong Broadband is a real no fuss kind of provider. They’re mainly recognised for their good quality internet at low prices, which when it comes to broadband is pretty much what everyone wants. This means while they’re good for students and renters – no contracts, remember – they’re also good for families.
Belong Broadband won’t cost you too much and will not skimp on quality. They get a strong rating from us, winning points for simplicity and effectiveness, but losing a couple for a lack of added extras. If you want internet that works and won’t break the bank, then there’s a good chance you’ve found a provider you Belong to. Are you looking for a new provider? You definitely need to compare Belong plans.