Review was updated on 28th April, 2020
With so many broadband service providers in Australia there’s more choice than there was a few short years ago. The reality is that regardless of which provider you go with – especially on the NBN – you’re going to be paying around the same price for the same level of service.
Except of course if you go with self-proclaimed ‘disruptor’ MyRepublic. Singapore-based company MyRepublic thinks broadband can be done better – and they go a long way towards backing up their rather ambitious statement.
MyRepublic aren’t shy – in fact, they’re pretty proud of their status as a provider who do things differently. They are a self-proclaimed “disruptor” in every market they’ve ventured into so far – from Singapore’s own national broadband rollout, to New Zealand’s appetite for extremely fast fibre (something Australia nearly got here, until politics got in the way – though MyRepublic has rolled out 1Gbps fibre on a test basis in Wollongong).
MyRepublic Broadband Review
But even if they have truly shaken up the market, are they the right provider for you? While they may have burst onto the scene recently, are they going to stick around for the long haul? As experts in all things broadband, CompareTV have sifted through all of the relevant details and information to get to the bottom of MyRepublic. Read on to see what we’ve discovered!
In this Review
What is MyRepublic Broadband?
MyRepublic sees a big untapped market in the services people use on a daily basis. Their vision is broadband connection with three criteria – affordable, fast and unlimited. That way, you can get home at the end of the day and watch shows on Netflix without worrying about data download limits, or whether your connection’s up to the challenge. You can load up an app and start streaming – or fire up a game and start playing – and your broadband connection gets it done for you.
This is a fairly utopian vision when it comes to the current state of play in Australia. Our own National Broadband Network (NBN) was supposed to be a full-fibre, best-in-class service but is now a hodgepodge of different technologies depending on where you live. Regardless, quality broadband service can be provided over all of the NBN’s connection types – as long as the provider is up to the challenge of making the pipes fat enough and the network responsive. MyRepublic says they can do just that – and with plan prices far less than their competitors. Like most ‘disruptors’ – companies that come into an existing market and shake up expectations of service and price – they’re not messing around when it comes to both pricing and promises.
A review of MyRepublic reveals a promise of what they call “network optimisation” – essentially, data that’s sensitive to delays – like video streams from Netflix, or the back-and-forth data exchanged by online games. This data is given priority on the network to make sure it’s handled as fast as possible. This means no more buffering when streaming – and no more unplayable lag when gaming.
What broadband plans are available?
While every other provider is advertising NBN plans at a price with the absolute lowest speed tier available, MyRepublic does away with that and aims to connect you as fast as possible. When you connect to the NBN with them, they’ll connect you at the highest possible speed available to you. Customers will most often get a 50/20 connection, though 25/5 connections are now available for those who want to save a bit of money and don’t need blazing speed. Unlimited 100/20Mbps plans have also been made recently available. The MyRepublic website asks you to type in your address, and they tell you what types of broadband are available (impressively, it correctly identified
What NBN plans do MyRepublic Broadband offer?
Opting for one of the plans gets you two choices – a 12-month contract with WiFi Hub included (AC1600 Modem for only $1) and month-to-month BYO modem. Pricing is $59/month for 25/5 and $69/month for 50/20. Unlimited 100/20Mbps plans are also available at $89/month. All of MyRepublic’s NBN plans come with unlimited downloads and uploads and a line rental at no extra costs.
If you need a Wi-Fi modem for your new connection, MyRepublic will provide one for only $1 – as long as you’re on the contract plan. Otherwise, they’ll sell you one for $69.
What MyRepublic Broadband plans are suitable for gamers?
It seems surprising that nobody’s thought of doing it before, but MyRepublic is unique in offering an option for “gamer upgrades”. Given the name “Gamer Pro” so you know exactly what kind of user these plans are targeting, the idea is to remove a lot of the barriers that online gamers experience when trying to get the best performance they can from their broadband connection. The Gamer Pro plan isn’t just a fancy name with some extras thrown in, either.
It gets you onto a network that’s optimised for low latency (the time it takes for your input to reach the server – critical for games, especially ones that require precise timing). To help you keep an eye on the performance you’re paying for, MyRepublic has added live latency tracking as well. And all customers on the Gamer Pro plans get their own static IP address – a permanent address on the internet to claim as your own, making it possible to run your own game or chat servers with ease.
FeaturedSpecialist gamer support is included as well as some gamer-friendly perks, with all of it running on the fastest possible NBN connection – up to 100 Mbps down and 40 Mbps up. That means fast game downloads and updates, and a nice fast upstream so you can stream your gameplay in HD on Twitch, YouTube or elsewhere without buffering.
Priced at $109/month on both monthly and 12-month terms, the contract plan offers a better deal since you get a MyRepublic AC1600 Wi-Fi Hub Modem for only a dollar. That’s some serious value right there. If you’re looking for a more powerful modem, you can upgrade to an advanced AC2200 Halo modem for $99, a vast discount off its regular price. Both Gamer Pro plans come with truly unlimited data, and MyRepublic rates the plans as being able to maintain a solid 83 Mbps download speed during the busiest peak evening hours. Gamer Pro Essential running at 50/20 Mbps is also offered at $79/month and Gamer Pro 100/20Mbps at $99/month.
Last audited 21 February 2021
Does MyRepublic offer home phone bundles?
If you still need your home phone line for serious chats with friends and family, rest assured, you get one with your MyRepublic service at no extra cost for line rental, cheap call rates, and included landline calls in select plans. If you want to make calls to landlines and mobiles more often, though, you’ll have to pay a little extra – unless you’re happy to spend per-minute rates.
Sitting on hold to your power company at 20c per minute isn’t an ideal way to spend your money! For $10/month you get unlimited calls to Aussie landlines and mobiles, or for $20/month you also get unlimited calls to a remarkable 40 international landlines and 30 mobile destinations. Note, with all these options, a 13 or 1300 call still has a cost – though it’s a flat 35c per call fee.
MyRepublic Broadband features
In addition to being known for their eye-watering speed, there are plenty more features that MyRepublic has on offer. Every plan comes with unlimited data, while they also have a flexible contract structure to suit everyone. They’re also the first provider – somewhat remarkably – to introduce a specific set of plans for gamers, which has really helped them make a splash. Here are some of the other features which set MyRepublic apart from the rest.
What are MyRepublic Broadband’s Best Features?
How to Contact MyRepublic Broadband
You can contact MyRepublic with any questions about their plans or for technical support by calling 1300 130 888 from
MyRepublic Broadband Summary
If you’ve already got access to the NBN, MyRepublic’s prices are hard to beat. Whether the promises of low latency and fast streaming performance hold up is going to depend on several factors – your NBN connection type, your location, your own hardware and the time of day. We recommend you try out the month-to-month service first to see if it meets your needs. After all, one great thing about the NBN is that it makes switching providers fast, easy and pretty painless.
It’s great to see a company doing the NBN at a price that doesn’t make your eyes water. Disruptive indeed!
