NBN 250 and NBN 1000 plans are the crème de la crème of Australian internet, but not everyone is able to get them. The plans are exclusively available to FTTP and HFC addresses. Fortunately, there’s some good news for those who didn’t win the NBN lottery.
NBN Co is the process of major network upgrades that will allow customers on FTTN and FTTC addresses to get upgraded to FTTP at no cost. This week, the network builder announced the first 50,000 premises can request their free upgrade. Premises in these towns, cities and suburbs are part of the first wave:
New South Wales
Aberglasslyn, Bella Vista, Cameron Park, Canley Vale, Castle Hill, Cherrybrook, Chipping Norton, Croydon, Croydon Park, Darlinghurst, Edgeworth, Erina, Glenhaven, Green Valley, Hunterview, Kingswood, Kurnell, Lyndhurst, Melrose Park, Norwest, Pleasure Point, Rutherford, Singleton Heights, St Albans, St Clair, Terrigal, Thornton, Villawood, Voyager Point, Wattle Grove, West Pennant Hills, Woodlands.
Victoria
Bayswater, Bayswater North, Braybrook, Cranborne North, Hampton Park, Lynbrook, Narre Warren, Rowville, Sunshine, Sunshine North.
Queensland
Burleigh Waters, Gilston, Highland Park, Mudgeeraba, Robina, Varsity Lakes, Worongary.
South Australia
Ascot Park, Athol Park, Bowden, Burton, Clovelly Park, Dudley Park, Edwardstown, Ethelton, Greenwith, Mawson Lakes, Mitchell Park, Parafield Gardens, Paralowie, Renown Park, Semaphore, Semaphore Park, Semaphore South, South Plympton, West Lakes, West Lakes Shore, Woodville North.
Western Australia
Alexander Heights, Beckenham, Doubleview, Gwelup, Innaloo, Karrinyup, Langford, Marangaroo, Thornlie.
To trigger the fibre upgrade, FTTN customers simply need to order an NBN 100, NBN 250, or NBN 1000 plan. If you’re on FTTC, you need to order a NBN 250 or NBN 1000 plan.
NBN 250 plans are available to all FTTP and HFC addresses, and NBN 1000 plans are available at all FTTP addresses and over 90 per cent of HFC addresses.
So if you’re one of the lucky ones who can upgrade to FTTP (or already have FTTP or HFC), we’re going to take a look at the best NBN 250 and NBN 1000 options out there.
The best NBN 1000 plans
If you don’t want to break the bank on gigabit internet, MyRepublic has one of the cheapest NBN 1000 plans around. You’ll pay just $99 per month for your first six months and $109 per month thereafter. Even at full price, that’s cheaper than plenty of NBN 250 plans. MyRepublic reports typical evening speeds of 350Mbps, which is a good step up from the standard 200Mbps to 250Mbps you see on most plans.
Southern Phone is next up at $105 per month for your first six months, and $135 per month thereafter. You’ll also get a free year of Amazon Prime if you sign up before May 1. Southern Phone doesn’t currently report typical evening speeds for its NBN 1000 plan.
Exetel is also worth considering, with its plan billed at $115 per month for your first six months, and $135 per month thereafter. The only catch with this plan is you’ll be limited to maximum speeds of 500Mbps. Exetel reports typical evening speeds of 245Mbps.
Superloop reports typical evening speeds of 500Mbps, but is also capped to 500Mbps. It will charge you $119.95 per month for your first six months, and $139.95 per month thereafter. You’ll be subject to a 3TB allowance, however. After you hit this cap, you’ll be limited to 100Mbps speeds.
Aussie Broadband and Origin have some of the fastest NBN 1000 plans around, boasting typical evening speeds of 600Mbps. You’ll pay $149 per month on Aussie Broadband, or $154 per month on Origin. You can save $10 per month on your Origin NBN bill if you bundle your energy, however.
The best NBN 250 plans
MyRepublic is once again one of your cheapest choice if you’re after high-speed NBN. You’ll pay $89 per month for its NBN 250 plans, and $99 per month thereafter.
MATE’s NBN plan is also worth considering, where you’ll just pay a flat $99 per month. You can also score a $10 per month discount by bundling in a MATE SIM-only plan. These start at $20 per month with 10GB and are powered by the Telstra network. The $25 plan gets you 20GB, however, making it much better value.
If you’re after the fastest NBN 250 plans around, Origin reports typical evening speeds of 248Mbps. You’ll pay $134 per month, but can shave $10 off your bill if you bundle with energy.
Telstra is the only major provider to best Origin, with typical evening speeds of 250Mbps. You’ll pay $140 per month, but you’ll also score a free year of Disney+ and three months of Binge. If you leave Telstra within your first two years, you’ll need to return your modem.
The best NBN 100 plans
Of course, many of us aren’t able to get a plan faster than NBN 100 yet. As such, we’ll also look at a few of the best NBN 100 deals.
First up is MyRepublic. You’re looking at $69 per month for your first six months and $79 per month thereafter. Even at full price that’s cheaper than a lot of other NBN 100 plans. MyRepublic reports typical evening speeds of 93Mbps.
If you want faster typical evening speeds, you could opt for SpinTel. You’ll pay $69 for your first six months, and $84.95 per month thereafter. SpinTel reports typical evening speeds of 100Mbps, making it ostensibly congestion free.
MATE is also worth thinking about thanks to bundling potential. You’d normally pay $79 per month for its NBN 100 plan, but you cut this down to $69 per month if you add on one of its SIM-only plans.
Alex Choros is Managing Editor at WhistleOut, Australia’s phone and internet comparison website.
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