The National Broadband Network roll-out just keeps on rolling, and while many Australians are already connected, plenty still have to come on board. If you're part of the latter group, you might be wondering just how the NBN will differ from your current connection. Will it be faster? Will it cost more?
In this guide we'll cover the differences between the NBN, ADSL2+, cable, and mobile broadband, and how your broadband speeds - and monthly bill - may be affected.
But it's important to note that these are all different - often incompatible - technologies. Because of this, not all broadband options are available to all houses.
The find out which services you can get at your home (or office), run an address search from our homepage.
What is the NBN?
The National Broadband Network is an Australia-wide project funded by the Federal Government to provide all homes and businesses with a fast, reliable internet connection. The NBN is designed to 'future-proof' Australian homes and businesses by replacing older, dated infrastructure with new, supercharged connections.
The roll-out of the NBN is happening now, and will continue until at least 2020. If you haven't received notice that the NBN is now available in your street, there's an easy way to find out when you're set to be connected.
Simply enter your address in our broadband search tool below, and we'll give you an estimate of when it will be ready in your neighbourhood, and show you comparable ADSL, cable, or mobile broadband plans you can sign up for in the meantime.
If you already have access to the NBN at your address, we'll let you know which NBN services and providers are now live in your area.
NBN vs. ADSL2+
Key points:
Put simply, the biggest difference between NBN and ADSL connections is speed. NBN plans are available with download speeds of up to 100Mbps, while ADSL2+ has a maximum potential download speed of 24Mbps. Most ADSL2+ connections are much slower: the average Australian ADSL speed is just 8Mbps.
The reason for this is that ADSL speed directly relates to how far you live from your local telephone exchange. ADSL is delivered to your home over copper wire, and because of this, the speed of your internet connection is impacted by the distance information needs to travel. Copper networks were never designed for transferring large amounts of information.
This degradation doesn’t occur on a straight line. With ADSL2+, your home can be located up to 1km from the exchange (therabouts) before you notice a dip in speed. But if you're between 2km and 3km from the exchange, you'll really start to notice a difference.
While copper is still involved in some NBN connections (referred as Fibre to the Node), the length of copper is much shorter. Even if your place is getting its NBN service delivered through Fibre to the Node, you'll get much faster speeds than possible on ADSL.
In short, an NBN connection stands to be much, much faster than ADSL.
NBN plans vary broadly in speed and cost, but NBN 12 plans are comparable to ADSL2+ pricing. You might need to spend around $10 more per month if you'd prefer an NBN 50 plan (which we'd recommend, as they're significantly faster). This, of course, will vary from provider to provider. In some cases, a Telstra ADSL2+ plan will be more expensive than an NBN 50 plan from a different provider.
Here's a small selection of NBN 50 plans:
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Tangerine Telecom 
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Internode 
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SpinTel 
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Link not supplied
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Belong 
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MATE 
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Link not supplied
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MyRepublic 
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And for comparison here's a small selection of ADSL2+ plans:
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Dodo 
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Link not supplied
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MATE
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SpinTel
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Exetel 
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TPG 
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Belong
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NBN vs. Cable Broadband
Key points:
- Out of the technology types we compare in this guide, a cable connection is most similar to the NBN, at least in terms of performance.
- NBN plans and cable broadband plans cost a similar amount per month.
- Initially, NBN maximum download speeds will be similar to maximum speed achievable on a cable connection.
- However, NBN maximum upload speeds are much faster than what is possible on cable.
Optus and Telstra's high speed cable broadband is, in many respects, similar to what you'll get with the NBN. In fact, the cable currently used by Telstra will make up part of the final NBN infrastructure.
Current cable broadband speeds can vary from 30Mbps and 100Mbps, depending on geographical location and provider. NBN plan speeds range between 12Mbps and 100Mbps depending on the plan you're on and how much you pay.
The biggest difference between cable broadband and NBN is upload speed. Customers on an NBN 100 plan will be able to upload at speeds of 40Mbps, whereas cable broadband upload speeds can be as low as 2Mbps.
It's also worth noting that cable can be more prone to congestion than NBN services. As such, moving from your cable connection to the NBN should (depending on your provider and their evening speeds) give your more consistent download speeds.
If you've got Telstra or Optus cable and are happy to stick with your respective provider when the NBN rolls into your area, your monthly bill shouldn't change. In some cases, you may be able to save yourself some money by swapping to another provider.
NBN vs. 4G Mobile Broadband
Key points:
Mobile broadband refers to internet connections delivered over the same 4G networks utilised by your smartphone.
The big benefit of mobile broadband is that it requires almost zero setup or physical infrastructure. While getting connected to the NBN requires a technician - an appointment that you sometimes have to wait weeks for - you can use a mobile broadband plan the very same day you purchase it. Well, if you're shopping online, the day you get your SIM card and modem delivered.
Since mobile broadband doesn't require a physical connection, it's a very flexible technology. You can take it with you when you travel and there's no fees for moving house.
Exact mobile broadband speeds will depend on coverage in your area, but most Australians should be able to get download speeds between 20Mbps to 100Mbps. The fastest widely available NBN plans max out at 100Mbps.
Most mobile broadband plans are delivered through a portable Wi-Fi hotspot, but you can also get USB modems or standalone data SIMs (that can then be used in a tablet or old smartphone as a wireless hotspot).
Mobile broadband plans do however tend to be more expensive than NBN plans, and there are currently no unlimited data options. But you can currently get a 500GB plan for $80 per month from Optus.
Here's a selection of mobile broadband plans with at least 100GB.
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Moose Mobile 
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Vodafone 
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OVO 
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Southern Phone 
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amaysim 
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Link not supplied
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SpinTel
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Link not supplied
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And here are Optus' supersized plans. Note that the modem included with these requires AC power - it doesn't have an internal battery.
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Optus 
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Link not supplied
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Optus
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Optus
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Optus
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Looking for more info on the NBN? Start comparing plans and prices here.
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