Satellite internet provides regional and remote Australian communities access to the web where more traditional fixed-line connections are unavailable due to infrastructure, cost and other factors.
How does satellite internet work?
Satellite internet is a type of internet connection where signals (transmitted via satellite) are the primary method through which the internet is provided. With a satellite internet connection, there's no need for cables or wires; just a satellite dish that receives the signal being beamed from satellites in orbit around the Earth.
Because a satellite signal has to travel such vast distances the speed of downloads and uploads are usually slower than what you'd find with a wired connection although improvements in the space have made great gains in recent years. Of course, the benefit is that satellites can reach parts of the country where outfitting and maintaining thousands of kilometres of fibre cables would be too expensive.
At the time of writing, in Australia, there are two primary satellite internet systems. The government-owned NBN Sky Muster service, and Starlink — which is is privately owned.
Satellite NBN is powered by two satellites located in geosynchronous orbit (GEO), around 35,000km above the equator. Named Sky Muster I and Sky Muster II, they are operated by NBN Co. Starlink on the other hand is a low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite system where satellites orbit much closer to the ground.
NBN Co has plans to transition customers from the GEO Sky Muster satellites to a new LEO system in partnership with Amazon from mid-2027.
Who offers satellite internet in Australia?
As with fixed-line internet, there is a wide range of providers selling satellite internet plans, however, because the pool of customers is smaller there aren't as many brands in the mix. SpaceX's sells Starlink plans direct to consumers, while NBN Co is a wholesaler. It sells its Sky Muster plans through a range of retailers – if you've only ever had a fixed line connection you might not recognise the brand names. The providers that offer satellite NBN tend to specialise in it.
While Starlink's plans are available to anyone in Australia, NBN providers only sells satellite plans to customers who aren't eligible for other connection types.
Starlink
Starlink offers a few plans for fixed addresses as well as Priority versions with accelerated speeds.
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Starlink
Starlink Residential 100 Mbps
$75/mth
Min. cost $75
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Starlink
Starlink Residential 200 Mbps
$110/mth
Min. cost $110
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Starlink
Starlink Residential Max
$150/mth
Min. cost $150
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Starlink
Starlink Local Priority 50GB
$84/mth
+ $549 Upfront
Min. cost $633
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Starlink
Starlink Local Priority 500GB
$236/mth
+ $549 Upfront
Min. cost $785
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Starlink
Starlink Local Priority 1TB
$426/mth
+ $549 Upfront
Min. cost $975
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Starlink
Starlink Local Priority 2TB
$806/mth
+ $549 Upfront
Min. cost $1,355
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Starlink's plans start at $75 per month with equipment provided as an ongoing rental (valued at $549) if you cancel your Starlink service you'll need to return the equipment in good working order.
Activ8me
Activ8me is one of Australia's largest Satellite NBN providers, touting over 55,000 connections to the NBN Satellite service.
Activ8me offers contract-free plans for all tiers and plans with a six-month term (for standard Sky Muster). However, all that committing to a six-month contract gets you is a discount on a router the telco ranges. If you've already got your own Sky Muster-ready router, it makes more sense to go contract-free.
Here's a selection of Activ8me's Sky Muster Satellite NBN plans:
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Activ8me
Sky Muster 155GB Standard
$44.95/mth
Min. cost $44.95
Link not supplied
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Activ8me
Sky Muster 180GB Standard
$49.95/mth
Min. cost $49.95
Link not supplied
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Activ8me
Sky Muster 300GB Standard
$54.95/mth
Min. cost $54.95
Link not supplied
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Activ8me
Sky Muster 235GB Standard
$64.95/mth
Min. cost $64.95
Link not supplied
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Activ8me
Sky Muster 260GB Standard
$89.95/mth
Min. cost $89.95
Link not supplied
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Activ8me
Sky Muster 155GB Sonic
$49.95/mth
Min. cost $49.95
Link not supplied
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Activ8me
Sky Muster 180GB Sonic
$54.95/mth
Min. cost $54.95
Link not supplied
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Activ8me
Sky Muster Plus Premium 25
$59/mth
Min. cost $59
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Activ8me
Sky Muster 300GB Sonic
$59.95/mth
Min. cost $59.95
Link not supplied
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Activ8me
Sky Muster 235GB Sonic
$69.95/mth
Min. cost $69.95
Link not supplied
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Activ8me
Sky Muster 260GB Sonic
$94.95/mth
Min. cost $94.95
Link not supplied
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Activ8me
Editor's Pick
Sky Muster Plus Premium 50
$74/mth
Min. cost $74
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Activ8me
Sky Muster Plus Premium 100
$99/mth
Min. cost $99
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IPSTAR
IPSTAR has over 12 years of experience in delivering the internet to Australians living in remote and rural areas, and offers plans on month-to-month contracts.
IPSTAR offers plans across the three Sky Muster Plus speed tiers.
Here's a look at IPSTAR's Satellite NBN plans:
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IPSTAR
Sky Muster Plus Entry
$60/mth
Min. cost $60
Link not supplied
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IPSTAR
Sky Muster Plus Standard
$80/mth
Min. cost $80
Link not supplied
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IPSTAR
Sky Muster Plus Premium
$100/mth
Min. cost $100
Link not supplied
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SkyMesh
SkyMesh is an NBN provider solely focused on regional and rural Australia - it sells fixed line, satellite and fixed wireless plans. When it comes to SkyMesh's satellite NBN plans, it offers all speed tiers on a contract-free basis, and they don't attract any setup fees. SkyMesh offers support seven days a week, even on public holidays.
Here's a look at SkyMesh's Sky Muster Plus Satellite NBN plans:
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Skymesh
Skymesh Ultra 25 Plan
$64.95/mth
Min. cost $64.95
Link not supplied
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Skymesh
Skymesh Ultra 50 Plan
$79.95/mth
Min. cost $79.95
Link not supplied
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Skymesh
Skymesh Ultra 100 Plan
$104.95/mth
Min. cost $104.95
Link not supplied
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Pivotel
Servicing regional Australia for over 20 years Pivotel works in the satellite phone space and of course also sells satellite internet plans.
It offers plans across three Sky Muster Plus Premium speed tiers, all of which are contract-free.
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Pivotel
Sky Muster Plus Premium 25
$55/mth
Min. cost $55
Link not supplied
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Pivotel
Sky Muster Plus Premium 50
$70/mth
Min. cost $70
Link not supplied
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Pivotel
Sky Muster Plus Premium 100
$89/mth
Min. cost $89
Link not supplied
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Other satellite internet providers in Australia
Other satellite NBN internet providers in Australia that aren't listed in WhistleOut's database include:
- Bordernet
- Cmobile
- Flip
- Infinet Broadband
- MultiWave Connect
Satellite internet FAQs
Is there any satellite internet with unlimited data?
Yes, you can get unlimited data on a Sky Muster Plus Premium or Starlink satellite internet plan.
Is Starlink better than Satellite NBN?
Starlink and Satellite NBN each have their own merits. Starlink has much lower latency. Because Starlink's satellites are in LEO the distance data has to travel is much lower. A standard Starlink plan has a latency of 25ms to 60ms whereas due to their distance, the latency of a Sky Muster satellite is around 600ms.
Can you stream Netflix on satellite internet?
Yes, satellite internet is just another type of connection for linking to the internet. You can generally perform all the same functions, such as browsing, streaming Netflix, and gaming, as you would on any other type of internet connection.
Dylan Crismale
Digital Content Editor
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