Don't want slow NBN? Since 2018, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has been speed testing Australian NBN connections. The resulting quarterly report, Measuring Broadband Australia, details the average speed of connections offered by major providers during peak hours.
The report currently covers nine major providers - Aussie Broadband, Dodo, Exetel, iiNet, iPrimus, MyRepublic, Optus, Telstra, and TPG. Here's how they stacked up:
Average percent of max. download speed
| Overall | Overall excluding under performing connections |
Peak hours | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Optus | 90.8% | 92.2% | 89.9% |
| #2 | TPG | 88.3% | 90.9% | 86.6% |
| #3 | Exetel | 87.8% | 89.4% | 86.6% |
| #4 | Aussie Broadband | 86.6% | 89.9% | 85.8% |
| #5 | Telstra | 85.8% | 91.5% | 84.4% |
| #6 | iiNet | 85.5% | 91.7% | 84.3% |
| #7 | MyRepublic | 83.6% | 89.2% | 82.3% |
| #8 | Dodo | 81.7% | 87.9% | 80.0% |
| #9 | iPrimus | 81.7% | 87.9% | 80.0% |
The majority of fixed-line NBN customers are consistently receiving the internet speeds they're paying for. Once the ACCC removed NBN connections that cannot achieve the max speed offered by their plan, average speeds for the providers ranged between 92.2% (Optus) and 87.9% (Dodo/iPrimus) of the maximum promised by their plans.
While the overall report looks like a win for Optus, it's always worth taking these results with a grain of salt. The testing was conducted throughout November 2019 across just 1,212 NBN connections. All but 58 of these households have a connection with one of the nine providers featured in the report.
In addition, the ACCC once again found that some consumers continue to experience under-performing NBN services that never achieve close to their advertised plan speeds. However, this has slightly dropped from 11.4% to 11% of volunteers partaking in the Measuring Broadband Australia program in this quarter compared to the previous quarter. Most of those affected are Fibre to the Node (FTTN) customers on either an NBN 50 (Standard Plus) speed plan or an NBN 100 Premium speed plan.
NBN providers also provide their own reporting on the typical peak hour speeds their customers can expect. See our guide to which providers have the fastest evening speeds for more information.
NBN Plans: How do they stack up?
So now you know what speeds you can expect from the major providers, how do their plans compare? Here's a selection of unlimited NBN plans from the providers covered by the ACCC report.
We've shown providers in order of peak speed performance, not including under-performing NBN connections. We've included plans with NBN 50 (Standard Plus) or NBN 100 (Premium) speeds as these are the speeds that will offer the best service for most households.
An NBN 50 plan should be fast enough to service a family of four medium to heavy internet users, while NBN 100 plans are best suited to households of four or more, or those who regularly download and upload large files.
#1: Optus' fastest NBN plans
Optus achieved 89.9% of maximum plan speeds during peak times, according to ACCC's latest report. Here are Optus' NBN 50 (Standard Plus) and NBN 100 (Premium) plans.
|
#1
|
Optus 
|
Link not supplied
|
|
#2
|
Optus
|
Link not supplied
|
|
#3
|
Optus
|
Link not supplied
|
|
#4
|
Optus
|
Link not supplied
|
Optus is a trusted name in Australian internet, and this result proves that trust is well founded. Optus reports typical evening speeds of 46.7Mbps on NBN 50 (Standard Plus) plans and 88Mbps on NBN 100 (Premium) speed plans.
Optus NBN plans are competitive, affordable, and offer the option to bundle in entertainment with Fetch TV.
#2: TPG's fastest NBN plans
TPG achieved 86.6% of maximum plan speeds during peak hours, on the ACCC's latest report. Here are TPG's NBN 50 (Standard Plus) and NBN 100 (Premium) plans.
|
#1
|
TPG 
|
|
|
#2
|
TPG
|
There's very little doubt these days that TPG offers some of the fastest NBN plans around. While TPG came in second-place to Optus on the previous ACCC speed test, sliding down to number four is not an insignificant shift. That's not to say that TPG's services are getting worse, but more so that the industry is improving, which is great for consumers.
TPG advertises typical evening speeds of 45.6Mbpbs on NBN 50 (Standard Plus) plans and 85.6Mbps on NBN 100 (Premium) plans.
Plans are not just fast, they're also some of the most affordable on the market. And to top it all off, TPG recently came in at number three for customer satisfaction on Roy Morgan's Internet Service Provider Customer Satisfaction Monthly awards. What's not to love?
You can take up a TPG plan on an 18-month contract, or go contract-free.
#3: Exetel's fastest NBN plans
Exetel achieved 86.6% of maximum plan speeds, on the ACCC's latest report. Here are Exetel NBN 50 (Standard Plus) and NBN 100 (Premium) speed plans. You can read up more on Exetel in our guide.
|
#1
|
Exetel 
|
Link not supplied
|
Exetel currently reports typical evening speeds of 40Mbps on its NBN 50 (Standard Plus) plans and 77Mbps on its NBN 100 (Premium) speed plans.
#4: Aussie Broadband's fastest NBN plans
Aussie Broadband achieved 85.8% of maximum plan speeds during busy hours, on the ACCC's latest report. Here are Aussie Broadband's unlimited NBN 50 (Standard Plus) and NBN 100 (Premium) speed plans.
|
#1
|
Aussie Broadband 
|
|
|
#2
|
Aussie Broadband
|
|
|
#3
|
Aussie Broadband
|
If you're not familiar with Aussie Broadband, now is the time to check it out. This telco provides more transparency on evening speeds than any other provider to date, publishing bandwidth graphs that show how much capacity it has purchased on the network versus how much capacity its customers are using.
Aussie Broadband says its customers rarely encounter congestion - even during peak times - reporting typical evening speeds of 43Mbps on NBN 50 (Standard Plus) plans and 86Mbps on NBN 100 (Premium) speed plans.
#5: Telstra's fastest NBN plans
Telstra achieved 84.4% of maximum plan speeds during peak times, on the ACCC's latest report. Here are Telstra's NBN 50 (Standard Plus) plans. To get an NBN 100 (Premium) speed plan you will first need to sign up for NBN 50 and then purchase a $30 speed boost.
|
#1
|
Telstra 
|
Telstra has built a brand on being the fastest and best, so it would come as a disappointment to see them so far down the list. Telstra reports typical evening speeds of 44Mbps on its NBN 50 (Standard Plus) plans and 88Mbps on its NBN 100 (Premium) plans.
Choosing a Telstra NBN plan comes with a host of benefits including access to its nation-wide network of WiFi hotspots, Telstra Air and the opportunity to earn points on your monthly bill through the Telstra Plus program.
#6: iiNet's fastest NBN plans
iiNet achieved 84.3% of maximum plan speeds during peak times, on the ACCC's latest report. Here are iiNet's NBN 50 (Standard Plus) and NBN 100 (Premium) speed plans.
|
#1
|
iiNet 
|
|
|
#2
|
iiNet
|
|
|
#3
|
iiNet
|
One of the big draws with iiNet is an award-winning reputation for customer service. In fact, iiNet recently took out the second spot on Roy Morgan's Internet Service Provider Customer Satisfaction Monthly Awards for June 2019.
iiNet reports typical evening speeds of 43.5Mbps on NBN 50 (Standard Plus) plans and 80.6Mbps on NBN 100 (Premium) speed plans.
#7: MyRepublic's fastest NBN plans
MyRepublic achieve 82.3% of maximum plan speeds during peak times, on the ACCC's latest report. Here are MyRepublic's NBN 100 (Premium) speed plans.
|
#1
|
MyRepublic 
|
|
|
#2
|
MyRepublic
|
|
|
#3
|
MyRepublic
|
|
|
#4
|
MyRepublic
|
MyRepublic NBN plans are all about speed. In fact, the telco's bid to be one of the fastest NBN providers around is so central to the brand it only offers NBN 50 (Standard Plus) and NBN 100 (Premium) speed plans. Ironically, the provider are the only one's who saw a decrease in average speeds since the last report, although the change is negligible.
MyRepublic reports typical evening speeds of 43Mbps for NBN 50 plans and 83Mbps for NBN 100 plans. You can take up a plan on a 12-month contract or go contract-free. There are also NBN plans specifically designed for gamers.
#8: Dodo's fastest NBN plans
Dodo achieved 80% of maximum plan speeds during peak times, on the ACCC's latest report. Here is Dodo's NBN 50 (Standard Plus) speed plan.
|
#1
|
Dodo 
|
Link not supplied
|
Dodo currently reports typical evening speeds of 38.2Mbps on its NBN 50 (Standard Plus) plans and 76.4Mbps on it's NBN 100 (Premium) plans.
#9: iPrimus' fastest NBN plans
iPrimus achieved 80% of maximum plan speeds during peak times, on the ACCC's latest report. Here is iPrimus' NBN 50 (Standard Plus) speed plan.
| Inclusions | ||
|---|---|---|
|
iPrimus 
|
|
Link not supplied
|
iPrimus currently reports typical evening speeds of 38.2Mbps on its NBN 50 (Standard Plus) plans.
Find a better broadband plan
Thousands of broadband plans unpacked. All the facts. No surprises.
Comments