How gigabit speeds dodge the invisible NBN traffic jam

Joseph Hanlon - Editorial Director

Last updated 19 January 2026

This article is sponsored by Superloop.

You pay for high-speed internet, yet your streams are buffering, and the kids are complaining that their games are lagging. While it's easy to point a finger at your connection quality, your issues might boil down to bandwidth.

When we refer to the speed of an nbn plan, we are also talking about bandwidth. Think of it like a highway in a booming city, where the speed of your connection (bandwidth) is the width of the road and determines how many cars can drive on it at the same time.

This is where a provider like Superloop can make a big difference. Instead of treating internet traffic like a single lane road, they specialise in opening up the highway with bandwidth tiers up to 2Gbps delivered over their own high-performance fibre network. Bandwidth like this solves the congestion problem before it starts and is more affordable than you might expect.

Superloop	Superloop Lightspeed Fibre 1000/100 Fibre 860/85 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $25/mth off for 6 mths! $89/mth for the first 6 mths then $114/mth + Free eero 7 modem when you stay for 24 mths $89/mth for first 6 mths, then $114/mth Min. cost $89 Go to Site	$89/mth for first 6 mths, then $114/mth Min. cost $89	Go to Site
Superloop	Superloop FTTP, HFC Lightspeed nbn1000/100 FTTP, HFC nbn® 860/85 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Incl. $25/mth off for 6 mths! $89/mth for 6 mths, then $114/mth + Free eero 7 modem when you stay for 24 mths + Bundle & Save $89/mth for first 6 mths, then $114/mth Min. cost $89 Go to Site	$89/mth for first 6 mths, then $114/mth Min. cost $89	Go to Site
Superloop	Superloop HFC Hyperspeed nbn2000/100 HFC nbn® 1700/85 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Incl. $20/mth off for 6 mths! $148/mth for 6 mths, then $168/mth + Bundle & Save $148/mth for first 6 mths, then $168/mth Min. cost $148 Go to Site	$148/mth for first 6 mths, then $168/mth Min. cost $148	Go to Site
Superloop	Superloop FTTP Hyperspeed nbn2000/200 FTTP nbn® 1700/170 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Incl. $20/mth off for 6 mths! $148/mth for 6 mths, then $168/mth + Bundle & Save $148/mth for first 6 mths, then $168/mth Min. cost $148 Go to Site	$148/mth for first 6 mths, then $168/mth Min. cost $148	Go to Site

Digesting congestion

Ten years ago, you probably had a laptop, a smartphone, and a TV connected to your network. According to recent nbn data, the average Australian household now juggles 22-25 internet-connected devices, with forecasts predicting we’ll reach 33 devices by 2026 and 40 by 2030. Suddenly, that "standard" 50 Mbps plan from 2018 is a bottleneck, causing a traffic jam on your home network.

If your internet feels sluggish, do a stocktake. Count the phones, TVs and tablets on your network, plus all of your smart bulbs, the doorbell camera, and the robot vacuum. You will likely reach 20 devices faster than you expect.

Next, look at your plan. If you are still running a household on a connection designed for 2018 online habits, it is time for a change. The digital demands of the average Aussie home have evolved, and your internet plan needs to catch up.

The speed you need

Moving to a gigabit plan, like Superloop’s Lightspeed (860/85Mbps typical evening speed) or Hyperspeed (1700/170Mbps typical evening speed) tiers, isn’t about how much faster you can download a file; it’s about how many connected devices can interact with your network seamlessly.

The expansion of the nbn Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) rollout means gigabit speeds are now a reality for millions of homes, not just a futuristic promise. And unlike the early days of broadband, you don't need to pay a fortune to access them.

Providers who own their networks are driving this shift. Superloop, for example, isn't just reselling a generic service. They own a high-performance fibre-based network spanning the country. This gives them greater control over traffic management and reliability, and the results show it.

Superloop was awarded Australia’s Fastest Fixed Network by Ookla for both the first half and second half of 2025, based on millions of real-world speed tests. Superloop earned a Speed Score of 68.47 in the latest report (the nearest competitor scored 63) and achieved top download speeds of over 863 Mbps during testing - up from 768 Mbps in the report from the first half of 2025.

Latency is another critical factor that is often overlooked. This is the time between when you click a button and when the server responds, and it is typically the factor that disrupts online gaming video calls. Again, Superloop rose above the competition with a median latency of 76ms across all Ookla tests.

If your nbn plan could use a speed upgrade, head over to the Superloop site and check your address to see if you can upgrade to a gigabit fibre connection.

Joseph Hanlon

Editorial Director | X | LinkedIn

Joe Hanlon has been immersed in mobile phones, plans and the internet for over a decade, having written for publications like CNET, Techradar, Gizmodo and Lifehacker. He steers the editorial ship and makes sure that we are always serving up the most useful guides and recommendations. If you ever bump into Joe on the street, don't be afraid to ask for a phone recommendation. It's embarrassing how much he enjoys talking about this stuff. He also loves listening to podcasts, so feel free to email Joe with recommendations.

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