Connecting to the NBN can be intimidating. There's far too many technical terms and bewildering acronyms. It can be stressful. We're here to help though; the first thing you should know is this:
You can’t choose how your NBN is connected, it’s dependent on where you live and the infrastructure that is being built in your area.
Even though there are seven NBN connection types, your house can only connect in one way and we’re betting that you’re reading this because you've got (or will have) a Satellite 'Sky Muster' connection.
So, what is Satellite Sky Muster NBN?
The simple explanation: NBN's Sky Muster Satellite service is used to connect Australians in regional and remote areas where no other NBN connection technology is practical.
The technical explanation: Ground stations across the country beam internet up to satellite, which then beam it down again to a dish attached to your home.
In this guide we’ll explain what Satellite NBN is, how to a pick plan that is best for you and and what you’ll need to get online.
- How fast is Satellite NBN?
- How much does Satellite NBN cost?
- How does Satellite NBN work?
- What equipment do I need for Satellite NBN?
- Satellite NBN FAQs
How fast is Sky Muster Satellite NBN?
Bear with us here, the NBN offers four different speed tiers. However, Satellite connections currently have access to only two:
NBN speeds
| Tier | Maximum speed | Typical evening speed |
| Basic (NBN 12) | 12Mbps | 7Mbps |
| Standard (NBN 25) | 25Mbps | 15Mbps |
The actual speeds you get at home will be dependent on:
- The NBN plan and provider you subscribe with.
- Congestion during peak hours (this is what is meant by evening speeds).
It's also important to note that your NBN speed is a shared resource. If you subscribe to an NBN 25 plan, your 25Mbps is shared between every person and device in your household.
For example, if you're streaming a movie on Netflix, the internet will be slower for everyone else using your connection at the same time. Faster NBN speeds mean there's more capacity to share: you can stream all the video you want and no one else will notice any slow-down.
How much does a Sky Muster Satellite plan cost?
The cost of Sky Muster Satellite will vary based on the speed you want and the provider you go with, but as a rough guide plans can cost anywhere from $40 per month to $200 per month.
The main reason for the high variance in pricing is that your Satellite download allowance is split into peak and off-peak allotments, so you end up with two separate amounts for use during different times of the day.
As a general rule, peak data tends to be more expensive than off-peak data, so it drives up the cost of your plan. Off-peak is defined as data transferred between 1am and 7am in your local time-zone, while your peak allowance covers everything else.
Rather than charging excess data fees, the majority of broadband providers offering Satellite services will throttle your download speed to 128kbps until the end of your billing month.
The good news is that NBN has announced basic web use such as web browsing, email and critical software updates will be available data-free on Satellite plans next year. On the new 'Sky Muster Plus' plans, these services will also not be subject to capped speeds. These plans will be available at some point during 2019.
In the meantime, here are some plans available now to choose from.
Best value: NBN Standard (NBN 25)
Selected from plans listed in the WhistleOut search engine.
Maximum Speed: 25Mbps
Typical Evening Speed: 15Mbps
What to expect: If you've got a couple of people in your household who all need to use the internet at once, we'd suggest an NBN 25 plan. These speeds are sufficient for most online tasks, including Netflix video streaming, and although you may notice slower speeds if multiple people are using your connection at once, you'll definitely get better performance than on NBN 12.
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Activ8me 
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SkyMesh 
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Southern Phone 
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iiNet 
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Best for tight budgets: NBN Basic (NBN 12)
Selected from plans listed in the WhistleOut search engine.
Maximum Speed: 12Mbps
Typical Evening Speed: 7Mbps
What to expect: If you're not sure what speed you need, an NBN 12 connection is a good starting point. This will be more than enough for basic online activities, and will still provide a decent experience for streaming video through services like Netflix and YouTube. But you won't be able to do much else with your connection at the same time.
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Activ8me
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Link not supplied
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SkyMesh
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Southern Phone
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Link not supplied
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SkyMesh
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iiNet
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SkyMesh
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Need more help choosing an NBN plan?
If you want to dig even deeper, you can read more about NBN providers here or start searching for your perfect satellite NBN plan here.
How does Sky Muster Satellite NBN work?
Theservice is made of up two satellites - referred to Sky Muster and Sky Muster II - working in tandem to provide internet access across regional and rural Australia. Ten ground stations across the country beam internet up to the pair of Sky Muster satellites, which then beam it down to satellite dishes attached to homes.
As you can see in the image above:
- NBN has ground stations - also known as Gateways - across Australia that connect to the wider internet
- These ground stations beam internet to NBN's Sky Muster Satellites
- A Satellite Dish on your home or business receives internet connectivity from the Sky Muster Satellites
What equipment do I need for a Sky Muster Satellite NBN Connection?
When you connect to a Satellite service, a satellite dish is mounted on either your roof or the side of your house. This is a different dish to that used for pre-NBN internet services. If you're transferring, you'll have the option to have your old equipment removed when you get connected to the National Broadband Network.
Two cables are used to connect the dish to your satellite modem (pictured below), which is located inside your home. NBN Co will supply both the satellite dish and the satellite modem for free.
To get online, you'll need to connect a wireless router to the satellite modem (using an Ethernet cable). You'll use this router to create a WiFi network to connect your laptop, tablet, TV and phones to.
Service providers typically include a compatible wireless router with NBN plans, or give you the option to buy one. You can also buy wireless routers from electronic stores and online shops.
NBN Satellite FAQs
According to NBN's 2019 corporate plan, approximately 1.5% of Australians will connect to the National Broadband Network via Satellite, or around 100,000 homes and businesses. Customers connecting to the National Broadband Network through Satellite are will typically be located in remote, regional or rural Australia. Many of these areas currently have limited internet connectivity, and in some cases, none at all.
Though both are part of the NBN, they are fundamentally different technologies with different capabilities.
Fixed Wireless NBN uses transmission towers and line of sight antennas to deliver internet in a maximum radius of 14km. The technology is quite similar to the signal you receive in your mobile phone.
Satellite NBN relies on the Sky Muster satellites to deliver internet, and could potentially be connecting properties thousands of kilometres apart.
As with most thing related to the internet, distance matters. The further you are from the source of the signal, the slower your signal will be. This is why Fixed Wireless is able to achieve faster speeds and lower latency than a Satellite connection.
Concerns have been raised as to how reliable NBN Sky Muster speeds will be when all 100,000 premises customers are connected to the network.
The two Sky Muster satellites will have a combined capacity of 135Gbps, which itself is a large increase when compared to the 4Gbps interim satellite first used by the NBN. However, this would equate to speeds of 1.35Mbps if all 100,000 homes and businesses served by Sky Muster were connected simultaneously.
That being said, NBN Co says not everyone will use the service at the same time, and is confident that the network will be able to deliver its promised speeds.
With most NBN services, your copper phone line is disconnected when you move to the National Broadband Network. This isn't the case with satellite onnections, and you'll have the option of retaining your existing copper landline telephone when you sign up for a satellite service.
Want more information about the NBN?
Got questions? We've got answers. Whether you want to know what the NBN is, how to connect, if you have to connect, how much it will cost, what the alternatives are, or something else entirely, check out our complete guide to the NBN.
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