Launtel holds onto the fastest NBN provider title

Alex Choros - Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor

Last updated 12 December 2023

The ACCC has released its 23rd Measuring Broadband Australia report, and Launtel has maintained its top spot. The report found Launtel customers receive 103.8% of their NBN plan's maximum speeds during the busiest hours of the day (between 7pm and 11pm).

Telstra took second place from Exetel, with its customers found to get 101% of maximum plan speeds during busy hours. Exetel customers were right behind, with 100.9%.

The report covers 11 telcos in an attempt to find the fastest NBN provider. These include Aussie Broadband, Dodo, Exetel, iiNet, iPrimus, Launtel, Optus, Telstra, TPG, Superloop, and Vodafone.

Here's the full breakdown of how they all performed:

Average percent of max. download speed

Provider	Peak hours	Overall	Overall excluding underperforming connections
Aussie Broadband	97.2	98.9	101.6
Dodo	98.7	99.9	102.2
Exetel	100.9	102.7	103.8
iiNet	97.6	98.6	101.0
iPrimus	98.7	99.9	102.2
Launtel	103.8	105.8	105.8
Optus	100.6	101.9	101.9
Superloop	96.9	98.2	100.0
Telstra	101.0	102.7	104.5
TPG	97.8	99.1	102.5
Vodafone	98.1	99.5	101.0

The report also found that fixed-line NBN customers hit record-setting download speeds during busy hours. Customers achieved 98.8% of their plans' download speeds, up from 98.5% last quarter.

Despite the overall speed increase, the ACCC found that regional customers are more impacted by underperforming services than those in urban areas. 7% of of regional NBN services underperform, compared to 4% of urban services. By and large, limitations with Fibre to the Node are to blame. (Most Fibre to the Node customers will be able to upgrade to Fibre to the Premise by the end of 2025.)

Compare NBN 50 plans from the providers in this report:

#1	Dodo Editor's Pick	Dodo All Fixed Line nbn® Editor's Pick nbn50 Unlimited Plan All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Incl. $30/mth discount for 6 months based on the standard price $87.99/mth. Ends 08.12.26. T&Cs apply. $57.99/mth for first 6 mths, then $87.99/mth Min. cost $57.99 Go to Site*	$57.99/mth for first 6 mths, then $87.99/mth Min. cost $57.99	Go to Site
#2	Superloop	Superloop All Fixed Line nbn® Extra-value nbn50/20 All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Incl. $20/mth off for 6 months! $69/mth for 6 mths, then $89/mth + Bundle & Save $69/mth for first 6 mths, then $89/mth Min. cost $69 Go to Site	$69/mth for first 6 mths, then $89/mth Min. cost $69	Go to Site
#3	TPG	TPG All Fixed Line nbn® nbn50 Unlimited Plan All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: $69.99/mth for first 6 months, then $89.99/mth. T&Cs apply. $69.99/mth for first 6 mths, then $89.99/mth Min. cost $69.99 Link not supplied	$69.99/mth for first 6 mths, then $89.99/mth Min. cost $69.99	Link not supplied
#4	iiNet	iiNet All Fixed Line nbn® nbn50 Liimitless All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $20/mth off for 6 mths – $69.99/mth for first 6 months, then $89.99/mth. Use code SAVE20FOR6 $69.99/mth + $10 Upfront for first 6 mths, then $89.99/mth Min. cost $79.99 Link not supplied	$69.99/mth + $10 Upfront for first 6 mths, then $89.99/mth Min. cost $79.99	Link not supplied
#5	Aussie Broadband	Aussie Broadband All Fixed Line nbn® Value nbn - Unlimited All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 47/18 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $25 off for the first 6 months. Promo code SPRING25. $95/mth after promo ends 15.11.26 $70/mth for first 6 months, then $95/mth Min. cost $70 Link not supplied	$70/mth for first 6 months, then $95/mth Min. cost $70	Link not supplied
#6	Optus	Optus All Fixed Line nbn® Optus Everyday nbn® All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: $82/mth for a year, then $97/mth or as notified. New services. Incl intro offer + extra $5/mth off. Min cost $388. Ends 6/10. $82/mth for first 12 months, then $97/mth or as notified Min. cost $82 Link not supplied	$82/mth for first 12 months, then $97/mth or as notified Min. cost $82	Link not supplied
#7	iPrimus	iPrimus All Fixed Line nbn® Standard Plus Plan All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data $90/mth Min. cost $90 Link not supplied	$90/mth Min. cost $90	Link not supplied
#8	Vodafone	Vodafone All Fixed Line nbn® Essential+ nbn® All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 50/17 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Save $10/mth when you bundle with a mobile plan with Vodafone. T&Cs apply. $94/mth Min. cost $94 Link not supplied	$94/mth Min. cost $94	Link not supplied

The Measuring Broadband Report also includes fixed wireless NBN services, which saw a slight improvement this quarter. Busy hour download speeds were 89.5% of plan speeds, compared to 87.5% in the previous report.

As always, it's worth remembering the scale of the ACCC's testing. The results come from a month-long testing period during September across 1,313 NBN connections. All but 86 of these households have a connection with one of the 95 providers featured in the report. The ACCC reports a 95% confidence level in its results.

Alex Choros

Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor | X | Instagram | Threads | LinkedIn

Alex Choros is the Managing Editor of WhistleOut Australia and an award-winning journalist. He's been writing about consumer technology for over a decade and is an expert on the Australian telco sector, to the point where he knows far too many phone and internet plans by heart. In addition to leading the WhistleOut editorial team, Alex is responsible for ruining the office Sonos with his troubled taste in music.

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