Aussie Broadband has “secret” 4G backup for the NBN

Alex Angove-Plumb - Digital Content Editor

Last updated 23 May 2024

If you’re a sucker for secret menus, you'll be excited to hear Aussie Broadband offers 4G backup on its consumer NBN plans – as long as you call 1300 880 905 and ask for it. You won't find this info anywhere on Aussie's website, which means you're now part of the elite crowd who are in the know.

Also offered by Telstra, Optus, Vodafone and iiNet, 4G backup switches your modem to a 4G connection in the event of an NBN outage. The speeds are pretty slow compared to most NBN plans, but it’s much better than losing internet entirely.

Given how hush-hush Aussie seems about it, you might expect its 4G backup to have underwhelming specs, but you’d be mistaken. With maximum download speeds of 25Mbps and uploads of 5Mbps, it’s (on paper) the equal-fastest 4G backup service for consumer plans on the market right now, alongside Telstra. It's also on par with NBN 25 plans.

This is assuming you get those maximum speeds, but a mere 25Mbps should hopefully not tax Aussie’s Optus network access to any degree.

All that said, let’s go over additional costs before you whip out your phone and make the call. Unlike some other NBN providers with 4G backup, this feature isn’t free.

While other NBN providers include their backup modem as standard, Aussie Broadband’s NL19Mesh 4G backup modem costs $289 upfront, plus shipping (as is the case with other providers, Aussie’s 4G backup only works if you buy their backup modem). It’s mesh-capable, so you can add one or two additional NS01 mesh points for a total of $388 or $477, respectively – just under $100 per mesh point.

Aussie Broadband 4G backup modem pricing

Modem router	Mesh points	Total cost
NL19Mesh	0	$289
NL19Mesh	1 (NS01)	$388
NL19Mesh	2 (NS01)	$477

_{Listed price does not include shipping.}

If you’re on an NBN 100 plan or faster, adding 4G backup itself won’t cost you any more than your standard plan fees. Customers on NBN 50 plans or below will pay an extra $10 per month for 4G backup.

Below are Aussie’s NBN plans, all of which are eligible for 4G backup. Sign up before June 30 of this year and you can also get a 12-month discount on its NBN 100, NBN 250 and NBN 1000 plans as part of Aussie Broadband's end of financial year NBN sale.

#1	Aussie Broadband	Aussie Broadband All Fixed Line nbn® Basic Plus nbn - Unlimited All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 23/9 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $25 off for the first 6 months. Promo code SPRING25. $83/mth after promo ends 15.11.26 $58/mth for first 6 months, then $83/mth Min. cost $58 Link not supplied	$58/mth for first 6 months, then $83/mth Min. cost $58	Link not supplied
#2	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
#3	Aussie Broadband	Aussie Broadband All Fixed Line nbn® Basic nbn - Unlimited All Fixed Line nbn® nbn® 12/1 Mbps Unlimited Data $77/mth Min. cost $77 Link not supplied	$77/mth Min. cost $77	Link not supplied
#4	Aussie Broadband	Aussie Broadband FTTP, HFC Fast Fibre - Unlimited FTTP, HFC nbn® 500/44 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $20 off for the first 6 months. Promo code SPRING20. $99/mth after promo ends 15.11.26 $79/mth for first 6 months, then $99/mth Min. cost $79 Link not supplied	$79/mth for first 6 months, then $99/mth Min. cost $79	Link not supplied
#5	Aussie Broadband	Aussie Broadband FTTN, FTTB, FTTC Fast nbn - Unlimited FTTN, FTTB, FTTC nbn® 94/18 Mbps Unlimited Data Deal: Includes $20 off for the first 6 months. Promo code SPRING20. $99/mth after promo ends 15.11.26 $79/mth for first 6 months, then $99/mth Min. cost $79 Link not supplied	$79/mth for first 6 months, then $99/mth Min. cost $79	Link not supplied
#6	Aussie Broadband	Aussie Broadband FTTP Super-Fast Pro nbn - Unlimited FTTP nbn® 250/89 Mbps Unlimited Data $114/mth Min. cost $114 Link not supplied	$114/mth Min. cost $114	Link not supplied
#7	Aussie Broadband	Aussie Broadband FTTN, FTTB, FTTC Fast Plus nbn - Unlimited FTTN, FTTB, FTTC nbn® 94/36 Mbps Unlimited Data $114/mth Min. cost $114 Link not supplied	$114/mth Min. cost $114	Link not supplied
#8	Aussie Broadband	Aussie Broadband FTTP, HFC Superfast Fibre - Unlimited FTTP, HFC nbn® 750/44 Mbps Unlimited Data $119/mth Min. cost $119 Link not supplied	$119/mth Min. cost $119	Link not supplied
#9	Aussie Broadband	Aussie Broadband FTTP, HFC Ultrafast Fibre - Unlimited FTTP, HFC nbn® 875/92 Mbps Unlimited Data $129/mth Min. cost $129 Link not supplied	$129/mth Min. cost $129	Link not supplied
#10	Aussie Broadband	Aussie Broadband FTTP Turbofast Pro nbn - Unlimited FTTP nbn® 500/178 Mbps Unlimited Data $136/mth Min. cost $136 Link not supplied	$136/mth Min. cost $136	Link not supplied
#11	Aussie Broadband	Aussie Broadband FTTP Ultra-Fast Pro nbn - Unlimited FTTP nbn® 875/339 Mbps Unlimited Data $160/mth Min. cost $160 Link not supplied	$160/mth Min. cost $160	Link not supplied
#12	Aussie Broadband	Aussie Broadband FTTP Hyperfast nbn - Unlimited FTTP nbn® 1810/178 Mbps Unlimited Data $189/mth Min. cost $189 Link not supplied	$189/mth Min. cost $189	Link not supplied
#13	Aussie Broadband	Aussie Broadband HFC Hyperfast HFC - Unlimited HFC nbn® 1780/92 Mbps Unlimited Data $189/mth Min. cost $189 Link not supplied	$189/mth Min. cost $189	Link not supplied
#14	Aussie Broadband	Aussie Broadband FTTP Hyperfast Pro nbn - Unlimited FTTP nbn® 1810/430 Mbps Unlimited Data $220/mth Min. cost $220 Link not supplied	$220/mth Min. cost $220	Link not supplied

Alex Angove-Plumb

Digital Content Editor

Alex Angove-Plumb is a Digital Content Editor at WhistleOut and an award-winning journalist. He's been in the tech publishing industry since 2010, putting him a few short years away from the title of Grizzled Ancient in his chosen profession. He was an original WhistleOut-er before running NBN Co's corporate blog for two years, then moving on to a lengthy stint at CHOICE. Now he's come home.

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