Optus' 4G home wireless plans are down to $59 and have unlimited data (in case you're sick of the NBN)

Anula Wiwatowska - Offsite Editorial Lead

Last updated 09 May 2022

4G Wireless Broadband
100Mbps capped speeds
500GB data
No contract term
$10 off for 6 months

$49.95

Contract-free

4G Home Internet
25Mbps capped speeds
Unlimited data
No contract term
First month free
$216 modem fee

$59

No up front fees

4G Home Internet
25Mbps capped speeds
Unlimited data
24-month contract
First month free
No modem fee

$59

Optus' 4G home broadband plans are now just $59 and have unlimited data, which is great news if you're looking for an NBN alternative.

Originally $69 per month, the price cut came into play in March 2022 but the plan still had a 500GB data limit. Now Optus has scrapped the data limit but kept the lower price, and you'll get the first month free to try it out.

Here are Optus' 4G home broadband plans:

There are two options with Optus, you can either pay $216 for the modem up front and go on a month-to-month plan, or sign a 24-month contract and the modem comes free. We would recommend buying the modem outright if you can swing it. Two years is a long time when it comes to internet technology, and you wouldn't want to be stuck on an aging connection type if you can avoid it.

These plans in particular run at capped 4G speeds, sitting at a maximum of 25Mbps down and 2Mbps up - the equivelant of an NBN 25 plan. While 25Mbps isn't super fast, Optus' speed caps are higher than the TPG group which sets the maximum speeds to 20Mbps on the Vodafone network. SpinTel on the other hand uses the Optus 4G network with speeds capped at 100Mbps.

Here are other 4G home broadband plans on the market at the moment:

4G home internet uses the same technology that connects your phone to the internet, except you'll use a modem instead. Optus' 4G plans come with a plug-in modem and don't require any special technology, technicians, or set-up fees. Assuming you're in a coverage area you should just be able to plug in your modem and be connected straight out of the box.

If the speeds seem a bit low but you're still after a connection sans-NBN, then 5G home broadband is well worth taking a look at. 5G (just like 4G) works using mobile internet technologies but rather than maxing out at around 50Mbps, download speeds can reach up to 1Gbps. No telco advertises these speeds, but we've seen them in our own 5G testing.

Telstra advertises typical evening speeds of around 378Mbps, Optus advertises 210Mbps typical evening speeds, and the TPG group including Vodafone are yet to release any figures. In saying that, our testing has seen Vodafone 5G speeds hit up to 478Mbps in certain areas of Sydney.

Here are the most popular 5G home broadband plans available at the moment. Note that some 5G home broadband plans have capped speeds of 100Mbps, while others offer uncapped speeds.

Basic 5G Home Internet - 1TB

5G Home Internet 25/5 Mbps
1000GB Data

$70/mth

Min. cost $70

Link not supplied

$70/mth

Min. cost $70

Link not supplied

5G Home Internet Basic Plan

5G Home Internet 19/2 Mbps
Unlimited Data
Deal: Includes $5/mth off for first 12 mths + Save $10/mth when you already have a mobile phone plan with Vodafone

$60/mth

Min. cost $60

Link not supplied

$60/mth

Min. cost $60

Link not supplied

Apart from Optus, every provider will let you return your modem when you cancel your plan, and won’t charge you for it. If you sign up with Optus however, you’ll need to pay the prorated value of the modem if you leave within the initial 36 months. This is equal to $16 multiplied by the number of remaining months.

Anula Wiwatowska

Offsite Editorial Lead | Instagram

Anula is the Off-Site Editorial Lead for WhistleOut Australia, and an award winning tech journalist. She has been writing about the Australian telco industry, and consumer technology for over five years, and has been known to tell her Uber driver which phone they should upgrade to next.

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