Optus adds 4G backup to NBN plans

Alex Choros - Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor

Last updated 25 March 2020

Optus has followed the lead of Telstra and Vodafone, adding a modem with 4G backup to its range of NBN plans.

These new Optus NBN plans include a modem that connects to the Optus mobile network as well as the NBN. In the event that you lose your connection to the NBN, you'll fallback onto Optus 4G. Your speeds will be restricted to 12Mbps down, and 1Mbps up. That's roughly equivalent to an NBN 12 plan, but hey, slow internet is better than no internet.

If it's your first time connecting to the NBN, this modem also means you can get internet access as soon as you sign-up to Optus. It essentially works as an interim connection.

4G backup isn't the only change Optus has made to its NBN plans. The most prominent is a price hike. Optus NBN 50 plans now start at $75 per month with unlimited data, up from $70. And Optus unlimited NBN 100 plans now start at $105 per month, up from $100.

The plans are now also all contract-free, albeit with a $99 start-up fee. You'll get your modem at no additional cost, but will have to pay off a pro-rated amount if you leave in your first 36 months. This is equivalent to $7 multiplied by the number of months remaining in your contract, up to a maximum of $252 if you leave immediately.

By default, these plans include pay-as-you-go phone calls, but you can add unlimited standard, national, and mobile calls for an extra $10 per month.

You can also opt for one of Optus' "Entertainer" plans which include a Fetch TV set-top box and one Premium Channel pack. These plans will cost you an extra $15 per month when compared to Optus' standard NBN 50 and NBN 100 plans. Additional channel packs will cost you an extra $6 per month.

Alex Choros

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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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