Telstra has stopped selling NBN 100 plans to FTTB and FTTN customers. Again.

Alex Choros - Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor

Last updated 13 May 2021

Telstra is once again no longer selling NBN 100 plans to customers who are connected to the National Broadband Network via Fibre to the Basement (FTTB) and Fibre to the Node (FTTN) technology types.

This limits new Telstra NBN 100 plans to customers with Fibre to the Premise (FTTP), Fibre to the Curb (FTTC), or Hybrid Fibre Coaxial (HFC) connections. A Telstra spokesperson told us that existing Telstra NBN customers with an FTTB or FTTN connection are able to upgrade to a NBN 100 plan if they already have an NBN 50 plan or NBN 25 plan with the telco and their physical line speeds are fast enough.

In February 2020, Telstra stopped selling NBN 100 plans to FTTN, FTTB, and FTTC customers because it couldn't guarantee speeds. It resumed selling NBN 100 plans to customers with these technology types in September. At the time, the telco said it had done backend work to ensure a better experience for customers on FTTN, FTTB, and FTTC, and that if they couldn't reach the speeds they're paying for, they'd be provided with alternative options.

When asked why NBN 100 plans have been removed for new FTTN and FTTB customers, a Telstra spokesperson said it was "so that we can first ensure existing customers are capable of attaining the appropriate line speed".

"We’ll have more info for new customers soon," said the spokesperson.

FTTN is widely considered the worst NBN technology type due to speed degradation issues caused by the use of copper. A premise needs to be within 400 metres of the local exchange to have a chance of achieving NBN 100 speeds. NBN Co expects that 76% of FTTN connections won't be able to achieve NBN 100 speeds by the end of the rollout.

This is problematic because a telco can't test a customer's physical connection until a plan has been purchased. A provider has no idea if a customer can actually get an NBN 100 plan until they're connected to the network. Telcos including Telstra and Optus have previously had to compensate customers who were paying for NBN speeds faster than their physical connection was capable of.

Providers such as Aussie Broadband have addressed this by sending new customers a welcome email detailing the maximum speeds their connection is capable of, and advice as to whether the plan chosen is appropriate.

On the other hand, FTTB connections are more reliable due to the smaller length of copper involved.

FTTN customers looking for better speeds do however have some relief to look forward to. A $3.5 billion upgrade program is currently underway to ensure that up to 75% of Australians will be able to get gigabit NBN plans by 2023. A key part of the program is taking fibre deeper into the FTTN neighbours, allowing as many as two million households to upgrade to FTTP.

Rather than upgrading all two million households, customers in eligible FTTN areas will be able to request a fibre connection themselves. The upgrade will be delivered free of charge for any FTTN customer who orders an NBN 100 plan or better after the upgrades are live in their area. It's expected the first households eligible to upgrade will be able to do so in late 2021.

FTTB premises aren't part of the upgrade program.

Telstra is also looking at 5G home internet as a solution for customers with underperforming NBN connections, such as those on FTTN and Fixed Wireless. Telstra has been trialling 5G home internet on an invite-only basis since the end of last year.

This week the telco announced that it had doubled the allowance of all 5G home internet customers to 1TB. It also said that customers have been experiencing speeds between 50Mbps and 600Mbps during peak hours, and reported an average of 378Mbps.

Telstra 5G home internet will be more widely available in the coming months.

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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