In late 2019, I made Escape to the Country my reality. I was in search of a simpler, laidback lifestyle — Hakuna Matata, if you will. And while I found exactly that, little did I realise a quest for reliable internet would soon take its place.
After I tried and failed various ways to improve my Fixed Wireless connection — I changed providers, upgraded my hardware, invested in products like range extenders and even considered the swap to Satellite— I was convinced Fixed Wireless NBN just sucks.
Fortunately, NBN Co stepped in last year with a $750 million dollar upgrade, which promised faster speeds and better reliability. You'd think that kind of money would have a positive impact, but I was surprised by just how much my internet improved.
A little bit of context
After I moved rural, I was shocked to learn that even my basic internet needs would struggle to be met. More specifically, I switched from Fixed Line NBN in the suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, to Fixed Wireless NBN in a small, country community in Queensland.
And I was by no means a regular gamer, nor did I download vast amounts of content. Ok fine, while I worked-from-home four days a week and I LOVED a good TV binge session, whenever I did either of those two activities, I was the ONLY ONE on my internet connection at that time. TV has always been very much a family affair in our household. So besides the odd 'what else is that actor in? Quick look them up on IMDB' that's all our internet focused on at any given time. That's how I used to use my internet.
I bet that sounded like abnormal or minimal user behaviour. And you're right, it was. But when I was faced with seriously unreliable internet, I did a Bear Grylls: improvised, adapted, overcame.
My previous Fixed Line connection was Fibre to the Node (FTTN), notoriously one of the worst fixed-line connection types available. And sure, it had its moments too, but what internet connection doesn't? Despite its bad reputation, at least with a Fixed Line connection I never noticed at the same time every afternoon (or night), my connection would seriously lag, or it couldn't keep up with two people or more on the internet at the same time.
Thankfully NBN Co's proposed upgrades meant improved speeds during peak activity periods and the expansion of the Fixed Wireless network would include more than 120,000 premises currently using Satellite. It also included the addition of two new faster speed tiers.
And while I wasn't on Satellite, nor planned to upgrade my speed tier post-upgrade, I was very grateful when the Fixed Wireless upgrades made it to my area in February 2025.
Then and now: rural Fixed Wireless speed test results
To truly test if the upgrades had made any difference, I compared my speed test results from January 2024 with my current speeds. Here's how they looked side-by-side:
| Time | Internet speed | Upload speed | Internet activity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10:30am | Then: 42.8Mbps Now: 51.7Mbps |
Then: 2.9Mbps Now: 14.4Mbps |
One person working online |
| 2:30am | Then: 39.1Mbps Now: 49.7Mbps |
Then: 2.3Mbps Now: 10Mbps |
One person working online |
| 4:00pm | Then: 12.6Mbps Now: 75Mbps |
Then: 1.7Mbps Now: 9.5Mbps |
One person gaming online and one person using their phone to scroll socials |
| 8:00pm | Then: 10.3Mbps Now: 33.2Mbps |
Then: 1.2Mbps Now: 7.6Mbps |
One TV streaming Prime Video |
Since the six-month-long upgrade was completed in December 2024, I found that even if I didn't upgrade to the newly available 'Superfast' Fixed Wireless speed tier, the speed difference was noticeably faster.
Sure I haven't hit maximum speeds all the time, but my connection managed to achieve higher speeds across all the time slots I observed, and they were more consistent.
In terms of real-time results, I was able to finally FaceTime friends as my husband streamed a TV series. On another day, I managed to download a game while I finished a movie on Netflix that hadn't been pre-downloaded.
The real test was in March 2025 when our region was hit by Tropical Cyclone Alfred. It brought days of severe storms, torrential rain, winds and flooding, yet we didn't notice our internet performance take a hit, which I was exceptionally surprised by!
All things considered...
Probably the most significant takeaway from this entire saga was I stopped noticing my internet speed aka 'no news is good news'.
I had the option to sit wherever I wanted to when I made a FaceTime call, instead of directly beside the router. My husband could stream shows on his day off even if I had a work meeting scheduled. And I no longer knew exactly when it hit 7:30pm because of predictably sluggish speeds (admittedly this one was handy, so it was a bittersweet goodbye).
I believe every Australian household that signs up for an appropriate internet plan for their speed needs should get those speeds. Ultimately, when you pay for a service, you expect to get what you pay for, no less. You wouldn't be impressed if you had a pest sprayer come to your house and still found bugs crawling around weeks later.
Furthermore, NBN users, particularly those in rural areas, also shouldn't be inconvenienced just because of their address. Not having access to Uber Eats is bad enough, let alone being disadvantaged by dodgy technology types or being limited to certain speed tiers.
Hopefully, others on Fixed Wireless who received an upgrade have noticed an uptick in their internet speeds and overall reliability. And for those who've relied on satellite technology for their internet see the benefits of upgrading to Fixed Wireless instead.
I was relieved that, since the Fixed Wireless upgrades rolled out, not only did I finally receive the service I had paid for, but my usage frequency improved. I've streamed more content than before and I've gamed regularly, which I really missed. All thanks to a more stable and faster internet connection.
Aside from the Fixed Wireless upgrades, I also switched providers again recently. Prior to the upgrades I switched internet providers a total of four times with minimal difference. Most recently, I swapped from iPrimus to Dodo, so realistically, since they're both subsidiaries of Australia's fourth-largest telecommunications operator, Vocus Group, it shouldn't have affected my speeds.
It did however, affect my wallet. On a Fixed Wireless plan with 50Mbps, I previously paid $84 per month or $1008 per year with iPrimus.
Since I took advantage of Dodo's $68.90 per month for 12 months for the same plan, for just $826.80 per year. This is a saving of $181.20 per year or roughly 30 coffees (thankfully though in this economy, I don't drink coffee).
At the time of writing, Dodo's current price for its Fixed Wireless plan with speeds of 50Mbps is $83.90 per month. It does have a deal where you can lock in a discounted price of $62.90 for six months, however over a year this is still $54 more expensive than the deal I managed to nab in February 2025.
Check out the most popular Fixed Wireless NBN plans below:
|
#1
|
Dodo
Editor's Pick
Fixed Wireless Plus Plan
$57.99/mth
Min. cost $57.99
|
|
#2
|
Tangerine Telecom
Fixed Wireless Speedy
$67.90/mth
Min. cost $67.90
|
|
#3
|
Activ8me
Fixed Wireless Plus
$84.95/mth
Min. cost $84.95
|
|
#4
|
Telstra
Upfront Internet Plan Basic (Fixed Wireless)
$97/mth
Min. cost $48.50
Link not supplied
|
|
#5
|
Skymesh
NBN Wireless Fast
$79.95/mth
Min. cost $79.95
Link not supplied
|
|
#6
|
Moose NBN
nbn 100/20 Premium FW
$59.80/mth
Min. cost $59.80
Link not supplied
|
|
#7
|
Superloop
nbn Fixed Wireless Home Fast (250/20)
$83/mth
Min. cost $83
|
|
#8
|
TPG
nbn25 Unlimited Data
$59.99/mth
Min. cost $59.99
Link not supplied
|
|
#9
|
iPrimus
Unlimited Fixed Wireless Plus
$90/mth
Min. cost $90
Link not supplied
|
|
#10
|
Aussie Broadband
nbn® Fixed Wireless Plus Unlimited
$75/mth
Min. cost $75
Link not supplied
|
Christie Graham
Digital Content Editor
Find a better internet plan
Thousands of internet plans unpacked. All the facts. No surprises.
Related Articles
Related Topics
NBN Internet Speed Fixed Line Fixed WirelessPopular Topics
NBN Telstra Optus Streaming Internet Broadband smart home 5G Foxtel modemInternet Plans by State
- Internet Plans in ACT
- Internet Plans in NSW
- Internet Plans in NT
- Internet Plans in QLD
- Internet Plans in SA
- Internet Plans in TAS
- Internet Plans in VIC
- Internet Plans in WA
![[Hand-Picked] Best internet providers in Australia](https://r3.whistleout.com.au/public/images/articles/2026/07/man-and-woman-with-laptop-on-green-couch.jpg?w=280&h=280&usm=20&usmrad=0.8&fit=crop "[Hand-Picked] Best internet providers in Australia")
