Telstra and Belong to contact customers on slow NBN connections, says ACCC

Jacqui Dent - Editorial Strategist

Last updated 22 November 2019

Yesterday afternoon, the ACCC announced that Telstra and Belong will be contacting customers who are not receiving the maximum speed available on their NBN plan.

Under a November 2017 court-enforced undertaking, Telstra and its budget-brand Belong is required to speed check the NBN connections of customers on Fibre to the Node (FTTN) and Fibre to the Building (FTTB) before upgrading their plans.

However, according to an ACCC statement, in August 2019 Telstra advised the consumer and competition watchdog that speed checks had not been undertaken when upgrading 180,000 customers. Telstra says that 168,000 of these customers had their plans upgraded at no extra cost for an unrelated reason.

The ACCC says that Telstra's failure to advise customers of the limitation of their connections has meant that they were not offered options to address slow speeds, which would include leaving their contract or receiving a refund. Telstra has committed to contacting all affected customers and refunding those who have been paying for higher speeds that their connection can't achieve.

“Everyone who receives an email or letter from Telstra about their NBN service should take note of the maximum speed they are getting and check that they are not paying for something they are not receiving,” said ACCC Chair Rod Sims.

The ACCC offers guidance to telcos on broadband speed claims, which includes advice that telcos should check the maximum speed attainable on NBN connections at customer premises connecting with FTTN or FTTB technology. The ACCC says it will be looking closely at other NBN providers who have given assurances that they will check NBN customer connection speeds.

If the NBN connection at your home isn't able to achieve the speeds you would like to see, you might want to consider a home wireless broadband plan instead. This is a home internet connection delivered over the air, using the same mobile networks as your smartphone. Here are a few of the most popular home wireless plans in our database:

#1	TPG	TPG 50/16 Mbps typical evening speed Unlimited Data $29.99/mth Min. cost $29.99 Deal: Special offer - Includes $30/mth off for 6 months! $29.99/mth for first 6 months, then $59.99/mth. Available until withdrawn.	100%	Link not supplied
#2	iiNet	iiNet 100/18 Mbps typical evening speed Unlimited Data $49.99/mth Min. cost $49.99 Deal: Special Offer - Includes $20/mth off for first 6 months, then $69.99/mth. Offer available until withdrawn.	43%	Link not supplied
#3	Vodafone	Vodafone 100/18 Mbps typical evening speed Unlimited Data $60/mth Min. cost $60 Deal: Includes $15/mth off for first 12 mths + Save $10/mth when you already have a mobile phone plan with Vodafone	43%	Link not supplied
#4	Yomojo	Yomojo 42/11 Mbps typical evening speed Unlimited Data $69.90/mth Min. cost $69.90	29%	Link not supplied
#5	Optus	Optus 50/11 Mbps typical evening speed Unlimited Data $54/mth Min. cost $54 Deal: $54/mth for a year, then $69/mth or as notified. New services. Incl intro offer + extra $5/mth off. Min cost $522. Ends 6/10.	29%	Link not supplied
#6	Telstra	Telstra 300/30 Mbps typical evening speed 1000GB Data $95/mth Min. cost $95	29%	Link not supplied
#7	SpinTel	SpinTel 50 Mbps typical evening speed Unlimited Data $55/mth Min. cost $80	14%	Link not supplied

Alternatively, you can use our search engine to compare plans on the NBN speed tier best suited to your home connection. Or see our guide for more information on NBN speed options.

Jacqui Dent

Editorial Strategist

Jacqui Dent is an Editorial Content Strategist at WhistleOut Australia, where she writes about mobile phone plans, NBN plans and everything in between. Over her ten-year career, she has worked to provide informed advice to the public, first in the sphere of writing and now in the world of consumer tech. Jacqui has also written about consumer telco products for Business Insider, Pedestrian and the 50Up Club.

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