We knew that NBN bills were going to rise and now we’re into the new financial year in Australia, prices have indeed begun to increase. In fact, most – but not all – NBN providers have already implemented price hikes, predominantly on their 25Mbps and 50Mbps NBN plans. It’s not all bad news though, as in some cases, we’ve also seen monthly costs of the best NBN 250 plans and NBN 1000 plans decrease.
These changes mean it’s just as important as ever to shop around to make sure you’re getting the best deal. You may have previously been putting off moving up a speed tier due to cost, but now a 100Mbps plan may present itself as great value overall compared to your current NBN 50 plan, for example.
We’ve picked out what we now consider to be some of the better-value NBN plans below and we’ve included price changes for the big three telcos — Telstra, Optus and TPG — to show how they compare. In many respects, Optus and TPG are now no longer the ‘expensive’ providers you may have assumed. Telstra meanwhile maintains its position as Australia’s most expensive NBN provider.
NBN 25
NBN 25 plans have increased by just under AU$2 on average – although some providers have yet to roll out their new prices. Flip remains the cheapest provider at this speed, with Spintel coming in a close second. Both are the only providers to come in under AU$60p/m after introductory costs.
Also consider…
| Provider | After | Before |
|---|---|---|
| Telstra | AU$89p/m | AU$85p/m |
| Optus | AU$75p/m | AU$70p/m |
| TPG | AU$74.99p/m | AU$74.99p/m |
| Flip | AU$58.90p/m | AU$54.90p/m |
| Spintel | AU$59.95p/m | AU$54.95p/m |
| Exetel | AU$63.99p/m | AU$59.99p/m |
NBN 50
The 50Mbps tier continues to be the most popular in Australia by a country mile, with over 2.6 million more active connections compared to the next tier down, according to data published by the ACCC. Because of its popularity, you might expect telcos to be more competitive with pricing; however, there is a big difference between the cheapest and the most expensive, which makes picking the best-value plan much easier.
Also consider…
| Provider | After | Before |
|---|---|---|
| Telstra | AU$105p/m | AU$100p/m |
| Optus | AU$89p/m | AU$85p/m |
| TPG | AU$79.99p/m | AU$79.99p/m |
| Exetel | AU$79.99p/m | AU$78.99p/m |
| Flip | AU$73.90p/m | AU$69.90p/m |
| Spintel | AU$76.95p/m | AU$74.95p/m |
NBN 100
The NBN 100 speed tier is the fastest possible for homes connected via FTTN/FTTC/FTTB connection types – unless the former two sign-up for the NBN Co’s free fibre upgrade program. The current average cost of a 100Mbps NBN 100 plan is just under AU$10p/m more than an NBN 50 plan, but following the recent price increases, NBN 100 plans only increased by an average of AU$0.93 (compared to AU$1.66 on the 50Mbps tier). This could make them a better value proposition, as you’re getting double the speed for a minor increase in cost.
Also consider…
| Provider | After | Before |
|---|---|---|
| Telstra | AU$110p/m | AU$110p/m |
| Optus | AU$99p/m | AU$99p/m |
| TPG | AU$89.99p/m | AU$89.99p/m |
| Tangerine | AU$84.90p/m (increases to AU$85.90p/m on August 1) | AU$84.90p/m |
| Flip | AU$79.90p/m | AU$79.90p/m |
| Spintel | AU$81.95p/m | AU$79.95p/m |
NBN 250
Moving up to the second-fastest speeds possible on the NBN, a 250Mbps plan is a great choice for homes with multiple users and/or devices connected at once. Prices of NBN 250 plans have, so far, remained steady (and in some cases, have dropped).
Also consider…
| Provider | After | Before |
|---|---|---|
| Telstra | AU$130p/m | AU$135p/m |
| Optus | AU$119p/m | AU$119p/m |
| TPG | AU$94.99p/m | AU$94.99p/m |
| Flip | AU$94.90p/m | AU$94.90p/m |
| Spintel | AU$89.95p/m | AU$85.95p/m |
NBN 1000
If you want to get the fastest possible speeds, an NBN 1000 plan is the way to go. The good news is that we’re seeing advertised typical evening speed figures slowly increasing, and some plan prices decreasing. Spintel’s introductory discount on its recently launched gigabit NBN plan actually marks a new low for the tier.
Also consider…
| Provider | After | Before |
|---|---|---|
| Telstra | AU$150p/m | AU$170p/m |
| Optus | AU$149p/m | AU$129p/m |
| TPG | AU$104.99p/m | AU$104.99p/m |
| Superloop | AU$109p/m | AU$109p/m |
| Spintel | AU$105.95p/m | AU$105.95p/m |