High Speed Internet

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*iSelect’s partnered with CIMET to help you compare a range of internet plans and providers. Not all plans or providers in the market are compared and not all plans or special offers are available at all timesthrough all channels or in all areas. Not all plans available from CIMET’s providers are compared and due to commercial arrangements, area or availability, not all plans compared will be available to all customers. Learn more

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Updated 01/09/2023
What changed?
Updated to reflect changes within internet plan options, including higher speed tiers.
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Fact checked
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Written by

Francis Taylor

Updated 01/09/2023

What changed?

Updated to reflect changes within internet plan options, including higher speed tiers.
Our aim is to help you make better informed decisions. That’s why iSelect’s content is produced in accordance with our fact-checking and editorial guidelines.

Edited by

Laura Crowden

Find out more about how we make money.

View our Privacy Policy.

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How will I know if my internet is fast?
What affects my internet speed?
What’s the fastest internet connection?
Which NBN speeds are the fastest?
What about other internet connections?
How do I get high-speed internet?
Ready to connect or switch internet plans?

Internet speed is probably super important to you, but you might not have any idea how it works!  Internet speed is measured in megabits per second (Mbps). This is basically how much data your connection can pull through each second. At a speed of 100Mbps, you should be able to stream a nice, 4K-quality movie no problem!1Australian Competition & Consumer Commission – Broadband Speeds  However, if your internet only reaches 25Mbps, then it will struggle to keep up with all the data a big video file like this sends through.2More Telecom – Key Facts Sheet: NBN Services At 25Mbps, you might experience pauses in the movie where your internet has to catch its breath to process everything—not exactly a smooth experience!

How will I know if my internet is fast?

Like most Aussies, you’re probably connected to the internet through the NBN network.3Australian Government | ACMA – Communications and media in Australia series: How we use the internet | Executive summary and key findings (Page 1) Internet providers typically outline the internet speed of their plans through different speed tiers. Most providers will also offer a key fact sheet on their website that details the kinds of download and upload speeds you can expect on a specific plan. This can also be the case for providers who offer alternatives to NBN broadband, like 4G or 5G home internet.

What affects my internet speed?

Here’s where we’ll need to get into the weeds a little bit. See, your internet can be affected by the type of internet connection you have as well as your internet plan. They might sound the same, but they’re actually pretty distinct:

  • Internet connection: This is the technology you use to surf the web. For instance, you might be connected to the internet through a fibre-optic cable or through wireless networks via satellites or antennas. It’s how you get your internet plan.  
  • Internet plan: Your internet plan is the product you buy from a provider. It’s pretty important too. For example, you can have a connection that supports ridiculously fast speeds, but if your internet plan is capped at 25Mbps, then it’s going to be limited at this threshold.

Of course, other factors can also affect your internet speed: your location, the strength of your Wi-Fi signal from your router and how many other people are using the internet.4Australian Communications Consumer Action Network – What affects the quality of my broadband? But the two points above are generally the most important.

What’s the fastest internet connection?

Australians use a pretty wide variety of tech to surf the web. However, not every connection is created equal, with hopeless slowpokes like ADSL crawling behind shiny, new technologies. For the best of the best, you’ll generally want to go with one of the following:

Which NBN speeds are the fastest?

While speeds on the NBN network are generally pretty good, there are certain ‘very high-speed services’ that stand atop the podium. These services will typically have a download speed of 500-990Mbps and an upload speed of around 50Mbps.10Australian Competition & Consumer Commission – Broadband performance data These services are pitched by NBN Co as ‘Home Ultrafast’ plans.11As above Internet providers also tend to offer these plans under a NBN1000 speed tier.12Tangerine – Key Facts Sheet: NBN Services,13More Telecom – Key Facts Sheet: NBN Services  Such plans tend to be the fastest that providers offer. However, it’s worth noting that not everyone needs this much speed. As a general rule, a minimum download speed of 60Mbps should be fine for streaming high-quality videos or online gaming.14 Australian Competition & Consumer Commission – Broadband Speeds And for less data-intensive activities, you should be able to coast by on even slower speeds!  It really just depends on your needs, what you use the internet for and how many household members tend to be using the internet at the same time.

What about other internet connections?

You’ve probably noticed that we’ve neglected some of the other ways you can surf the web. This is because, while some of them deliver adequate speeds, they generally can’t reach the same top speeds as HFC and FTTP connections. These runners-up include:

How do I get high-speed internet?

Many households are already set up with HFC and FTTP. The fastest way to check what kind of connection you have is to hop on to the NBN Co’s official website and enter your address.22NBN Co – Check your address  Depending on whether you already have one of these high-speed connections, your path to lightspeed internet will look slightly different:

  • If you have HCF or FTTP: You can reach out to your existing provider or a new one. From there, it’s worth checking if they offer a NBN1000 plan (or whatever else you’re after) and asking whether or not they can provide it to your address.
  • If you don’t have HCF or FTTP: This can be a bit more involved. Some customers on FTTC or FTTN connections are eligible to upgrade to FTTP. You’ll need to speak to your existing internet provider to check whether or not you can get this upgrade. If you can, they’ll help book an appointment with the people at NBN Co to set up the new connection.23NBN Co – What’s involved in the installation process

Ready to connect or switch internet plans?

If some of the plans we’ve discussed have you craving high-speed internet, then we’ve got some good news for you. iSelect has partnered with CIMET to help you compare internet plans and providers*. A wide range of products – including NBN1000 plans – are on offer, so give it a whirl today if you’re keen!

Get started on comparing NBN plans today!

Save time and effort by comparing a range of NBN plans and providers online*

*iSelect’s partnered with CIMET Sales Pty Ltd (ABN 72 620 395 726) to help you compare a range of internet plans and providers. Not all internet plan providers or plans in the market are compared. The availability of plans may change from time to time. Not all plans available from CIMET providers are compared. Due to commercial arrangements, area or availability, not all plans compared will be available to all customers. Some plans and special offers are available only from iSelect’s call centre or website. Click here to view CIMET’s range of providers. iSelect and CIMET earn a commission for every internet plan sold.