Internet Plans

There’s no such thing as the ‘best’ internet plan or a plan that can meet everyone’s needs. Each plan has different benefits and drawbacks; some might be faster and some might be cheaper. Often, they’ll differ in the following ways: 

• Speed: A faster internet plan can usually handle more people using the internet at once. For example, if a lot of people in your home are using the internet at the same time, everyone has to share the speed of your plan, which means that you might all struggle on a slower speed tier.
• Cost: The monthly cost differs between plans and providers. But generally speaking, a very fast plan is going to cost more than a plan on one of the lower speed tiers.
• Contracts: Some internet plans come with contracts that let you switch providers at any time. Others might lock you in for a year or more, with penalties if you switch providers before then.
• Data limits: Most internet plans come with unlimited data these days. That being said, it’s still a good idea to check if any limits apply. If they do, you could end up seeing your internet speed slow down or getting charged extra when you exceed these limits. 

The NBN is one of Australia’s largest infrastructure projects, designed to provide you with access to all the benefits of fast and reliable internet services.

The NBN uses a multi-technology mix (MTM) to deliver services to premises across the country. This means in some cases it takes advantage of existing hybrid-fibre coaxial (HFC) networks, as well as some parts of the landline (copper) network, before connecting it to high-speed fibre cables.

NBNCo owns and maintains the network and sells access to Internet Service Providers (ISP), such as Telstra, Optus, and others. If you have NBN available in your area, you have the choice of ISP depending on who services your area. 

The NBN has seen a pretty substantial rollout in the last few years. How substantial, you might ask? Well, over 12 million Aussie homes are now able to connect to the NBN network.¹NBN Co – How we’re tracking: December 2023 Many of which will receive access to the fastest residential plans by 2025.²NBN Co – Millions more Aussies ready for 18x faster nbn

Wherever you live, chances are that you can get connected to the NBN Network. There’s barely a stretch of Australia that doesn’t have some kind of access … though the kind of connection you can get will depend on where you live.

You can find out what kind of NBN Service is available in your area by using iSelect’s online comparison service.* Additionally, you can search for your address using NBNCo’s rollout map to find out how you can get connected.

Most internet plans measure their speeds in Megabits per second or ‘Mbps’ for short. It’s worth noting that this is not the same as a megabyte. For reference, 8Mbps is the same as 1 megabyte per second. 

Providers will also display how fast their download and upload speeds are in Mbps. The difference here is summed up pretty easily:

• Download speed: How long it takes to send information or files your way. It affects everything from streaming music to downloading video games.
• Upload speed: How long it takes you to send information or files to other people. If you’ve ever posted a photo on Facebook or Instagram, or uploaded a video to TikTok or YouTube, your upload speed will determine how fast this happens. 

Many providers also designate their NBN plans by different ‘speed tiers’, such as NBN12 for a 12Mbps download speed or NBN100 for a 100Mbps download speed.

Your top speed will usually come down to your internet plan and the type of connection you have. Still, that doesn’t mean you can’t give your internet a little extra oomph! In fact, you can make your internet run a little bit smoother by:

• Reducing the number of devices connected to the internet at one time: If you’re not using your tablet, for example, it may be worthwhile switching off its Wi-Fi connectivity so the other devices being used don’t have to share the bandwidth with it.
• Take advantage of off-peak hours: Internet speeds tend to dip around busy times because there’s so much congestion on the network. If you’re using the NBN, you might find that it’s a little quicker to download or stream large files outside of the typically busy times of 7PM-11PM.
• Shut down applications running in the background: Even though you’re not actively using them, these apps can still be accessing the internet (known as “background refresh”) which can be sucking up your precious bandwidth.

If you have an NBN connection, you might also be able to upgrade your internet plan. You can get started comparing different plans with iSelect* and see if you can find a plan which suits.

A lot of people think that Netflix burns through heaps of data. While this can be true if you’re watching HD videos, there are also different quality options to keep this in check. 

Here’s how much data Netflix will use on a web browser: 

• Low quality: 0.3 GB per hour per device 
• Medium quality: 0.7 GB per hour per device 
• High quality: This setting comes in three different tiers 
  • Standard Definition: 1 GB per hour per device 
  • High Definition: 3 GB per hour per device 
  • Ultra High Definition (4K): 7GB per hour per device 
• Auto: Adjusts automatically to deliver the highest possible quality based on your internet connection speed.

You’ll also want to think about the speed of your internet connection when landing on a setting. For instance, most plans with a download speed of 12Mbps will struggle with 4K video.

When it comes to smoking the competition online, everyone has their own opinion on how much speed you need. 

The Australian Competition Consumer Commission recommends an internet plan that can reach speeds of at least 60Mbps during those busy hours of 7PM-11PM. NBN plans on speed tiers of NBN100 or above would fall under this description.

However, the speed of your connection may make less difference than where you live or your specific connection type depending on the game you’re playing and where its servers are located.  

Nothing is more frustrating than when your internet connection goes down. Before giving your internet service provider a call to fix it, there are a few things you can try at home first.

• If you’re connected to Wi-Fi, are other devices having the same issue? If so, try connecting directly through an ethernet cable. 
• Still no connection on Ethernet? Try switching your modem off and waiting one-to-two minutes for all the circuits to completely shut down before switching it back on. 
• Could there be an issue with your wiring? Check that cables are correctly housed within their ports. 
• If all else fails, check your provider’s website to find out if there are any known issues or outages in your area. 

While these things may not always lead to a fix, it will help to isolate the issue. This means your ISP should be able to skip some of the troubleshooting steps and help resolve things a lot faster.

It’s usually a pretty straightforward process—thank goodness! Most of the time, the process will go something like this:

• You’ll find a new provider online (we can help!) and sign up for one of their plans. 
• Then you’ll organise a disconnection date with your old provider and a connection date with your new one. 
• After confirming all your details with the new provider, you’ll cancel your old plan and pay your final bill with them. 
• Finally, when the date of connection arrives, you’ll install any necessary equipment from your new provider and hop online with them. 

iSelect and CIMET can also help with this process. You can use our free online comparison service to look at plans from a range of different providers and pick the one you like best!* Even better, we’ll help with all the admin once you’ve selected the plan. Easy peasy, living breezy.