Best-Value NBN Broadband Plans
This is the first year the NBN has been included in our broadband awards. The rollout has passed the halfway point and once the NBN is in your neighbourhood you’ll have just 18 months before all existing networks are cut off.
“The NBN is non-negotiable,” says WhistleOut publisher Joe Hanlon. “Half of the population will need to find an NBN plan in the next year, and the rest of us will have to come across at some point in the next two. Either way, it pays to start looking now.”
Another Money first is the introduction of unlimited data. Last year all winners had at least 200GB (the year before that it was 80GB). But when you check the stats, an “always on” plan looks increasingly like a must.
There are currently 13.7 million home internet subscribers in Australia, according to the ABS, using our broadband connections for an average 89.6 hours per household per month. Demand for data has practically doubled in the past year alone. What’s the reason? “Home entertainment, pure and simple,” says Hanlon. “We’re streaming more TV than ever – via Netflix, or Stan, Foxtel Now or catch-up – downloading more movies and playing more games. And we’re doing so on multiple screens and multiple devices, often simultaneously. The days of waiting your turn to use the PC in the spare room are long gone.”
For $59 a month, our frontrunner is Flip TV’s NBN Family 25 plan. Launching as an NBN ser- vice provider in 2017, Flip TV also hosts a range of international TV content including the “English Variety Pack” (BBC First, UKTV, CBeebies) and packages from Bosnia, Croatia, Greece, Macedonia and South America. Packages cost an extra $9.95 a month.
All winners are “BYO modem” – an extra cost. Most carriers recommend purchasing a modem through them to ensure compatibility. While this may be the easy option, you might find better value from an electronics store.