Can I get the NBN in my home? Compare and connect broadband.

There’s a lot of talk about the NBN, but is it really as good (or bad) as people say, and can you even get it in your home? This article will give you the lowdown and show you how to find out if the NBN is a good option for your household’s internet needs.

Contents

• A brief history of the NBN
• How do I know if NBN is available in my area?
• My home is NBN ready, how do I get connected?
• I can’t get NBN, how do I get high-speed internet?

A brief history of the NBN

The rollout of the NBN started in 2011 and was officially completed in 2020, although work continues to upgrade services and provide better internet access to users, particularly in regional and remote areas. 

The NBN aimed to provide high-speed broadband internet connections to Australians through optic fibre cables and satellite technology. This was in part to aid the structural separation of the internet from Telstra, who owns the copper wires used before the NBN, and in part to ensure Australia kept up with leading world standards for internet speeds.

Infamously, the rollout did not go smoothly. A change in government in 2013 saw the incoming Coalition revise Labour’s plan, controversially replacing some of the optic fibre connections with slower copper cables to save costs.

That brings us to today. Most metropolitan areas now have access to the NBN, either by optic fibre to the home or through a mix of optic fibre and copper cables. In these areas, residents can choose to pay to upgrade their service to replace the copper, or alternatively, switch to 5G, which arrived in the market soon after the NBN to offer even faster speeds through fixed wireless connections.

In regional areas, the choices for NBN or high-speed broadband are more varied but more limited. Some areas can access the NBN through either cables or satellite, while others can choose mobile broadband from various providers and others are still left with the only option of using the ageing ADSL network.

It is safe to say that the evolution of broadband in Australia, or around the world, is not yet complete. Government and private companies are spending billions of dollars to develop better and more widely available technology. So if your current internet is subpar, don’t despair, a new alternative could be just around the corner!

How do I know if NBN is available?

If you are moving to a new home or business premise and need to find out if the NBN is available in the area, the easiest thing to do is to check your address on the NBN Co website.

If the NBN is available, you will be told which type of connection you can get.

• Fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP)

This fixed line connection uses a fibre optic line to connect your home directly to the nearest available fibre node. It is considered the fastest connection type because it doesn’t use any copper cables.

• Fibre-to-the-node (FTTN)

This fixed line connection uses fibre cables to deliver the internet from the exchange to a fibre node on your street, usually in the form of a street cabinet. From here the existing copper wire network is used to connect your home to the node.

• Fibre-to-the-building (FTTB)

This fixed line connection is common in apartment buildings and some smaller building types. A fibre optic line runs to a node in the building’s communications room and the building’s existing technology is used to connect each apartment.

• Fibre-to-the-curb (FTTC)

This fixed line connection uses fibre to connect a small distribution point unit (DPU) outside your home to the fibre node. The DPU is usually in a small pit on the street. The existing copper network is used to connect the DPU to your home.

• Hybrid fibre-coaxial (HFC)

HFC is the final type of fixed-line connection. It uses the existing Pay TV Australia or cable network to connect your home to the nearest available fibre node.

• Fixed Wireless

Fixed wireless connections use an outdoor antenna fitted to your home to receive data transmitted over radio signals. This is common in regional areas because data can travel from a tower up to 14 kilometres to your antenna.

• Sky MusterTM satellite

A satellite connection is used for areas of regional and remote Australia that do not have a cable connection and are too far away from a tower to receive fixed wireless signals. A satellite dish is fixed to the side of the home to receive the NBN network from two state-of-the-art satellites. This has allowed people in remote areas of mainland Australia and Tasmania, including Norfolk Island, Christmas Island, Lord Howe Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands to access NBN plans.

My home is NBN ready, how do I get connected?

If you have found out that NBN is available for your home or business, the next step is to find a retailer to connect your service. 

There are many telecommunications, energy and entertainment companies offering NBN plans, either as a stand-alone option, or bundled with other services. 

To find the cheapest NBN plan for your home, you should consider the below factors.

• Speed

Internet speed refers to how fast your connection can send and receive data. It is measured in megabytes per second (Mbps). As you would expect, faster speeds are more expensive, so it’s important to consider your requirements so you don’t end up paying for high speeds that you won’t use.

A Home Standard NBN plan offers speeds of around 30Mbps, which might sound slow, but is more than sufficient for most homes. You can stream tv shows and movies in standard definition, browse social media, search the web and download large files for work at these speeds.

If you are a very light internet user, the Home Basic service offers speeds of around 12Mbps, which is suitable for checking emails and making calls.

At the other end of the spectrum, if you are an online gamer, download especially large files or use 4K, 8K or Ultra-High Definition streaming services, then a faster speed will help make your internet experience more enjoyable. Home Superfast and Home Ultrafast offer speeds of up to 1000Mbps, which makes these activities possible.

If you have a large household or a small business, higher speeds will also enable more people to be online at once without slowing down your internet.

Not every retailer offers a plan with every speed. You should check with your retailer or a Move-In Connect expert to find the best option available for your home.

• Data

Most NBN plans come with unlimited data, however, if you are a very light internet user, you could save money by choosing a plan with a capped data limit.

• Bundles

If your retailer offers several services, you can usually get a good deal by bundling two or more items with them. AGL, Origin, Optus and Foxtel all have bundles that include a high-speed NBN plan at an affordable rate.

If you are considering a new NBN connection, take a look at the table below for some of our favourite NBN plans, or call us on 1300 786 045 to discuss the best option for you, or enter your details online.

I can’t get NBN, how do I get high-speed internet?

If NBN isn’t available for your home or business, 5G wireless broadband is a fast and reliable alternative. 5G is a newer technology than NBN and is currently only available from six providers for 5G wireless home internet (more providers offer it for mobile phone networks) – Telstra, Optus, TPG, Vodafone, Internode, iiNet and Spintel. 

We love the Optus 5G Internet Entertainer Superfast plan that offers unlimited data with a typical evening speed of a massive 225Mbps for $99 per month. It even includes a Netflix subscription.

If you are moving broadband to a new home or just looking for a better deal, don’t waste another minute. Call Move-In Connect to get connected to your perfect internet plan today!