Australian NBN prices are WAY too high!? | Dirt Report

Australian NBN pricing varies by provider

The pricing comparison is based on a spreadsheet listing residential NBN plans from individual retail service providers. It includes a range of familiar providers, along with smaller services, and highlights the cheapest and most expensive prices within each speed category.

The comparison shows that lower-speed plans can be relatively expensive, while higher-speed plans are not always priced in the same way. Launtel, for example, is described as being among the more expensive options at the basic 50Mbps download and 20Mbps upload tier. However, its 500Mbps download and 200Mbps upload plan is shown at $148 per month, which is among the cheaper options for that particular speed range.

For 1,000Mbps download plans with 50Mbps upload, the transcript identifies several prices between approximately $89 and $109 per month. The $109 option is compared with a previous $110 per month plan that provided 1,000Mbps download and 140Mbps upload, showing how pricing and available upload speeds can differ between providers and plan types.

Comparison with selected US fibre plans

The United States comparison uses Ziply Fiber, a provider offering fibre services in locations where its network is available. The comparison is based on having access to fibre in both countries, rather than comparing national coverage or the size of each country.

Ziply Fiber lists symmetrical fibre options, meaning the download and upload speeds are the same. The examples include 100Mbps, 300Mbps, 1,000Mbps and 2,000Mbps plans. The 100Mbps service is listed at US$45 per month, with a promotional price of US$20 per month for the first 12 months. The 300Mbps symmetrical plan is listed at US$65 per month, described in the transcript as approximately $100 in Australian currency.

The 2,000Mbps symmetrical plan is listed at US$95 per month. Ziply Fiber also offers higher multi-gigabit tiers of 5Gbps, 10Gbps and 50Gbps. The transcript gives prices of US$105 for 5Gbps, US$300 for 10Gbps and US$900 for 50Gbps. These services are not directly comparable with standard NBN plans, but they show the range available where fibre networks support multi-gigabit speeds.

New Zealand offers higher upload speeds on some plans

The New Zealand comparison uses pricing information from Broadband Compare and Spark. The examples suggest that some New Zealand fibre plans provide substantially higher upload speeds than similarly priced Australian plans.

A plan from Kiwi Internet is described as offering close to 1,000Mbps download and 500Mbps upload for around $115, although the small print places the price closer to $161. Other high-speed examples are described as costing approximately $155 to $160, compared with Australian plans in the transcript at around $200 to $230 for similar speeds.

Spark's Max Fibre service is listed at $111 and is described as delivering an average download speed of 911Mbps and an average upload speed of 518Mbps. By comparison, the transcript notes that Australian customers may pay a similar amount for plans offering 100Mbps download and between 20Mbps and 50Mbps upload, depending on the provider and speed tier.

Important limitations of the comparison

These comparisons do not represent every plan available in Australia, the United States or New Zealand. Prices may depend on location, promotions, network availability, plan conditions and the way each provider reports performance. The Ziply Fiber prices are in US dollars, while the Australian comparisons use Australian dollar amounts. The transcript also notes that some New Zealand prices appear differently in smaller print.

The comparison focuses on selected high-end services, but basic plans are important as well. The transcript argues that entry-level services can still be expensive for households that only need basic internet access. Customers should check current pricing, upload speeds, fees, contract terms and local availability before changing provider.