NBN stands for National Broadband Network, which is a project funded by the national government of Australia. The goal of this project is to provide a fast and reliable internet connection to all homes and business establishments in the country. They intend to fulfill this promise by using contemporary infrastructure and doing away with the old ones. This is a necessary development since more and more people are already relying on the internet for a variety of purposes, from searching for information to finding entertainment online.
Where is NBN available?
NBN is already available in various neighborhoods, but if you haven’t received a notification yet, you can search online on when it will be made available in your area. Once it is already accessible in your neighborhood, you will have the liberty to explore different NBN service providers in your area, including the NBN plans that they offer. The provider that you choose will be the one responsible for switching your current internet service over to the new plan that you choose.
However, the exact setup process of connecting your home to the NBN still depends on the technology that is available in your area. Some of the technologies include fiber, hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) cable, fixed wireless, and satellite. You need to be aware though that you don’t really get the chance to choose which technology is used when it comes to connecting your home to NBN.
What is the expected speed of an NBN?
Plans are generally categorized into four different speed tiers namely basic 1, basic 2, standard, and fast. There are two additional speed tiers which are offered for fiber-to-the-premises subscribers. These two include the superfast and the ultrafast speeds. While there is a specific maximum speed that you can achieve in each of these tiers, it is important to note that this can decrease by a certain percentage during the evening hours. Additionally, the speed that you can get will still be dependent on the plan and provider that you choose, as well as the time of day that you use your connection.
While the basic plan is decent enough to get you to browse the web or share photos, it is not really advisable for a shared household with a number of users accessing the internet at the same time. In this case, the best option is to go for the standard plan that offers a maximum speed of 50 megabits per second (Mbps). For households with four or more people, a fast plan with a maximum speed of 100Mbps is a great choice. A superfast or an ultrafast speed is only available to customers with select technology types.
How much does NBN cost?
The government covers the cost of having NBN connected to your home. However, you need to pay a certain fee for your monthly internet usage, depending on the plan that you choose. It is usually the case that the faster tier speed that you choose, the higher you have to pay, but the standard range typically ranges anywhere from 60 to 100 bucks.
For the best value, it is best to go for a standard NBN subscription plan that is good enough for families. With an evening speed of 30-45Mbps, you are guaranteed that everyone can stay connected at the same time, without anyone getting frustrated that what they are streaming is frequently buffering. But there is also the option for you to go with a fast plan that allows you to experience an evening speed of up to 90Mbps, which is great for household members who often download or upload huge files.
If you are on a limited budget, you don’t have to fret, because you have the option of getting a basic plan that has a maximum evening speed of 10Mbps for the lower basic spectrum, or 25Mbps for the higher basic spectrum. The former will allow basic internet usage, but you may not be able to stream videos with ease. The latter is already perfect for a one or two-person household, not only to browse the web but to steam shows as well. However, you may notice a certain lag when more than two users are already connected to the internet.
In conclusion, NBN is readily available in various areas, and to connect to one, you simply need to choose a plan that a certain provider offers. With an NBN, you can get a speed of anywhere from 12Mbps up to 1Gbps, depending on the plan, as well as the provider that you choose. The NBN installation is free of charge, but of course, you will have to pay for your monthly usage under the plan that you choose. The key is that even if you are happy with your current ISP, you will still be prompted to switch to NBN as soon as your neighborhood becomes ready for it.