Buckle up, folks – we’re now less than a month away from one of the biggest shake-ups to the NBN in years, which will see the introduction of all-new NBN 500 plans.
The new tier is set to officially arrive in September as a speed upgrade to the current NBN 100 plans, and as the name suggests, should offer theoretical maximum download speeds of 500Mbps. The better news is that eligible customers currently signed up to an NBN 100 plan should receive the upgrade for free.
There are some caveats, however. Firstly, in order to sign up for an NBN 500 plan, you'll need to connect to the fixed-line NBN network via a fibre to the premises (FTTP) or hybrid fibre coaxial (HFC) connection, as only these two utilise the necessary technology to support the faster speeds. Now would be a great time to check to see if you're eligible for the free NBN fibre upgrade.
Secondly, while we say current NBN 100 customers should receive the upgrade for free (those with the aforementioned connection type) we have seen some providers, such as Spintel, offering an NBN 500 plan for less than its 100Mbps option, so you may find switching to a different plan is the best course of action. We expect most providers will continue to offer 100Mbps plans for customers without the required connection type.
While NBN 500 plans don't officially launch until September, some providers have dropped their plans early, and we've compared them all below.
Best NBN 500 plans
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NBN 500 FAQ
How fast will NBN 500 plans be?
As is the case with all speed tier naming conventions, NBN 500 plans will offer a theoretical maximum download speed of 500Mbps – five times the current maximum of the NBN 100 plans they’ll replace. Upload speeds will also increase from the current maximum of 20Mbps to 50Mbps.
Indeed, both Exetel and Spintel claim 500Mbps typical evening speeds on their respective plans, which, considering some providers of slower plans don't even promise maximum speeds, is exceptional.
As with all fixed-line NBN speeds over 100Mbps, NBN 500 plans will only be available to customers who connect to the network via a fibre to the premises (FTTP) or hybrid fibre coaxial (HFC) connection. If you currently connect via fibre to the node (FTTN) or fibre to the curb (FTTC), then you won’t have the technology to support the faster speeds.
If you’re not sure what connection type you have at home, you can use NBN Co’s address checker. If you find you do connect via either of the inferior technologies (FTTN/C), then you may be eligible for NBN Co’s free fibre upgrade program, which provides a full fibre FTTP installation at your address.
If your home isn’t currently in an eligible upgrade location, or you choose not to upgrade, then following the introduction of the new tiers, you’ll likely still see NBN 100 as your fastest possible option and not NBN 500. If you can take advantage of the upgrade as soon as possible, you’ll be in the best position come September when the increased speeds take effect.
How much will NBN 500 plans cost?
Aside from the major speed increase, the best part of the proposed speed upgrade is that it should, in theory, not cost you extra each month.
We say ‘in theory’ because, while NBN Co has said the extra speed benefits will be made available at no additional wholesale cost, RSPs will still be free to price them as they see fit.
As you can see from the plans above, however, they represent exceptional value. Consider the fact all three cost less than some NBN 25 plans that are 20x slower (looking at you, Telstra) and an NBN 500 plan makes for a compelling option.
We’ll be keeping our eyes peeled for any new NBN 500 plans as soon as they hit the market, so we can then formulate a more concrete idea of which offer the best value.
Should I get an NBN 500 plan?
In some ways, this is a tricky question to answer. If you’re already signed up to an NBN 100 plan and you connect via FTTP or HFC, then in theory you’ll automatically be moved over to an NBN 500 plan at no extra cost.
However, there’s a strong case to be made for everyone else – even those who are signed up to one of the best NBN 1000 plans – to switch to a NBN 500 plan once they’ve launched. This is because we believe the combination of fast speeds (500Mbps should service the majority of Australian homes more than adequately) and the great value already offered by NBN 100 plans (which generally cost less than AU$10 p/m more than slower NBN 50 plans), makes for a potent combination.
We’d even go as far as saying we reckon they could become the most popular NBN plan of them all – a position currently held by NBN 50 plans, which make up around two-thirds of fixed-line NBN subscriptions at the time of writing.
If you’re currently signed up to one of the best NBN 250 plans, then you will also receive a speed increase to a 750Mbps NBN 750 plan. If you think this might be a bit of overkill, then dropping down to an NBN 500 plan will likely save you some money – depending on the provider you choose, of course.
On the other hand, if you're happy to wait, this NBN 100 plan from Mate is also a great option, and it should see an upgrade to NBN 500 later this year.
