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If you're looking for a home broadband service that will provide enough speed to keep you and your family connected, while also being affordable, then the best NBN 500 plans are my top recommendation.
As its name implies, this speed provides up to 500Mbps download speeds, which should be more than enough bandwidth for the majority of Australian homes. In short, they sit atop my list of the best NBN plans for a reason.
The main thing you need to be aware of is that in order to sign up for an NBN 500 plan, you need to connect to the fixed-line NBN via fibre to the premises (FTTP) or hybrid fibre coax (HFC). If you don't, you're likely eligible for the free NBN fibre upgrade, and your chosen provider will usually be able to handle the upgrade process for you.
If you do connect via either of these, and have previously signed up to one of the best NBN 100 plans, you should have now received the 5x speed boost upgrade for free.
Below you'll find my top recommendations for an NBN 500 plan, but be sure to view more prices via the price comparison tool.
Best NBN 500 plans
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NBN 500 FAQ
How fast are NBN 500 plans?
As is the case with all speed tier naming conventions, NBN 500 plans offer a theoretical maximum download speed of 500Mbps — five times the maximum of the NBN 100 plans they replace. Upload speeds have also increased from the maximum of 20Mbps on 100Mbps plans, to 50Mbps.
Can I get NBN 500?
As with all fixed-line NBN speeds over 100Mbps, NBN 500 plans are only 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 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 are NBN 500 plans?
Perhaps the biggest selling point of NBN 500 plans is that they cost the same as the slower 100Mbps alternatives. In short, that makes for excellent value in my opinion.
The cheapest introductory cost I've seen to date has been AU$50p/m for the first 6 months from Amaysim. Other telcos such as Kogan Internet are offering 12-month discounts, resulting in highly affordable first-year costs.
At the time of writing, the average monthly cost of an NBN 500 plan is just over AU$94, roughly AU$1 less than the average NBN 100 plan cost.
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 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. 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.
