Want to lock in a low-cost NBN plan for a full year? I’ve found 3 providers offering just that – save up to AU$240

If you’ve ever searched online for a new NBN plan, there’s a good chance you would have noticed that many internet service providers (ISPs) offer a 6-month introductory discount to encourage you to sign up.

It’s pretty much standard practice among the best NBN providers – although the specifics of offers can change, you’re actually more likely to find their plans discounted than not. What’s a bit rarer, however, are deals that run for a full 12 months, which is why I’ve been slightly surprised to find that, right now, there are three providers offering year-long discounts: Optus, Kogan Internet and Dodo.

With up to AU$240 in savings and a guaranteed monthly price for 12 months, switching to one of these three providers could be the smartest move you make all year.

I’ve assessed each provider’s plans and selected what I consider to be the best one from each – spoiler alert, it’s the NBN 500 plan – but be sure to click through to view their full lineup to see the other options.

Optus | 500Mbps | AU$79p/m(first 12 months, then AU$99p/m)

With the AU$20, 12-month discount applied, Optus’ NBN 500 plan becomes much more attractive. It advertises the maximum 500Mbps download speeds during the busy evening hours, and judging by the ACCC’s most recent broadband speed performance report, you could achieve even faster – Optus came out on top in the recorded data. The ongoing yearly cost is among the more expensive providers of this speed, but this plan does come with a bundled Wi-Fi 6 modem-router – though note that if you cancel within 24 months, you’re required to pay out the remaining modem fee.

• Total minimum cost: AU$385 (includes modem)
• First year cost: AU$948
• Ongoing yearly cost: AU$1,188

View Deal

Note that the same discount and pricing applies to the NBN 100 plan, for those who can’t yet get NBN 500. Click here to view more Optus NBN plans.

Kogan Internet Gold Plus | 500Mbps | AU$74.90p/m (first 12 months, then AU$85.90p/m)

The biggest saving available with a Kogan Internet plan over 12 months is AU$168 on the NBN 1000 tier, but I’ve picked its NBN 500 offering as it’s the second-cheapest in Australia over the first 12 months, only behind Dodo (below). However, it’s Kogan’s ongoing yearly cost that’s worth taking note of, as it remains one of the cheapest 500Mbps plans of all providers I monitor.

• AU$74.90 minimum cost
• AU$898.80 first year cost
• AU$1,030.80 ongoing yearly cost

View Deal

Note that the same discount and pricing applies to the NBN 100 plan, for those who can’t get NBN 500.

Dodo nbn500 | 500Mbps | AU$72.99p/m (first 12 months, then AU$92.99p/m)

The outright cheapest provider for an NBN 500 plan right now, there’s no denying Dodo’s offering is exceptional value. The ongoing yearly cost can be beaten – the cheapest ongoing cost goes to Exetel – so when your first year is up, I would recommend switching. If you’ve been keen to experience the benefit of the new 500Mbps NBN tier, however, then Dodo is the most affordable route to do so based on the total first-year cost.

• AU$72.99 minimum cost
• AU$875.88 first year cost
• AU$1,115.88 ongoing cost

View Deal

Note that the same discount and pricing applies to the NBN 100 plan, for those who can’t get NBN 500.

You can view more Dodo NBN plans in the price comparison tool below. Keep in mind, however, that there are some WhistleOut-exclusive deals – denoted by (Special Offer) – that apply a 6-month discount instead of 12, but reduce the introductory cost. I've done the maths and the 12-month discount option is the cheapest.

Can I get NBN 500?

NBN 500 plans and faster (think NBN 750, NBN 1000 and even NBN 2000) are only available to homes that connect to the fixed-line NBN via a fibre to the premises (FTTP) or hybrid fibre coaxial (HFC) connection type.

There’s a good chance your home already does connect via this method, but if not, you’re likely eligible for the free fibre upgrade. Note that the upgrade is only available to homes that connect via fibre to the node (FTTN) or fibre to the curb (FTTC). If you choose to activate this upgrade, a technician will visit your home to install the necessary equipment.

If you’re not eligible for the upgrade, then I’m sorry to say but the maximum speeds you can achieve via the NBN is likely going to be 100Mbps. You may find there’s a private fibre network where you live – such as Opticomm or Gigacomm – and these may be able to deliver faster speeds to your home.