It has been almost a year since Nbn Co announced that it would introduce major speed ups through its network of fixed lines. Now we are only seven days before their official launch, the scheduled date being this Sunday, September 14.
Whether it is the first time that you learn upgrades, or that you follow the latest updates, if you want to take full advantage, there are a few things you need to be sorted.
Not only do you need to know what level of speed you want for your household – your choices of new plans are 500 Mbps, 750 Mbps or 2,000 Mbps – but you must also have the infrastructure and the equipment necessary to take care of it.
You still don’t know what we are talking about? Allow us to explain everything …
What is all this in upgrades?
NBN CO will return the switch on Sunday, September 14, releasing its new wave of plan speed levels in the process. This will see the introduction of a whole new “hyperfast” level 2 GBPS, as well as upgrades of the best NBN 100 plans and the best NBN 250 plans. These will receive a 5x speed and a 3X speed boost respectively.
After the activation of Sunday, Australians will have a greater choice when they have traveled the fastest NBN plans, with options of 500 Mbps, 750 Mbps, 1,000 Mbps and 2,000 Mbps.
It looks good, what is the catch?
No capture necessarily, but there is a strict criterion that you need to satisfy to access the new speed levels, and this is the type of connection you have in your premises. More specifically, you must have a fiber to the premises (FTTP) or a type of connection by hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC). If you have something else, the fiber to the sidewalk / knot (FTTC / N) or the fiber to the building (FTTB), then unfortunately you will miss.
The good news for the premises FTTC / N, however, is that you are probably eligible for the free fiber upgrade program of NBN CO. If you are eligible and you choose to activate it (we cannot think of many reasons why you would not), then a technician will come to your premises to install the improved – and necessary – equipment -.
Customers with an FTTB connection – generally those of apartments – unfortunately have no road to faster levels. Although you cannot get a high -speed NBN plan (the maximum download speed you can make via NBN is 100 Mbps), you can be in the TPG dedicated fiber network which can deliver to Gigabit Speeds to your apartment, or you can find that you can connect via another private network like Opticamm or Gigacomm.
The Opticomm and Gigacomm Internet plans are both paid or have already received speed increases similar to up to 2,000 Mbps. You will need to check with your favorite supplier if you can access it.
I have the right type of connection, something else?
Potentially, yes. Having the right type of home connection is only part of the NBN plan puzzle at high speed. Although the equipment installed will bring faster speeds in your home, you will also need to make sure you have a router capable of providing the speeds you pay to your devices.
If you have been using the same router for a few years – it may have been provided by your current Internet supplier – then there is a good chance that it is now a little outdated and will not be ready for faster speeds that arrive at us.
As you will discover in our in-depth guide regarding ideal routers for NBN upgrades, you want to search for one which, at the very least, supports Wi-Fi 6 technology. However, since you have more connected devices at home than you think-think of smart lights, household appliances, speakers, etc. -We recommend that you look for a router that supports Wi-Fi 6e or Wi-Fi 7.
Your chosen Internet service provider (ISP) should Offer a compatible router when you register for a new plan, but according to our experience, this is not always the case. By that, we mean that they provide a Wi-Fi 6 router only. As mentioned, it’s finally OK, but a 6th or 7 compatible router will offer better future support.
Can I get an improved plan today?
Yes, you can! We are impatiently awaiting the full list of the Plans and Prix of the Myriad of FAI to be put online, but some suppliers jumped the weapon very early, launching 500 Mbps and 750 Mbps a few months ago. The NBN 2000 multi-cligabit plans are still not found, but it is because they actually require NBN to return the switch.
EXTEL is a remarkable option in our opinion with its NBN 500 plan. Telco has abandoned all other plan options, so unless you have the necessary infrastructure at your home, you cannot register with the supplier.
Spintel is the only supplier to offer a 750 Mbps plan at the moment – we, of course, are waiting for this to change in a week – which makes it your only option for this particular speed.
If these improved speeds are like something you want to be part, but you don’t do it Having the necessary equipment, our recommendation, at the moment, would finally be to keep one more week and to see which other suppliers are charging for their plans.
You can, of course, choose to register with the Extel or Spintel aforementioned to reserve your technician as soon as possible. If you are happy to wait, however, you may well see that cheaper plans will become available.
