The National Broadband Network (NBN) was meant to be the future of Australian home internet – but a 5G alternative could be stealing the spotlight.
Last year, Australian households paid an average of $71 per month – more than $850 per year – on NBN plans.
And these bills could get more expensive, with the NBN Co attempting to double the price of its lowest-tier wholesale broadband plan by 2033 – despite a lack of improvement in service standards for customers.
Meanwhile, companies such as Telstra, Optus and TPG are offering 5G home broadband services in more areas around the country.
In December, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) found 5G home broadband services could become an alternative to NBN home broadband plans for some customers.
So what is 5G home broadband? Here’s everything you need to know.
What makes 5G home broadband different?
As its name suggests, 5G is the fifth-generation mobile network; the latest and fastest in the global wireless standard.
There are two types of 5G internet in Australia.
There’s 5G mobile broadband, and 5G home broadband.
The mobile broadband can be used by the latest portable devices and phones, such as Apple’s iPhone 13 and Samsung Galaxy S22.
Meanwhile, 5G home broadband is a wireless alternative to fixed-line NBN, using a plug-in modem to connect multiple devices at home to the 5G mobile network.
How does speed and price compare to the NBN?
Much like the usual home broadband offerings, 5G internet pricing is generally determined by a plan’s data allowance.
If you’re looking for something cheaper, you can opt for a 5G mobile broadband plan with a monthly data cap.
Although the price of 5G home broadband might be higher or similar to NBN offerings, it is generally considered to be the speedier option.
Uncapped 5G speeds can theoretically achieve up to 1000 megabits per second, but telcos say realistically, speeds can range between 50 and 600 Mbps.
The speed your internet will be able to reach will depend on the strength of your local network, and some home internet plans may also cap speed.
Who can get 5G home broadband?
Canstar Blue reports Telstra and Optus offer both 5G home wireless broadband and 5G mobile broadband, while Vodafone, TPG, iiNet, Internode and SpinTel sell 5G home wireless broadband.
But whether you can access 5G home broadband still depends on where you live.
To get 5G home broadband, you need to be living within your selected telco’s 5G coverage range, but even that might not be enough – some companies, like Telstra, will only sell up to a certain number of 5G home internet plans per postcode to reduce the risk of congestion.
To find out for certain if you are eligible to access 5G home broadband, get in touch with your telco.
How to choose a plan
If you’re interested in trying out 5G home broadband, your first step will be to see if the service is available in your area.
Then all you’ve got to do to is compare offers between telcos and plan tiers.
When making your decision, consider a plan’s download speeds, data caps, modem costs, whether the advertised price will expire within a set amount of months, and whether the plan comes with any extras, such as free subscriptions to streaming services.
Out of the big four telcos, Telstra has the most limited 5G home broadband offerings: It only has one.
For a monthly payment of $85, it allows users one terabyte of data per month at download speeds between 50Mbps and 600Mbps. The first month is free, and the offer comes with a bundle of extras, such as four months of free Spotify premium.
This is similar to Telstra’s ‘Essential’ NBN home internet tier, which offers unlimited data for $95 with the added bonus of 12 months free Kayo Sports, but with a typical download speed of 50Mbps.
Vodafone offers $5 discounts for both of its plans if customers also subscribe to its mobile plans; otherwise, its cheapest plan is $65 per month for unlimited data with a max speed of 50Mbps.
Out of the big four, Optus appears to offer the cheapest plan ($59 per month for unlimited data with a max 50Mbps speed), but customers will be hit with an extra $10 per month on their home internet bill after the first six months.
For $59.99 per month, TPG also offers unlimited data with a maximum 50Mbps speed, and the price isn’t set to rise after a few months – customers actually get the first month free at time of writing.
