Australia's NBN is getting a HUGE upgrade this weekend here's how to ensure you don't miss out

Date:
Tue, 09 Sep 2025 06:00:00 +0000

Description:
The biggest shake up to the NBN is just days away this is your final
reminder for how to prepare yourself to take full advantage.

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Its been close to a year since NBN Co announced it would be introducing major speed upgrades across its fixed-line network . Now were just seven days away from their official launch, with the slated date being this Sunday, September 14.

Whether this is the first time youre learning of the upgrades, or youve been following along with the latest updates, if you want to take full advantage, there are a few things you need to get sorted.

Not only do you need to know which speed tier you want for your household your choices of new plans are 500Mbps, 750Mbps or 2,000Mbps but you also
need to have the necessary infrastructure and hardware to support it.

Still not sure what were talking about? Allow us to explain all Whats all
this about upgrades?

NBN Co is going to flip the switch this coming Sunday, September 14,
releasing its new wave of plan speed tiers in the process. This will see the introduction of a brand new Hyperfast 2Gbps tier , alongside upgrades to the best NBN 100 plans and best NBN 250 plans . These will receive a 5x speed and a 3x speed boost, respectively.

Following Sundays activation, Australians will have greater choice when perusing the fastest NBN plans, with options of 500Mbps, 750Mbps, 1,000Mbps and 2,000Mbps. Sounds good, whats the catch?

No catch necessarily, but there is one strict criterion you need to satisfy
to gain access to the new speed tiers, and thats the connection type you have at your premises. More specifically, you must have either a fibre to the premises (FTTP) or hybrid fibre coaxial (HFC) connection type. If you have anything else, fibre to the curb/node (FTTC/N) or fibre to the building (FTTB), then unfortunately youre going to miss out.

The good news for FTTC/N premises, however, is that youre likely eligible for NBN Cos free fibre upgrade program . If you are eligible and you choose to activate it (we cant think of many reasons why you wouldnt), then a
technician will come to your premises to install the upgraded and necessary equipment.

Customers with a FTTB connection usually those in apartments unfortunately have no road to the faster tiers at all. While you cant get a high-speed NBN plan (the maximum download speed you can achieve via NBN is 100Mbps), you may be in TPGs own dedicated fibre network footprint that can deliver up to gigabit speeds to your apartment unit, or you may find you can connect via another private network such as Opticomm or Gigacomm.

Opticomm and Gigacomm internet plans are both set to, or have already received, similar speed boosts to up to 2,000Mbps. You'll need to check with your preferred provider if you can access them. I have the right connection type, anything else?

Potentially, yes. Having the right connection type at home is only one part
of the high-speed NBN plan puzzle. While the installed equipment will bring faster speeds into your home, youll also need to make sure you have a router thats capable of delivering the speeds youre paying for to your devices.

If youve been using the same router for the last few years perhaps it was
one supplied by your current internet provider then theres a good chance
it's now a little outdated and wont be primed for the faster speeds that are coming our way.

As youll find out in our in-depth guide relating to the ideal routers for the NBN upgrades , you want to look out for one that, at the very least, supports Wi-Fi 6 technology. However, given youre likely to have more connected
devices at home than you realise think smart lights, appliances, speakers, etc then wed recommend looking for a router that supports Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7.

Your chosen internet service provider (ISP) should offer a compatible router when signing up for a new plan, but in our experience, this isnt always the case. By this, we mean they supply a Wi-Fi 6 router only. As mentioned, this is ultimately ok, but a 6E or 7 compliant router is going to offer greater future support. Can I get an upgraded plan today?

Yes, you can! Were eagerly awaiting the full list of plans and prices from
the myriad ISPs to go live, but a few providers jumped the gun very early, launching 500Mbps and 750Mbps plans a few months ago. Multi-gigabit NBN 2000 plans are still nowhere to be found, but this is because they actually
require NBN to flip the switch.

Exetel is a standout option in our opinion with its NBN 500 plan. The telco has dropped all other plan options, so unless you have the necessary infrastructure at your home, you cant sign up with the provider.

Spintel is the only provider to offer a 750Mbps plan right now we, of
course, expect this to change in a weeks time making it your only option for this particular speed.

Exetel One | 500Mbps | AU$80p/m

Exetel's NBN 500 plan is a fantastic option for anyone wanting to experience up to 500Mbps download speeds right now. The telco has scrapped all other
plan options, leaving just the single plan you see here and as a result, it's incredibly competitively priced. Promising download speeds of up to 500Mbps (even during the busier evening hours) and speedy uploads of up to 50Mbps, it offers homes a great balance of speed and price. Whether you want to stream
to multiple devices without interruption or download large game files, the Exetel One plan is one to consider.

AU$80 minimum cost
AU$960 yearly cost View Deal

Spintel | 750Mbps | AU$80p/m (first 6 months, then AU$90.95p/m)

Coming in at the same cost as Exetel's plan for the first 6 months, you could upgrade to Spintel's 750Mbps alternative. Consider the fact the ongoing monthly cost is only AU$10 more in return for an extra 250Mbps of download speed and this plan immediately shines as exceptional value.

AU$90 minimum cost
AU$1,025.70 first year cost
AU$1,091.40 ongoing yearly cost View Deal

If these upgraded speeds sound like something you want to be a part of, but you dont have the necessary equipment, our recommendation, right now, would ultimately be to hold off one more week and see what other providers are charging for their plans.

You can, of course, choose to sign up with the aforementioned Exetel or Spintel plans to get your technician visit booked in as early as possible. If youre happy to wait, though, you could well find that cheaper plans will become available. You might also like View the latest internet deals Want to go faster still? Superloop recently won a coveted Ookla Speedtest award Find out our top picks for the fastest NBN plans



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/wi-fi-broadband/australias-nbn-is-getting- a-huge-upgrade-this-weekend-heres-how-to-ensure-you-dont-miss-out


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