NBN fixed-line internet: What you need to know

There are a range of NBN speed tiers available in Australia, and the best chance of having the choice of most of them is to be living in a fixed-line NBN home. The catch is NBN Co initially decided which technologies would go to which homes and, outside of potentially expensive FTTP upgrade pathways, a lot of homes are stuck with what they got.

Before we get into the ins and outs of fixed-line NBN and how it’s potentially relevant to you, here’s a snapshot of today’s most popular fixed-line NBN plans from our comparison engine.

Fixed-line NBN is a catch-all term for multiple internet technologies used to get metropolitan and other populous areas online. The NBN uses what’s called a “multi-technology mix”, which translates to seven different technologies:

1. Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP)
2. Hybrid Fibre Coaxial (HFC)
3. Fibre-to-the-Curb (FTTC)
4. Fibre-to-the-Building (FTTB)
5. Fibre-to-the-Node (FTTN)
6. Fixed Wireless NBN
7. NBN Sky Muster satellite

Those first five NBN technologies—FTTP, HFC, FTTC, FTTB and FTTN—all fall under the fixed-line umbrella. Why? Unlike Fixed Wireless and Sky Muster satellite technologies, both of which use wireless signals to connect relevant homes to NBN Co’s fibre network, fixed-line NBN technologies use different wired technologies. Basically, fixed-line internet connects most of Australia, while Fixed Wireless and Sky Muster satellite are for suburbs and homes in regional or remote places.

For FTTP, it’s a full wired connection from home to NBN. For HFC, it’s coaxial that connects to the overhauled cable network before linking up with the NBN. FTTC, FTTB and FTTN all use the existing or an updated copper network to connect with the NBN. The shorter the run of copper cabling, the better the speed potential, with FTTC generally being the shortest, followed by FTTB and FTTN.

Anyone in a fixed-line NBN home can sign up to most NBN speed tiers, namely NBN 12, NBN 25, NBN 50 and NBN 100 plans. If you’re after bare-bolts internet, below is a daily updating list of popular NBN 12 plans from our database.

NBN 25 is what we consider the true entry-level speed tier. Check out popular NBN 25 plans from our comparison engine.

NBN 50 is the most popular speed tier in Australia, which makes sense because of how it mixes monthly value with a practical amount of download and upload speed. Here’s a look at popular NBN 50 plans from our database.

The fastest NBN speed tier for most fixed-line homes is NBN 100, which is available in either 100/20 or 100/40 configurations. Below is a list of popular NBN 100 plans from our comparison engine.

If you live in an FTTP or HFC home, you can sign up for faster speed tiers, like NBN 250 and NBN 1000 plans. Check out the popular NBN 250 plans from our database.

FTTP and HFC homes can also sign up to NBN 1000, which is the fastest available consumer speed tier before NBN 2000 plans arrive. Here’s a list of popular NBN 1000 plans from our comparison engine.

NBN providers offer an idea of the download and upload speeds you should expect during the evening period. Every night between 7:00pm and 11:00pm, the internet is in its so-called “busy period”, where demand is highest and speeds have the potential to be most impacted. Here’s a look at the fastest NBN download and upload speeds for the different plan tiers in our database:

• NBN 12 (max 12Mbps/1Mbps): 12Mbps download, 0.8Mbps upload (iiNet and TPG).
• NBN 25/5 (max 25Mbps/5): 25Mbps download, 5Mbps upload (Swoop Broadband).
• NBN 25/10 (max 25Mbps/10Mbps): 25Mbps download, 10Mbps upload (Mate and Moose NBN).
• NBN 50 (max 50Mbps/20Mbps): 50Mbps download, 18Mbps upload (Moose NBN and Swoop).
• NBN 100/20 (max 100Mbps/20Mbps): 100Mbps download, 20Mbps upload (Moose NBN and Swoop).
• NBN 100/40 (max 100Mbps/40Mbps): 100Mbps download, 40Mbps upload (Swoop).
• NBN 250 (max 250Mbps/25Mbps): 250Mbps download, 23Mbps upload (Southern Phone and AGL).
• NBN 1000 (max 1000Mbps/50Mbps): 969Mbps download, 50Mbps upload (Swoop).

The trick is there are several factors that can impact your overall speed potential. FTTP and HFC homes have the best chance of reaching those best-case speeds above. But FTTC, FTTB and FTTN homes should expect slower speeds. Ask your NBN provider for a speed estimate if one isn’t offered during sign-up. You also want to have the right networking gear, including cables, and up-to-date devices to get the best speeds out of your fixed-line NBN connection.

Fixed-line NBN modems are generally called network-termination devices (NTDs) or connection boxes, and they differ based on the fixed-line technology. FTTP homes have a box installed outside the home that threads inside the premises to an FTTP modem, which then needs to connect to a router or mesh WiFi system for practical in-home connectivity. It’s a full fibre connection from NBN to in-home NTD, which is why it has the fastest speed potential.

All other fixed-line connection types aren’t reliant on a box installation outside the home. The next fastest, HFC, effectively uses a cable modem that connects to a coaxial cable before linking up with the NBN fibre footprint outside the home. Inside the home, the HFC modem connects to a router or mesh WiFi system to share the internet around the home.

The other three fixed-line technologies all use the digital portion of the copper telephone network to connect with the NBN fibre footprint outside the home. FTTC homes use an FTTC NTD, connected to a telephone outlet and via Ethernet to a router or mesh WiFi system. FTTB and FTTN homes don’t have any official NBN equipment inside the home. Instead, they use a modem-router to connect to the internet and share it around the home.

If you’re in the market for an NBN plan that comes with a router, modem-router or mesh WiFi system (or lets you purchase a preconfigured one with your plan), check out the list below.