TPG NBN plans review

• Great speeds
• Good mix of technologies and bundles
• Lower than average prices

TPG’s crowning achievement was its top spot for speeds according to ACCC’s last broadband speed test reports, but since then has dropped to the number five spot in the latest ACCC rankings. That said, TPG’s self-reported speeds did managed to nab a 5-star score when we stacked it up against the competition.

For the many Australians still rely on a landline home phone connection, it doesn't hurt that TPG is one of the few providers that still offers phone bundles. TPG has home phone bundles with NBN and Fibre to the Building internet plans. You can choose to pay-as-you-go, or choose from national and international call options.

While the ACCC’s report isn’t the be-all and end-all for Australian broadband speeds, it's still a good indicator, and TPG's pole position is impressive. There are a lot of providers that the ACCC doesn’t track but every Internet service provider (ISP) from Telstra to TPG is still required to provide the typical average evening download speed you can expect. Here's what TPG is averaging.

Take a look at how TPG’s advertised typical evening download speeds for fixed line NBN stack up against the competition in the table below.

TPG NBN plans also cater to Fixed Wireless customers. Fixed Wireless is a faster and more affordable alternative to satellite broadband that’s available to select regional customers within range of an NBN Fixed Wireless tower.

If you're already a TPG NBN customer and you want to rest your speed against the results listed above, you will need to run a speed test. That can be done is a few easy steps. First, make sure you're connected to your TPG WiFi network, then click the Start Speed Test button below. Give the test 10 to 20 seconds to complete, then compare the results with the speeds listed above.

• Home phone bundles
• Mobile bundles

TPG is big on bundling. Like, really big on it. Every TPG NBN plan comes with a phone line whether you like it or not. If you choose not to use it, you won't have to pay a cent.

If you do choose to use it, you can opt for one of three voice add-ons: Oz Talk (unlimited local, standard national calls and calls to mobile) or Big Talk (same as Oz Talk but with 100 international minutes instead of mobile calls) for $10, or $20 for Extra Talk, which comes with all the inclusions of Oz Talk, along with unlimited international calls to 15 countries.

For residential customers, there aren’t many big perks so to speak. No customer benefits, like cheap movie tickets, or unmetered Spotify streaming, for example. But if you’re someone who likes to have all your telco utilities on one bill, TPG can do it all. That’s one huge benefit of being a TPG customer, you can have your broadband, landline home phone, and mobile plan all on one bill. But for that convenience, you will be paying for a TPG mobile service that’s more of an afterthought, rather than a competitive SIM plan.

If you’re looking for a provider that offers NBN, home phone, and mobile, your best option is still one of the big three: Optus, Telstra or Vodafone. Optus and Telstra come with plenty of perks, but Vodafone’s bundling discount makes it our top choice for broadband and mobile bundles.

TPG used to be quite a stickler when it came to NBN modems. These days, new and returning TPG customers have a bunch of options to choose from. You can save money by going BYO, you can get a brand new modem for $0 (plus a $10 delivery fee) if you sign on for a six-month contract or pay $99.95 up-front (plus that same $10 delivery fee) if you want to go contract-free.

If you opt for the latter two options, you'll end up with one of these three preconfigured TPG NBN modem models:

• TP-Link VR1600v
• Huawei HG659
• Huawei HG658

TPG also offers a $100 rebate to customers who pick up a compatible NBN modem within a 30 day period before or after signing up for a BYO modem NBN plan with the internet provider.

• 4G Home Internet (Fixed Wireless Broadband)
• 5G Home Internet

If you want to test out the water when it comes to TPG but aren't ready to sign up for one of the provider's NBN plans just yet then a non-NBN internet alternative like 5G home internet might be the way to go.

TPG 5G Home internet comes in two varieties. You can find both in the widget below. While the cheaper price here makes this a competitive alternative to a traditional NBN connection, it is worth noting that you do have to be located in a suburb covered by the Vodafone 5G network to get service.

TPG also offers home wireless broadband plans, which are powered by the Vodafone 4G network. These don't offer the same speeds or low-latency that you'll get with 5G but they are more widely available and slightly cheaper.

• Helpful and understanding customer service reps
• Customer forum for FAQs
• Dated account management

All things considered, TPG’s rapport with its customers is a lot warmer than the icy reception other providers cop on user review websites like Product Review, Google, and Facebook. There’s something to be said for that: TPG’s customer service in our experience has been helpful and understanding if you manage to navigate to the right team.

TPG is also one of the few providers that still offers a community forum, where customers can interact with each other and provide customer service for one another. It’s a great feature that a lot of providers don’t offer these days.

However, like a lot of TPG’s business, some of its support channels, and account management systems are in need of a dire revamp. At the time of writing, there’s no way to navigate to TPG’s live chat system. There are notices informing about extended wait times, but no obvious way to speak to a representative via live chat. A quick read over some frustrated forum posts suggests this a widespread issue and one that's primed to make any experience where your TPG NBN internet isn't working worse.

Lastly, there’s TPG’s account management portal online, and the My TPG app. Both systems are incredibly dated, and offer a limited breakdown of your service and billing. TPG scores points for having an app in the first place as not every provider does, but its usefulness is quite accurately reflected in the app’s user reviews on Google Play and the App Store.

Customer satisfaction is a tough nut to crack but Aussie Broadband and Mate are shining examples of top-notch customer service in Australia. As for account management apps, the Optus @Home app and My Optus apps, are some of the best, offering live chat, remote speed testing, and regular discounts and offers for customers.

Here are the most popular NBN plans from those three providers.

TPG is an Australian-founded and owned company, run by current chairman Canning Fok after the March 2021 departure of David Teoh. TPG actually started in 1986 as a computer parts and peripherals company but has since moved into offering internet and mobile plans.

TPG also has its own competitor to the NBN, a 'fibre to the building' broadband service that is available through many apartment buildings in some Australian cities. It's important to make sure that you're purchasing the right service for you - TPG's own broadband is different from the NBN that TPG also sells.

If you're not quite sold on TPG's NBN offering, we've got guides on the cheapest unlimited NBN plans for those on a budget, the best NBN 100 plans if you've got a need for speed, and more explainers on testing your internet speed and the best alternatives if NBN isn't an option in your area.