NBN Co just hit a speed milestone, with 80% of wired premises now able to sign up for gigabit plans

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And accessing those top speeds is now also cheaper than ever

Family sitting on sofa, all using connected devices
(Image credit: Getty Images)
  • NBN Co has announced over 9 million homes can access gigabit internet
  • 145,000 more homes are eligible to upgrade by December 2025
  • Three plans we recommend upgrading to

NBN Co has this week announced that 80% of its fixed-line network – over nine million homes – now have access to gigabit download speeds, i.e. the best NBN 1000 plans. This figure is a combination of premises that already have the necessary equipment in place – fibre to the premises (FTTP) or hybrid fibre coaxial (HFC) – and homes currently connected via fibre to the node or curb (FTTN/C) that are simply eligible to upgrade to full fibre to the premises (FTTP) via the free fibre upgrade program.

NBN Co says this “significant milestone” means it is well on track to deliver on its promise to enable 10 million premises – some 90% of the fixed-line network – to access gigabit speeds by December 2025.

While not wholly responsible, NBN Co’s free fibre upgrade program is a big component in achieving that target and a further list of 145,000 homes and businesses that will be eligible to upgrade to the necessary equipment have now been released. This addition takes the total number of premises eligible for upgrade between now and December 2025 to more than five million.

Follow the upgrade path

There has never been a better time to upgrade to full fibre if your home is eligible. The average cost of the fastest NBN plans has fallen throughout 2024 thanks to NBN Co's new wholesale pricing introduced at the turn of the new financial year.

Not only this, but NBN Co has also confirmed that ‘Hyperfast’ plans are due to arrive in September 2025. These plans will require FTTP equipment to to be installed at your premises in order to deliver their theoretical maximum download speeds of 2Gbps — double that of the current fastest plans available.

When they do arrive, 100Mbps and 250Mbps plans will also receive a speed boost to 500Mbps and 750Mbps respectively, while 1,000Mbps plans will advertise 750Mbps as a minimum typical evening speed figure.

These high-speed plans will be paramount in ensuring devices can all connect to the internet at the same time. Remember, it's not just your phone or TV that needs to connect, but smart home devices too. In fact, Anna Perrin, Chief Customer Officer at NBN Co said "the average household consumes 443 gigabytes per month across 22 internet-connected devices", and that it's predicted "that average will grow to 33 connected devices by 2026 and 40 by the end of the decade."

If you’ve yet to upgrade, or are unsure of what the best NBN plan is for you, we’ve singled out some of our favourite options below. Remember, you don’t need to upgrade to gigabit internet if you feel it’s not necessary for your home. In order to take advantage of the free fibre upgrade, you only need to order a NBN 100 plan as a minimum. We’ve included options across all three high-speed tiers.

Spintel | 100Mbps | AU$65p/m

Spintel | 100Mbps | AU$65p/m (first 6 months, then AU$81.95p/m)

Spintel has been our top pick for an NBN 100 plan for some time now. Not only does it advertise maximum speeds, but it's also received a recent price cut that makes it exceptional value.

• AU$65 minimum cost
• AU$881.70 first year cost
• AU$983.40 ongoing cost

View Deal

Also consider: Flip, Exetel

Superloop250Mbps AU$85p/m (first 6 months, then AU$99p/m)

Superloop | 250Mbps | AU$85p/m (first 6 months, then AU$99p/m)

Superloop is our favourite NBN 250 plan, despite not being the outright cheapest. It is, however, among the cheapest to advertise maximum plan speeds and it has the added benefit of a Speed Boost days feature, which allows you to temporarily increase your download speed to the next tier up – NBN 1000 – for free, five times a month.

• AU$85 minimum cost
• AU$1,104 first year cost
• AU$1,188 ongoing yearly cost

View Deal

Also consider: Spintel, TPG

Buddy Telco | 600Mbps | AU$99p/m

Buddy Telco | 600Mbps | AU$99p/m

Buddy Telco is our current favourite option for those looking for the fastest speeds available right now. While its 600Mbps typical evening speed claim isn't the fastest, we have seen reports of connected customers achieving much faster. It's also incredible value and being budget-orientated offshoot from Aussie Broadband, makes it an easy recommendation.

• AU$99 minimum cost
• AU$1,188 yearly cost

View Deal

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Max Langridge
Max Langridge
Staff Writer

Max is a senior staff writer for TechRadar who covers home entertainment and audio first, NBN second and virtually anything else that falls under the consumer electronics umbrella third. He's also a bit of an ecommerce fiend, particularly when it comes to finding the latest coupon codes for a variety of publication. He has written for TechRadar's sister publication What Hi-Fi? as well as Pocket-lint, and he's also a regular contributor to Australian Hi-Fi and Audio Esoterica. Max also dabbled in the men's lifestyle publication space, but is now firmly rooted in his first passion of technology.