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NewsHow to Pick the Right NBN Plan for you
How to Pick the Right NBN Plan for you

How to Pick the Right NBN Plan for you

Tags: Telco & Broadband
Last updated by Joe Hanlon on

Like it or loathe it, the National Broadband Network (NBN) is coming to your home, if it hasn’t arrived already. More than half of Aussie homes are now wired into the NBN, with the most of the remainder to be connected by the end of next year. 

What a lot of people don’t realise is that once the NBN is connected to your house, you have just 18 months to switch to an NBN service before your existing phone and internet are switched off.

Like death and taxes, a switch to the NBN is inevitable if you want to stay online.

That said, it is also an excellent opportunity to reevaluate your monthly phone and internet bills. The design of the NBN creates a level playing field for all internet providers, so even if you’ve been a rusted-on Telstra customer for a decade, you can switch to a new, cheaper NBN plan and receive a excellent service from one of the numerous smaller, cheaper internet companies.

You really have to ask yourself, how much is the internet worth to me? It is easy to find yourself on a plan costing over $100 per month, which is a lot more than you should pay to check Facebook, read your emails and catch up on the news of the day.

SAVINGS TIP: With new NBN plans, you might find you can cut your current bill in half.

 

Before you start shopping around for a new NBN plan, here are a few important things to keep in mind:

  • You will probably need a new NBN compatible modem. The NBN is a brand new technology, and your current modem will need to be replaced with a newer model. Ask your provider about sending you one when you sign up.
  • Look for a ‘No Contract’ plan and keep your options open to move to a different provider if you need to.
  • Be brave and try one of the smaller providers. The best value plans tend to come from the companies you may not have heard of before. You might find that this is a blessing in disguise; smaller companies have more to prove and are more likely to use local teams for customer support, rather than off-shore call centres.

To get you started, here is a collection of some of the best value NBN plans around at the moment:

Joe Hanlon is the publisher at Whistleout.com.au

Originally posted on .

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Someone
Someone from WA commented:

To Anonymous from SA Don't know it by any name other than 25GB @ 12 speed on month by month plan.They have many other options if you need more GB's or speed. I personally prefer month by month as you are not stuck with a provider if not satisfied or something better comes on the market. The HOME PHONE plan for seniors is only available to seniors over 60 and is $15.00 for unlimited national, local and mobile calls. Best MOBILE PHONE PLAN is Amaysim. $10.00 unlimited for everything except overseas calls. Not advertised so have to ring them 1300 880 905 and ask for seniors plan. Good Luck. U no oo 

Someone
Someone from SA commented:

Im on wireless with Telstra $80.00 unlimited plus phone I only want about 50gb or maybe 100gb with phone any ideas readers 

Wendy
Wendy from VIC commented:

If you want pay-tv channels, we only have a choice between Optus and Foxtel. Bring on the competition! 

John
John from NSW commented:

Anyone know of a better deal for Seniors. Aussie NBN 25Gb @12/1 speed, NO CONTRACT, $35.00/month.Bring your own modem (BYO) or buy one from Aussie all set up ready to go. If you want to go faster or need more GB's, add $5.00/month. If you want a home phone with unlimited Australian phone calls (including to mobiles) add $15.00. I was paying $80.00/m for same deal on 1.5mps which is slower than the slowest NBN speed. 

Someone
Someone from SA replied to John:

John whats the name of the seniors nbn plan 

Helen
Helen from QLD commented:

Thanks to the FiftyUp Club I think I have a pretty good deal. I was connected up in June and pay $84/month for NBN, landline AND mobile. I only use my mobile for phone calls (not the landline) and laptop for Internet, emails etc and to date my monthly bill has stayed at $84. Of course, I will definitely shop around if this changes. Best regards to the FiftyUp Club and One Big Switch, Helen 

Mel
Mel from QLD commented:

..."easy to find yourself on a plan costing over $100 per month"...? Unlikely. The vast majority of providers offer unlimited plans at 25mb/s download speeds (about the best one can hope to consistently achieve). This article is very light on real information and fails to be greatly informative at all. It has had the benefit of prompting me to cancel my email subscriptions, so there has been some gain. However, with very little additional effort, subscribers could have been provided with a useful, informative article rather than what amounts to clickbait nonsense. 

Dinah
Dinah from NSW commented:

why are we being forced into a service that is much more expensive than what we have now? ..... They really don't care about pensioners and others on a fixed low income 

Elsie
Elsie from NSW replied to Dinah:

Couldn't agree more. Pensioners are a forgotten breed Sandra NSW 

Someone
Someone from QLD replied to Dinah:

It's so the government can monitor everyone's data and phone conversations through one single government controlled digital hub. No other reason for taking away choice and competition is there? 

Peter
Peter from NSW commented:

Not Bloody Neccesary 

Someone
Someone from QLD commented:

I use my mobile phone as a modem to connect the internet to my PC via wi-fi. Performance is exceptional (4G) and the plan only costs $36 per month for 15gb of data which includes unlimited national mobile calls and txt. 15gb is all most seniors need unless they regularly download movies. Why waste money connecting to the NBN when your mobile phone plan will in most cases suffice? 

Someone
Someone from QLD commented:

TPG is cheaper than these. 

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