Best 5G home internet plans in Australia: is the NBN alternative for you?
5G home internet is a real alternative to the NBN that you may have previously dismissed. But it has become one of the best internet plans in Australia that can give you super fast internet at home, which you can’t get through a landline NBN connection.
This is because Telstra, Optus and Vodafone have invested more in the technology and rolled it out to five of Australia’s major cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Canberra (although still in certain areas within these).
However, therein lies a limitation of 5G home broadband. For you to really benefit from the technology, you need to live in an area with 5G network coverage. Telstra currently offers potential customers the best 5G coverage, covering 80% of the Australian population. Optus and Vodafone both cover Australian cities, but not quite to the same extent.
If you do live in an area with good network coverage, and 5G home internet is available (5G mobile phone coverage doesn’t necessarily mean there will be 5G home internet coverage), then it’s worth considering your home internet options . In fact, it can give you similar speeds to NBN for a more affordable monthly fee, or internet speeds faster than NBN for a similar price.
We’ve partnered with WhistleOut to bring you the best 5G home internet plans available in Australia right now. You never know, the speeds of 5G along with the other benefits of mobile technology could be just what your household needs.
Best 5G Home Internet Plans
Because 5G is still in its relative infancy, there are only a handful of telcos currently providing it. The major telcos: Telstra, Optus and Vodafone, all offer plans, along with mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) including Internode, Spintel and iiNet. These are the best 5G home internet plans for each of the providers.
What is 5G home internet?
5G home internet works in much the same way as 5G mobile internet. It relies on 5G data signals sent from antennas to a modem in your home, which receives the signal and broadcasts it as a Wi-Fi signal. You then connect your devices to the Wi-Fi network in the same way as you would if you had an NBN connection.
5G has the ability to support greater capacity and faster speeds than the previous 4G technology, and can even achieve speeds greater than the NBN.
How fast is 5G home broadband?
5G home broadband can theoretically reach speeds of up to 1,000 Mbps, although in reality you’re unlikely to experience this. Telstra offers some of the fastest average 5G home broadband download speeds, at 378Mbps. However, the telco says actual speeds can vary between 50 Mbps – 600 Mbps.
5G home internet plans may limit speeds to 50 Mbps or 100 Mbps, but some offer unlimited speeds. The speed you can get will depend on the strength of the network in your area.
Is 5G home internet better than NBN?
While 5G home internet can realistically achieve much faster speeds than NBN, its availability is currently much more limited. However, if 5G home broadband is available in your area, getting connected to the internet is much easier. You don’t need to have a technician come to your address to install any equipment – instead, when your 5G modem arrives, you just plug it in, wait for it to connect to a 5G signal, and you are done.
So, it’s not necessarily better than NBN, but if you’re in an area that could benefit from 5G, then we’d recommend it as something to consider.
What is the cheapest 5G home internet?
The cheapest 5G home internet plan in Australia is provided by either TPG, iiNet or Internode. All three telcos currently offer a 5G home internet plan that costs AU$49.99p/m for the first 6 months, rising to AU$59.99p/m, with speeds capped at 50Mbps.
When will 5G internet be available in my area?
If you live in one of Australia’s major cities, there’s a good chance you’ll already have access to a 5G network. If you’re not currently in an area served by 5G, you’ll almost certainly be able to connect to a 4G signal.
The major telcos have all said they are working to roll out 5G across the country, but of course these things take time. And to make matters a little more confusing, just because you might be able to get a 5G connection on your smartphone doesn’t mean you’ll be able to get 5G home internet.
Click on the links below to check the current 5G network coverage maps of each 5G home internet provider.
Telstra
Optus
Vodafone
Spindle
TPG
iiNet
