Telstra is Australia's largest internet provider, but are you getting your money’s worth? The telco giant has a wide range of best home internet plans Australia. These include NBN connections, plans that combine ADSL and Cable connections and mobile broadband options that include 5G. Which plan you sign up for depends on your home and what is available in your area, not to mention your personal preference and internet needs.
But how do their plans compare to their competitors regarding prices and features? In this article, we will cover a range of Telstra internet plans and general information to help you choose whether Telstra is the correct internet provider for you.
Which Telstra Internet Plans Can I Sign Up For?
Telstra has a simple collection of internet plans across a range of connections. You can have internet plans from Telstra on these options:
NBN
ADSL
Cable
Home wireless broadband
Mobile broadband
5G broadband
Telstra’s ADSL and Cable are NBN-ready, so you can switch to NBN once it is available to your home. Wireless broadband is also of two types, home wireless and mobile broadband. The types of plans and connections you sign up for depend on your home, what is available in your area, and your needs.
The cost of Telstra home internet differs between plans depending on various factors. These includes the speed tier you choose ( on NBN) and how much data there is on the plan. For example, mobile broadband plans are more affordable than a fixed home internet connection. But the data inclusions are usually small. In comparism, a super-fast speed NBN plan can cost more than $100 monthly, especially if there are extras like entertainment add-ons.
Tesltra NBN Plans
Telstra has many simple NBN plans with various data options, contract lengths and call packs available. The pricing starts from $80 monthly for unlimited data on the NBN 23 speed tier, while the NBN 50 with unlimited data can be bought for $95 monthly.
The most commonly available speed tiers are NBN 25, NBN 50 and NBN 100, with unlimited plan data.
NBN 100 speeds are mostly available to homes with FTTP, FTTC or HFC NBN connections, while some FTTN and FTTB homes are also eligible.
NBN 250 and NBN 1000 plans are mostly available to FTTP and select HTC homes.
You will need to pay upfront fees for installation and your modem.
Telstra 5G Home Internet Plans
Telstra now offers its customers 5G home internet plans with one terabyte of data for $85 monthly. These plans have average speeds of 378Mbps during peak evening hours, no lock-in contracts and a 5G modem. While the 5G plan isn’t unlimited, if you go over your data limit, you will have acess to data at speeds of 25Mbps until your billing cycle resets.
Unlike mobile broadband, Telstra’s 5G home internet is not portable and designed to be used at a home or business address. Your modem is geo-locked to your location. But, the plug-and-play modem makes setup simple and is free if you are connected for more than 24 months. It also has 4G network backup.
Telstra 5G Mobile Broadband Plans
If you live in an area that is connected to the Telstra 5G network, you can get a 5G mobile broadband plan.
You will need to order the Telstra 5G WiFi Pro on a plan over 12 or 24 months or upfront and then combine with a mobile broadband plan, which is an additional monthly cost.
Access to 5G on these plans differentiates. Customers on the Medium and Large plans will have access to 5G on their plan, but people on the Extra Small and Small plans don’t have access included. So, to access the 5G network, you must pay at least $55 monthly for your plan. These plans are also offered on an upfront basis, so that you will need pay for each month in advance through AutoPay.
Telstra ADSL2+ And Cable Plans
One of the most impressive things about Telstra is that you don’t compromise on price and inclusions across the types of plans. This is why you can expect same or similar value from ADSL2+ plans as with its cable broadband and NBN.
Many of these are month to month plans, but if you go for an entertainment pack, you must sign up for a contract. While a monthly plan provides flexibility and freedom to cancel anytime, you must be careful about upfront costs like installation, modem, and delivery fees.
Switching to Telstra NBN is easy if you are opting for ADSL or cable while you wait for your home to connect to the NBN. Telstra will tell you when your home can access NBN, so you switch.