Accelerate Great: transforming your internet speed
3-minute read
Get set for exciting changes as we accelerate wholesale internet speeds in Australia.
The internet in Australia is about to see some exciting changes.
In September 2025, at nbn and in partnership with phone and internet providers, we’ll accelerate the wholesale download and upload speeds of our three highest residential speed products on Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) and Hybrid Fibre Coaxial (HFC) to help set homes up for their future needs.
Right now, most Australian homes have an nbn® plan with 50 Mbps wholesale download speeds.
Our ‘Accelerate Great’ changes mean, just by upgrading one speed tier higher than their current plan, eligible customers in FTTP and HFC areas can increase their wholesale download speeds to 500 Mbps – that’s 10 times faster than today’s average!
For example, from September, an nbn 100 plan (Home Fast on FTTP and HFC) will offer five times wholesale faster download speeds (500 Mbps) and double the upload speeds (50 Mbps). From September, we will also launch our first mass market multi-gig speed tiers offering consumers 2000/200 Mbps on FTTP and 2000/100 Mbps on HFC, and businesses 2000/500 Mbps.
But why do we want faster speeds?
A (brief) history of internet usage
If you’re reading this, you know what the internet is – yet do you realise how much internet use has changed in recent years?
Looking just at streaming, Netflix launched in Australia in March 2015, Disney+ in November 2019 and, in the intervening years, all major commercial free-to-air networks launched their own streaming apps.
And that’s not counting the many other popular streaming apps, including Prime Video, Apple TV+, Paramount+, Hulu, Stan, Tubi, Binge, YouTube, BritBox, Hayu, HBO Max, Peacock…
Back in 2015, the typical Australian home had two or three internet-connected devices.
Today, the average number is about 25 and includes devices like smart phones, laptops, TVs and smart speakers – all of which need the internet to work.
With people in Australia averaging more than six and a half hours a day online, streaming and gaming more than ever before, and with the number of connected devices expected to rise to more than 44 by the end of this decade1, our speed changes are arriving at a great time.
The desire for speed
What all of this means is: speed matters.
With more connected devices, there’s increasing demand for faster internet from homes and businesses.
The change in the way we are using the internet has seen the amount of data we use grow dramatically. The average household uses eight times more data than they did ten years ago.
This trend is set to continue, with data consumption predicted to double again by the end of the decade.2
Put simply, the changes we’re making in September will help uplift the speed in your home and across the nation.
And to make it easy, when the time comes, for homes and businesses already subscribed to the accelerated plans, we’ll automatically provide the enhanced speeds via participating phone and internet providers.
At a glance: the wholesale speed changes3
nbn Home Fast
Speed increase: From 100/20 Mbps to 500/50 Mbps
What it means: 5 x faster downloads, 2.5 x faster uploads
nbn Home Superfast
Speed increase: From 250/25 Mbps to 750/50 Mbps
What it means: 3 x faster downloads, 2 x faster uploads
nbn Home Ultrafast
Speed increase: Upload speed from 50 Mbps to 100 Mbps
What it means: 2 x faster uploads
nbn Home Hyperfast
New speed plan: Offering 2,000/200 Mbps (on Fibre to the Premises) and 2,000/100 Mbps (on Hybrid Fibre Coaxial)
What it means: Blazing-fast speeds for top-tier connections
How to get ready for the new speeds
Are you among the 62 per cent of people in Australia who haven’t made a change to their home internet setup in the last two years?4
Or the two in three who haven't upgraded their broadband plan in the last five years?4
With the demand for data and speed only expected to increase, here are three key things you can do now to make the most of Accelerate Great.
1. Get Ready
Higher speed plans are only available on nbn’s Fibre to the Premises and Hybrid Fibre Coaxial technologies. Check your address to see if higher speed plans are available at your place, and for those customers on Fibre to the Node or Fibre to the Curb, whether you are eligible for a fibre upgrade.5
2. Get Set
Contact your preferred phone and internet provider to choose an eligible high-speed plan.6 Remember: if you’re already on an eligible plan, we’ll automatically provide the enhanced wholesale speeds via participating phone and internet providers.
3. Get Great
Delivering the new speeds is one part of the puzzle, the other is to make sure your equipment at home can keep up! For the ultimate internet experience, follow our optimisation tips to ensure your equipment is set up correctly.
Wi-Fi tips for better speeds
- Check your router’s age: Is it more than 5 years old? Talk to your phone and internet provider about whether your equipment is meeting your needs and maximising your download and upload speeds.
- Position it right: Keep it in the open, elevated and near where you use the internet most.
- Improve coverage: Wi-Fi weakens with distance. Consider a mesh network to extend Wi-Fi signal throughout your home.
- October, 2023 OMDIA - Fibre Development Index Analysis
- nbn State of the Nation network data, June 2024
- These are peak achievable speeds of each relevant speed tier. Your experience, including the speeds actually achieved, depends on the configuration over which services are delivered to your premises, whether you are using the internet during the busy periods, and some factors outside of nbn’s control (like your equipment quality and set-up, chosen broadband plan, age of device(s) and/or how your provider designs its network).
- Source: Customer Research & Insights In-Home Quant Survey October 2024 n= 6,225
- Conditions, eligibility criteria and costs may apply, please speak with your preferred provider. Eligibility criteria may include among other things placing an order for an nbn powered plan based on an eligible wholesale speed tier.
- Not all providers offer plans based on the full range of wholesale speed tiers. Talk to your preferred provider for more information about availability and the right retail solution for your needs.