Is your internet bill about to skyrocket? Here’s why 69 per cent of homes could be affected

In an age where the internet has become as essential as electricity and water, a significant price hike in broadband services can be a real cause for concern.

Recent reports suggested that up to seven in 10 Australian homes could be facing increased costs for their National Broadband Network (NBN) services, and it's important to understand why this is happening and how it might affect your household budget.



The NBN, a massive infrastructure project aimed at providing reliable and fast internet across Australia, has seen various changes in pricing structures by service providers.

These changes are often influenced by wholesale prices set by NBN Co, the company responsible for the NBN rollout, and other operational costs that internet service providers (ISPs) need to manage.

Let's break down what's happening with the NBN pricing and what it means for you:


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NBN increased prices for its services, which affected 69 per cent of homes. Credit: Shutterstock


Several major ISPs have announced changes to their monthly plans, which could see 69 per cent of households paying more for their internet services.

This comes after NBN proposed to significantly increase the speed of its internet service offerings, enhancing some plans fivefold.

This includes increasing the popular plan speeds to 500Mbps download and 50Mbps upload, with other tiers seeing similar speed boosts.



Telstra's monthly charges could increase by $5 to $105, while Optus might see a rise from $4 to $89.

Other providers, such as Dodo, Aussie Broadband, Superloop, iPrimus, and Exetel, are also adjusting their prices, with increases ranging from $1 to $5 per month.

These price hikes are not uniform across all plans. Some high-speed tiers, such as NBN 250 and NBN 1000, are seeing price reductions.

Many ISPs offer promotional rates for new customers, which can be significantly lower for the first six months before reverting to standard pricing.



For example, Kogan's NBN 50 plan starts at $58.90 per month for the first six months and jumps to $68.90.

Similarly, Tangerine offers its NBN 50 plan at $59 for the first six months before increasing to $79.90.

A Standard NBN 50 plan is generally sufficient for a typical four-person household. According to the ACCC's ‘Netflix test’, 99 per cent of such plans support streaming Netflix in HD on up to four screens simultaneously.



NBN Co encouraged Australians to upgrade their internet speeds. A decade ago, the average household had seven internet-connected devices and used about 40GB of data monthly.

Today, households average 22 devices and consume around 400GB of data monthly. Data demand has doubled in the past five years, and NBN Co predicted households will have around 40 devices connected by the end of the decade.

However, many Australians face a cost-of-living crisis, with insurance premiums up 16 per cent and electricity prices up 20 per cent in the last year.
Key Takeaways
  • NBN price hikes have been announced that could affect up to 69 per cent of homes in Australia.
  • Price increases will vary across different internet service providers, with plans experiencing different levels of pricing adjustment.
  • Despite the increases, some plans have had their prices reduced, suggesting variances may be based on speed tiers.
  • Consumers should be aware of the changes and may need to review their options, as there are still competitive offers available from various providers.
Have you been affected by NBN price hikes or found a great deal on your internet service? Share your experiences and tips in the comments below.
 
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Reactions: Ezzy and RogerJF
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I'm not sure I should do that for legal reasons. However I will say that they took over AAPT and I think they may have taken over Internode too.
 
For the last couple of years I have swapped NBN providers every 6 months each time using their “introductory” price. Now I am running out of service providers to do this. Even the one that stated “for new and returning customers” no longer offers this. The change, each time, has been seamless (apart from the time I got the timing wrong and paid for two providers for a few weeks). Anyway I must have saved a few hundred dollars in that time. No shame in doing this. They offer and I accept!!
Can I ask a question; by changing constantly to new providers this would that mean you get a new email address each time, is that time consuming to let everyone of the change.
 
Not sure how we're meant to afford internet any more ($5-600 wk income does not cut it for everything & internet is not crucial for living life is it?), Aussie BB gone from $69 per month to $75 recently & rising again to $79 soon! And they offer stuff all options to down grade or lower data to save money :(
Being alive is sooo expensive compared to a couple decades ago! :(
 

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