5G vs NBN — what’s better for home internet?
The rollout of the NBN has only just been completed but it’s already facing competition from the latest mobile technology.
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The 5G rollout has begun, and as the next generation of mobile technology expands its network, consumers are wondering if 5G could be an alternative for NBN.
Fixed wireless 4G mobile has always been an option for home internet, but the take-up was limited. So why is 5G being considered as a potential rival?
5G vs NBN
In the decade since it was launched, the National Broadband Network has been problematic, with many Australians experiencing service dropouts and slow connection speeds. 5G promises wireless internet coverage that’s competitive with NBN on price, speed and data allowances.
“If NBN had worked properly from the start, we would not be considering 5G in our homes,” telecommunications expert Associate Professor Dr Mark Gregory from RMIT University told news.com.au.
But despite the slow speeds during peak hours reported by many Australians, a spokesperson for NBNCo said the network is doing what it was intended to do.
“The NBN is designed to support our huge national data capacity demand and currently carries around 97 per cent of the nation’s data.”
What is NBN?
The national broadband network (NBN) rollout began in 2011, providing fibre to the premises (FTTP) broadband service, running fibre-optic cable directly to homes.
A new Coalition government changed the direction of the infrastructure project, opting for less expensive fibre to the node (FTTN), which links homes to a central node using copper wires.
There are also homes connected via fibre to the curb (FTTC) and Hybrid Fibre Coaxial (HFC), which is cable that was originally used to connect services such as Foxtel.
Most households with NBN have FTTN. How far you live from the node will impact internet speeds.
For dwellings more than 700 metres away, the average speed is 25-30 megabits per second (Mbps), down from the 50-100 Mbps available on top tier plans.
“We’ve got about 40 per cent of households on FTTN,” said Dr Gregory. “Of those households, 25 per cent fall into the category of being 700 metres or more from the nodes. But distance isn’t the only thing affecting speed. There’s a lot of bad-quality copper in the network that’s causing slowdowns.
“When Labor started the rollout, 20 per cent of people ended up with FTTP. They’re future proof. They’ll be good for 80 years,” says Dr Gregory. “What happened after is a hodgepodge of technologies.”
Can 5G replace home internet?
5G is the next generation in mobile technology. Optus and Telstra and Vodaphone have already begun offering 5G home internet plans via wireless modem or 5G enabled devices.
Telstra announced in June it had hit the milestone of 75 per cent of all Australians being able to access to its 5G network from their homes.
Although 5G is faster and comparable to NBN on price, it still only has a fraction of the coverage that NBN has, and its wireless nature also makes it vulnerable to interference.
“It can be affected by rain, heat, dust, dirt or anything that might cause scattering of the beam,” Dr Gregory said.
Distance is also a factor. “Performance is also likely to be affected by the distance between the user and the nearest 5G base station,” the NBNCo spokesperson added.
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How much speed do I need?
According to the government’s NBN Statement of Expectations, 25 Mbps is the minimum speed that can be classified as “fast internet”.
However, it depends on your household requirement.
Browsing the web might require 1-2 Mbps, streaming video in HD might require 5 Mbps, while 4k video streaming requires 25 Mbps. But if one person in your household is watching Netflix, another is gaming, and another browsing the internet, speed will be impacted.
100 Mbps is suitable for four or more heavy internet users, while 50 Mbps will suit 3-4 moderate to heavy users.
Are NBN and 5G complementary?
NBNCo sees NBN and 5G working together as complimentary services. “Mobile broadband networks are inherently designed for the needs of people on the move. In this way they’re complimentary to the NBN, but they’re not optimised for the capacity demands of a large proportion of Australian homes.”
Dr Gregory says FTTP is the gold standard. “If you’ve got FTTP, you wouldn’t be looking at 5G unless it comes down to cost. A lot of people will want NBN because of perceived reliability of a wired network, but 5G fixed wireless is comparable to FTTN, so it will become a shootout in terms of price.”
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