How to get up to speed with the NBN as its rollout gathers pace

AUSTRALIA’S National Broadband Network rollout is in full swing, and households are being urged to try before they buy into a long-term contract.

AUSTRALIA’S National Broadband Network rollout is in full swing and households are being urged to try before they buy into a long-term contract.

About 140,000 NBN services are becoming available each week, with about 60,000 people signing up weekly as the rollout approaches its halfway mark.

However, consumer confusion about the NBN is widespread and there have been complaints by some about slow speeds.

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Research by iSelect has found that more than six million household decision makers are not up to speed on their NBN knowledge, and spokeswoman Laura Crowden said this must be addressed because switching over was eventually mandatory.

“After a household is notified that it can switch to the NBN, they have 18 months to move their services to the new network before the existing network is switched off,” she said.

Laura Crowden from iSelect says many consumers are confused by the NBN.

Ms Crowden said 40 per cent of NBN users surveyed by iSelect did not know what speed they were on.

The NBN has four speed tiers: nbn12 which is similar to current ADSL2 services, nbn25, nbn50 and the fastest nbn100 that suits multi-device households wanting to download and stream loads of data at the same time.

A speed of 25Mbps (megabits per second) - on nbn25 - or above is considered a superfast broadband speed.

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The cost of nbn12 is similar to current broadband costs, and the prices for the three levels of superfast NBN rise about $10 a month with each speed tier. The best deals are generally available to early adopters.

Ms Crowden said the nbn25 and nbn50 plans would be sufficient for most households. “What will frustrate you more — an extra $10 a month or your Netflix not working?” she said.

Telecommunications comparison website WhistleOut’s spokesman, Joseph Hanlon, said the network was getting some bad word of mouth from people who signed up to fast plans but were not getting the speeds they expected.

The National Broadband Network is now making 140,000 new services available each week.

Speeds can be impacted by factors including a home’s distance from an NBN node and a service provider’s equipment.

Mr Hanlon said promotions such as amaysim’s recent free one-month trial were a good idea.

“It gives you a chance to dip your toe in. If you are not happy with the service you have the confidence to go to a different provider. There’s stacks of smaller guys,” he said.

Mr Hanlon said people should consider starting with a slower speed and then perhaps stepping up.

“There’s no point paying for 100 if your home only gets 50.”

NBN spokesman Craig Jost said the network should be three quarters built by mid-2018 and compete by 2020.

He said 85 per cent of people were happy with their service. “Your experience, including the speeds actually achieved over the NBN network, is determined by your service provider and the plan you choose, and depends on the technology over which services are delivered to your premises and some factors outside our control like equipment quality and software,” he said.

@keanemoney