NBN warns outdated plans could leave many Aussies struggling to keep up

With internet use set to double by 2029, millions of Aussies may be overpaying for slower speeds. Use our searchable table to check your suburb.

Millions of Australians could be paying too much for sluggish internet, with experts urging households to review their plans as data demand is expected to double by 2029.

New figures from NBN Co reveal that two in five Australians haven’t upgraded their internet set-up in five years, leaving households with higher costs and slower speeds.

In the past decade, data usage has surged tenfold, with the average household now consuming 433.63 gigabytes (GB) per month across 25 devices.

And with that number expected to rise to 44 devices per household by 2030, the company warns outdated plans could leave many struggling to keep up.

“If you’re experiencing buffering, slow downloads, or video calls that freeze or drop out, these are some of the telltale signs that your home internet isn’t up to the task,” NBN’s consumer spokesperson Jane McNamara said.

Millions of Australians could be paying too much for sluggish internet, with experts urging households to review their plans as data demand is expected to double by 2029.

“Many Australians with outdated plans find they can double their speed for the same cost per month, or even less, just by speaking to their provider, or shopping around.

“There are now more than 150 retailers offering NBN services, competing on price, inclusions and service.”

NSW had the highest total data consumption during the month of June last year (763,897.93 GB), followed by Queensland (527,410.73 GB), Victoria (402,326.25 GB), South Australia (242,508.15 GB), Tasmania (97,749.12 GB), and the Northern Territory (36,104.63 GB).

The suburb with the highest average data usage was Bidwill in NSW (887.13 GB), while Essendon Fields in Victoria had the lowest (63.13 GB).

Gaming and streaming platforms are driving the surge in internet usage, but new applications are expected to increase the demand, including 8K video streaming which requires up to 80 times more data than standard definition, and cloud gaming – which doesn’t require downloads – can consume up to 120 times more.

For Andrey Derevyanko, keeping up with his internet usage while working from home became a challenge.

Despite already being on a fast-speed plan, he is already looking to upgrade to NBN’s new multi-gig plan, which will be available in September.

“We have about 40 devices connected to the internet at home, including air conditioner, washing machine, gaming consoles, VR, and heaps more,” he said.

“My girlfriend and I both work from home, and my role at Trendspek means I need to work with massive online files, so fast internet is really important.

Andrey Derevyakno has about 40 devices connected to the internet at home. Picture: Supplied

“Not long ago we lived with two other couples as housemates, and we all worked from home, so we saw how quickly the internet can crash out when more than one person is using heavily at the same time.”

Future funding of the NBN has become a major election issue, after Anthony Albanese injected an extra $3 billion into the company in January. That was in addition to the $480m taxpayers spent on the wireless upgrade, which NBN Co contributed $270m towards.

However, overall growth in NBN has plateaued. About 8.8 million Australians used its broadband services in the December quarter, compared with 8.76 million in the same period in 2023.

HOW TO IMPROVE INTERNET SPEED:

• Type in your address into the NBN website to check the type of connection you’re on, whether a full fibre upgrade is available, and what speed plans are available from which retailers.
• Check the age of your Wi-Fi router – update about as often as your mobile phone.
• Make sure your Wi-Fi router is in a high, central location, away from interference.
• Consider a Wi-Fi mesh network to extend signal coverage.
• Plug in fixed devices, like smart TVs, into the router directly when possible.

Originally published as NBN warns outdated plans could leave many Aussies struggling to keep up