Some consumers on NBN Co's Fixed Wireless Plus plan have experienced a significant improvement to their broadband speeds in the past six months following recent speed changes introduced by NBN Co, the ACCC's latest Measuring Broadband Australia report has found.
The average download speed for uplifted NBN Fixed Wireless Plus services was 96.7 Mbps across all hours in May 2024. This compares to an average download speed of 58.6 Mbps for all NBN fixed wireless services in December 2023. Download speeds during the busy hours of 7 to 11pm on weeknights increased from 49.8 Mbps to 78.2 Mbps across the same comparison period.
"Download speed performance has never been higher on NBN's fixed-line and fixed wireless networks. This improved performance is encouraging to see following NBN Co's investments in its network and its recently simplified wholesale pricing," ACCC Commissioner Anna Brakey said.
Figure 1. Average download speeds on Fixed Wireless Plus plan
The report also found that the average download performance across all NBN fixed wireless services, including those with lower plan speeds, was 100.1 per cent of the maximum plan speed across all hours and 84.1 per cent during the busy hours.
Average fixed-line speed exceeds maximum plan download speed for the first time
In May 2024, the average download speed for NBN fixed-line connections during the busy hours was 100.4 per cent of plan speed, making this the first Measuring Broadband Australia report with a result exceeding 100 per cent of plan speeds.
It is possible for consumers to receive speeds above their plan's maximum download speed as NBN Co overprovisions the downlink of some products by 10-15 per cent.
Underperforming services represented four per cent of NBN fixed-line services tested in this report, which was marginally lower than the last report, making it the lowest figure in the program's history. These are services which very rarely, if ever, achieve at least 75 per cent of their plan download speed. The proportion of underperforming services with a Fibre to the Node connection type remains higher compared to other technologies.
"We will continue to monitor underperforming services as they can have a big impact on consumers who rightly expect to receive the speeds they are paying for," Ms Brakey said.
"We encourage consumers that are experiencing significant speed delays in their internet connection to contact their service provider and ask whether they can access an upgrade to a Fibre to the Premises connection at their address."
Background
In November 2023, NBN Co announced plans to boost the speed of the existing Fixed Wireless Plus wholesale plan without lifting the wholesale price. In January 2024, NBN Co launched a pilot introducing these higher speeds which are now available at premises with newer NBN Wireless Network Terminating Devices installed. The latest Measuring Broadband Australia report includes data on the speed performance for consumers that benefitted from the uplift in speeds.
The ACCC welcomes the inclusion of additional retail service providers and emerging broadband technologies to reflect the increasing broadband offerings in the market.
The ACCC is currently examining whether the performance of satellite services, such as those provided over NBN Sky Muster and Starlink, could be monitored as part of the Measuring Broadband Australia program. Consumers who use satellite services can sign up to volunteer via the Measuring Broadband Australia website.
Data for Measuring Broadband Australia is provided by UK-based firm SamKnows using methodology based on speed testing programs delivered in the UK, US, Canada and New Zealand.
To sign up, visit Measuring Broadband Australia
