I live in Marybirnong.

Hi Sefik,

This is an interesting question that you've raised. Quite possibly you've been confused by some of the conversation going on around the NBN talking about 100Mbps speeds, or maybe you've recently moved from a country where 100Mbps speeds were available, like South Korea, Finland, or Sweden.

Unfortunately, I have some bad news – in Australia, 100Mbps broadband connections are for the most part, simply not available. Most Australian broadband connections are ADSL2+, which can only handle speeds up to 25Mbps at most, and usually you'll be getting a lot less than that. The speed of your connection depends mostly upon your distance from the telephone exchange, and the quality of your copper line; no matter which provider you go with, these two factors will stay the same, and generally you will always have the same speeds. Looking at your address on the map, you're reasonably close to a telephone exchange – about two kilometres away. The maximum speed you'd ever be able to get, though, is 12Mbps.

Click here for the best ADSL2+ plans.

Mobile broadband is also common but generally pretty slow and unreliable, and while Telstra 4G speeds can theoretically offer up to 40Mbps, the 4G network is currently restricted to the CBD of Melbourne, Brisbane, and Sydney, and occasionally can be found in airports – and more often the speed will hover around the 25Mbps mark. As it expands, so too will the amount of customers using it, and so those speeds may be shared out by an overworked network, though Optus building their own 4G network may take on some of the load. Whatever happens with 4G, it's definitely not the connection you're looking for at the moment.

Click here for the best mobile broadband plans.

Another option you could look into is a cable broadband connection. Theoretically, cable broadband speeds can get up to 100Mbps in certain areas on very expensive connections. However, the areas are restricted, and it will also depend on whether your modem and the equipment in your area is up to a DOCSIX 3.0 standard. The more common speed of a cable connection is up to 30Mbps, and that's going to be expensive enough! Cable isn't available in all Australian homes, but as you're in a metropolitan area in Melbourne, there's a good chance that you'd be able to get it. Currently only Optus and BigPond offer cable in Australia.

Click here for the best cable broadband plans.

And there is another option that will soon come in: with the fibre connections that the NBN provides, hopefully within the next ten years 100Mbps speeds (and more!) will become commonplace. However, as I mentioned before, you're in a metropolitan area in Melbourne with a reasonably good ADSL2+ connection available to you and the potential possibility of cable at your address – it's unlikely that the NBN will be getting to you anytime soon. You might have to resign yourself to much slower internet speeds for now.

Call Optus first to see whether or not cable is available in your area. They can be reached on 1300 137 897.

If Optus cable doesn't work out for you, you could ask them about their ADSL2+ plans as well, as Optus generally have some great deals around ADSL2+. But if they don't suit you, try one of the following providers—

TPG: 1300 106 571
Dodo: 1300 136 793

I hope this helps, Sefik! If you have any further questions about internet speeds or want help finding the best plan, give us a call on 1300 106 571 and we'll be happy to help.

Mikaella.