Compare Internet Providers and NBN Plans in Brisbane

Whether you’re walking along Southbank, soaking up the food and music of the West End, or waiting at the iconic local meeting place that is the Queen St Mall Hungry Jacks, there’s a lot to do in Brisbane. And the city’s paradisiacal surroundings should not imply anything less than a thriving metropolis with a vast array of home internet broadband options!

5G is the next big thing in broadband - both on your phone and in your home. It’s a cellular technology that’s the next evolutionary step after the old 4G network, and early reports are citing that it can deliver a download speed as fast as 20Gbps. It won’t be readily available in the mainstream until sometime in 2020, but 5G towers are already being built and activated in various spots around Australia, which means there is a limited rollout already happening in select areas of certain cities. But count yourself lucky, because not only is Brisbane one of those cities!

The 5G Brisbane rollout is well under way; many 5G towers in Brisbane are already up and running, and 5G is available now in Brisbane in select suburbs. At the time of writing, you should be able to get 5G coverage in Brisbane areas such as South Brisbane, Fortitude Valley, Eagle Farm, Ascot, Nundah, Geebung, Pinkerbaa, Nudgee, Nudgee Beach, and Brisbane Airport.

The NBN (National Broadband Network) is a massive undertaking that involves replacing all of Australia's old copper networks with a more efficient fibre optic cable network. It was designed to replace the old ADSL infrastructure. The NBN can run at speeds of up to 100mb/s, which is five times faster than ADSL2+ which can only hit speeds of around 20mb/s.

The NBN in Brisbane is largely completed, with the remaining regions to have their NBN build finished no later than the end of 2020. ADSL2+ is still available where NBN construction is still underway, but it will be permanently disconnected once the NBN is made active in that area. Before your home has its copper line access disconnected, you are given around 18 months notice so that you have ample time to make NBN plans. If you’d like a specific date for when your Brisbane area will have its copper lines disconnected, you should call your current internet service provider directly.

There are many different NBN plans available, with varying different speeds. The four main speed tiers available to you in Brisbane are as follows: 

- Basic evening speed: No minimum

- Standard evening speed: Minimum 15 Mbp

- Standard plus evening speed: Minimum 30 Mbps

- Premium evening speed: Minimum 60 Mbps

The best broadband provider for you will very much depend on your particular needs. There are a few things you need to take into account when finding the right Brisbane internet provider. Firstly, how much do you want to spend? Besides the monthly price, you also need to keep an eye out for any potential upfront costs that you might incur, ie. the cost of hardware (like a new modem). 

Secondly, how much data do you need? If you’re a light internet user, there’s no point in paying more for data that you’re not using, and you could probably get by with a plan of around 50GB. But if you use the internet quite a lot, and/or you have others in your household who do as well, you might want to consider a data plan of around 200GB, 250GB, or even an unlimited plan (you can read more about Brisbane unlimited data plans below).

Thirdly, your location is likely going to factor in on what the best provider (and plan) is best for you home; different ISPs have different levels of coverage. If you want to find out what sort of internet coverage is available to your address, you can enter your postcode or suburb in our search box here or at the top of the page.

Thankfully, most Brisbane ISPs have quality internet plans. Brisbane has all of the major Australian internet providers, including Telstra, Optus, TPG, Dodo, iiSelect, iiPrimus, Belong, MyRepublic and Sumo. Before you sign with anyone, it’s best to call the ISP you’re looking at so they can confirm that your home has access to their service, and give you any other relevant information, such as potential discounts on the pricing. Calling a provider is also the best way to gauge their quality of customer service!

Do you have a lot of family members (or housemates) who need to use the internet simultaneously? Do you like to unwind by watching a good movie on Foxtel, Netflix or Stan? Do you like to potter around the kitchen or home office while you play a Spotify playlist in the background? Does anyone in the house divulge in a bit of downloading or online gaming? 

If you answered “yes” to any of these, there’s a very good chance you’re going to want to look at the unlimited broadband plans available in Brisbane. Unlimited data plans are especially handy if you have more than one device (ie. laptop/mobile phone/tablet) connected to the home wi-fi continuously. They permit you to browse and stream at your leisure without having to worry about running out of data or incurring an extra fee. The best unlimited broadband plan for you will depend on what sort of internet connection you have, and which internet service providers (or ISPs) are available in your Brisbane area. Not all ISPs have full coverage in every region, so it’s a good move to check ahead before you get too excited about signing up to a plan... get in touch with us if you need help with that (free service)! 

Need more information? You can call one of our friendly broadband consultants directly on 1300 106 571. Compare Broadband is a free internet comparison service for all Australians, so get in touch! We’re also independently rated 5 stars by our customers, and we have a Trust Pilot score of 4.8 out of 5 based on over 1,800 reviews. We’re here to help!