The National Broadband Network will give all households and businesses access to fast, affordable and reliable broadband, according to the federal government.
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But, as fibre continues to roll out across Ballarat streets, just how affordable are the services on offer?
In some suburbs, customers can already buy a range of NBN plans from retail providers.
As little as $29.95 a month could give you access to up to 15GB, on an entry level plan.
But how much you pay also depends on how much data you want, and how fast.
The Courier investigated some popular plans and found:
• With more than 30 internet service providers offering plans across Australia, the major telcos face competition from the little guys;
• Telstra plans start from $60 a month and include a $100 a month option that comes with 500GB of data. At Optus, plans range from $55 for 50GB to $85 for 300GB;
• For customers on a budget, internet service provider Harbour ISP offers some of the cheapest plans on the market, with an entry level plan of 5GB+10GB (peak +off peak), from $29.95. Internode’s 30GB from $49.95 offers value for money, as does iiNet’s 20GB +20GB from $49.95 and iPrimus (40GB $49.95);
• Other service providers are charging around $50 a month for a 25 Mbps download service and a 50GB a month data allowance. For even higher speeds and more data, there are plans of up to 100 Mbps download and upload speeds of 40 Mbps;
• Need lots of data? MyNetFone is offering 1.05TB from $99.95. Or go for iiNet (500GB +500GB from $79.95), Harbour ISP (500GB+500GB) from 79.70 or Internode 1000GB ($139.95);
• A large section of Ballarat now has access to the National Broadband Network, but a proportion of the city won’t receive access any time soon, as the city’s western and southern suburbs all face the possibility of being left behind.
rachel.afflick@fairfaxmedia.com.au