Enter, 5G cellular technology. It’s not just able to provide an internet connection to phones, it can also provide internet for your home.
These 5G home internet plans come in three speed tiers up to 50Mbps, up to 100Mbps and uncapped. That’s the equivalent of NBN 50, NBN 100 and NBN 250 (or above), respectively.
Let’s see how they compare to the NBN.
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5G home internet (50Mbps cap) vs NBN 50
Here are 5G home internet plans with speeds up to 50Mbps, sorted by lowest price:
Here’s how they compare to cheap NBN 50 plans:
The cheapest 5G plan here is a tie between iiNet and TPG. Both offer 5G home internet from $49.99 for the first six months before the price goes up to $59.99 ongoing. You’ll save $9 per month compared to the cheapest NBN 50 plan here which is from Dodo.
Compared over a full 12 months, you could save $174 by sticking with either 5G home internet plan over the cheapest NBN plan. If you were to switch from one to the other after six months to take advantage of another discount, you’d save $234.
5G home internet (100Mbps cap) vs NBN 100
Here are 5G home internet plans with speeds up to 50Mbps, sorted by lowest price:
Here’s how they compare to cheap NBN 100 plans:
The cheapest 5G plan with up to 100Mbps speed cap is from TPG. It costs $54.99 per month for the first six months and then increases to $64.99 per month ongoing.
Compared to the cheapest NBN 100 plan which is $64 per month for the first six months from Dodo you’ll save $9 per month. Or if we look at the 12-month cost, a saving of $174.
5G home internet (Uncapped) vs NBN 250
Here are 5G home internet plans with uncapped speeds, sorted by lowest price:
Here’s how they compare to cheap NBN 250 plans:
There are slightly fewer options when it comes to uncapped 5G home internet plans. The cheapest of them is from Telstra and costs $85 per month, although you also get the first month for free. It does have a 1000GB data cap, but it would be a rare circumstance that an ordinary household might use that much data in a month.
The cheapest NBN 250 plan is from SpinTel. It costs $75 per month for the first six months, then $85.95 ongoing. Obviously, at first glance, the NBN plan is cheaper by $10 a month, but there are two things to consider.
The typical evening speed Telstra reports for the 5G plan is well over twice as fast at 548Mbps to SpinTel’s 211Mbps. Secondly, if we look at the 12-month price, you’ll actually save $30 in the first year thanks to that hefty first-month discount.
Dylan Crismale is Digital Content Editor at WhistleOut, Australia’s mobile and internet comparison site.