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Belong NBN review

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You can pick up a guilt-free broadband plan from Australia’s first carbon neutral provider, Belong.

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Belong Broadband
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Sam Baran
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Belong is fully owned by Telstra, but operates with its own set of Internet plans. All of their plans come on month-to-month or 12-month contracts, hitting two of the five NBN speed tiers.

Top features:
  • Australia's first carbon neutral Internet provider at no extra cost
  • Mobile broadband credit on sign up
  • Owned by Telstra
Belong Internet is not currently available via Finder. You can visit their website at www.belong.com.au for more information or compare alternative options available below.

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Compare Belong's NBN plans here

Belong keeps it simple by offering unlimited data on all their NBN plans so you don't ever have to worry about any excess usage charges.

Belong's NBN plans explained

Belong offers three separate broadband plans, covering several of the NBN's speed tiers.

  • Be wary that all of Belong's plans are speed capped. This means that Belong will restrict your speed once you hit their maximum limit. For example, on its Standard Plus plan, the maximum speed you'll ever get is 40Mbps, not 50Mbps like the maximum for the actual speed tier.
  • Starter. Unlimited data for $60 a month. Maximum data speeds are restricted to 30.00 Mbps at all times.
  • Standard Plus. Unlimited data for $70 a month. Maximum data speeds are restricted to 40.00 Mbps at all times.
  • Premium. Unlimited data for $95 a month. Maximum data speeds are restricted to 80.00 Mbps at all times.

The above prices are for a month-to-month plan and require you to buy a $60 modem on top of the higher price. If you sign a 12-month contract, you'll pay $5 less per month as well as get the modem for free. That option is not available for the Fast plan.

Belong review: What we think

Belong's Internet plans share the following features:

Money icon

Price

$60 monthly and up

Internet icon

Technology type available

NBN

Speedometer icon

NBN speeds available

Standard, Fast

Customer support icon

Support

Phone until midnight

Belong is entirely owned by Telstra, and may be a good choice if you depend upon Telstra's expansive network but don't want to pay its high prices. Belong's plans are heavily weighted towards getting you to commit to a 12-month contract, charging you an extra $5 monthly and making you pay for a modem outright if you don't.

If you're in a metro area or somewhere with reasonable choice, Belong comes up short against its competition. Providers like Optus or TPG will give you better speeds for the same price and include other features as well. If you can stomach its slightly inflated prices, Telstra itself will likely give you more bang for your buck.

Finally, make sure you understand what speed you're getting from Belong. All of its NBN plans are speed capped, which means that instead of getting the maximum speed available on a speed tier, Belong limits the speed you get.

A plan on the NBN 50 tier would usually give you access to maximum 50Mbps speeds, but with Belong's speed caps, it'll only let you reach 40Mbps. This isn't really great value since you're getting limitations forced upon your speeds. But if you're fine with getting a maximum of 40Mbps and you're happy with the price, Belong might still be worth considering.

Other features that Belong offers:

  • Free mobile credit. When you sign up to a Belong NBN plan, you get a free mobile SIM with $80 of credit on it. You can then activate a mobile data plan with Belong using this SIM.
  • Modems. All of Belong's plans come with an included modem that will cost you an extra $60. If you buy a 12-month contract, this fee is waived.
  • No extra set-up fees. Aside from the price for the modem, there are no additional set-up fees on Belong plans.


Is Belong Internet right for you?

The good stuff

  • A Telstra offshoot.
  • Plans are easy to understand on 12 month contracts.

The not-so-good stuff

  • Speed-capped NBN plans.
  • Poor value compared to competitors.

The bottom line: Belong is effectively Telstra's child, offering reasonable services on the Telstra network but without quite reaching its parent's sky-high prices. However, while its plans are simple for the most part, they don't give particularly good value for money.

Belong FAQ

Do I need a new modem to sign up to Belong?

In all cases, yes. All of Belong's plans either require you to pay for the $60 modem straight up or sign a 12-month contract in order to get it for free.

Can I cancel my Belong NBN plan?

If you're on a month to month plan, you can cancel at any time for no extra penalty. When you sign up to a 12-month contract, you'll have to pay an early exit fee of $240 that decreases by $20 a month for each month of the plan that passes.

Do Belong's Internet plans include calls?

No, Belong's NBN plans do not include calls. You will receive a Belong mobile SIM card when you sign up to its NBN plan which has $80 included credit, but you'll have to recharge it yourself if you want to continue a mobile plan with it.

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9 Responses

    Default Gravatar
    LesleyApril 11, 2017

    If I take up one of your NBN offers and wish to keep my landline, will I need to pay extra for the privilege ?

    Reply
      Default Gravatar
      ArnoldApril 12, 2017

      Hi Lesley,

      Thanks for your inquiry.

      Please note that we are not an internet provider, but rather a comparison and general information website.

      Regarding your question, generally speaking, there are not there are no fees for retaining an existing home phone. If you wish to check and compare broadband plans, check our NBN internet page for more details.

      Hope this information helped.

      Cheers,
      Arnold

      Reply
    Default Gravatar
    GordonMarch 23, 2017

    I currently have and pay for a landline. Can this be transferred to Belong if I take up one of their nbn options please/

    Reply
      Avatarfinder Customer Care
      DeeMarch 23, 2017Staff

      Hi Gordon,

      Thanks for your question.

      If you have decided to go with a new provider, generally, you may still keep your old phone number and port it over to the new provider to continue receiving calls made to your existing phone number.

      You may directly get in touch with your new provider to check the requirements for number porting.

      Cheers,
      Anndy

      Reply
    Default Gravatar
    RobJanuary 6, 2017

    I have been trying to contact Belong by phone for the last 3 days (3rd to 6th Jan 2017) but no one answers.

    Reply
      Avatarfinder Customer Care
      DeeJanuary 6, 2017Staff

      Hi Rob,

      Thanks for reaching out.

      If you are unable to contact Belong by phone, you may want to try getting in touch with their customer support team. Just click any of the “go to site’ button so you’ll be redirected to Belong website. On their home page, there is a button to “chat.”

      Cheers,
      Anndy

      Reply
    Default Gravatar
    neilOctober 20, 2016

    2 Harrison Crescent Yankalilla is a near new home but the nbn has not been connected to the house. I can see wires coiled by the electrical green box by the footpath.

    Could you give an estimation of time frame and basic costs to have the basic nbn installed in the house please.

    Reply
      Default Gravatar
      BrodieOctober 31, 2016

      Hi Neil,

      Thanks for your inquiry.

      I have entered your address into our NBN tracker, but there doesn’t seem to be any information on the NBN rollout in your area. I would recommend contacting NBNCo directly with your query.

      Thanks,
      Brodie

      Reply
    Default Gravatar
    InfoJuly 19, 2016

    Hi

    Please can you let me know the technical specifications of the ONU. I.E. how many Ethernet ports, wifi. Will I still require a router? Etc
    Thanks

    Reply
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