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Compare broadband plans for your business

There's more to finding the best broadband plans for your business than just choosing the cheapest option. Compare business broadband plans here.

What are business broadband plans?
What benefits do business broadband plans offer?
What to consider
Compare business broadband plans

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Commander NBN Business Fibre Standard Plus

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Business broadband plans

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What are business broadband plans?

If you're running a small business, you need to know that your broadband connection is both fast and reliable. While the Internet going down is inconvenient while watching Netflix at home, even the slightest Internet outage can have significant ramifications on a business's bottom line.

Because of these more advanced requirements, many ISPs offer dedicated business broadband plans. These plans promise increased uptime and reliability and offer dedicated support teams to ensure a minimum of downtime and fast responses if there are any issues.

The best business plans also take into account the specific needs of your business, from static IP addresses through to advanced technical support that can help even the least technical person get connected and stay connected with a minimum of fuss.

Some businesses may require a more complex office phone system, which can often be bundled with an eligible business broadband plan. Most ISPs have dedicated business support members who can help you customise your phone and business broadband package to the needs of your business.

It's important to remember that in order to be eligible for a business broadband plan, you will need to have a valid Australian Business number (ABN).

What benefits do business broadband plans offer?

At their core, business broadband plans don't differ dramatically from regular broadband plans. They use the same Internet technology and typically offer similar speeds and download caps. It's the extra services companies tack on that make these plans attractive to businesses, so let's take a look at what incentives the big telcos have to offer:

Telstra

  • Mobile broadband back-up: If your fixed broadband connection goes down unexpectedly, Telstra's Business Smart Modem will automatically switch you over to 4G to keep you connected while the outage is resolved.
  • Premium support: Telstra's 24/7 Concierge tech support service lets you resolve your problems with a single person instead of bouncing between multiple representatives. It also promises next-day replacements for any hardware that goes on the fritz.
  • Static IP: Telstra's business broadband plans include a static IP address for hosting private servers or setting up a Virtual Private Network (VPN) for your employees to securely connect to.

Optus

  • Optus Business Care: Optus business customers have access to a 24/7 Live Chat service for their support questions. Businesses that bundle multiple services with Optus may also be assigned a dedicated customer service team for personalised assistance.
  • Premium Wi-Fi modem: All Optus' business broadband plans include a premium Sagemcom AC Wi-Fi modem router designed to deliver faster and more reliable connections.
  • Bundle discounts: Businesses that combine multiple services under a single Optus account can save up to 20% on their overall plan fees.

Vodafone

  • 4G backup and Instant Connect: Vodafone uses its mobile infrastructure to augment its business broadband plans, connecting you to its 4G network while you wait for your NBN service to be installed. This feature also kicks in should your NBN connection suffer a disruption, automatically switching you over to the Vodafone 4G network to minimise downtime.
  • Satisfaction guarantee: If Vodafone's broadband service doesn't meet your business' needs within the first 30 days of your contract, you can apply for a full refund with no strings attached.
  • Bundle discounts: If you bundle multiple Vodafone NBN, mobile broadband and phone plans under a single business account, you can save anywhere between 5% and 20% on your monthly bill.

What should you consider when comparing business broadband plans?

Every business's Internet needs will vary. Digital startups that engage with customers only online will have very different needs to a brick-and-mortar store looking to expand its digital presence.

Having a thorough understanding of what you actually need for your business's broadband connection is a critical first step before you sign up. There are a number of factors you should take into consideration when choosing your broadband plan.

1. Data

Just like home broadband accounts, ensuring you have enough monthly data allowance is going to be crucial. Remember that data is going to be shared over a single broadband connection, so the data needs of a 20-person company are going to be significantly higher than a sole-trader. You pay more money for more data, so choosing the right plan for your business needs is imperative for your bottom line.

2. Do you need enterprise email?

Many ISPs will include business email addresses with the cost of a business broadband plan. You don't have to use this, but if you do want to manage your email addresses internally, you'll want to check how many email addresses your plan provides and how much server storage is included. You'll also want to make sure there's some form of antivirus and spam filtering included.

3. Bundled web storage

Just like work email addresses, many business broadband plans offer web storage which can be used for hosting small company websites. If your business is purely digital and your website requires guaranteed uptime, it's probably worth looking for dedicated hosting elsewhere, but if your website is little more than a portfolio of your work, ISP hosting can certainly be an affordable way to do the job.

4. Static IP addresses

You may not realise it, but most personal broadband accounts will have their IP address periodically refreshed. A dynamic IP address is fine for most household Internet connections, but businesses that need to run a server or host their own website locally will need a fixed (or static) IP address. Static IP addresses also make it easy for employees to securely log in to a company's server using a Virtual Private Network (VPN). Many business broadband plans today automatically offer fixed IP addresses as part of the plan.

5. Security

It's a big, bad, nasty world out there on the Internet, which is why many business broadband plans include extra security. This can range from anti-spam software to applications designed to prevent Distributed Denial of Service (DDOS) attacks. For always-connected companies, this protection is invaluable.

6. VoIP phone line

If you need an office phone line, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone lines offer affordable phone connectivity as part of a business broadband bundle. By using the Internet to connect phone calls, the cost of running your business can be reduced.

7. Unlimited uploads

When you have a fair few employees all working and sharing files between the team and with external clients, having a robust broadband connection with significant bandwidth for uploads as well as downloads is essential. What's more, you can get professional broadband plans that offer unlimited uploads, which can be a great way to keep your data usage in check.

8. Support

Perhaps the most important factor to consider when choosing a broadband plan for your business is the support on offer. Many ISPs differentiate their consumer and business plans by their support offering, and it's easy to understand why. If your connection goes down in the middle of the night, you'll want to know that there's somebody available to kick the server and get you back up and running as soon as possible.

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2 Responses

  1. Default Gravatar
    amyFebruary 10, 2018

    we run a small business from home, we already have the NBN box & everything but I want to know who is the best for Value & we want to keep our home number & fax number (for the business) but we also want our mobiles & Ipad & my kids phones (limited for the kids) all on the same plan. does anyone do that?

    Reply
    • Default Gravatar
      JoelFebruary 17, 2018

      Hi Amy,

      Thanks for leaving a question on finder.

      While we cannot recommend a single provider, you may compare different broadband bundle plans on this page and see which one meets your needs. Simply enter your address and set the filters to your desired data, speed, provider, etc.

      If you need anything else, please send us a message anytime.

      Cheers,
      Joel

      Reply
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