NBN HFC plans

If you've got an HFC NBN connection at home, you can get a plan with speeds up to 1000Mbps.

1 - 10 of 238
Name Product AUFBB-INT Data allowance Typical download speed Price Hid Compare Box!
  • Month-to-month
  • BYO modem or purchase for $99.90. Option to pay in monthly instalments. T&Cs apply
Unlimited Data
Data
Unlimited Data
100Mbps
nbnâ„¢100
Speed
100Mbps
nbnâ„¢100
$68.90
per month
$0 setup fees, $68.90 min. total cost
Price
$68.90 per month
$0 setup fees, $68.90 min. total cost
  • Month-to-month
  • BYO modem or purchase for $130
Unlimited Data
Data
Unlimited Data
100Mbps
nbnâ„¢100
Speed
100Mbps
nbnâ„¢100
$69
per month
$0 setup fees, $69 min. total cost
Price
$69 per month
$0 setup fees, $69 min. total cost
  • Month-to-month
  • BYO modem or purchase for $114.95
Unlimited Data
Data
Unlimited Data
50Mbps
nbnâ„¢50
Speed
50Mbps
nbnâ„¢50
$79.99
per month
$0 setup fees, $79.99 min. total cost
Price
$79.99 per month
$0 setup fees, $79.99 min. total cost
Buddy Telco NBN Speedy
NBN
Month-to-month
  • Month-to-month
  • BYO modem
Unlimited Data
Data
Unlimited Data
98Mbps
nbnâ„¢100
Speed
98Mbps
nbnâ„¢100
$85
per month
$0 setup fees, $85 min. total cost
Price
$85 per month
$0 setup fees, $85 min. total cost
Optus Plus Everyday Fast nbn®
NBN
Month-to-month
Introductory offer: $89/mth for the first 6 months, normally $99/mth. Eligibility criteria, T&Cs apply.
  • Month-to-month
  • Optus Ultra WiFi Modem Gen 2 included for $0 if you stay connected for 36 mths. T&Cs apply
Unlimited Data
Data
Unlimited Data
100Mbps
nbnâ„¢100
Speed
100Mbps
nbnâ„¢100
$89
per month
$0 setup fees, $395 min. total cost
Price
$89 per month
$0 setup fees, $395 min. total cost
Belong NBN Premium Broadband
NBN
Month-to-month
  • Month-to-month
  • BYO modem or purchase for $132 T&Cs apply
Unlimited Data
Data
Unlimited Data
100Mbps
nbnâ„¢100
Speed
100Mbps
nbnâ„¢100
$95
per month
$0 setup fees, $95 min. total cost
Price
$95 per month
$0 setup fees, $95 min. total cost
Swoop NBN Home Fast Plus Finder Exclusive
NBN
Month-to-month
EXCLUSIVE OFFER: $79/mth for the first 6 months, then $104/mth. Use promo code FINDER25. Eligibility criteria, T&Cs apply. Ends 1.1.25
Exclusive
  • Month-to-month
  • BYO modem or purchase for $130
Unlimited Data
Data
Unlimited Data
100Mbps
nbnâ„¢100
Speed
100Mbps
nbnâ„¢100
$79
per month
$0 setup fees, $79 min. total cost
Price
$79 per month
$0 setup fees, $79 min. total cost
Southern Phone NBN Fast
NBN
Month-to-month
Black Friday Deal: $65/mth for the first 12 months, then $89/mth. Eligibility criteria, T&Cs apply. Ends 10.12.24
  • Month-to-month
  • BYO modem or purchase for $156
Unlimited Data
Data
Unlimited Data
100Mbps
nbnâ„¢100
Speed
100Mbps
nbnâ„¢100
$65
per month
$0 setup fees, $65 min. total cost
Price
$65 per month
$0 setup fees, $65 min. total cost
iiNet NBN100 Liimitless
NBN
Month-to-month
Black Friday Deal: $79.99/mth for the first 6 months, then $89.99/mth. Eligibility criteria, T&Cs apply. Ends 10.12.24
  • Month-to-month
  • BYO modem or $0 modem if you stay connected for 24 months. T&Cs apply
Unlimited Data
Data
Unlimited Data
100Mbps
nbnâ„¢100
Speed
100Mbps
nbnâ„¢100
$79.99
per month
$0 setup fees, $79.99 min. total cost
Price
$79.99 per month
$0 setup fees, $79.99 min. total cost
Dodo NBN50
NBN
Month-to-month
$63.90/mth for the first 12 months, then $83.90/mth. Eligibility criteria, T&Cs apply. Ends 28.1.25
  • Month-to-month
  • BYO modem or purchase for $99.90. Option to pay in monthly instalments. T&Cs apply
Unlimited Data
Data
Unlimited Data
50Mbps
nbnâ„¢50
Speed
50Mbps
nbnâ„¢50
$63.90
per month
$0 setup fees, $63.90 min. total cost
Price
$63.90 per month
$0 setup fees, $63.90 min. total cost
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What is HFC?

HFC stands for Hybrid Fibre Coaxial and it essentially describes a type of NBN connection that uses a mix of newer high-speed fibre optics and existing pay TV coaxial cables (the same ones that deliver Foxtel).

Whether you have it or not depends on where you live, but chances are you'll get it if there is existing cable TV or cable internet from Optus or Telstra in your neighbourhood.

How does HFC NBN work?

Signals are sent from your house to a nearby node through coaxial cables, then switched to the wider fibre network of the NBN. A modem in your house completes the connection.

There's some HFC-specific equipment you'll need to get set up, but it's more or less the same as any other NBN connection. You'll need:

  • An NBN connection box – provided by the NBN
  • An NBN utility box – provided and installed by the NBN
  • A modem-router – purchased from your internet service provider or a third party

If you also have a pay TV subscription, you'll need a cable splitter (provided by the NBN), which lets you attach both your modem and pay TV box to the same wall outlet.

Michael Todd's headshot

"If you work from home often, check the NBN connection type when you are looking for a place to rent. Moving to an apartment with a HFC NBN connection made a really noticeable difference for me."

Michael Todd
Finder crew member

How is HFC installed?

The utility box outside your house is installed by NBN Co, so you don't have to worry about it.

If your property is a new development, the technician will require access to your outdoor area to install the utility box. If you live in an apartment, check with your provider if the NBN connection box isn't already installed in your unit.

All you need to do is plug your NBN connection box into the coaxial wall outlet using the provided cable, then attach your modem-router to one of the box's yellow UNI-D ports with an ethernet cable (provided with the modem). You'll also need a couple of spare power outlets for both devices.

For more detailed information on your connection, your chosen NBN provider should give you instructions on how to set up your connection after you've signed up.

How fast are HFC NBN speeds?

HFC connections are able to achieve a maximum download speed of 1000Mbps and upload speeds of up to 50Mbps. This covers all 6 NBN speed tiers.

NBN speed tierMaximum download speedMaximum upload speedMost suitable for
NBN 1212Mbps1Mbps1 person
NBN 2525Mbps5Mbps1–2 people
NBN 5050Mbps20Mbps2–3 people
NBN 100100Mbps40Mbps3–4 people
NBN 250250Mbps25Mbps4+ people
NBN 10001000Mbps50Mbps4+ people

Like any other fixed-line NBN connection, your HFC plan speeds may slow down during busy periods of the day, especially in the evening between 7pm and 11pm. This is known as your typical evening speed, which is advertised across most NBN plans as a point of comparison.

How does HFC compare to other NBN connection types?

HFC is just one of the many NBN technology types. While you can't exactly choose the type of NBN connection type you get at your home, it can be good to know how it stacks up compared to other types just so you know what to expect.

HFC vs FTTN

FTTN is generally less reliable and slower than HFC.

Both connection types run to a central node before connecting to the wider network. However, Fibre to the Node (FTTN) uses inferior copper telephone cables compared to HFC. This means your FTTN connection gets significantly worse the farther you are from the node.

HFC vs FTTC

HFC and FTTC are pretty similar, although HFC usually performs better.

With Fibre to the Curb (FTTC), copper connects your home to a distribution point or "telecom pit" near your house. From there, fibre optic completes the connection to the greater network. Copper is still worse than coaxial cables though, so FTTC connections can suffer.

HFC vs FTTP

Theoretically, FTTP should be the best NBN connection available and outperform HFC.

Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) uses high-quality fibre optic cables that run all the way up to your house, with no mix of other materials. For this reason, FTTP should theoretically operate better than HFC and offer faster speeds for users.

The ACCC's Broadband performance data from May 2023 suggests otherwise though, with average plan download speeds during busy hours performing better with HFC connections (102.2% hitting maximum plan speeds) compared to FTTP connections (101.9%).

HFC vs FTTB

HFC and FTTB can be pretty comparable, depending on the building.

In a Fibre to the Basement (FTTB) connection, fibre optic cables are run to a box in the basement of a building and from there other cables complete the connection to individual apartments. Similar to FTTN, apartments further from the basement will experience worse connections.


Jason Loewenthal's headshot
To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been edited by Jason Loewenthal as part of our fact-checking process.
Michelle Kwong's headshot
Written by

Publisher

Michelle Kwong is the publisher for utilities, specialising in mobile and internet plans. Michelle has a Bachelor of Commerce (Marketing) and Media (PR and Advertising) from the University of New South Wales. See full bio

Michelle's expertise
Michelle has written 5 Finder guides across topics including:
  • Mobile phone plans
  • Internet plans

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2 Responses

    Default Gravatar
    TangoJune 24, 2017

    Hi Team

    Your finder.com information provided on Broadband services in general is clearly explained, unbiased and informative. However, a confusion exists in your advertised cost for the Bundle package called, (Telstra Home Internet M Bundle – Cable with Speed Boost for $110 with up to 100 mbps and unlimited calls to standard local and national fixed lines and standard Australian mobiles.)

    When you click on your ‘Go to site’ link next to your advertised bundle on your site, the information found on the linked telstra site does not offer Speeds up to 100mbps for your advertised price of $110.

    You might want to clarify if your details are correct or my details obtained by selecting the same options on the telstra shop site are more than you quote of $110 (a speed boost from 25 mbps to 100 mbps is an add-on cost of $20/mth and the included calls cost more – $15/mth, taking the cost up to between $126 and $146(if a Netgear Frontier modem is needed).

    Can you please clarify if I am correct? Thanks

    Tango

      Default Gravatar
      JonathanJune 24, 2017

      Hello Tango!

      Speeds of up to 100mbps is a maximum hypothetical speed that can be attained using HFC cable technology. Most telco providers in Australia will have the same disclosure on this matter. Speeds are never guaranteed as they are affected by multitude of factors such as your distance to the exchange, technical limitations, the bandwidth demand in your area, devices connected, etc.

      If you wish to understand this better, you may check the Critical Information Summary or talk this out with your network provider.

      Hope this helps.

      Cheers,
      Jonathan

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