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Commander Broadband NBN, ADSL and mobile broadband plans compared

Commander Broadband offers fixed-line and mobile broadband plans to those who are chasing business-grade voice and data services.

How does Commander Broadband compare?
Commander Broadband NBN plans
Commander Broadband ADSL plans
Commander Broadband mobile broadband plans
Why should you consider Commander Broadband?

Originally known for its business phone systems, Commander Broadband now offers a full range of business communication services including business-grade fibre, NBN and ADSL along with mobile voice and data. Like most business-oriented telcos, Commander Broadband only offers its services to customers with a valid Australian Business Number (ABN).

Office phone systems are still at the heart of what Commander Broadband does, but there's the option of just signing up for broadband and arranging your voice services elsewhere. Along with connectivity, you can also pay extra for business-grade support.

Commander Broadband NBN plans

Commander Broadband's NBN plans support most standard NBN access technologies: fibre to the premises (FTTP), fibre to the node (FTTN), fibre to the building (FTTB) and hybrid-fibre coaxial (HFC) but not fixed wireless.

Depending on the technology, the top three main NBN speed tiers are available: Standard (nbn25), Standard Plus (nbn50) and Premium (nbn100).

On the data front, all of Commander Broadband's NBN plans come with unlimited data. On a Standard NBN connection, this gives you just one plan:

  • Standard plan, which includes unlimited data for $79.95 a month

Typically, Commander Broadband charges an extra $10 a month to upgrade to a Standard Plus NBN connection, while upgrading to a Premium NBN connection will set you back an extra $20 a month.

All of these plans come with 24-month contracts and no set-up fees. If you break your contract before the two years is up, the Early Termination Fee is 50% of the monthly access fee times the number of months remaining in your contract.

Commander Broadband doesn't charge excess data fees. Instead your connection is slowed to 2Mbps for the rest of the current billing cycle. This is a more generous speed than most telcos offer.

Beyond standard NBN connections, Commander Broadband also offers Rapid Fire 40Mbps and 400Mbps business-grade fibre services along with symmetrical Midband Ethernet services from 6 to 40Mbps. These services operate outside of the NBN and are only available in certain parts of the country.

For more information on the extras Commander Broadband offers with its NBN plans, click here.

Commander Broadband ADSL plans

Commander Broadband also offers ADSL services to business customers who are not yet NBN-ready. These plans offer more flexibility than its NBN plans, with a choice of three data limits:

  • Basic ADSL, which includes 15GB data for a month
  • Office ADSL, which includes 150GB data for a month
  • Executive ADSL, which includes 1000GB data for a month

As with Commander Broadband's NBN plans, these are all 24-month contracts with no set-up fees. If you break your contract, the Early Termination Fee is 50% of the monthly access fee multiplied by the number of months remaining on your contract.

Rather than slow your ADSL connection if you exceed your monthly data allowance, Commander Broadband charges excess data fees of 1c/MB which works out at $10/GB.

These ADSL plans don't include a voice service, but voice lines are available as part of a bundle with the option of month-to-month or 24-month contracts. The bundles also come with different data allowances.

Commander Broadband mobile broadband plans

Along with mobile phone plans, Commander Broadband also offers data-only mobile services using the Optus 3G/4G network. They all operate on a month-to-month basis, but allowances only go as high as 10GB p/m with $10/GB excess data rates.

  • MBB 1GB for $20 a month
  • MBB 4GB for $30 a month
  • MBB 7GB for $45 a month
  • MBB 10GB for $60 a month

These are SIM-only month-to-month plans, but if you sign up for a 24-month contract Commander Broadband will include a USB dongle for free or a mobile hotspot for $5 per month.

If you break your contract, the Early Termination Fee is 50% of the monthly access fee times the remaining contract term, plus any outstanding repayments on the hardware.

Commander Broadband extras

Of course, with any broadband service you need a compatible modem-router for sharing that connection among your various devices.

On the NBN you can bring your own modem or buy the Commander Business Gateway, which is $129 on a 24-month contract or free on 36-month contract. On ADSL, it's $229 on a Basic plan or $129 on an Office or Executive plan. Either way, a $19.95 shipping and handling fee applies.

Office phone systems are Commander Broadband's bread and butter. You don't need to sign up for one, but keep in mind if you don't need a business-grade phone system then you'll find better broadband deals elsewhere.

Commander Broadband's NBN bundles cost an extra $20 on top of the Business Fibre plans. In return you receive an NBN-ready handset along with the option of unlimited local and national calls depending on the plan. You also receive a separate EFTPOS/fax line.

Meanwhile Commander Broadband's ADSL bundles are more complicated, because the tiers differ to the standalone ADSL services. You've got the choice of three "Business Phone and Internet Bundle Plans":

  • Basic ADSL bundle, which includes 200GB data for a month
  • Advanced ADSL bundle, which includes 500GB data for a month
  • Premium ADSL bundle, which includes unlimited data for a month

All ADSL bundles offer unlimited local and national calls. Basic charges 39c/min for mobile calls, while these are also unlimited on the higher plans.

There's also a $99 "Phone+DSL Bundle" which includes unlimited data, a voice line (unlimited local and national calls) and an EPTPOS/fax line. All of these ADSL bundles charge an extra $20 p/m if you're connected to a regional telephone exchange.

Commander Broadband also offers advanced business phone features like hunt group, simultaneous/sequential ring and auto receptionist which will be attractive in an office environment.

How does Commander Broadband compare?

Commander Broadband is aimed at businesses which require dedicated support and the option of extra service level agreements. As a result, it's not going to be as cheap as many of the consumer-grade deals.

How do Commander Broadband's NBN plans compare?
How do Commander Broadband's ADSL plans compare?
How do Commander Broadband's mobile broadband plans compare?

How do Commander Broadband's fixed line NBN plans compare?

To keep things simple, Commander Broadband only offers unlimited downloads on the NBN and skips the Basic NBN speed tier.

Right now, it offers identical pricing for Standard and Standard Plus services at $79.95 a month. You'll find plenty of services which can undercut this, although remember they're less likely to offer business-grade support and advanced phone systems. You will find other providers which focus on business-grade voice services, such as MyNetFone which offers different consumer and business-grade plans.

Step up to Premium NBN speeds and Commander Broadband delivers some of the most competitive rates in the business broadband market. Just bear in mind that its basic plan does not include a lot of the extra features such as unlimited calls and PBX systems that some competitors bundle in their plans.

How do Commander Broadband's phone packs compare?

Commander Broadband's phone packs vary depending on which deal you sign up for, but none of them offers a $0 pay-as-you-go option. On the NBN you need to pay an extra $20 for a bundle, which includes unlimited local and national calls along with varying mobile rates. Meanwhile some of the ADSL deals also include unlimited mobile calls. Keep in mind that many of Commander Broadband's NBN and ADSL bundles also include an EFTPOS/fax line, which improves their utility for your business.

Commander BroadbandMyNetFoneVodafoneTelstraOptusTPGiinet
Pay-as-you-goN/A$0 extra$0 extraN/A$0 extra$0 extra$0 extra
Unlimited local and national calls$20 extraN/AN/A$0 extra$5 extra$0 on Standard Plus and above plansN/A
Unlimited local, national and mobile callsN/AN/AN/A$0 extra$10 extra$10 extra$10 extra

How do Commander Broadband's ADSL plans compare?

Small businesses operating outside the reach of the NBN have good reason to consider Commander Broadband for their ADSL service, provided their Internet needs are relatively humble. While the 15GB of data included with Commander Broadband's Basic ADSL plan doesn't give you a whole lot of wiggle room, it would suffice for basic email and web browsing, though you would probably want to consider TPG's 50GB plan first given it's available at exactly the same price.

If the Internet forms a core part of your business, Commander Broadband's 1,000GB Executive ADSL plan is a decent if not spectacular option. Optus, MyNetFone and Spintel all offer considerably cheaper alternatives that don't require committing to a full 24-month contract.

How do Commander Broadband's mobile broadband plans compare?

Since Commander Broadband doesn't offer any business-specific benefits on its mobile broadband plans, they offer no tangible advantage over regular residential mobile broadband plans. As such, it's worth considering a residential mobile broadband plan instead, as they are typically cheaper and offer more appealing inclusions.

This is immediately apparent when you compare Commander Broadband's 1GB and 4GB mobile broadband plans against offerings from the likes of amaysim, Jeenee Mobile, Moose Mobile and OVO.

Commander Broadband's mobile broadband plans become even less competitive as their data caps increase. For half the price of Commander Broadband's 10GB plan, you could score the same amount of data with Jeenee Mobile or Catch Connect. Furthermore, you could spend less than the price of Commander Broadband's 7GB plan and get 15GB through OVO or a massive 30GB through Catch Connect.

Why should you consider Commander Broadband?

Commander Broadband is an Internet provider for businesses that want premium service and are willing to pay for it. Its plans come with a hefty premium compared to many rivals, so you'll want to be sure that you're going to take advantage of Commander Broadband's business-grade features like office phone systems and enhanced service level agreements before signing up.

If it's a mobile broadband service you're after, meanwhile, you'll be better served looking elsewhere.

Commander Broadband's NBN throttling speeds of 2Mbps when you exceed your data allowance are admittedly attractive considering that most telcos enforce 128Kbps or 256Kbps. However, if this is your concern then you'd be better off putting your dollars towards an unlimited plan from a rival provider to get better value for your money.

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