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Exetel broadband: NBN and ADSL plans

Do you need a new broadband connection but don’t know which way to go? Take a look at what Exetel broadband has to offer.

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

Over the decade and a half that it's been operating in the telecommunications space, Exetel has built up quite the customer base. With over 120,000 Australians signed up to its broadband and mobile services, it's one of the larger Aussie telcos not yet owned by a bigger service provider.

Exetel supplies high-speed Internet services via NBN, ADSL and mobile broadband connections. NBN and ADSL services are available on month-to-month, 12-month and 18-month contracts, while mobile broadband services support both month-to-month and 12-month contracts.

Alongside its Internet services, Exetel also offers Voice over IP (VoIP) and traditional landline phone services, though the latter is only available bundled in with an ADSL plan.

For select apartment-dwellers and those living in new housing estates, Exetel provides an alternative to the NBN through its own fibre network. You'll need to enter your address on Exetel's website to determine whether you're eligible for this service, however.

Exetel NBN plans

Exetel covers all the standard NBN connection types with its NBN plans, servicing fibre to the premises (FTTP), fibre to the node (FTTN), fibre to the building (FTTB), hybrid-fibre coaxial (HFC) and fixed wireless customers across Australia. It offers three different speed options with these plans: nbn12, nbn50 and nbn100. Only nbn12 is supported on fixed wireless connections, however.

All Exetel's NBN plans come bundled with a free Voice over IP (VoIP) phone service operating on a pay-as-you-go basis. Each plan is also available with one of three data caps, leading to the following nine options:

nbn12 plans

  • Basic 100GB, which costs $39.99 a month
  • Basic 500GB, which costs $49.99 a month
  • Basic Unlimited, which costs $54.99 a month

nbn50 plans

  • Standard Plus 100GB, which costs $49.99 a month
  • Standard Plus 500GB, which costs $59.99 a month
  • Standard Plus Unlimited, which costs $69.99 a month

nbn100 plans

  • Premium 100GB, which costs $69.99 a month
  • Premium 500GB, which costs $79.99 a month
  • Premium Unlimited, which costs $89.99 a month

Since the NBN speed tiers are based on the theoretical maximum speed possible and often don't reflect the actual speeds you'll get, Exetel provides the following guide to the typical average speeds during the hectic evening hours between 7:00pm and 11:00pm:

  • Basic plans: 9Mbps typical evening speeds
  • Standard Plus plans: 37Mbps typical evening speeds
  • Premium plans: 75.2Mbps typical evening speeds

When you sign up for one of Exetel's NBN plans, you can do so on a month-to-month contract, a 12-month contract or an 18-month contract. If you pick the 18-month contract, you won't have to pay any setup fees, but you will on both a 12-month and month-to-month contract: $59.99 on a 12-month plan and $99.99 on a month-to-month plan.

The reduced setup fees on the longer-term contracts come with a catch, of course. Should you want to cancel your service before the end of the contract term, you'll be hit with an early termination charge of up to $350 on an 18-month contract and $299 on a 12-month contract.

You won't have to worry about excess usage fees, however. On all Exetel's capped plans, going over your monthly data limit will simply result in your Internet speed dropping to 256Kbps for the rest of your current billing cycle.

For information on the extras Exetel offers with its NBN plans, click here.

Exetel ADSL plans

For those waiting on the NBN rollout to reach them, Exetel offers two ADSL plans delivered over Optus' wholesale broadband network. Both plans include home phone line rental and a new phone number with the ability to make and receive calls on a pay-as-you-go basis.

These plans are as follows:

  • ADSL2+ 100GB, which includes 50GB of on-peak data and 50GB of off-peak data for $39.99 a month
  • ADSL2+ Unlimited, which includes unlimited data for $54.99 a month

For the 100GB plan, Exetel defines peak-time as between 9:00am and 1:00am, while off-peak time is from 1:00am to 9:00am.

Setup costs for Exetel's ADSL plans differ depending on how long you sign up for. On a month-to-month contract, you'll have to pay a $99.99 activation fee upfront, while that drops to $59.99 on a 12-month contract. Meanwhile, there are no setup costs at all on 18-month contracts.

Before you sign up for a longer-term contract, however, you'll want to be aware of the early termination fee incurred if you decide to cancel your plan before the full term is up. On a 12-month contract, this fee can be as much as $199.98, while it could be as much as $349.98 on an 18-month contract.

Exetel employs speed shaping on its 100GB ADSL plan, so if you go over either your on-peak or off-peak data limits, you won't incur any excess charges. Instead, your Internet speed will slow down to 128Kbps for the rest of your current billing cycle.

For information on the extras Exetel offers with its ADSL plans, click here.

Exetel mobile broadband plans

Exetel's SIM-only mobile broadband plans operate over the Optus 3G and 4G network and are available on both month-to-month and 12-month contracts. Pricing and data caps vary depending on which contract term you sign up for, resulting in the following options:

Month-to-month plans

  • 1.5GB plan for $9.99 a month
  • 5GB plan for $19.99 a month
  • 8GB plan for $29.99 a month
  • 15GB plan for $44.99 a month
  • 50GB plan for $59.99 a month
  • 70GB plan for $79.99 a month

12-month plans

  • 8GB plan for $19.99 a month
  • 15GB plan for $29.99 a month
  • 25GB plan for $44.99 a month
  • 60GB plan for $59.99 a month
  • 90GB plan for $79.99 a month

Both the month-to-month plans and the 12-month plans come with no setup fees, though you will have to pay an early termination fee if you sign up for a 12-month plan and cancel before the full year has passed. This fee is calculated based on both the time remaining on your contract and your chosen plan, and can range anywhere from $25 up to $300.

On 12-month plans, Exetel also provides an option for purchasing a 4G USB modem at $9 a month extra. If you cancel your plan before the year is up, you'll need to pay out the full $110 cost of the modem less the monthly repayments you've already made.

If you chew through all your monthly data on one of Exetel's mobile broadband plans, any excess data you use will be charged in 1GB blocks at a price of $10 per block.

Exetel extras

In addition to basic broadband, Exetel offers a couple of optional products and services with both its ADSL and NBN plans.

If you're in need of a new modem to go with your broadband service, Exetel will sell you a ZTE H268A modem-router for an upfront cost dependent on the term of your contract: for month-to-month contracts, it'll cost you $99; for 12-month contracts it's $79; and for 18-month contracts it's $59. The ZTE H268A supports both the 801.11ac wireless standard as well as the 2.4GHz and 5GHz network bands, and it works with both ADSL and NBN connections – meaning you won't need to replace it if you upgrade from ADSL to NBN in the future.

Exetel also provides an unlimited Voice over IP (VoIP) phone pack on both its ADSL and NBN plans. For $10 extra a month, you get unlimited standard local, national and mobile calls within Australia, plus unlimited international calls to Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, the UK and the USA. As a bonus, if you purchase the VoIP pack on an 18-month broadband contract, you'll get the ZTE H268A modem-router bundled in for free.

How does Exetel compare?

Exetel has plenty to offer across its NBN, ADSL and mobile broadband plans, making it one of the stronger players in the Australian telco market.

How do Exetel's NBN plans compare?
How do Exetel's ADSL plans compare?
How do Exetel's mobile broadband plans compare?

How do Exetel's NBN plans compare?

Exetel stands out as one of the most competitive providers of NBN services within Australia. Its plans are some of the cheapest on the market, with plenty of options for tailoring speeds, data caps and contract lengths to suit your particular needs.

This is evident even in Exetel's basic 12Mbps 100GB month-to-month plan. Not only is its monthly rate one of the lowest you'll find, the inclusion of a pay-as-you-go VoIP phone service puts it ahead of offerings from providers like Activ8me and IPSTAR.

Spintel, however, does offer a compelling alternative with its NBN Entry Bundle. It packs the same amount of data as Exetel's plan at a slightly higher monthly cost, but the inclusion of a cheaper modem means it charges less upfront. Over the short term, then, Spintel's plan is the cheaper of the two for the full modem-and-broadband package.

It's deja vu when comparing Exetel's 500GB plan. Once again, Exetel represents one of the top choices at this tier of broadband service, with only Spintel edging it out with a lower upfront cost in cases where you need a new modem along with your Internet connection.

Exetel faces significantly tougher competition with its unlimited data plan. Here, Flip TV offers a formidable alternative with its unlimited plan, charging less per month as well as less upfront for the same service. Hello Broadband's plan is similarly attractive, while Buzz and Infinity both work out even cheaper over the short term due to their lack of setup fees. Nevertheless, Exetel's unlimited plan remains a solid choice.

Though the above comparisons are based on plans with a 12Mbps NBN connection, they can be easily applied to faster Internet speeds, too. The table below compares how much Exetel charges for upgrading to faster speed tiers on its Unlimited plan compared to other relevant Internet providers:

ExetelSpintelTeleronFlip TVInfinity TelcoBuzz TelcoTPG
25MbpsN/AN/A$10 extra$10 extra$5 extra$10 extraN/A
50Mbps$5 extra$10 extra$20 extra$30 extra$10 extra$15 extra$10 extra
100Mbps$35 extra$25 extra$30 extraN/A$20 extra$20 extra$30 extra

How do Exetel's ADSL plans compare?

Exetel is up there with the best of them in the ADSL space, and it's all thanks to one critical factor: line rental. To receive ADSL Internet, you need to have an active phone line at your premises, and a lot of providers don't include this in their ADSL plans. Since line rental typically costs around $30 a month, it's important to factor it in when comparing plans.

Because Exetel's ADSL plans come with line rental already bundled in, they enjoy a considerable advantage over much of the competition. Exetel's 100GB plan, for instance, might seem a lot more expensive than Dodo's 50GB plan, but once you've added line rental into the equation, Exetel comes out on top.

The same goes for Exetel's unlimited ADSL plan. Standalone ADSL plans from providers like Dodo, Barefoot Telecom and Spintel are only worth considering if you already have an active phone service with another provider. The AusBBS ADSL bundle, however, does go toe-to-toe with Exetel's offering, as it comes with line rental plus a lower setup fee and modem costs.

How do Exetel's mobile broadband plans compare?

Since Exetel's 12-month and month-to-month mobile broadband plans differ quite dramatically in data inclusions and price, it's worth comparing the two separately.

How do Exetel's month-to-month mobile broadband plans compare?
How do Exetel's 12-month mobile broadband plans compare?

How do Exetel's month-to-month mobile broadband plans compare?

At the budget end of mobile broadband, Exetel's 1.5GB month-to-month plan is on par with the cheapest options out there. It matches Jeenee Mobile's equally attractive option and beats out the more expensive plan from Moose Mobile along with Lycamobile's 28-day expiry plan — although the latter does benefit from using parts of Telstra's 4G network instead of Optus.

At higher data caps, Exetel loses some of its edge. Though its 8GB plan remains competitive with offerings from Kogan Mobile and Vodafone, Jeenee Mobile and Spintel take the lead with cheaper monthly pricing and even extra data in the case of Jeenee Mobile.

The top tier of mobile broadband data caps is where Exetel struggles most. Here, you've got OVO, amaysim and even Optus serving up 100GB of data at a lower monthly rate than Exetel's 70GB plan. To cap it off, Optus offers data-free streaming through Spotify, Google Play Music and iHeartRadio on its plan, letting you jam out to your heart's content without impacting your monthly cap.

How do Exetel's 12-month mobile broadband plans compare?

Exetel's 12-month plans offset their lock-in contracts by including larger data caps at cheaper monthly rates. If you're willing to stick it out for the long term, these plans would seem to be ideal, and that's certainly true of Exetel's more affordable plans. The 8GB offering, for instance, beats out both Spintel and Jeenee Mobile's month-to-month offerings, and represents a better dollar-to-data ratio than Vodafone's 10GB plan.

This added value begins to wither at higher data caps. For the same price as Exetel's 12-month 25GB plan, you could instead get a commitment-free, month-to-month plan from Lebara with the same 25GB. Better yet, you could score yourself 30GB of data with Catch Connect on a similar no-lock-in contract.