Compare NBN 500 plans – the new high-speed internet tier

What is NBN 500?

NBN 500 is the new NBN speed tier launched by NBN Co.

Speed tiers are the different 'levels' of NBN plans that determine your internet speed.

Prior to 14 September 2025, there were 6 main NBN speed tiers ranging from basic to ultrafast: NBN 12, NBN 25, NBN 50, NBN 100, NBN 250 and NBN 1000.

That's now changed with the introduction of NBN 500, NBN 750 and NBN 2000.

For NBN 500 specifically, eligible NBN 100 plans now fall under a new tier offering speeds up to 5 times faster. This is the NBN 500 plan.
Read our full guide on all the NBN speed upgrades besides NBN 500

How fast is NBN 500?

The best way to explain is by comparing it directly to an NBN 100 plan.

NBN 100: You get maximum speeds of 100Mbps download and 20-40Mbps upload. It's good for larger families or heavy internet users, and you can stream 4K videos on 1-4 devices at the same time.

NBN 500: The speeds increase to up to 500Mbps download and 50Mbps upload, so you can download large files in minutes and keep multiple devices running smoothly at the same time.

For more context, let's say you're trying to download a large video game - around 100GB in size.

Here's how download times for faster NBN plans can take if you're getting the maximum speeds available:

What about typical evening speeds?

You may not always get the maximum speeds available on NBN 500.

That's why providers advertise typical evening speeds, which reflect what you might get during the busiest hours of the day, 7-11pm.

Since these plans are newly launched, not every provider is showing typical evening speeds yet as they'll need time to collect and analyse the data.

Who can sign up to an NBN 500 plan?

Your fixed-line NBN connection will determine whether you can get an NBN 500 plan.

That's because fixed-line NBN has five different connection types, and only two of them, fibre to the premises (FTTP) and hybrid fibre coaxial (HFC), can support speeds faster than 100Mbps (NBN 100).

Don't know your NBN connection type? Pop in your address in the box to find out.

Free NBN FTTP upgrades

NBN Co is currently rolling out a major fibre upgrade program.

The plan is to give more than 10 million homes and businesses - almost 90% of the fixed-line network - access to the fastest speeds available.

Selected premises on the Fibre to the Node (FTTN) or Fibre to the Curb (FTTC) connection may be eligible for an upgrade. All you have to do is enter your address on NBN Co's website to find out.

Alternatively, you can check your upgrade eligibility through any provider that is part of the upgrade program - they'll display this information on their website.

This includes the likes of TPG, Optus, Telstra, Vodafone, Aussie Broadband and more. You will need to sign up to an NBN 100 plan or faster to trigger the upgrade, which itself won't cost you any money.

Is NBN 500 really a free upgrade?

As we've mentioned, NBN Co won't be charging providers for these speed boosts, and from all the newly launched NBN 500 plans we've seen, it looks to be free of charge to customers on an NBN 100 plan.

In fact, these plans are priced the same as NBN 100.

So while the speed upgrade itself won't cost extra, plan prices could still change over time.

How much do NBN 500 plans cost?

The average monthly price of NBN 500 plans in our database is about $95 as of November 2025.

However, the cheapest plan starts at $80 a month, and you can even find discounted prices for the first 6 months for under $65.

As you can see, there's a big difference in prices between providers, so it really pays to compare.

Do I need special equipment for an NBN 500 plan?

This will entirely depend on what modem you currently own.

You may need a new one if you haven't upgraded your hardware in around 5 years or more. If it's an older model, it may not be able to achieve faster, more reliable speeds.

For example, a Wi-Fi 5 modem can theoretically achieve speeds up to 1000Mbps (NBN 1000), but you will need near-perfect circumstances for that.

This includes situations like proximity to the modem and lack of interference through walls.

A Wi-Fi 6 modem is more future-proof, or even a Wi-Fi 7 if you want to take it a step further.

Is an NBN 500 plan worth it?

This answer is mainly for people who don't have an NBN 100 plan yet.

Unless you're a light internet user, let's assume you're on an NBN 50 plan, which can work for an average household of 2-3 people.

Based on our table at the start of the guide, some of the newly launched NBN 500 plans can cost $80 to $85 a month (excluding honeymoon prices).

The average cost of an NBN 50 plan in our database as of November 2025 is around $85 a month.

Compared to that, NBN 500 is priced extremely well, considering it's 10 times faster. The main extra cost you might face is updating your modem if yours is outdated.

Take a look at what you're currently paying and see if faster speeds could be worth it before making a decision.

Our expert says

"Getting extra speed for the same price is great, but you may have to jump through a few hoops. My provider happily informed me via email that since I'd supplied my own modem, it couldn't tell whether I'd be able to access the higher speeds when they rolled out - which was nonsense as I was using the company-branded modem it had originally supplied. Took a phone call to sort that one out!"

Angus Kidman

Editor-at-large

Written by

Mariam Gabaji

Senior Utilities Editor & Tech Expert

Mariam Gabaji is a journalist with 13 years of experience, specialising in consumer topics like mobile services and energy costs. Her work appears in the ABC, Yahoo Finance, 9News, The Guardian, SBS, 7News, A Current Affair and Money Magazine. Mariam holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and was a finalist for the 2024 and 2025 IT Journalism Award for Best Telecommunications Journalist. See full bio

Mariam's expertise

Mariam has written 434 Finder guides across topics including:

• Energy
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