While many people now rely on their mobile phones to make calls, you can still using keep your home phone when you connect to the NBN. Home phone services on the NBN are known as Voice over IP (VoIP) telephone plans.
When you sign up to an NBN plan, depending on the provider, you'll be asked if you want to add any call packages. These call packages use VoIP technology so that you can continue using your home phone line.
Must read: If you're on the NBN and want to continue using your home phone, you MUST sign up to a VoIP service. Unless you have a fixed wireless or satellite NBN connection, there is no other way to keep using your home phone line without VoIP.
What is VoIP and how does it work?
A VoIP phone service lets you communicate with other people using the Internet rather than traditional phone lines. When you call mobiles or landlines with a VoIP service, your voice is converted into digital data signals that are sent via the Internet, in much the same way as any other upload.
Essentially, VoIP uses a different type of technology for you to continue using your home phone line when you've connected to the NBN.
Finder survey: How many Australians make landline calls in different states?
Response
WA
VIC
SA
QLD
NSW
Customer support options
39.62%
43.7%
34.67%
40.61%
46.01%
Modem with 4G backup
33.96%
34.81%
30.67%
36.04%
35.14%
Brand
31.13%
24.81%
33.33%
25.89%
30.99%
None of the above
20.75%
17.04%
20%
20.3%
14.38%
Modem available to purchase
18.87%
20.74%
17.33%
13.71%
15.97%
Home phone line
14.15%
15.56%
12%
12.18%
19.49%
BYO modem
9.43%
15.56%
12%
9.14%
15.97%
Other
7.55%
5.93%
8%
11.17%
6.07%
Source: Finder survey by Pure Profile of 1006 Australians, December 2023 Data for ACT, NT, TAS not shown due to insufficient sample size. Some other states may also be excluded for this reason.
How is a VoIP service different from traditional phones?
While traditional phones and VoIP do more or less the same thing — allow you to call other people — the difference in technology has a few consequences:
No Internet? No power? No connection. If the NBN goes down, your VoIP service will stop working. Likewise, a power failure will shut off your NBN and kill your VoIP service (unless you have a backup battery, automatically included on Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) NBN).
Some devices may stop working. Emergency devices, security alarms and other equipment may stop functioning if they rely on traditional copper telephone wires.
Quality can vary. VoIP connections aren't perfect, and you can get bad call quality if your Internet is shaky or your bandwidth is put under strain. This is less likely as technology improves.
No line rental fees, but there's still a fee. The extra line rental fees you would often be charged to get copper phone services don't exist. This doesn't mean VoIP is free, though, as covered in the next section.
How do I get VoIP on an NBN plan?
Not all NBN providers offer VoIP options with their plans. Those that do usually sell it in one of three ways:
Default pay as you go. Many providers will give you a VoIP phone line for no added cost, instead charging you per minute for every call you make. A few, like Telstra, include the phone line and unlimited Australian calls for free.
Call pack add-ons. If you use your landline regularly, pay as you go costs can add up. Some providers have call packs, where you pay an extra monthly fee to get unlimited standard or international inclusions.
Standalone service. These aren't sold as part of a plan but are a separate subscription with various inclusions and features. Standalone VoIP is more common for businesses than individuals.
If the NBN has rolled out in your area and you want to keep your landline, you'll have to switch to a VoIP service since the telephone cables in your area will be removed in the near future. The exception is people with satellite or fixed wireless NBN connections since they can keep their traditional landline.
On average, a VoIP phone call will consume about 12MB/hr for voice-only communication.
This amount of data is unlikely to put a dent in your allowance, especially if you're on an unlimited NBN plan. But even on a super-limited mobile data plan with 1GB or less, VoIP's data use is barely noticeable.
VoIP providers in Australia
Australia has dozens of providers who will sell you a VoIP phone service with your home Internet. Many providers will offer a home phone line when you sign up with pay as you go (PAYG) calls, and the option to add on call packs if you think you'll be using your home phone regularly.
In this section, we're highlighting the VoIP services and deals from Finder partners only — it's not an exhaustive list of everything available. If you're not keen on any of the below providers, make sure you do your own research to see what other options are available for you.
Click on a provider logo below to see its VoIP plans
Telstra NBN VoIP plans
No matter what NBN plan you get from Telstra, you'll get a home phone line included at no extra cost, plus the following:
Unlimited local, national and mobile calls in Australia
If you purchase a Dodo NBN plan, you'll get a home phone included at no extra charge. Depending on how much extra you choose to pay per month, you'll get the following call inclusions:
Pay As You Go for free
Local calls at 25 cents per call and national calls at 29 cents per minute plus 45 cents at flag fall
Mobile calls at 39 cents per minute plus 45 cents at flag fall
International calls at rates depending on the destination
"13" numbers at 44 cents per call
Unlimited call pack for $10 a month, which makes local, national and mobile calls free
International landline pack for $15 a month, which gives you 2,000 minutes to landlines in 25 countries
International landline and mobile pack for $20 a month, which gives you 2,000 minutes to landlines and mobiles in 25 countries
No, you don't. You can use a regular landline phone for VoIP as long as you have a VoIP adapter on your modem.
If you're getting a modem from your provider, set up should be super easy. The modem will be pre-configured with all the information you need, and you can simply plug your phone in and get going.
If you're bringing your own modem, set up can be harder. Some providers, like Telstra, flat out won't let you use your own modem if you're getting a VoIP service. Others might, but you'll have to request the necessary information from them and then do all the configuration yourself. Make sure you check with your NBN provider whether it'll accept a BYO VoIP phone.
Special VoIP handsets do exist, but these are a lot more complicated and are generally only used by businesses.
VoIP apps: Make free VoIP calls
Don't want to pay extra for a VoIP landline? There are plenty of free apps and platforms that use VoIP, and you're probably familiar with many of them. These apps just need an Internet connection to get you talking:
Of course, some will charge you extra if you're trying to call fixed landline or mobile numbers, so they might not be entirely free. Many of them have the added advantage that you can exchange text messages on them as well, which a standard VoIP landline phone won't do.
FAQs about the VoIP phone system
What does VoIP stand for?
VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. Basically, this just means using the Internet to make phone calls.
Do mobile phones use VoIP?
When you're sending texts or making calls with your regular mobile service, you're not using VoIP. However, phones often have apps with VoIP functionality, like WhatsApp or Skype.
Sam Baran is a writer for Finder, covering topics across the tech, telco and utilities sectors. They enjoy decrypting technical jargon and helping people compare complex products easily. When they aren't writing, you'll find Sam's head buried in a book or working on their latest short story. Sam has a Bachelor of Advanced Science from the University of Sydney. See full bio
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