NBN speeds: Who beat Telstra, Optus in the ACCC’s speed report?
NBN providers are kicking goals with promised speeds but it's the smaller telcos that are giving the likes of Telstra, Optus and Aussie Broadband a run for their money.
Smaller telco Launtel has topped the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's (ACCC) latest broadband performance report for December 2022.
It's the first time Launtel, a smaller retailer, has delivered the highest download speeds in this report. It exceeded expectations for promised speeds for its fixed-line NBN plans during the busy hours of the day, 7pm–11pm.
Here's a look at the ranks of the top 12 providers in Australia as measured by the ACCC. The second fastest is Optus, followed by Exetel.
Telstra and TPG falter a bit but still meet expectations over 98% of the time during peak hours.
| Rank | NBN provider | Peak hours | |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Launtel | 103.3% | |
| #2 | Optus | 101.7% | |
| #3 | Exetel | 101.5% | |
| #4 | Telstra | 99.8% | |
| #5 | TPG | 98.3% | |
| #6 | Superloop | 97.9% | |
| #7 | MyRepublic | 97.5% | |
| #8 | Dodo | 96.9% | |
| #9 | iPrimus | 96.9% | |
| #10 | iiNet | 96.4% | |
| #11 | Vodafone | 96.1% | |
| #12 | Aussie Broadband | 96% |
Why are peak NBN speeds important?
Peak hour speeds are a good indication of how fast your internet will run when a lot of people are online at the same time.
NBN providers usually display this as their typical evening speed. For example, a provider might promise 50Mbps typical evening speeds on an NBN 50 plan. This is the maximum that can be achieved on this speed tier, which means you can't get any better.
"Launtel's performance in August shows that emerging and smaller retailers can provide similar, if not better, performance than the larger telcos," ACCC commissioner Anna Brakey said.
While we're familiar with the bigger brands, don't skip out on smaller retailers when comparing your options. You might miss out on some great deals otherwise.
It's also great to see that compared to previous reports, the difference between the lowest- and highest-performing NBN providers has narrowed.
For example, in August 2022, the range was 88.8% and 102.3%. This month, it's 96% and 103.3%.
- Keep in mind. The report does not measure all NBN providers in Australia, just the top of the pack.
Why do these ACCC broadband performance reports matter?
The ACCC's reports are a great way to understand how reliable a provider is.
The higher the percentage they're reported to hit, the more likely they're giving you the advertised typical evening speeds.
Being more reliable means you're getting a better bang for your buck.
It's important to make sure that you run internet speed tests every now and then to see if your provider is delivering its promised speeds.
If that's not the case, it would be good to call your NBN provider to discuss the matter.
It might be failing on its promises or your old modem could be setting you back.
Read more about the fastest and most reliable NBN providers in Australia, or check out our top picks for the best NBN plans this month.
